Re: DMC Houston HiPo engine

["Jim Reeve" <ultra@xxxx>]

While I dont own a car with these houston upgrades, I have ridden in 
3 cars with the new engine, and driven one of them (the 5-speed demo 
one during the open house). Quite frankly, I dont like it. It 
really doesn't "feel" all that much faster to me. While I have no 
doubt that one of these cars could easily take mine in the top end, a 
0-60 race I think would still be pretty close. One of the reasons I 
theorize behind this is the high-geared transmission. The new engine 
seems to put out most of its power at high RPMS, but seems like it 
has lost some of its torque. So with the tranny geared so high, the 
engine strains to get up to where it can do some good. While this 
may be fine for some people, if I'm gonna put over $5000 into an 
upgrade, I want see some low end improvements with the torque band. 
(Please note how I stated THEORIZE. I dont claim to have any facts 
on this, only what I have personally experienced. But I think 
Houston's power graph is misleading, there should be a separate line 
for the torque curve. Where is it? Or was it to embarassing to put 
on?) Don't anybody start blabbing to me about how the DeLorean isn't 
meant to drag race. I know that. I didn't buy the car for speed. 
But if I'm gonna spend thousands of dollars to theoreticly make it 
faster, I want to feel that speed. There are three things I have 
done to my stock engine to slightly improve performace. I removed 
the hot-air valve on the air intake and replaced the line with a 
single piece flexible hose. I also have installed a Direct Hits 
ignition enhancement system. And most recently, I installed a "free-
flow" CAT (if you catch my drift). With all these in place, about 2 
months ago I raced a semi-local owner with a stock engine. Despite 
both of us having terrible launches, I still "whomped his butt". 
This is the kind out output I would hope to have seen in Houston's 
new engine, but it sure didn't seem like it. Now I have not actually 
raced a car with this upgrade, but if the local MN owner with the 
upgrade sees this post and would like to go at it next spring, let me 
know! ;-) This kind of race will either prove my theory, or prove 
me wrong. I actually hope it would prove me wrong, but I just have 
some big doubts about that. Sorry to have seem to gone on preaching 
how bad houston's new engine is. I dont think its a bad engine, I 
just personally dont like it.

About your window question, you should check out Bob Brandys car and 
see what he did. (www.delorean-midwest.org) Expenive, but 
interesting nonetheless.

Jim Reeve
MNDMC - Minnesota DeLorean Club
DMC-6960

--- In dmcnews@xxxx, scott-c-arnold@xxxx wrote:
> Has anyone tried out the DMC Houston high-output engine