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Do enthusiast car engines last longer than track car engines? Because I remember hearing that true track race car engines last a very short amount of time befor

Do enthusiast car engines last longer than track car engines? Because I remember hearing that true track race car engines last a very short amount of time before they need work done. Maybe because they live at higher rpms?

joshu 10y ago
The more aggressively tuned an engine is, the less time it runs before it needs a rebuild.
- jaytaylor 10y ago
  That's a whole other conversation just by itself. There are other factors that may even further reduce an engines life.
  - dredmorbius 10y ago
    Such as?
    - dsfyu404ed 10y ago
      operating hours below normal operating temp. That's why cop cars, taxis, industrial engines and other stuff that doesn't get turned off very often frequently lasts well beyond 200k (or the equivalent number of operating hours) wheras something used for a 5min drive to work and back every day will be worn out in much less time. This is assuming all other variables are consistent. Changing your oil every 10k vs 5k certainly won't help things.
      - dredmorbius 10y ago
        Thanks.
    - jaytaylor 10y ago
      Particular driving styles. For example, if you have a boxer engine with a turbo and floor it for the duration of a long banked turn, centrifugal force can prevent the oil from circulating through the engine and it can get damaged. There are gotcha's like this which complicate the equation.
      - joshu 10y ago
        Boxers have oil starvation problems. I have had two friends kill BRZ engines on track simply by putting slicks on the car...
gregpilling 10y ago
this guy got 91,807 miles. http://jalopnik.com/5559767/i-sold-everything-to-buy-a-lamborghini-and-drive-across-the-country http://jalopnik.com/5559767/i-sold-everything-to-buy-a-lambo...
rconti 10y ago
One number I've heard cited is that one track mile equals three street miles. So an engine that you might expect to last perhaps 300k miles before it was a bit tired would only last 100k track miles. Actual racecar engines are rebuilt very frequently (same for dirtbike motors, etc). "sports cars" (Miata, Corvette, whatever) are going to be like any other street car in terms of longevity, but something like a Ferrari or Lamborghini will probably need some work before it reaches a few hundred thousand miles.
- wallace_f 10y ago
  >One number I've heard cited is that one track mile equals three street miles That is most certainly wrong, depending on how you drive on the street, unless you're the guy/lady in the 5,000lb SUV flooring it and slamming on the breaks between every stop light then maybe. I have some experience with track cars, even a long time ago was involved in Allison Legacy racing--those cars use an engine straight out of a Mazda truck. I can tell you, when they sit all week and you do nothing but race them on weekends, they don't put out even 1/3 of the miles they would as a well-maintained road car. >Sports cars" (Miata, Corvette, whatever) are going to be like any other street car in terms of longevity Miata's are reasonably reliable, but Corvettes most certainly are not. Ferraris and Lambgorghinis used to spend more time in the shop than on the road, but they've gotten better. A lot of enthusiasts credit the Acura NSX with that.
  - lostlogin 10y ago
    To provide a counter point a friend raced a worked 2L ford escort which was rebuilt every year or 2 and trailered to and from the track. It was not driven often. It was 200bhp. That poor little motor was wringing every bit of power it could, and the bills let you know it.
    - wallace_f 10y ago
      Yea, exactly. My point was, if even the close-to-stock Mazda truck motor is not lasting long (in terms of miles, not race seasons), everything else is only going to be worse.

joshu 10y ago

The more aggressively tuned an engine is, the less time it runs before it needs a rebuild.

jaytaylor 10y ago
That's a whole other conversation just by itself. There are other factors that may even further reduce an engines life.
- dredmorbius 10y ago
  Such as?
  - dsfyu404ed 10y ago
    operating hours below normal operating temp. That's why cop cars, taxis, industrial engines and other stuff that doesn't get turned off very often frequently lasts well beyond 200k (or the equivalent number of operating hours) wheras something used for a 5min drive to work and back every day will be worn out in much less time. This is assuming all other variables are consistent. Changing your oil every 10k vs 5k certainly won't help things.
    - dredmorbius 10y ago
      Thanks.
  - jaytaylor 10y ago
    Particular driving styles. For example, if you have a boxer engine with a turbo and floor it for the duration of a long banked turn, centrifugal force can prevent the oil from circulating through the engine and it can get damaged. There are gotcha's like this which complicate the equation.
    - joshu 10y ago
      Boxers have oil starvation problems. I have had two friends kill BRZ engines on track simply by putting slicks on the car...

gregpilling 10y ago

this guy got 91,807 miles. http://jalopnik.com/5559767/i-sold-everything-to-buy-a-lamborghini-and-drive-across-the-country http://jalopnik.com/5559767/i-sold-everything-to-buy-a-lambo...

rconti 10y ago

One number I've heard cited is that one track mile equals three street miles. So an engine that you might expect to last perhaps 300k miles before it was a bit tired would only last 100k track miles. Actual racecar engines are rebuilt very frequently (same for dirtbike motors, etc). "sports cars" (Miata, Corvette, whatever) are going to be like any other street car in terms of longevity, but something like a Ferrari or Lamborghini will probably need some work before it reaches a few hundred thousand miles.

wallace_f 10y ago
>One number I've heard cited is that one track mile equals three street miles That is most certainly wrong, depending on how you drive on the street, unless you're the guy/lady in the 5,000lb SUV flooring it and slamming on the breaks between every stop light then maybe. I have some experience with track cars, even a long time ago was involved in Allison Legacy racing--those cars use an engine straight out of a Mazda truck. I can tell you, when they sit all week and you do nothing but race them on weekends, they don't put out even 1/3 of the miles they would as a well-maintained road car. >Sports cars" (Miata, Corvette, whatever) are going to be like any other street car in terms of longevity Miata's are reasonably reliable, but Corvettes most certainly are not. Ferraris and Lambgorghinis used to spend more time in the shop than on the road, but they've gotten better. A lot of enthusiasts credit the Acura NSX with that.
- lostlogin 10y ago
  To provide a counter point a friend raced a worked 2L ford escort which was rebuilt every year or 2 and trailered to and from the track. It was not driven often. It was 200bhp. That poor little motor was wringing every bit of power it could, and the bills let you know it.
  - wallace_f 10y ago
    Yea, exactly. My point was, if even the close-to-stock Mazda truck motor is not lasting long (in terms of miles, not race seasons), everything else is only going to be worse.