I have a Newbie question.

I am looking at an R1 BEC and was wondering how you guys find them for reliability with heavy track day or race use. Do you have any issues mechanically with the engines or gearbox?

[Edited on 26/6/06 by road warrior]

I've got a BEC and done a few track days and mine is the only seven there that hasn't had problems. Drove 230miles over the w/e without a problem.

Between me and 4 other mates who all have BECs, we've done well over 100 trackdays together over the last 4 years and overall the reliability has been very good.

In that time I think we've had the following problems that I can remember

One gearbox in a blade that needed replacing after 20+ trackdays on that engine, the dogs were a bit rounded and it was jumping out of gear, but the state of the dogs to start with is unknown as it was a 5 year old scrapyard engine.

One blade engine that needed replacing after the primary drive gear on the crank (the gear that drives the clutch basket) broke some teeth off meaning the crank was knackered. This is a bit of a one-off though and not something that usually fails, Ive never heard of it before and nor had a reputable blade engine builder I know, so I suspect something got in there between the teeth to break it, or there was a manufacturing fault on the gear itself.

Also I blew one blade when the sump plug escaped after catching it on a speedbump and cracking the sump around the threads, but thats hardly the engine's fault!

Apart from that, its just been minor things like clutch slip on one or two occasions when clutches have worn a bit too much, but easily sorted.

The cars consisted originally of 4 wet sump 893/919 carbed blades and a dry sumped busa, but two of the blades have since been upgraded to wet sump R1s and they seem just as reliable.

Chris

[Edited on 26/6/06 by ChrisGamlin]

More reliable than a CEC.

On a simialr vein, are blackbird engines any better/worse than a 'normal' bec? Say R1/blade? I'm aware of the dry sumping thing for serious use, but is this needed for fast road stuff too, or just an expensive nicety?

ditto all the above, and i must say, town driving is probably worse for bec clutches than trackdays.

Si

The general consensus seems to be that if you can get the surge sorted, the engine is pretty bulletproof. ISTR Blackbird Motorsport did a 24 hour endurance race (at Spa I think) with a dry sumped Blackbird Caterham several years ago, and it survived to tell the tale.
Whether a wet sump is sufficient for non track use you can judge from yourself from the various threads on here recently, you'd possibly get away with it but any track use at all in a front engine'd car without at very least an Accusump and its a case of when not if it will go bang.

[Edited on 26/6/06 by ChrisGamlin]

Went to Le mans in my R1 striker. Haven't done a track day with that engine yet but that felt like one at times. 1000 miles in a weekend. Didn't have to touch car for the whole trip. It had only done 50 miles before we left so really pleased.

Ben.

Thanks to all for your replies. You've convinced me that a BEC is the way to go.

Great forum by the way

Aye thats pretty much convinced me too!

How come the fireblade engine doesnt need the dry sump but the busa/blackbird engine does??? or am i just being a tad thick??

Just luck basically, some sumps can handle wet sump use in a car with the forces exerted, some can't. Obviously its a sliding scale depending on lot of parameters, for example if I was going to put full slicks on, I'd dry sump regardless of engine because you'll be generating more cornering forces.