Please help me find my answer!! I'm doing some graduate school work and I have a project on reliability. I'm looking for your opinion on what the most reliable midget engine is today (toyota, gaerte, esslinger, mopar, fontana, etc..) and why. What's your definition of reliable when it comes to a racing engine?

Number of races before it blows; cost of engine versus races run; number of times it starts when pushed off; number of races run on before a rebuild or service is needed;

There's no wrong answer, please give me your opinions and I'll take them all into consideration.

Lee

As midget engines exist today they are all about equal. The most reliable motor is in the eyes of the beholder. When racing reliability is not top on the list of a competitive team. Most are looking to win and wining cost money, BIG MONEY. A good midget car team needs at least 4 motors per car, One in the car one in the air going to the builder, one at the builder, and one in the air coming back from the builder.

To get as much compression as possible they are bouncing the pistons off the cylinder head. To control those really big valves they are using springs that are trying to pull the heads off of those valves, and very expensive metals to make them even lighter. A wining midget motor and a dependable midget does not really exist right now. The most dependable midget motor will not be racing up front.

That being said my vote would be for the GM Echotec when properly developed or the stock motorcycle motors we run in the 1000cc Midgets.

Honest Dad himself

Ask the Swanson brothers out west....

Honda is your answer. I think Jake went 19 shows on a rebuild and only tore it down for inspection

Quallity of the work on an engine build and parts not failing is the key to a good engine. You have to finish to win. Great engine builders do alot of R&D and find a little HP here and there and it adds up to a big plus also. You would be surprised at how different engines can be and both still be within the tollerences given. Even if the engines are the same make and model. Ring gaps, Bearing gaps ect.