[bumblebee]

a person i work with is putting an advanced dc 8hp-ish motor in his escort. its not going to move with that in there is it? the reason i ask is because i have one but would never consider putting it in anything but a bike..................

 

[Bellistner]

Depends how far he wants to overdrive it. 8hp is enough to keep a lightweight car moving at 'around town' speeds, but he's not going at highway speeds for very long unless he's got amazing cooling.

 

[bumblebee]

so with proper cooling -- assuming it can even be done -- you are saying it will survive highway use?

 

[Bellistner]

With adequate cooling, it'll survive 'for a while'. With a rated 8hp, he'll have enough trouble getting to highway speed in an acceptable amount of time, let alone worrying about staying there.

Depending on the aerodynamics of his car, he may only need to drive it at, say 150% of its' rating (cruising takes surprisingly little energy. It's the accelleration that drinks fuel/electrons).

A late 70's era Escort probably has similar aero to the car I'm converting, so he'll need about 18-20kW to maintain 100km/h. Some aero mods would bring that down.

I'm no expert, but I wouldn't recommend taking it on the highway regularly.

 

[DIYguy]

a person i work with is putting an advanced dc 8hp-ish motor in his escort. its not going to move with that in there is it? the reason i ask is because i have one but would never consider putting it in anything but a bike..................

I agree, don't put it in anything larger than a lawnmower or bike....