Engine swap

[wu731]

Hi everyone, this might sounds crazy, but currently i've been thinking about doing a project on a engine swap using a motorcycle engine into a car. i havent decide on which vehicle platform to use. but the engine will be two kawasaki zx12r inline 4 1,200cc engine. it also come with new questions, how can i work out the trans by using two engines. Where can I find someone who build trans from ground zero? basically i want to know if its even possible to start with. please give me some advise. thank you.

[jallar]

It's possible, and they can be damn fast too! A company named Tiger, in the UK(where else would you find car-nutters?), have equipped a Caterham base with two bike engines.
http://www.tiger-sportscars.demon.co.uk/

[Deakins]

Wonder how that car will handle in the snow, given some good tires.

[Cbass]

Like a mad Doriftu machine!

I think those twin engined cars just attach the flywheel of the front engine to the pulley of the second engine...

Why not just start with a SR20DET? It's all aluminum, and will weigh a fair bit less than two motorcycle engines.

As for the transmission, forget it. You can easily find any transmission to fit your project, but designing one from the ground up is ridiculously hard, and very expensive.

[Jimster]

Doesn't the Suzuki Capcino use a Motorcycle engine???

[wu731]

Thank you guys for giving me advice towards my project. But the reason y i want to do this its becuz i want to see how far i can push a motorcycle engine. even tho now i've decided on the kawasaki zx12r engine. but i've also planing on the suzuki tl1000 engine for torque. also to lower the compression ratio for turbo.... but so far i'm still working out the trans issue.. feel free to provide me advice.

[jallar]

Dax(yes, those who makes that crazy Kamala kitcar! ) make a Caterham with a turbocharged 1300cc engine from the Suzuki Hayabusa. 370 bhp! In a car that weighs ca. 500 kg's.. Click here for a video of the bike itself.

[Cbass]

For the transmission, I recommend the Borg Warner T56. It's a 6 speed, fully synchronized with an h gate, in other words it's a street transmission, so it's easy to use.

Don't try to build your own transmission, it's taken a hundred years and billions of dollars to make modern day transmissions like the T56.

The other transmission it might be interesting to use is the continuously variable transmission from the new Nissan Murana crossover vehicle. There are no gears in it, just a series of computer controlled cones, with a belt in between, that expand and contract to change ratios. This would be excellent for an engine like a motorcyle engine, which has a very narrow powerband. You could effectively make peak horsepower at any speed, as opposed to one speed for each gear when your car will pull the hardest.

What sort of budget do you have for this project?

[lrd56]

5 years ago a friend of mine put a big snowmobile engine in a old honda 600 car the trans uses a variable clutch the motor had three big cylinders with three big carbs i dont remember the size but it was a big motor

[El Tristano]

A friend of my dads is making up a sports car using an R1 engine, they managed to put in the fastest lap ever at the local track, faster than the V8 supercars even