I know ive done this topic once or twice before, but time ticks by and so far during my time with Fast Ford magazine i have covered the following topics in quite some depth:

Turbocharger sizing.
How does a big turbo make more power than a small one with teh same psi?

Turbocharger compressor maps.
How to read and understand them properly.

Fuel pressure.
What goes wrong, how it works and what to keep an eye out for.

Boost controls.
How do they work and what different types are available?

Spark Advance.
What is it? Whats it for? why do we alter it and why is it potentially deadly?

Camshafts.
How they work and what difference they make to an engine.

Camshaft timing.
A guide to how it is done and how to understand the figures.

Engine management.
A very in depth three part series covering everything from the looms to the sensors and ecu itself and how each item actually works.

Engine management part 2.
Part 2 of a three part series covering everything from the looms to the sensors and ecu itself and how each item actually works.

Engine management part 3.
Part 3 of a three part series covering everything from the looms to the sensors and ecu itself and how each item actually works.

Cylinder heads.
The heart of an engine, but why? And how can it be improved?

Exhaust tuning.
Just a metal tube? Not at all... its crucial to your engines power!

Management mapping.
A very in depth 3 part series covering everything from the kit we use to the techniques we apply to the maps to improve them.

Management mapping part 2.
Part 2 of a 3 part series covering everything from the kit we use to the techniques we apply to the maps to improve them.

Management mapping part 3.
Part 3 of a3 part series covering everything from the kit we use to the techniques we apply to the maps to improve them.

Anti Lag.
How it works and what its for. (Not quite a tech feature, more a product feature)

The top ten Cosworth problems and how to avoid them.
Fuel pump wiring, sensor errors, setup issues, its all in here...

Dynos. The truth.
How is engine power read? What types of dyno are there? How do they actually measure power? Its all here.

BHP and Torque. Whats the difference? (Not released yet.)
BHP sells cars. Torque wins races. True or not? Read on...

The top ten Rs Turbo problems and how to avoid them.
Fuel pump wiring, sensor errors, setup issues, its all in here...

Intercooling
Why we need it, what it achieves and how it is achieved.

Exhaust Gas Temperature.
What is it? What temps are good and bad, how do we monitor it, how do we control it?

Compression Ratio. Part 1.
Static compression ratio. All about it, What is it, how do we measure it, what does it mean to our engines?

Compression Ratio. Part 2.
Dynamic Compression ratio. Why is compression different in a moving engine, how do we change it, why do we change it?

Compression Ratio. Part 3.
How compression ratio changes your mapping requirements.

Bosch K. In depth. (This Month)
the inner workings of Bosch K and what components make it up and how those components work.

Bosch KE. In depth.
The inner workings of Bosch KE and what components were added and improved over the original Bosch K, and and how those components work.


Some time ago i asked for suggestions as to what to write about that would interest you and i have now covered 90% of them again, so i am once again asking for your kind input as its pointless me writing about stuff that interests ME as it wont be ME thats paying to read it...

Remember, i dont know everything, far from it, but i just may know enough about your topic to cover it in enough detail tha it interests people so lets hear your suggestions if you can spare me the time please.

Finally, i hope you are all enjoying the articles and maybe getting somthing out of them other than toilet paper.

 

one on all the extras that can be added to a standard/ tuned engine and what point you think they are needed?? ie EGT sensor, closed loop, coil pack, A/F monitor, electronic boost controller etc,

 

Interesting idea. Good suggestion, thanks.

 

how about top 10 small turbo problems
and how different this system is to the webber marelli system
and then go on to how to mod this system from stg1 plug in to your t34 conversion

steve

 

I can see this is going to be a worthwhile topic. Thanks Steve.

 

HOw about an amalgamation in to a general topic on owning and running a high performance ford. Top ten things to look out for, daily, weekly, monthly checks etc.

There's obvioulsy a lot of info in all the topics but a summary one might be good.

Also, how about a general one on 'speccing' an engine. I know you'd probably advise you speak to you tuner but you could write some basics so people go to their tuner better informed. E.g. I want a mega track car or I want a really driveable road car etc. What would the spec look like.......

Failing that, do it all over again for BMW's

 

there was one done on the cossie engine.

 

Hi comp vs low comp... effects, results, considerations and applications.

 

something along those lines wold be good

what sort of power certain components can deal with before the need to upgrade arises, how much power the start components can take before you need to switch up a level, what the best "overall" tweaks are in terms of turbo's, electronics, sensors and guages are, the baiscs of what you need for each level of power, such as stage 1, 2, 3, etc, other things you should consider before you start tinkering such as cooling of oil and water and that sort of thing

if you really wanted to be boring you could start writing up about the bodges youv'e seen and how they could have been avoided

 

good idea dojj, how about top 10 bodges seen, a sort of black museum!

steve

 

alternative fuels on performance engines

(LPG and E85 specifically, although you could do chipfat too, lol)

 

Water injection, and also water/methanol mix

 

Clutch options, what each type drives like, what power levels they can take, ie standard/uprated/paddle/multiplate

 

Solid lifters and the advantages/disadvantages of running them

 

Fastest colour for a car.

 

 

Turkish Blocks

 

Sequential vs batch, advantages, requirements.

 

Superchargers, and what they have to offer the RS series of engines. RST/YB/Focus etc

 

doing things yourself cos your mate 'knows what hes talking about' vs getting it done properly in the first place lol

 

Nitrous Oxide, both as a power adder and as a way of improving power delivery on laggy turbos or engines operated outside of the turbo's normal rpm threshold.

 

Blackpool vs Southend, rides, women, ice creams.

 

1) Bank Loans
2) cheap shoes, you will be walking a lot
3) AA vans
4) Tow Rope
5) friends to help you push it
6) RS breakers and forums for parts
7) Toolkit
8) Haynes Manual
9) Depreciation
10) Anything Jap as it will blow you away

 

best excuses to use when your fords broken and your mates ask why your not using it??

 

spark plugs - a lot more to them than it first seems. temperature rating, electrode length etc.

if you can explain how they work like a candle and get blown out, that would be most appreciated

 

Could do a whole series on different things to do with excuses, could kick it off with useful guages to buy for your RST when drag racing:

 

M5 V Cosworth

 

You missed off Shit back tyres

 

Done that one.

 

I really wanted to do this, but it would alienate the customers whose botches i listed, so cant really do it.

 

Surely you could do an article on why cable ties aren't suitable for holding boost hoses on?

 

urban myths, where these myths originate from and the reality of these much disputed topics

dump valves on MFI
turbine blades shattering
dump valves prolonging turbo life
virgin cranks

I expect there is more

 

Intercooling Vs. Chargecooling?

An actual guide to re-wiring a Cossie fuel pump I think would help LOADS of people who want to do it, but haven't, or people who've bought a Cossie and its been badly done!

 

urban myths like

wastegate chatter that isnt the wastegate chattering??

 

I agree, would be a good one... Its about time someone clears up the "wastegate chatter" bullox myth! :@

 

Done.

 

Step by step on how to build a 500 bhp engine?

 

That would be good especially if done with an interesting base like an ST engine or a focus RS, rather than yet another cossie article.

 

what about, how to take a 130kg Yb engine and modify it down to 100kg, or less. (not exact figures, estimates)

lets say as an example for an engine output of around 500ps. (not for the road, for the track).

how would you do it?



Also, I like chips idea of water injection, but using a water/methanol mix.

 

breather systems....? how, why, what