Re: 4kq -- How to get more power? Supercharge? what?

["Bruce Bell" <bbell@csn.net>]

Steve, just how do you want your power? More HP?  More torque? (then where
do you want it?). Here are essentially the only options you have if you
don't want to go into the motor.

1) Good tune up - Knowing you from your posts I suspect this is a normal
state for your car.

2) Be extremely courageous and try one of TAP's "chips" I think they have
somehow mapped more advance into the ignition curve.  they claim 10hp. I'd
call Ned first though, he has done some of this stuff to his '84 4Kq and it
ran pretty well at Steamboat last Feb. (He also uses a Schrick 276 cam)

3) Remove anything you don't need. the first 100 lb.. is probably equiv. to
4-5 hp.

4) Make sure your cat is in good shape. Without major changes to motor you
won't get much else from changing exhaust. 

5) Try a Schrick cam - this will add HP about 10% at the top end with the
272; but, be aware this has a price. A cam shifts the torque curve higher
up in the rpm range,. You won't get more torque. The 272 is very streetable
and expensive at about $600.

6) Port and polish the head and perhaps go with the 40mm intakes. Oooops we
just pulled the head :-) Like the cam this will shift the power curve
higher and most likely hurt the bottom end power from not at all, to a lot.
choose who does the work carefully. You don't want a head that flows for
max power at 6500rpm when your rpm limiter sits there too.

7) Since I got you to remove the head in step 6 :-) you might as well drop
the oil pan and get a set of 81mm pistons for the 1.8L golf GTI/GLI's these
have a 10:1 CR and will bolt right up. This is the only way you are going
to get a sig increase in torque without more CCs or forced induction. (I'll
leave nitro options to someone else) 

8) OK I saw the pictures of the Eaton supercharger that Jackson Racing has
for the Honda. Looks really cool. I just can't figure out where there would
be enough room in our 4Kq. If you can figure it out, count me as
interested.  Calloway doesn't do their turbos for the 4Kq any more. just as
well, they wanted $6200 w/o installation in 1988. So if you want forced
induction, I understand there are some guys in Davis CA who are reasonable
and do the turbo to 4Kq conversions. 
 
9) Buy Bob's Ur Q. I know I'm braking the rules again; but driving from CT
to OH could be a lot of fun and the price isn't that much more than what a
major power upgrade to a 4Kq would cost. 
 _______________________________________________________________________
   Bruce Bell                                            bbell@csn.net
   Bruce Bell and Associates, Inc.                Voice (719) 275-1661
   P.O. Box 400,  Canon City, Colorado 81215-0400   Fax (719) 275-1664


----------
> From: Steve Verona <vrona@infinet.com>
> To: quattro <quattro@coimbra.ans.net>
> Subject: 4kq -- How to get more power? Supercharge? what?
> Date: Tuesday, September 24, 1996 4:35 PM
> 
> I need more power in the beloved 86 4kq.  What shall I do?  All opinions 
> appreciated as long as it does not involve selling the car or replacing 
> the freshly rebuilt motor.
> -- 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Steven Verona, Vice President
> DB-Net, Inc.   614-436-6565 ext 15