FAQ,s
In this section you will find the answers to the majority of the questions that we get by email on a regular basis.
Can I use the 1.9 and 2.0K blocks with the rest of the rover OEM parts?
- Yes, The 1.9 and 2.0K blocks are totally compatible with the rest of the OEM parts.
Can I use the high performing cylinder heads with the rest of the OEM parts?
- Yes, the cylinder heads are completely compatible with the rest of the OEM parts, but you have to make sure your pistons support the greatest diameter valves as a function of the cam lifts you’re going to use.
How much oil does the 2.0K engine consume?
- If you use the plasma coated rings the oil consumption will be between 100 and 200 ml for each 1000 Kms.
What is the normal working temperature of the 2.0K engine?
- If you use the 71/74 degrees thermostat, the normal working temperature is 75 degrees for the coolant and 90 degrees for the engine oil at 4000 rpm.
Is there a reference or precedent of the 2.0K engine with a con rod ratio shorter than the 1.8K that was reliable?
- Yes, some tuners and manufacturers worked on their 2.0K engines, but the best known is JUDD, for over 5 years in the BTCC with their 2.0K engines proved that there wasn’t any problem with a 133.2 mm length between centers and 93.3 mm stroke (1.427/1 con rod ratio) at 8500 rpm during races.
Can you compare the 1.9 engine with the 2.0K?
- No, because although they share the same block and the same piston material, in the 1.9K engine, the con rods and the crank are OEM, being its true weak point and its probable breaking cause.
Why do some retailers prefer the 1.9 engine over the 2.0K?
- Any retailer knows that the investment is completely justified by the increase in performance and quality, weight, materials and design parts that deliver an ample safety buffer.
- Some of them are dedicated to hide the reality, but if you commercialize competition parts and specialize in the K series, it is preposterous to deny the accomplishments that Wilcox and above all JUDD’s had with their 2.0K engines, because people known this and can no longer be fooled.
- Why is that?
- Because the 2.0K engine does not offer the same amount of profit, that is because this engine is delivered fully assembled and balanced, leaving the retailer with little room for additional profit since he can not charge for the assembly and balancing of the engine. Furthermore, whoever is looking to get a 2.0K engine, is seeking the best and most powerful engine, and that leads to the purchase of a 160 CFM cylinder head, and this type of cylinder head requires a certain technological level (both in knowledge and equipment) in order to make them, a level that many do not have.
Is the 160 CFM cylinder head reliable?
- The 160 CFM cylinder head is the best I have ever seen, because it is an impressive craftsmanship, it is reliable and powerful. We recommend the use of the 160 CFM cylinder head for any engine displacement.
Is the difference in price between the 1.9 and the 2.0K justified?
- Totally, besides the difference in power and torque obtained, you’re also paying for the design, lightness, relibiality and quality of the materials used, that guarantee the possibility to increase many rpm and minimize the risk of real rupture of the engine.
What is the experience of VGKracing in the 2.0K engine?
- The engine and its components have been successfully tested in the most demanding racing conditions for over 5 years.
What is the relation between the 2006 VGKracing 2.0K engine and the actual one?
- Only the block, the rest of the components have been substituted for a much higher quality, hardness and better design ones, to optimize the performance and useful life of the engine.
What is the maximum rpm of the 2.0K engine?
- We advise not to exceed 8000 rpm maintained and you can occasionally reach 8500 rpm.
Can you exceed the maximum rpm in the 2.0K engine?
- Yes, but the engine will not perform as well.
What are the smallest cams that can be used in the 2.0K engine?
- We do not recommend using anything smaller than VVC, ARKBP285H, RK/LE1813 or similar whether to use with a multi throttle bodies. If you intend to use the plenum with a throttle body single, we recommend VVCBP270, RK/LE1812 or similar.
Can I combine the differents parts when buying the 2.0K engine?
- Yes, for example can you choose the "Track days version" 2.0K engine and change the regular rings for the plasma coated rings.
Is there a problem with the length between centers of the con rods in a 2.0K engine?
- No, there isn’t any problem and furthermore this is one of the excuses most used by retailers. This engine was designed with a last generation CAD, taking into consideration all variables and applying the latest materials, and appropiate designs and solutions for this purpose. If there would happen to be a problem of friction between liner and rings produced by the con rod length, the engine would not deliver as high torque and would produce high oil consumption.
- In addition, Minister, Wilcox and especially JUDD with a 1.427/1 con rod ratio, which was well below imaginable relibiality limits proved to us that it was possible to make a reliable 2.0K engines at over 8500 rpm that would withstand the fatigue and effort the races.
- Our engine has a 1.465/1 con rod ratio, the largest of all 2.0K engines produced to date and if JUDD with as short con rod ratio had no problems, much less us.
Is there a problem with the linear velocity of the 2.0K engine?
- No, we use a limit below other manufacturers and tuners with greater material quality and parts design.
The 2.0K engine is sold already dynamically balanced?
- Yes, the engine is delivered completely balanced static and dynamically.
Can I send the clutch and the crank pulley to be balanced with my 2.0K engine?
- Yes, if you send us the additional parts, they will be balanced with the rest of the 2.0K engine parts.
Can I install a 3 kg clutch besides a 184 mm flywheel in the 2.0K engine?
- Yes, this is a perfect system in order to increase how fast the engine gets its rpm and increases its torque.
Can the 2.0K engine be used in the street?
- Yes, the 2.0K engine can be used in the street.
What is the highest power that can be obtained from the 2.0K engine?
