Is a 482 too much for street driving

[Grubby]

I am planning for my next ERA Cobra build and will go with a SO block (mainly for resale value). The 482s are the rage right now, but I want a car that can drive in city traffic or cruise on the highway and start when I get there.

The car will be cruised mostly and I will use a TKO600. I don't have any plans to track this car. Rear end gear will be determined by the cam, but something in the 3.31 range.

I was thinking about a 4.25 bore x 3.98 stroke; Scat stroker kit; Edelbrock heads; Edelbrock Performer RPM intake with about 500 hp. My plan is to buy the parts from Survival motorsports and assemble myself or maybe have them do the short block.

The short question is a 482 too much engine for the street?

John

[xracerbob]

I went with the KC 482 specifically because it was power you can live with. Docile around town but big power when you want it. With a hydraulic roller, it should be reasonably reliable and less maintenance.

You can also tell Keith exactly what you want the motor to do and he can build it.

[FWB]

i am sure there will be conflicting opinions, but the answer is yes and no....
the cubic inches won't be the determining factor. camshaft and cly. heads will determine that. a 482 is very streetable provided it has a mild cam and heads that flow at street rpm level. mild cam, low compression, vacuum secondary carb and you have streetable. (simplified version)

[Tom Kirkham]

For a given power level, the bigger the engine the calmer it will be. For example, a 600 HP 482 CID big block is easy to live with and a lot a fun on the street. A 600 HP (with out a supercharger, or N2O) 302 CID will quickly get old in a street driven vehicle

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by Grubby

The short question is a 482 too much engine for the street? John

Gosh no. I'm sure who ever builds your 482 will not spec it where you can't drive it. My 482 feels great both on the highway and in traffic and my roller cam would be considered moderate.

[Anthony]

Pick a cam that will keep max torque @ 3500-4000 rpms and you will be fine.

[fkemmerer]

Originally Posted by Grubby

I am planning for my next ERA Cobra build and will go with a SO block (mainly for resale value). The 482s are the rage right now, but I want a car that can drive in city traffic or cruise on the highway and start when I get there.

The car will be cruised mostly and I will use a TKO600. I don't have any plans to track this car. Rear end gear will be determined by the cam, but something in the 3.31 range.

I was thinking about a 4.25 bore x 3.98 stroke; Scat stroker kit; Edelbrock heads; Edelbrock Performer RPM intake with about 500 hp. My plan is to buy the parts from Survival motorsports and assemble myself or maybe have them do the short block.

The short question is a 482 too much engine for the street?

John

Hi John,

I just finished my ERA using one of Keith's 482ci motors with electronic fuel injection. I find this motor very streetable. It runs smoothly, idles and starts well, and pulls well in traffic from about 1400 RPM on. The motor made about 625 hp on pump gas at 4,400 RPM on Keith's dyno and it has plenty of torque and power when I want it. The motor uses a hydraulic roller CAM and CNC ported "Stage 2" heads from Keith. I am also using a TKO600 with 3.54 gears. My trans has a 0.64 overdrive so it will cruise on the highway at low RPMs. This is a good combination for a car that will be mostly street driven. Based upon my experience, I don't think the 482 ci is too much engine for the street. As others have said on this forum, the key is to select a streetable CAM for your project and a good set of cyclinder heads that match your cam , compression ratio, and intake selections well. Unless you really want to build the engine yourself, I'd suggest you speak with Keith Craft. He can provide some excellent 482 ci stroker motor combos at pretty resonable prices. You also benefit from his years of experience in building these motors and his ability to provide an optimal combination for what you want to do with your car. As others on this forum know, I am also a strong advocate of EFI on a street motor. I've found that EFI makes many engine combinations that might otherwise have drivability or tuning problems on the street run really well. It is a little more initial expense and work to get an EFI setup on the car but you will be rewarded with a very driveable car that will run well and will stay in tune when you're done. There's also the "wow" factor when you look under the hood.



