Why Should I Install a Stroker Kit in My Engine?

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<h1>Why Should I Install a Stroker Kit in My Engine?</h1> by Dee Stephens <div align=justify>A stroker kit unleashes all the potential of a factory-installed engine. A stroker kit includes all the internal parts needed to build up the original block and heads. The longer stroke crankshaft of the stroker kit, along with changing the connecting rods, gives us a larger cubic inch engine. The change to the rod length is needed in order to maintain the proper rod ratio the pistons in the stroker kit are made specifically for the new stroke and rod combination usually with several options of compression ratio for different octane fuels. r>"Ok, great, but why do I need a stroker kit?" When engines are designed at the factory the combinations that the designers come up with are configured to meet federal regulations while at the same time giving sufficient power to operate the automobile that they are to be installed in. For instance if a truck is designed and rated at say 6500 GVWR then the engineers for that model would come up with a combination of total horsepower, torque and cubic inches needed to operate this particular vehicle. Lets say we have a truck that is set up by Chevrolet with a gear ratio and drive train that needs 200 horsepower to reliably pull a load of 6500 lbs at 75 mph (75 being the current speed for most of the U.S.A) at an rpm of no more than 3500. The factory is not concerned with how fast the truck gets to 75 mph or if it will make power or go faster than 75. They are concerned with getting to 75 with the best fuel mileage at the least cost to them possible. If they can build an engine that puts out 200 hp at 8.0 to 1 compression with a .390-.400 lift camshaft in a 350 cu in package that meets these demands then that is what is built. The combination in the above example could have easily made 350 horsepower with the appropriate changes to the compression ratio and or camshaft, but the easiest way to build more reliable power is with the installation of a stroker kit. Compression ratio and camshaft changes have their good points as well as bad while changing the cubic inches can provide more power while retaining the every day "drivability" of the vehicle. Moving the compression ratio from 8.0 to 1 up to 9.0 to 1 or higher instead of installing a stroker kit changes the octane rating of the fuel that this engine needs in order give reliable performance without a detonation problem. While most engines will run on pump gas with a 91 to 93 octane fuel at 9.5 to one compression ratio the cost of fuel is not going down and with the savings in fuel costs you can pay for the stroker kit in the long run time and time again. For the performance enthusiast we will have a stroker kit designed not only to get the performance gains of the larger cubic inches but the increase in power from a logical compression ratio change as well. Changes to the camshaft profile will greatly change the performance of an engine but at the cost of impacting the fuel mileage. To keep this simple, in order to open a valve farther you have to have a bigger cam lobe to do it. With a bigger cam lobe you are holding the valve open longer and this extended overlap on the opening of the intake and exhaust valves is what causes the rough or lopey idle that is heard in performance style engines. The best and most reliable way to make more horsepower and torque is by changing the cubic inches with the installation of a stroker kit. We have said it for years and I will repeat it here there is no replacement for displacement. No matter what you are trying to do, the larger the cubic inches the more power you can make. We can make 450 horsepower out of a 350 cu in Chevrolet the same as we can make 450 horsepower out of a 454 big block Chevrolet the only difference being that the 350 has to be turning 6500-plus rpm with 12 or so to 1 compression ratio and it is not "streetable." The 454, on the other hand, can achieve this same power at a 10.0 to 1 ratio with some good aluminum heads and a nice hydraulic roller camshaft and can be driven on the street with high octane pump gas. The larger cubic inch engine will last longer and give you the same results. Remember though, changing from one engine family to another creates a lot of problems in making everything fit as the none of the manifolds, brackets, pulleys etc are the same. The use of a kit allows you to get all the possible cubic inches out of your factory-installed engine without emissions problems or loss of fuel mileage. From the truck that needs more torque for pulling to the all out racing machine that needs the absolute most cubic inches that can be gotten out of a certain engine family there is a kit to fit your needs. </div> Article source: <a href="http://www.ArticlePros.com/automotive/Maintenance-Repair-Enhancements/article-16010.html">ArticlePros.com</a> <table align=center width=550 cellspacing=1 bgcolor=silver cellpadding=5> <tr bgcolor=antiquewhite> <td> About the author Daymon Stephens owns RPMMachine.com where they offer more <a href=http://www.rpmmachine.com/>stroker kits and rotating assembly combinations</a> than anyone else online. <a href="http://www.rpmmachine.com/" target="_blank" title="will open in new window" class=blue>http://www.rpmmachine.com/</a> <input type=button class=asubm value="Other articles by Dee Stephens" onclick="document.location='http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?Dee Stephens'" style="height:20px;cursor:hand"> </td> </tr> </table>