I've never really understood why people try to build engines to numbers. "I want xxxkw at the wheels". I don't know how many times I've heard "it made 195 on the dyno but I wanted 200 so I spent another $5k to get it". Power figures mean dick and as far as I'm concerned are just another my Internet dick is bigger than yours affair. It seems in this Internet age the reason we build cars has changed somewhat. Sure there's always been trailer queen showcars but it seems that average guys these days actually modify their cars to be worse. Too much chasing of numbers not increasing drivability and reliability and don't even get me started on coilovers and "stanced" cars.
Hmmm.
I think I get the thrust of your comment, but you still need a specification to design/work to.
I'm old school. Spent the late 70's though 80's involved with the auto (performance engines) business (rev heads, road reg, club and a bit of drag racing). The internet didn't exist, we learn't by trial and error and hands on training (a big thankyou to John Bennett and Head Mod for those of you old enough to remember - Moffats Lotus Cortina and Coke Mustang, Ron Harrop howler, contribution to Aussie bike racing
http://www.ozlaverda.com/john-bennett-head-mod-engine-development-t97.html, etc)
However, the reason we built cars was exactly the same. Nothing has changed.
We always understood what the goal was. You may not quite make it, but you knew what had to be engineered in so it wasn't a hand grenade if (generally when) it did.
By way of example, a blueprinted cleveland 351 could make 160kw at the rear wheels using stock components and careful assemble. However one capable of 300+ kw at the rear wheels needed fundamental mods to the block and support ancillaries before even considering manifolds, cam, fuel supply and exhaust.
Most of us also understood driveability (appropriate torque delivery and reliability/consistancy of tune for purpose).
Maybe the internet has skewed the system toward the posers a bit more but element that always existed anyway.
Coilovers, not a panacea for all evils (way too many are shit) but the good ones are just that (but not cheap). We actually used to make our own from Koni, Bilstein and Pedders underpinnings.
Stanced. Fashion over function. Refer to my comment (in a general sense) below on hotrods.
Mate people have always done shit jobs at modifying cars. Look at bigs n littles on hotrods. Sure it looks dope as hell but try taking a corner at speed?
Also, fyi, drag racing is an old school dyno. You mph is directly related to your hp and it can be worked out surprisingly accurately from a few runs down the strip.
Hot rods are all about looks and straight line. Who cares if they can be turned around.
Shit jobs on mods is nothing new. There have and will always be wannabe's, shysters and those with NFI.
Drag racing (includes timing over a long straight in circuit racing). Absolutely correct there, we used to ground truth the dyno (and our installation engineering) by this method all the time.
