8-Port EFI Developement Programme (update)

Following on from Keith Calver's excellent 8-Port development work, Mini Spares HQ set fresh objectives for the engine as follows:
1) Mercedes idle qualities
2) Mercedes induction noise levels
3) Jaguar rates of acceleration
Items 1 and 3 were going to require a new camshaft and item 2 required a: serious appraisal of current air cleaners and their installation problems - the Rover SDI air cleaner would seem to meet the criteria.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             To resolve items 1 and 3, we approached Peter Lings, ex Jaguar, whose title of 'Stress Calculations Engineer' appears a little daunting and mysterious, but boils down to camshaft design, crankshaft design, valve spring design, gear design and anything else involving moving parts working in arduous conditions. Peter's cams won the BTCC for two years, and are currently being used by major contenders in British touring Cars and Formula 2 rallying.                                                                                                                                                         The objectives of the new cam were to have the low down behaviour of the MG Metro cam, and the top end behaviour of the Kent Cams 286 profile. Kent were on board to help produce this new cam. Peter's design was completed in 3 weeks and we were told that for it to work properly, it had to use a large diameter cam follower. This would reduce the stresses round the nose of the cam, and enable the camshaft to work as designed, rather than compromise the integrity or quality standards.
The cylinder head had been reworked by CES of Aylesbury, to meet the idle and acceleration objectives 1 and 3. Big ports are fine if you are racing and running at 8000 RPM instance small inlet ports were more desirable. These small ports were obtained by sleeving the cylinder head and inlet manifold. The work was recorded by John Middleton of CES, using his
Superflow airflow rig, and he improved the airflow at low cam lifts, without losing the top end. He modestly told us that this 'ROAD' head was now capable of 135 BHP.
The power graph below, taken from an engine dyno (the only reliable and accurate method of measuring power, despite what you may have heard about Rolling Roads), shows 116 BHP at 7000RPM.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Engine builders talk about torque tuned power curves with almost religious zeal. What they are looking for is a constant torque output across the entire rev range. This is closest I have ever been to that holy grail - virtually flat torque curve. Amazing.                                                                                                                                                                          In the next issue of Mini Tech News, we will follow the developments of the new 8-Port engine, where Cliff Humphries, ex Abingdon BMC Comps Dept., and builder of Will Gollops Rallycross engine among others, enters the picture to give us the benefit of his expertise.                                                                                                                                    More next time.

Importation rules regarding vehicles are very specific: Only those over 25 years in age may be brought in to the USA without compilance to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).