18 March 2002

When automobile racing began more than100 years ago, it was a contest among dif-ferent carmakers to see who produced su-

perior vehicles. I guess you can say that was the incep-tion of the concept of “Race on Sunday, sell on Monday.”

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19March 2002

RACINGTECHNOLOGY:

THE

TRICKLE-DOWNEFFECT

What carmakers

and parts

manufacturers

learn at the

racetrack helps

them create

better vehicles

and replacement

parts for you and

your customers.

What carmakers

and parts

manufacturers

learn at the

racetrack helps

them create

better vehicles

and replacement

parts for you and

your customers. BY TOM NASH

Today, automakers are still provid-ing engines, components and spon-sorship money to race teams—and toa larger extent than ever—in order toconvince the buying public that theirengines and vehicles will go faster,

last longer and outperform those oftheir competitors.

The public perception the au-tomakers have always hoped for hasbeen that the vehicles they build areso strong, durable and powerful that

they’re fit for racing performance—inother words, that the technology usedto make their vehicles is track-tested.

GM Goes ‘Stock’ Car RacingAmong the many racing programsthat General Motors participates in isthe rapidly growing American SpeedAssociation, or ASA. ASA started inthe midwest in 1968 as a form ofshort-track stock car racing. In thosedays, the cars were simply track ver-sions of street vehicles. As the seriesgrew, mechanical rules were added tomore or less level the playing field forall competitors. Properly preparedcars, skilled drivers and a little bit ofluck would determine the winner, notfinancial support and sponsorship.Other innovative ASA rules include

mandating the use of mufflers, forthe benefit of spectators’ ears.

Starting with the 2000 season, theASA put the “stock” back in stock carracing, when the use of the GM-builtVortec ASA 5700 engine becamemandatory. This engine is based on the5.7-liter LS1 engine found in streetversions of the Corvette, Camaro andPontiac Firebird. The Vortec ASA5700, however, is rated at a potent 430hp and produces 430 ft-lb of torque.

The engines are assembled at GM’sRomulus, Michigan, facility, thenshipped to Lingenfelter Performance

Engineering in Decatur, Indiana,where they’re modified slightly, dyno-tested and sealed. At that point, therace teams can make no further alter-ations or adjustments to the engines.

To keep the playing field level, theteams receive the PCM of the ASA5700 just prior to the race and are notallowed to make any software modifi-cations to it. The “black boxes” are GMproduction units calibrated with slight-ly different values for fuel delivery andspark advance to enhance racing per-formance. They have the same diag-nostic storage and retrieval capabilitiesas passenger car modules, so key para-meters and functions, such as injectorpulse width, spark advance and criticalfluid temperatures and pressures, canbe monitored. This information is re-

20 March 2002

RACING TECHNOLOGY: THE TRICKLE-DOWN EFFECT

The Vortec ASA 5700 engine is made forthe American Speed Association Rac-ing Series. Based on GM’s LS1 engine,the powerplant is modified to produce430 horses and 430 ft-lb of torque.

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turned to GM for research and devel-opment purposes. According to MarkMcPhail, GM Racing Lead Engineer,“What we learn on the track is directlyapplied to our passenger car engines.”

GM benefits from its racing pro-grams in another way, according toDon Taylor, GM Group Manager forRacing.

“Each year, three or four GM pow-ertrain engineers are rotated to dutywith the Motorsports Program,” hetold us. “In this way, they get the ben-efit of working directly with raceteams and performance specialists.They can then take that experienceand knowledge with them when theyreturn to creating systems for passen-ger cars.

“Another example of the feedbackeffect from ASA racing,” said Taylor, “isthat we found a way to improve theconnecting rod bolts on the LS1 en-gine. If we were not supplying theseengines to a racing program and exam-ining the engines after the races, wemay not have found the improvement.”

21March 2002

ASA race teams receive identically prepared Vortec 5700 engines, which have been modified and dyno-tested by Lin-genfelter Performance Engineering. Once shipped, the engines are not allowed to be altered in any way prior to a race.

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Displacement: 5.7 liters (5665cc)Horsepower: 430 @ 6200 rpmTorque: 430 ft-lb @ 4800 rpmCompression Ratio: 10.1:1Bore/Stroke: 99.0x92.0mmFiring Order: 1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3Redline: 6800 rpmCylinder Block: Aluminum 90° Vee,

deep skirt with cast-in ironsleeves, 111.76mm bore spacing,234.70mm deck height

Crankshaft: Cast nodular iron withundercut & rolled fillets

Crank Pin Journal Diameter:53.318/53.338mm

Main Bearing Journal Diameter:64.993/65.008mm

Main Bearings (5): Aluminumlead/silicon alloy with centeredbulkhead thrust bearing

Bearing Caps: Powdered metalwith 4 vertical bolts, 2 cross bolts

Cylinder Head: Cast aluminum 356T-6, heat-treated, cross-flow,wedge combustion chamber(67.3cc volume), hi-flow evenlyspaced, symmetrical ports

Pistons: Cast aluminum, flat topIntake Manifold: One-piece com-

posite, symmetrical runnersThrottle Body: Aluminum, 75mm

bore diameterFuel Injection System: H-style,

Bosch DR2 regulator, 400kPa con-stant pressure, Bosch EV6 injec-tors

Cooling System: Conventional-flow, crossflow radiator, 2-speedelectric dual fans, centrifugal/belt-driven pump

Vortec ASA 5700 EngineSpecifications

Civic and the 1.7-liter Acura, it variedthe valve timing to produce a “leanburn” effect.

