Quote:

There are a few options you haven't discussed here, like compression ratio, and for that matter fuel octane.



Compression ratio? YOu think changing compression ratio is cost effective? Do you think its a little dial on the dash? COme on, besides, you said:

Quote:

as I have no intention of indulging in new engine internals or a stronger tranny.



Continuing

Quote:

This assumes that I'm planning to use a turbo. I'm not.



And what do you plan on using? a bag of day old muffins? Any otto cycle combustion engine (among others), will run higher exhaust temps as you decrease engine timing, more of the combustion is happening later in the cycle, this can actually get bad enough to "burn" an exhaust valve, or even melt a header in extreme cases. On the high dynamic compression ratio of a forced induction engine, proper timing becomes critical, too much brings detonation, too little brings EGT's to hotter than the flames of hell.

Quote:

20 to 50 more than what? If I'm sticking with stock internals and tranny, the upper limit on power is already set in advance.


If you are honestly that concerned about a given power level, you really shouldn't consider increasing the power level over stock. No, I am NOT kidding. The stock powertrain components are designed to handle the, gasp, stock, power levels, not ones from a boosted application. Now, by the grace of god, and the existence of design factor of safety, we can get away with some power increases on stock components, for awhile. Increased power over stock, by any amount, will increase loading and wear on all critical and non-critical components leading to failure earlier than originally designed for. This is the EXACT reason why increasing power on a vehicle by any more than a very small amount (say 10% or so) WILL get your powertrain warranty voided rather quickly, and sometimes other parts of the warranty as well.

Quote:

If an intercooled turbo can get 250 HP and a non-intercooled compressor can only give me 200, what does it matter if I'm limited to 200 anyway by the tranny?



Intercooling will decrease temperatures in the intake charge, ultimately reducing exhaust temps by the same amount, allowing for a better tune, including more optimized fuel maps (read better fuel economy for the same power, and better emissions) and timing maps (smoother running, less prone to detonation without increasing exhaust temps further) For someone so concerned about durability of your trans, you don't seem to care about the life of your engine very much.

Quote:

My only concern is with what's the affordable way to get to around 200.



If you wanna play, you gotta pay. In all honesty, if what you want is more, and reliable power, sell your car and buy one that has more power stock. Your priorities are out of whack, you are terribly concerned about the amount of hp to go through your trans, and are ready to sacrifice the life of your motor to do it.

Quote:

Lots of people run single-digit amounts of boost without intercoolers and don't die of detonation, right?



Yup, and most of those throw in copius amounts of excess fuel to cool the intake charge (sort of like water injection). Most OEM's lean on this one heavily for factory forced induction vehicles; you should see the A/F curve for an 03 Cobra at WOT, its pretty fat, and that car even HAS an intercooler. But you can rest assured they are addressing the issue in some manner, even if it isn't the right way.


Balance is the Key. rarasvt@comcast.net