K-Series Motor Makes For Unique USAC Midget Engine Option
Built by 4 Piston Racing, this K-series is looking to change the game in USAC racing, but it faces a battle from the tried and true.
Dirt oval racing isn’t where you usually find Honda power. But that doesn’t mean that cant change. 4 Piston Racing out of Indiana thinks the K-series is a worthy motor for USAC Midget racing – especially due to the 2.5 liter capacity limit placed on those motors.
Most USAC motors these days are purpose built, and have a specific set of rules that apply to them. The “Half LS motor is one of the more popular options but is so far removed from being based on a factory block that even the camshaft has moved (but is still pushrod). Meanwhile, this Honda block is based off of the K24 you’d find in a CR-V. Interestingly, factory based blocks have a different set of rules that put a cap on a few key items, like displacement. Engines like this K-series are limited to 154 cubic inches (~2.5L), but the GM motors can be 166 c.i. (~2.7).
Still, the high revving nature of the K-series motor is advantageous in the world of midget racing. Most motors will have an operating range of about 4500 to 9000 RPM, and drivers don’t want a motor to fall flat as the revs increase. That puts Honda power in favor as we all know these motors prefer to be wrung out.
As it stands, this all-motor engine will be right around 400 horsepower. And it does that through pure grunt. Fuel is through mechanical injection, and it won’t have as many parameters for a super smart ECU to track. As such, they have to build the engine to potentially take some pre-detonation. So not only are you getting a powerful motor, you’re getting an over-built motor on purpose.
Building an engine to the limit of the rules isn’t ever cheap, and this engine is no different. From 4PR’s own website, pricing starts at an eye watering $40,000 dollars. And race engines get even more expensive from there. Because of tighter tolerances, rebuilds need to happen more frequently. 4PR recommends a rebuild every 15 national level race weekends, and that’ll set you back about $6,500-$9,000 depending on what you’ve managed to do to the engine throughout that time. Sure, there’s cheaper racing, like LeMons, but there’s also much more expensive racing, too like Formula 1.
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Photos Courtesy of 4 Piston Racing
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