Tech

At VGKracing we have increased the displacement of the Rover K Series to 2.000 c.c. using a new longer stroke forged crank and forged con rods, and new larger-diameter forged pistons with plasma coated rings. This increases the power and torque and brings a higher level of performance to the car.

Depending on the choice of cams, this 2.0K engine yields an additional 20 HP over similarly build 1.8K engine together with an increase in torque of approximately 35 Nm. The highest quality parts are used to ensure maximum reliability.

The crank, pistons and con rods are delivered fully balanced to maximize your engine’s reliability and performance.

In order to use the upgraded forged crank, pistons and con rods, precision machining work is required on the block to ensure a quality development.

This machining consists of skimming the top of the block for the correct adjustment of the cylinder head and increasing the bore of the block for the new larger-diameter liners. Subsequently the new liners are installed and work is done internally to make the inner finish liner and finally machining the correct liner height above the top of the block.

A pre-used block can be utilized as once the block is re-machined it will be like “new”. Prior to sending your block to us it is advised to have a complete inspection of the main bearings supporting the crank area, making sure these are in good condition with no cracks or other flaws.

As in all modern engines the liners are key parts of the Rover K Series engine. Therefore we source non-porous solid forged liners to avoid issues such as porosity and inclusions that often exist with cast-iron liners. Naturally the use of the higher strength forged liners alleviates many of the issues that limit reliability of cast liners and ensure maximum reliability and fatigue related issues.

These larger-diameter liners have an optimized design which prevents ovalization and bring the whole block/cylinder head greater structural rigidity.

The 1.9 and 2.0K short blocks are fully compatible with all OEM parts of the 1.4, 1.6 or 1.8 engines and require no modifications for assembly.

The longer stroke forged crank uses the highest quality material 4340, which provides a significant increase is strength and stiffness over a cast iron crank.

After reviewing the pros and cons of both of different strokes, we decided to go for the current stroke for two reasons:

1) To increase the engine displacement.

2) To allow the use of longer con rods.

Any further increase in the stroke would have provided more displacement, but then shorter con rods would have been required. (i.e. decreasing the length between the centres of the con rods.)

The difference between the 1.9 and 2.0K might be only 50 c.c., but the increase of torque with the 2.0K significantly improves the vehicle's acceleration.

More than 65% of the obtained power and torque increases are due to the larger stroke. With a longer stroke crank the intake charge is increased and there is greater air swirl and turbulence. This significantly increases the power and torque through both an improved combustion and the overall increased cylinder pressure.

As previously mentioned the major difference between the 1.9 and 2.0K, is that the 1.9K engine uses the OEM crank and con rods. With the 2.0K engine, the use of forged parts results in a lighter and stiffer rotating assembly. As the parts are also perfectly balanced, this results in lower rotating forces and less flexing of the crank and block, which in turn maximizes high rpm reliability. Torque is therefore increased with the larger displacement and power is increased throughout the existing rpm range. The forged parts also allow higher rpm which further increase HP.

This does not mean that the 1.9K engine is bad, but rather that the OEM parts are not intended to be used at extended high rpm. If lower power and less endurance are acceptable then lower price option of OEM parts may be warranted.

We have also improved the lubrication system with the 2.0K crank to further increase the reliability.

With this crank we have implemented a lubrication path to each con rod to minimize the risk of pin bearing seizure and wear on the 2.0K engine.

The difference in the lubrication system between the 2.0K and the 1.8K cranks can be seen here:

The OEM 1.8K oil lubrication system is not intended nor suitable for high performance engine applications as only one oil hole in the main journal limits the oil supply as it needs to feed two main con rods. The lubrication system separately for main journals allow for twice the oil volume to reach each con rod, which is a more ideal lubrication system for endurance engines. This next to the diametric chamfer feed leads to a significant reduced risk of oil starvation to the con rods bearings, liners, pistons and piston pins.

A way to increase the performances and the reliability is to have the knife-edged counterweights.

Knife-edged counterweights decrease the aerodynamic losses of the crank whipping through the oil/air that is in the crankcase. This increases the performance by having less energy lost through air and reduces oil heating. Side benefits are longer oil life, less oil aeration and improved economy which can be crucial in longer endurance events.