- The highest power is determined by many factors, but you can get up to 260/265 HP under 8200 rpm.
Why the 2.0K engines have such a higher torque?
- This is due to many factors among which are the balanced engine, the big end journals crank diameter, weight/design of the parts, decreased friction and engine architecture (bore x stroke).
Can I use the lightweight crank pulley instead of OEM one?
- Yes, with the lightweight crank pulley you can get a greater performance and lower vibrations.
It is important to balance the engine?
- Yes, the full engine balance (including pistons and con rods) reduces vibration, temperature and friction during working and makes the work to be homogeneous, increasing relibiality and power output.
Can I use 95 octane fuels in the 2.0K engine?
- Yes, you can use this fuel safely without risk of detonation with an 11.5/1 compression ratio.
Does the 2.0K engine work with an OEM cylinder head?
- Yes, we did several tests with the VVC cylinder head (without ported or large diameter valves) on the 2.0K engines and they worked perfectly fine.
Is it important to do the break-in?
- Yes, it increases the life and lowers the oil consumptions of the engine.
What happens if I do not do the break-in?
- During the break-in multiple parts are in the settlement phase, this increases the friction and the temperature of these parts and can lead to an imperfect settlement and breakage.
Does VGKracing have a provisional ECU map to do the break-in of the 2.0K engine?
- Yes, it comes with the engine.
Can I use a provisional ECU map as definitive?
- No, in order to get the max power, performance and reliability of your engine, you have to do an ECU map for your engine.
Can I use an ECU map from another engine?
- No, each engine requires its own specific ECU map, unless it is completely cloned in its build and parts.
Does the PG1 gearbox support the power and torque of the 2.0K engine?
- Yes, but if you are going to use its max power, it is recommended that you change at least the bearings.
Is it important to use the specific 1.9/2.0K exhaust manifold?
- Yes, it is designed to take advantage of the displacement increase. It decreases the temp in vital parts engine and it improves the obtained reliability, power and torque.
Why are there variations in the power of an engine between different dynos?
- An engine that is measured in the same dyno several times, will normally obtain several different readings of power and torque.
- If the measurements are done in a different dyno, calibration and adjustment will be different, thus the obtained power will be too.
- We must differentiate between the dynos that measure the power output to the wheel and the ones that measure the power output at flywheel.
- The dyno that measures the power at the wheel will get lower figures because the losses from the running gear are not calculated or are added.
How can I pay for the order?
- Wire transfer.
Background
About 10 years ago, in the U.S. begun a fashion of changing the centers between con rods, due to many opinions that believed that with a longer distance of centers between con rods, more power and torque would be obtained, and that the engine would work much better.
Many people, following this thought current, increased the length of their centers between con rods, in search of that additional power and much better performing engine that many said would be obtained.
Many of them started to say that instead of achieving an increase in power, it seemed that what was obtained was the complete opposite, and part of that power was lost. Some of them turned to the Dyno test to find out what happened.
The result was a huge surprise, besides obtaining an imperceptible increase in power or torque at very high rpm, in most of the cases it was discovered that the engines behaved different and the loss of power and torque at low or med rpm was most notable.
A very important international cams manufacturer begun to investigate what was really behind all this, what he discovered was that the increase in distance between the centers of the con rods was not that useful, because the increase in power or torque was not enough to justify the price, and there was not an improvement in the sensation that the engine delivered when driving the car.
After multiple tests and publishing what was really happening, the public started to realize that all that stood behind this, was a strong economical interest by the custom con rod manufacturers.
There are many references in the internet about this subject, here you’ll find two links about the con rods length and how it affects the engine. One of this links is from a con rod manufacturer, and the other one is from a Pro racing team that shows how by running lots of test and by their own experience where able to change their minds about the con rod length myth, allowing them to achieve much more power than their competitors.
Isky Racing Cams
Race Team
Bibliography
2.0K engine JUDD S2000
Bore: 82.50 mm Stroke: 93.3 mm Con rod length: 129.8 mm Con rod ratio: 1.391/1
Cams lift: 11.0 mm Cams degrees: 305 Displacement: 1.995 c.c.
2.0K engine JUDD BTCC 2004
Bore: 82.50 mm Stroke: 93.3 mm Con rod length: 133.2 mm Con rod ratio: 1.427/1
Cams lift: 12.0 mm Cams degrees: 305 Displacement: 1.995 c.c.
2.0K engine Wilcox
Bore: 82.50 mm Stroke: 92.8 mm Con rod length: 131.8 mm Con rod ratio: 1.420/1
Cams lift: 12.3 mm Cams degrees: 290 Displacement: 1.985 c.c.
2.0K engine PTP/Minister
Bore: 82.00 mm Stroke: 94.0 mm Con rod length: 131.2 mm Con rod ratio: 1.395/1
Cams lift: 11.7 mm Cams degrees: 280 Displacement: 1.985 c.c.
Conclusions
The conclusion we arrive at after reading this and diving on the web, can be summarized as follows:
- Above 1.40/1 it’s considered a viable short con rod ratio.
- We only get a real improvement in the power of an engine by increasing the con rod ratio by more than 3/4%.
- Both long and short con rod ratios have advantages and disadvantages, but the last generation CAD systems and testing done by many tuners have shown that the influence is smaller than previously thought until some years ago.
- It’s possible to make an engine with a con rod ratio of less than 1.42/1, for races where the efforts and fatigue of the competition are greater and can perform at 8500 rpm with no problem of friction, premature wear or breakage due to this reason.
