lol, boy this thread has gotten outta control.... you throw one guess-timated number in parentheses and it becomes the entire thread.

Like I tried to say, I just threw out the 650 number as a base for comparison.

The REAL point of this thread was more to discuss the power efficiency vs. reliability vs. durability of a big cube motor against a small cube motor w/ FI.

I know 650 is a huuuuuge stretch for an all-motor setup, but I was more curious to learn what motor is making "better" power. Which would likely have the better power/torque curve? In a perfect world, which one is more reliable of making that power? etc.

 

Whenever you stretch an engine to its power limits by using a ridiculous cam, ridiculous timing, etc, you're going to be looking at a relatively narrower, peakier power band than an engine making the same amount of peak power through less ridiculous means.

This is true regardless of the size of an engine. I can get my LS1 to 500rwhp NA at stock displacement, but I'd have a much smoother powerband and a much more streetable combination if I did it with a blower instead.

A ricer with a 2.0L Honda 4-banger can get up around 300whp NA, but his buddy with a turbo on his 1.6L is going to make the same peak power over a much wider RPM range.

Etc, etc.

The most reliable setup is going to be a naturally-aspirated motor that isn't running anywhere near the peak power potential for an engine of its size. I like ~1rwhp/ci as a rule of thumb (I also like manual transmissions; adjust accordingly if you're going to be losing power through a torque converter). 450rwhp out of a 427 or 454, and you'll never have a second thought about reliability. Sure, you could crank those up past 500 no problem, but the higher you go, the less streetable it's going to be.

Adding forced induction is a great way to add power while retaining streetability, but it's at the risk of reliability. Assuming they're put together equally well and using equal-quality components, no blown motor is ever going to be more reliable than it's lesser-powered NA cousin. The simple fact is that by adding the FI system, you've added more parts that might fail, and you've added more ways the system as a whole can destroy itself.

I'm probably not telling you anything you don't know.