<VV> Porsche Cooling

[jvhroberts at aol.com]

 From a clean sheet approach, one of the ways to improve the cooling ability of air cooled engines is to use lots of little cylinders instead of a few larger ones, and an 8 cylinder 91 CID engine certainly fits that description! After all, VW had engines that size with half the cylinders. 

Porsche chose the flat 6 for the 911 because the 4 cylinder design was a dead end as far as their performance targets go. Same goes as to why they chose OHC, 8 main bearings, etc. 

Your point about the stillborn evolution of the Corvair is spot on. Once they decided on a PG trannied econocar, little was done to advance beyond that stage. Look at a 1965 180HP engine and a 1960 80 HP engine, and outside the induction equipment, the differences aren't impressive. Whereas a Porsche 2.0L  911T engine vs. a 3.0L 911 SC engine a decade and a half later are night and day. 

Not to defend Porsche or spank Chevy, but this is pretty much how it is. I've actually seen more improvements from individuals and the aftermarket for Corvairs than GM ever did!! LOL

 

John Roberts
 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: James P. Rice <ricebugg at mtco.com>
To: virtualvairs <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Sat, Sep 10, 2011 11:59 am
Subject: <VV> Porsche Cooling


Sorry for the tardy response, but Porsche certainly had figured out how to
cool the center 4 cylinders of their 1.5L flat 8-cylinder F1 engine.  But
then they used a shaft driven flat fan.

There is some reason to believe Porsche known Chevy R&D had stuffed a
Corvair into the back of a 356 and said stuffing may have influenced them
going to a 2L 6 cylinder.

But trust me, Porsche had the brains and talent to do what they did even if
Chevy produced the Chevy II in 1959 instead of the Corvair.  Which actually
probably would have sold a lot better than the Corvair, give the sales
response to the Falcon.  Remember the Falcon set new car sales records that
first year and out sold the Corvair 2 or 3 to one for both of their
production lives.  SFAIK, nobody in this community has considered the impact
of Chevy II sales on the demise of the Corvair.

The belt drive fan on the Corvair was designed for an economy car with a
automatic transaxle.  When Chevy put a manual into the car, and folks could
go out and play boy racer by banging shifts up and down, there were
problems.  Compounded by nobody knowing how tight or loose to adjust them.
In the 2nd race the Corvair ever participated in, they (apparently Chevy
R&D) had created and installed the first spring load idler pulley on the
cars with good success.

Historically Yours,
			James Rice

------------------------------

Message: 8
Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:12:02 -0400
From: Marc Sheridan <sheridanma1966 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: <VV> Mecum Monterey - 63 Vair
To: Wrsssatty at aol.com
Cc: virtualvairs at corvair.org

Bob Benzinger told us in Flagstaff that Porsche could not figure out how to
cool the center cylinders until Chevrolet did it with the Corvair.

Marc Sheridan

------------------------------

Message: 9
Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:25:46 -0400
From: "BBRT" <chsadek at comcast.net>
Subject: <VV> '63 911 - '63 Vair
To: <virtualvairs at corvair.org>

Well, maybe Porsche had a problem with their center cylinders on their
development 6 cylinder engines, but the 911 came out in '63. First US models
were delivered in '65, the last year of their 356. They sure didn't adopt
the right-angle Corvair belt driven cooling fan... :>)

Chuck S

----- Original Message -----
From: "Marc Sheridan" <sheridanma1966 at gmail.com>

> Bob Benzinger told us in Flagstaff that Porsche could not figure out how
to cool the center cylinders until Chevrolet did it with the Corvair.
>
> Marc Sheridan




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