After several tests with the design software we managed smaller con rod journals on the 2.0K crank. With this we achieve a similar effect to an increase in the piston’s linear velocity.

This, together with shorter con rods we achieves this way less piston dwell at both BDC and TDC, when compared to the OEM 1.8K. The result is twofold:

1) At BDC the decreased dwell increases the cylinder filling rate.

2) At TDC the pent roof combustion chamber design has very good combustion speed which results in increased torque and decreased response time allowing the engine to rev up more quickly.

This does not mean the con rod should be as short as possible, as that produces excessive leverage inside the cylinder, increasing oil consumption and friction. But it does mean that we take advantage of the con rod length with the combustion chamber design and improved strength of the forged liners.

The forged con rods are of the highest quality material 4340 and their lubrication system is composed of holes on the top and oil slots on the bottom to lubricate the liners, pistons and piston pins. This provides maximum reliability to the 2.0K engine.

The forged pistons are of the highest quality material 2618, with a larger-diameter.

Note: the "Race Version" has FSR pistons with asymmetric skirts and lower weight to further increase performance without compromising reliability.

In the pistons of this 2.0K evolution we have incorporated the accumulator groove which brings great advantages, decreases the risk of auto-ignition, eliminates the vibrations in the top ring and the risk of breakage and makes a better fit for the top and second ring with the liner, decreasing the oil consumption and increasing the compression.

Finally the pistons have multiple lubrication points strategically placed to provide reliable oil supply to the piston pin.

The use of plasma coated rings results in higher ring surface hardness and reliability. These rings are the same basic design as are used in modern engines such as the Porsche 911 GT3R.

At VGKracing we source parts that are manufactured by “the best companies” in the U.S., U.K., etc. We chose these companies for their expertise in the race world acquired over many years of engine building for Champ Car, Daytona etc. They are products of the highest quality, designed for race purpose and of course this spec is also valid for any rally, track days or performance street engine.

Two interesting options around this new evolution are the possibility of using tri-metal bearings for the crank and the con rods and the reinforcement of the lower part of the block (ladder crank).

The tri-metal bearings are designed to reduce the friction between the parts. They have the ability to allow high rpm and to reach high temperatures with increased reliability for the engine.

At VGKracing we have trusted Mahle because since over 10 years in competition Mahle have improved upon the old tri-metal bearings of Vandervell, and these new tri-metal bearings from Mahle are of the highest quality.

The reinforcement of the lower part of the block prevents vibrations and flexing of the crank supports and bearings. This enables the engine to be run at higher rpm with more reliability.

This new 2.0K development is a better balanced engine that pulls from low rpm due to increased torque, is very reliable and designed with endurance racing conditions in mind.

The cylinder head is one of the essential parts in the evolution of any engine. With good preparation and modification of the cylinder head you will get a significant gain in power and torque. This is due to higher airflow at the inlet that allows to inject more fuel-air charge which in turn is taken advantage of with increased flow of exhaust ports. The result is a substantial improvement in the revs range of the engine.

Typically very good OEM cylinder heads flow approximately 117 CFM at the inlet and 78 CFM at the exhaust.

At VGKracing our high performance cylinder heads need to take maximum advantage of the increased displacement. Therefore our cylinder heads are equipped with 34.5 mm inlet valves and airflow 160 CFM. Anyway with a VVC cylinder head totally OEM without any modification you can obtain 205 HP easilly.

You can put in any kind of cylinder heads without making any modifications in the 1.9 and 2.0K short blocks.

If you want a cylinder head with a high inlet and exhaust airflow, we can easily provide you one.

At VGKracing we have developed cams to achieve an optimal balance between power and rpm for the 1.9 and 2.0K engines.

Sport track days: designed to develop more than 235 HP with 2.0K engines using hydraulic followers, power increase is around 37 HP, with a power band from 3000 to 7500 rpm.

Race: designed to develop more than 260 HP with 2.0K engines using mechanical followers, power increase is around 63 HP, with a power band from 3700 to 8200 rpm.