For 2002, Honda is introducing thenext generation of VTEC in the 2.0-liter DOHC engine for the Civic Si.The i-VTEC system (the “i” stands for“intelligent”) uses a computer thatmakes decisions based on stored algo-rithms to determine the amount oftiming advance or retard to create op-timum performance, emissions con-trol and fuel consumption. Hondarefers to this combustion system as“clean burn.”

Interestingly, according to Clarke,“The biggest direct benefit of the rac-ing programs to Honda is the devel-opment of people.” Engineers andtechnicians from Honda’s mainstreamR&D departments who work on theracing program become more cog-

nizant of the effects of technologicalthinking, then apply that thinking tothe production vehicles that reach thestreets, and eventually your shops.

Wix Filters Out ProblemsAutomakers are not alone in their use ofracing to develop and improve prod-ucts. Many component and parts manu-facturers, as well, have learned valuablelessons on those giant oval labs.

For example, Bill Stamey, ProductEngineer for Wix Filters, says that al-though his company’s main business ismaking and selling high-quality filtersfor the general public, Wix makes use ofthe best testing laboratory in the worldwhen they go racing.

“Our racing program has taught us alot about dealing with high pressures,high temperatures and rapid oil deterio-ration,” says Stamey. “Testing at the

22 March 2002

Honda’s latest engine, the 2.0-liter i-VTEC, will beappearing in the 2002 Civic Si coming out this sum-mer. Computer-controlled operation makes it thecompany’s cleanest, most efficient engine ever.

RACING TECHNOLOGY: THE TRICKLE-DOWN EFFECT

Honda’s Racetrack R&DImproves Production EnginesHonda has made good use of its R&Defforts on racing circuits to enhanceits consumer products. According toRobert Clarke, General Manager ofHonda Performance, “One of themost prominent examples of racingtechnology finding its way into streetvehicles is the variable valve timingsystem found on our VTEC engines.”

VTEC (variable valve timing andlift electronic control) was originallydeveloped in the mid-’80s to giveHonda’s Formula 1 cars a broadertorque curve. The most valuable pro-duction results of this technology havebeen in emissions control and fueleconomy. When it was adapted foruse in passenger vehicles a decadeago, VTEC was quite revolutionary.Appearing in the 1.5-liter Honda

track led us to develop gaskets for our[oil] filters made with nitrile com-pounds to withstand rapid buildup ofhigh temperatures. This same technolo-gy was incorporated into our filters forlight and heavy-duty vehicle use toavoid premature gasket failure in ad-verse conditions.”

According to Stamey, Wix’s racingprogram also led to the development ofa synthetic filtration medium, whichbetter withstands the effects of highpressures and contaminants. This de-sign improvement has been incorporat-ed into many Wix filters for general use.

“Most of the filters used by NASCARteams, such as Gibbs, Roush and Yates,are returned to us after use,” saysStamey. “We can then examine filtersthat were used in the toughest of racingconditions and determine ways of mak-ing the products we sell better.”

“Although the micro-babbitt type ofbearing used in drag racing is differentthan the type used in OE manufactureor aftermarket repair, we continue tolearn a lot from the racing program thathelps us engineer better products forthe average vehicle.

“If a manufacturer is considering us-ing a line of bearings in its vehicles,”Anderson concludes, “the fact that thebearing manufacturer has proven theproduct under racing conditions may beof benefit. The OEM knows that theproducts coming from that supplierhave been proven on the racetrack.”

23March 2002

Wix improved the gasket material and created a new filtration media for itsoil filters as a result of testing and research done in its racing programs.

Visit www.motor.com todownload a free copy of this

article. Copies are also availableby sending $3 for each copy to:

Fulfillment Dept., MOTOR Magazine,5600 Crooks Rd., Troy, MI 48098.

Clevite Bears the PressureEven components as seemingly simpleas crankshaft bearings have been im-proved by corporate racing involve-ment. Bob Anderson, Team Leader forClevite Bearings, puts it this way: “Weuse the racing programs to look at whatpossible problems could arise undercertain harsh conditions.

“For example,” he adds, “in ourNHRA drag racing program, the TopFuel and Funny Cars have very pow-erful engines that explode to life, cre-ating tremendous torque and hun-dreds of horsepower for just a few sec-onds. During those few seconds, theforce exerted on the crankshaft bear-ings is enormous, due to the high de-gree of crankshaft flex. If the bearingsfail to facilitate the smooth spinning ofthe crankshaft, the consequences aregoing to be extremely costly.