Increase Vehicle Performance With A Stroker
At Foreign Affairs Motorsport we are all about taking your car beyond your wildest dreams when it comes to vehicle performance. There are many ways to do this, and we often look at different enhancements such as spoilers and air dams, custom exhaust systems and turbo chargers.
On the electrical side, ECU remapping or replacing the stock management with an aftermarket solution are also ways to drastically increase performance. Handling and suspension go hand in hand with any power upgrades, to ensure that you can control the power.
However, there is one that we haven’t discussed yet; a stroker engine modification.
What Is A Stroker Engine?
A stroker is an engine that has been modified to increase the length of the stroke and therefore has a greater engine capacity. Its benefits are improved torque and power.
Right now you’re probably thinking increasing the engine capacity can be done with a re-bore right? While this is technically true, re-boring has limits such as cylinder wall thickness and available size of pistons. Often engine bore is increased, as well as fitting a stroker kit.
How Does It Work?
Increasing the length of stroke increases power and torque. The math is a little more complex but it basically stems from the fundamental moment equation where torque is equal to force multiplied by the perpendicular distance to the pivot. Increasing this distance increases the torque and is what a stroker kit does.
To increase the length of stroke basically means changing many key engine components. Firstly, a custom crankshaft is fitted with shorter rod journals. Then custom rods and pistons with higher gudgeon pin locations are fitted. Entire kits are usually available from trusted aftermarket houses like AMS Performance but fitment is not an insignificant task and should be undertaken by a competent mechanic.
The Downsides
If simply fitting a stroker kit only benefits engine performance, why don’t manufacturers do it as oem? The answer is that it quite radically changes engine characteristics. Stroker engines have a lower rev limit because the pistons travel further. The tighter piston and rod tolerances leave little room for failure and when it does occur interference is common and can cause serious damage. The longer stroke also means more contact time with the piston rings on the cylinder wall, causing more engine wear and the block runs hotter.
Should I Consider It?
If you find your engine lacking in low range torque, and are not a rev-happy driver a stroker kit may be the answer for you. It will radically change your engine’s character and this modification is not to be taken lightly. The tighter tolerances often mean changing the sump pan and even the head as this can cause a bottleneck in performance. Cooling systems may need to be upgraded and engine management tweaked to accommodate a new fuel/air ratio. As always sound advice before making the modification can save you much frustration down the line, so why don’ t you pop into our Pompano Beach Automotive Shop and talk to our expert team?