You will need to be sure you have your car aimed straight when you jump on the accelerator but I think anyone with a big block Cobra has this problem . Check on the following link for more on our ERA and the engine.

http://www.anitafred.net/Cobra.htm

We also have a build thread which can be found at

ERA 753 - Final Assembly in Progress

I hope that this helps you.

- Fred

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Grubby

The car will be cruised mostly and I will use a TKO600. I don't have any plans to track this car. Rear end gear will be determined by the cam, but something in the 3.31 range.

Let your builder know that you would like it to be well-mannered in the lower RPM range and you'll do fine. You might also consider the 3.54 rear (which is what I have). A higher numerical number for your rear allows you to go slower with a higher RPM and your slow take offs from the stop light are less likely to suffer from "hiccups and burps." You don't read about that too often here, but for a street car it can make a difference. I also chose the .64 fifth gear in my TKO to mate with that 3.54 and it gives me hiway revs in the low 2000's. That's perfect for leisurely cruising -- not racing, mind you -- leisurely cruising.

[Barry_R]

I've done some very street oriented 482 engines. Built with an eye toward street manners - we did one recently for a Georgia ERA owner that had a very tame solid flat tappet, a Performer RPM with an 850, and some lightly tweaked Edelbrock heads. This motor made an honest 537HP on the dyno at 5700RPM, idled at 750 with a very light lope, and reportedly is running great around town. When it comes to making power and keeping street manners cubic inches are your best friend.

[Fordzilla]

Originally Posted by Barry_R

When it comes to making power and keeping street manners cubic inches are your best friend.

Absolutely correct. I agree with Barry.

[Keithc8]

What I always find interesting about this question is why people do not understand that the bigger engines are easier to drive and have power as well. As Barry and Tom said above the larger C.I. engine makes everything easier. You can run a smaller camshaft if needed but the same camshaft in a smaller engine would act bigger than it does in a larger engine. You can run less compression in the larger engine as well and get good HP. We did a customer a 482 in CA that wanted a very drivable engine that would run on regular pump gas. We just built it with 9 to 1 compression and a smaller camshaft. The enigne still made about 530HP and 575 ft/lbs of torque but you could let of the clutch and the car would idle of with out giving it any gas.
You will also find that the 2.200 BBC rod journal is better than the original Ford larger 2.438 journal and that you have a better selection of rods and pistons now. I told one customer to put a throttle stop on his car if it had to much power and that he would eventually remove it after he got used to the car. With todays camshaft and head technology making 550 to 600 drivable HP is not a problem and making less is even easier. You can have your cake and eat it to now. Some things have gotten better with time and the FE enigne is one of them Good luck, Keith Craft

[Dwight]

in the last month I have driven two of Keith's big block motor, both in Cobras. Coach Mike's 428/461 with 601 hp & 619 tq in a Hurricane TKO 500, 3.25 nine inch. Lainhart's 427/487 with 618 fhp & 638 tq in a Unique 3550 3.31 Jag rear end. Both car run smooth at all speed. They are a pleasure to drive. Lainhart'a will cruise at 1800-1900 range but Coach's like 2000 or better. I have rode hundreds of mile in Coach's Cobra but drove it one time last week. I have driven Lainhart's Cobra for 150 miles plus on 5 or 6 outings. From 50 to 130 in seconds!!!!! 15 to 100 quick and easy. I have not put it to the floor yet. I have changed the name of Lainhart's Cobra from Satan to Sweet Monster. Long story about us naming it Satan.

I think patrickt's advice for the 3.54 rear gear ratio is something to think about. Don't forget tire size as part of the equation. If you are going to do a lot of cruising at 70 mph then look at the mph charts/calulators to see what rpm your combination will give you at that speed. If it is below 2000 rpm then change something, tire size, rear gears.


I'm very impressed with Keith's motors. Call him, tell him want you want to do with your motor and he will built it. If you want to build your own motor, let Keith do the heads and pick a cam for you. You will be happy.


