Quote:
Originally Posted by MorphDaCivic
I tried this on a Ford back in the 80's.
From what I remember you only see gains on a very high compression engine. The water helps prevent detonation and allows for greater horsepower. Don't know what it does for FE.
Some radial engines in WW2 used water injection to increase horsepower.
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Actually the WW2 engines used water injection for emergency power situations, where boost was a high as two atmospheres or more. I think it went to 35 PSI boost, which at sea level meant the engine would blow up in a matter of minutes, if not seconds.
War Emergency Power settings were for emergencies only, like in a B17 where you had two engines shot out and you needed to clear the coastline in order to ditch.
Heard once about a B17 that skipped itself over the channel and just cleared the cliffs of Dover on one engine.
You can get a lot of power out of a car engine. The old SOHC Nissan V6s (2 valve) were used in Rutans Pond Racer. They were boosted up to 1000 HP but engine life expectancy was measured in hours or less.
regards
Mech