I think the advantage of Nikasil cylinders is they are cheap. Not for Corvairs/VWs it seems, but in model airplane engines it is the cheapest engine you can buy. They are often considered throw away engines. Nikasil cylinders can't be bored so they are a lot like Chromed aluminum cylinders.
Kevin. -----Original Message----- From: mlwin...@hotmail.com To: kr...@mylist.net Sent: Thu, 21 Dec 2006 1:34 PM Subject: KR> RE: Nikasil... Don't know about the finer points questioned here (like better overall designs, etc...) but I believe BMW cycles went to Nikasil in the 80's (or early 90's) for several reasons. One was weight, but the primary was heat transfer. It seems a lot is lost in the transfer from the linings to the heads, and this process eliminated this issue. I am sure there are many technical papers, patents, etc., for those who wish to dive deeper. Just not sure I need to go that far, but clearly it is the right technology, and while it may be new here, it is proven stuff!Also, I think rough EXTERIORS on castings increase surface area and help with heat dissipation, so smooth may not be good there. On the inside oil flow must be optimized, thus highly polished interiors are usually desired. Marc Lee Winnig mlwin...@hotmail.com (815) 301-5011 Cell and Vonage (801) 749-9460 FAX > I have always wondered about the roughness of the castings of the VW jugs and thought the billet stuff would be better but this information far exceeds what I would have expected. It looks like these jugs answer all of the needs, more power, better heat disapation longer TBO and so on. _________________________________________________________________ Get the Live.com Holiday Page for recipes, gift-giving ideas, and more. www.live.com/?addtemplate=holiday _______________________________________ Search the KRnet Archives at http://www.maddyhome.com/krsrch/index.jsp to UNsubscribe from KRnet, send a message to krnet-le...@mylist.net please see other KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html ________________________________________________________________________ Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail and more.