The exhaust manifold is another one of the essential parts in the evolution of any engine. With right choice of the exhaust manifold sizes according to the displacement used, you will get a significant gain in power and torque.

This is due to the residual gases leaving more efficiently the combustion chamber because the exhaust manifold has the correct size and design to eliminate the most of them, leaving it cleaner, which improves the combustion, increasing the obtained power and torque.

Also the temp decreases in the combustion chamber, gasket head fire rings and piston crown, because the greater the elimination of most of the residual gases that are hot, the cooler it is, allowing a greater filling of clean and fresh air, increasing the reliability of the engine.

A clear example of how to make a powerful engine in a 1.9 or 2.0K with an OEM ecu, is using cams and OEM cylinder head VVC without any modification, a modified VVC inlet manifold, a 56 mm TB and a complete exhaust system suitable for this purpose and obtain a power of 190 HP and a torque of 200 Nm approx.

Another clear example of how to make an achievable high performance in a 2.0K with a Emerald ecu, is using a 285H Piper cams, a 160 CFM cylinder head, TB,s and a complete exhaust system suitable for this purpuse and obtain a power of 225 HP and a torque of 245 Nm approx.

Of course to optimize the power increase and drivability specialized components are recommended. At VGKracing we have chosen the best and most appropriate, as:

- Jenvey throttle bodies.
- Auto-Teknix airbox.
- VVC or MS2 cylinder head with Paul Ivey 34.5 mm inlet (160 CFM) and 28.5 mm exhaust valves.
- Reinforced springs, cams, verniers and blanking plate by Piper Cams or Kent Cams.
- Specific 1.9/2.0K exhaust manifold.
- Emerald ECU.

If you do not want to buy directly the additional components we can provide all the additional components that you may need and their price will be the same as the ones you can find in any store specialized in Rover K Series engines.

You can also find these additional components at "Eliseparts" or "PTP".

The stroker kit to convert the Rover K Series engine to 2.0K contains these parts:

- Modification of the block with insertion of larger-diameter liners.
- Larger-stroke forged crank.
- Larger-diameter forged pistons.
- Forged con rods.
- Plasma coated rings.
- Thrust washers, crank and con rod bearings.
- Complete balanced all parts.
- Complete assembly of all parts in the short block.
- Provisional ECU basemap.

You can apply this evolution of thee Rover K Series engine to any car using Rover 1.4, 1.6 or 1.8 engines: Caterham, Lotus Elise, Exige, 340R, MG, GTM and Land Rover.

Materials

At VGKracing we endeavour to offer the best possible product at a fair and affordable price using the best possible materials to ensure that you have a high quality product that offer great power, reliability and durability.

Increasing the power and torque for a “dyno-queen” at the expense of durability or reliability is not what VGKracing is about. We produce engines that create power for endurance racing where to win one must also get to the finish line on the day.

We therefore use the best references to select materials.

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) have established a set of standards that determine the content of the different metal grades. Generally 4340 is considered the best alloy to make cranks and con rods.

MATERIAL	TENSILE STRENGTH	RATING
Cast iron	0.000-5.516 bares	OEM engines
Nodular iron	6.550 bares	OEM engines
Cast steel	7.240 bares	Strongest of the cast cranks
1010/1045/1053	6.850-7.585 bares	High-carbon factory-grade forging
5140 steel	7.930 bares	Sportsman-grade forging
4130 steel	8.275-8.629 bares	Premium alloy
4340 steel	9.653-9.979 bares	Strongest alloy for cranks and rods

 

4340 forgings have a tensile strength rating of 145.000 psi. Engine builders and crankshaft manufacturers universally accept 4340 as the ideal alloy for strength and durability.

4032 Aluminium forged pistons

4032 wrought aluminium alloys are designed for street applications with compression ratios that are compatible with the OEM fuel pump. These pistons also provide a quiet engine on cold starts.

2618 Aluminium forged pistons

2618 wrought aluminium alloys are designed for higher performance applications with high compression ratios such as race, rally, etc. These engines require a higher tensile strength, temperature, etc. These pistons provide the same sound level than 4032 once they reach their normal operating temperature after a cold start.