what is the best engine?

1993 or later B230FT or B230F. They have long piston skirts, reasonably strong connecting rods, and oil squiters for the pistons for added cooling.

And avoid the 85 - 89 motors. Volvo was trying a 'low friction' approach to get better MPG, one of the changes was skinny connecting rods. Fine in stock configuration (even Turbo models) but way easier to blow up if you start cranking the boost up. Just a little detonation under boost and the rods can bend or shoot themselves out of the block.Earlier motors were stronger, in 90 they reverted (sort of) back to the earlier design with beefier rods. And, as mentioned, in 93 they added oil squirters which keep the pistons cool(er) under sustained boost.

With the right supporting rods, 250 - 300 hp is doable on a stock bottom end and head, with better cam, turbo, exhaust, injection system, intercooler, injectors, head gasket.

With mostly junkyard parts from various other cars and trucks, my 245 is at around 250 whp.
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'63 PV544 rat rod, '93 Classic #1141 245 +t

YoungOne92,

Your question, as posed, has no meaning and cannot be answered. Hence, the playful references to aircraft engines.

I assume you want to know about Volvo engines. How do you define "best"?

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Mr. Shannon DeWolfe -- (I've taken to using Mr. because my name tends to mislead folks on the WWW. I am a 52 year old fat man

Rolls Merlin.

I reckon it depends on the intended use as to which is the best. You've got to admit that Ferrari builds engines that not only produce, they sound right doing it.

This fellow in Australia found a 40 year old aircraft graveyard with several Merlins (or Pratt & Whitney copies of the Merlin). He cut off the end cylinders of one of them and built a motorcycle around those cylinders using a Holden gear box to transfer power to the rear wheel. In the article I read he had had the bike up to 120 MPH in second gear but couldn't bring himself to shift into third. ;-)

Yep. I agree, the Merlin was certainly one of the better engines ever built.

http://www2.hunterlink.net.au/~ddped/rrv2.htm


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Mr. Shannon DeWolfe -- (I've taken to using Mr. because my name tends to mislead folks on the WWW. I am a 52 year old fat man

The Rolls Royce engine was way ahead of its time. Honda made a big thing of variable valve timing but if I understand rightly this engine had that and, as shown, 4 valves per cylinder.
There is a car in the UK - Rover SD1 - which has a 27 litre V12 RR Merlin tank engine in it. It is only ever reved to 2000rpm and it makes 1550lb/ft of torque at 1600rpm! This is featured in a UK magazine called Practical Performance Car, Feb 2008.

With all due respect, 4 valves per cylinder was hardly a Merlin first. For instance, there were versions of Indian motorcycles that had 4 valve OHV engines about 20 years earlier. And I could be wrong, but I don't recall the original Merlins having any sort of variable valve timing.
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Gary L - 1971 142E ITB racer, 73 1800ES, 02 S60 T5
BlueBrick Racing

A Merlin contemporary, the German ME-109's Daimler-Benz DB-610 was no slouch either—

Inverted V12 with 48 valves, direct (mechanical) fuel injection, gear driven supercharger, and nitrous oxide plus water-alcohol injection (when needed).

The Brits dismantled one after the war and were cautioned not to damage the crankshaft because their machinists didn't think they could duplicate it.

Many Google hits on DB-610 engine.
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Bruce Young
'93 940-NA (current), 240s (one V8), 140s, 122s, since '63.

This is featured in a UK magazine called Practical Performance Car, Feb 2008.

I love their notion of practicality. ;-)

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Mr. Shannon DeWolfe -- (I've taken to using Mr. because my name tends to mislead folks on the WWW. I am a 52 year old fat man

I suppose it would get him somewhere, but would hate to be paying for the fuel!

While we are on the subject of engines...

http://www.cargine.com/Index.htm

Please play the video clip of the Saab being powered by the Hedman cycle engine. Notice, there are no plug wires attached. This engine is running by autoignition! I think these guys are on to something. ;-)

Pfft, jet engines make rediculous amounts of HP with a very light weight.

Like the T58, first flew in 1953 and still in (developed, evolved, etc) production today. Shaft drive that can be geared down to automotive RPM ranges. 350 lbs, 1800 shaft HP. And, as an added bonus, the exhaust adds fairly significant amounts of thrust.



Plenty of room for a couple of those in the cargo area of a 740 wagon. Although you may have to chop some holes in the hatch.
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'63 PV544 rat rod, '93 Classic #1141 245 +t

Sound like crap compared to a Merlin.

Aim it right and it will melt the Merlin. Then the Merlin won't sound better any more!
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'63 PV544 rat rod, '93 Classic #1141 245 +t

Wow, a jet engine, has someone made a kit yet for fitting it to a brick?
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Antique Swedish Steel 71 142E color V#102