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The Drag Cartel Pro Series head uses the stock Honda roller rockers and keeps VTEC on both the intake and exhaust cams and iVTEC on the intake side. I am really annoyed that Honda chose to neuter this awesome variable cam timing system, perhaps the best performing one to come OEM on any engine by eliminating it from the exhaust side of the head.
By adding a horrible exhaust manifold, overlap needed to be reduced and the variable exhaust timing became redundant. The cast-in exhaust manifold and the elimination of VTEC was probably done to improve cat light off time and as a cost cutting measure.
This is the regressive engineering we have come to hate from the Japanese manufacturers that they have been displaying in recent years. Come on Japan, can't you return to the early 90's when you shocked the automotive world with bold cutting-edge automotive engineering?
The stock valve springs are replaced with Supertech dual valve springs with the stock steel retainers being replaced with Supertech's lightweight titanium parts. Supertech valve springs are made of vacuum degassed clean chrome vanadium steel alloy. This is steel that is specially treated to eliminate voids and inclusions which van cause internal stress risers resulting in early failure.
The springs are computer analyzed to avoid harmonics that can cause spring surge and valve float and to avoid overstressing the wire. The retainers are made of mil-spec certified titanium alloy and CNC machined for a tight fit on the springs.
With all of our parts in, we should have the makings of a strong and exceedingly reliable and durable engine suitable for track day and time attack use.
Stay tuned as we assemble our engine and drop it into our Ariel Atom Chassis!
Read Part One Here!
Read Part Two Here!
Read Part 3 Here!
Read Part 4 Here!
