Just tossing this one around this morning...and input, opinions, experiences are very welcome.
So I think most of us are familiar with the 4" crank stroker build for these motors and it seems like a very easy way to make a 450+hp small block.
The downside to a stroker motor is that the longer travel of the pistons means more losses due to friction and the increased force required to accelerate the pistons through much higher piston speeds. The effect can be a motor that's less happy to rev or one that starts to hit the physical limitations of the rods sooner, etc. Almost without exception, the tradeoff is well-worth it as the power gains are significant, especially if you're taking your car to the drag strip.
One part of driving that I have grown to love is a high-revving engine with a broad power band even if that comes at the sacrifice of the peak power. Low end grunt never gets old...but a motor that feels good on the far-right end of the tachometer is fun on a whole new level. For anyone who hasn't driven one yet, the sounds and sensations of good breathing V8 turning 7,000+ RPM is an experience that any gearhead needs to experience as soon as possible and as often as possible.
Is anything like this even attainable with our small blocks or would we need to look and Chevy LSx swaps to even consider this? :D
Currently, my stock Magnum is all done by about 4200. It never sounds particularly good, it never feels particularly good. There's no doubt that this motor would be much more at home under the hood of a Ram or a Dakota. It's basically the exact opposite of the V8 experience that I prefer.
How far can you take a Magnum 5.9 or an LA 360 with the stock crank? Is it worth the effort to do a build this way? How do these motors run?
Is it correct to say that our engines are limited by the valve-lift limitations of the head designs that we are stuck with?
Any thoughts are appreciated.