Double Ditto on Fkemmerer's post


Dwight

[RICK LAKE]

Grubby John the numbers you listed 4.25 and 3.98 are 452 cubes. I know I built one. Any way, Could you fill in a couple of questions, What trans are you going with?? If its a wide ratio one and a 1-1 5th gear with a high 1st gear, get a 3.07 rearend. If you are going with a overdrive trains then go with the 3.31 gears. If the first gear ratio in the trans is higher that 3.00 you will never use it unless you are in a parade. I have 2 trannys. A Richmond 6 spd with a 3.25 first gear and never use it. I have a G-Force race trans with a 3.15 and have this trans going back to G-Force for a gear change to a 2.87 with the 3.31 gears. I also have a 3.07 and 2.88 jag centered for my car. Both need to be beefed up for the extra Torque and HP my 482 makes. I liked my 452, runs on reg gas and make 368 hp and 448 torque before I did some extras to the motor. The limiting factor in your car is the HP and Torque rating of the parts you install and HOW MUCH ABUSE you are going to give the car. It takes even the best drivers a couple of hours behind the wheel to get used to a cobra. It's a whole different animal.. Treat it like a loaded gun or a 800 ape, you will have no problems. Get too smart for your own good and there are others on here that will tell you about how fast this car will bite you You have some good info from Keith and Barry on motors. My only differ from these PRO builders is, I build torque motors for my car, not HP. My motors(2) FE's both make more torque than HP. I am building a 498 with more torque, 58mm TWM setup and a KCR custom cam hydro roller. Keith said easy 600-600 HP and torque. All the power will be in before 6,200 rpm. My limit for my stroker is 6,500 rpms. I don't like to high rev these motors, even with the BBC rods in them. 3.54 gearing IMO is for a more nasty motor that doesn't come into the torque band until 2,800 rpm or higher. You don't want to lug this kind of motor at highway speeds. You will burn alot more gas also. Ask Excaliper, (Ernie) on the furom about his 2 motors he has had for his cobra and about the less being better than more. Compression, and the biggie camshafts. He found out in his case that a tamer motor was only .2 slower than the street motor he now has. His gas milage also doubled. What every you end up with, over build the car for safety and abuse. Rick L

[Grubby]

Thanks to all. This thread provided much great info. I will call Survival and Keith Craft and discuss further before I make my final choices. The engine will be a 482.

John

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Grubby

Thanks to all. This thread provided much great info. I will call Survival and Keith Craft and discuss further before I make my final choices. The engine will be a 482.

Excellent! You might also inquire as to whether they're feeling better about flat tappet solid lifter cams now.

[David Kirkham]

No problem at all. We have at least a hundred customers with 482's from Keith Craft. (Other guys have made them too). The problem with these motors on the street is usually the nut behind the wheel...not the motor.

Frankly, I love them WAY more than a small block on the street--especially if you live anywhere near the mountains with elevation changes. Even Sandwich wants to change his small block motor out to a big block.

David

[Burgs]

I just posted this,... if you're interested.

http://www.clubcobra.com/classifieds...uct=1806&cat=4

[sparks]

Burgs, why u sellin ?

[Burgs]

Originally Posted by sparks

Burgs, why u sellin ?

Sold the roller,...

http://www.clubcobra.com/classifieds...t=1524&cat=500

[Jamo]

Grubby, you made a good choice. As Tom and Keith have said...it ain't the cubes. And David's mention of how popular the combo is speaks for itself.

I have a big tight Shelby motor...Boghosian built it back in 2003 with a big solid roller cam (.650 lift), T&D upper end stuff, Velasco crank, 850DP, etc. Only problem I ever had was the roller cam, which we switched to a flat tappet at the same grind specs. (About a year before Keith perfected using hydraulic rollers in these things.) I'm running a toploader with 3.23s, so it winds a bit, but is perfectly suited for the cam.

With all that, it's a sweetheart on the road, and I've driven it on road trips of several hundred miles at a time, as well as on the track against other crazy basturds who hang around here.

It's the perfect Jekyl/Hyde combo.