The overwhelming performance or HP indicator across
all the various Cylinder Head types and engine sizes
is what the Intake System flows around .87% of Camshaft's max valve lift -to- Cam's max or peak valve lift.
The Intake System Flow CFM from .87% -to- peak or max valve lift
overwhelmingly determines the VE% potential of the Engine .
This is the highest correlation to real-world performance i see in all the Engines i've modeled or have
real-world Track and Dyno data on.
If you look at the Curtain Area Discharge Coefficient it "decreases" as Valve Lift is increased incrementally .
its much higher at Low-Lifts than at High-Lifts, so which Valve Lift's Curtain Area Discharge Coefficient do you choose to go by ?
-VS-
If you look at the Valve Area Discharge Coefficient it "increases" as Valve Lift is increased incrementally .
its much lower at Low-Lifts than at High-Lifts, so which Valve Lift's Valve Area Discharge Coefficient do you choose to go by ?
here's how the 2 above correlate to real-world HP and TQ->
the Valve Area Discharge Coefficient does not correlate as well as the Curtain Area Discharge Coefficient ,
Curtain Area Discharge Coefficient is much more accurate .
ranking them in order of actual real-world correlation would be->
1st = Intake System Flow CFM from .87% -to- peak or max valve lift
2nd = Curtain Area Discharge Coefficient
3rd = Valve Area Discharge Coefficient
This is another way of stating it,
but a more accurate way :
1st = Intake System Flow CFM from .87% -to- peak or max valve lift
2nd = Curtain Area VE% .... as calculated from CFM per SqInch of Curtain Area
3rd = Valve Area VE% .... as calculated from CFM per SqInch of Valve Area
whats going to actually make greater HP potential gains
is getting 1st , 2nd , and 3rd to be the highest between .87% -to- peak Valve Lift .
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
just a quick example->
suppose you take a current ProStock Cyl Head
and install a 2.000/1.600 valve combo in it,
with epoxy and effort ... you can make that 2.000" inch Intake Valve have a very high Discharge Coefficient,
higher than what a 2.550 or 2.600 valve would be .
however, a 500cid at 9500-10500 rpm needs a certain amount of CFM to keep up with Engine demands
and to keep parasitic pumping losses down .
lets make it even more simple->
a 2.000" valve flows 300 CFM (95.5 cfm/sq.inch area)
then you install a 2.500" valve , but it only flows 442 CFM ( 90 cfm/sq.inch area)
and the Engine wants 442 CFM bare minimum cfm at 9000 rpm,
the 300 cfm 2.000" valve has a higher DC...but is going to starve that engine and make terrible HP at 9000 RPM
and will not even be able reach 9000 rpm anyway !
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
here's real-world Dyno and DragStrip results->
i can't post the following on a public Forum like SpeedTalk because of individuals involved, etc.
a very well known ProStock Guy CNC'd his best 500cid ProStock Port inside a 11deg Dart/Olds heads for us
but recommended 2.450/1.850 combo since it was going on regular Bore centers block ( Legal requirement in NPS )
it had very high DC's !!!!

especially in Mid-Lift range !!!
on the 632cid BBC engine that Cyl Head was down over -100 HP from my Cyl Head with 2.550/1.800 combo on 4.625" Bore
a year later , that same Guy sends us his latest ProStock Port in another pair of 11deg Darts
this time with 2.480/1.850 combo with very high DC's , especially in Mid-Lift
..results still down more than 100 less HP than our Heads 2.550/1.800 combo
because we had made Flow gains in a year since
testing both the 1st and 2nd version of those Dart 11deg Heads on 3 different BBC's ranging from 632cid to 640cid
they were 100 less HP and slower down the Dragstrip.
when i say they had "killer" DC's in Mid-Lift
they flowed not just 4 CFM better
not just 14 CFM better
not just 24 CFM better
not even just 34 CFM better
but they were 40 CFM better than our Heads in Mid-Lift Flow, but my Heads were better at high lift flow
or from .87% to Cam's peak Lift.
the NPS 632 to 638cid with regular Bore center blocks love a 2.500 to 2.550 int valve on a 4.625 bore
even though the DC gets worse , it wants high lift flow numbers
and wants the larger Throat area and Valve out the way for Flow CFM and room for NOS .
basically same with small block Comp Elim A/ND and B/ND with Methanol
it wants nothing but high-lift flow numbers and large valve/ports to make room for Methanol at high RPM
even though the DC's may suffer.
we had Craig's B/ND 23deg RHS castings CNC'd with my 14deg ProTopLine A/ND Port shape,
results was the worst Low-Lift and Mid-Lift Flow numbers i've seen for a 23deg Head with such a large int valve
compared to a Dart Pro-1 with a 2.08 or 2.125 valve.
a Dart Pro-1 2.080 or 2.125 valve out flowed the RHS B/ND with 2.225 int valve till .600' lift
and from .600 to 1.000" lift thr RHS B/ND head was much better ....so much for Low-Lift flow

that B/ND head did set the NHRA Record a few weeks later ...so how bad could it have been ??
and how important is Low-Lift or Mid-Lift Flow numbers or DC's ??? on these type engines.
_________________
Meaux Racing Heads
MaxRace Software
ET_Analyst ( DragStrip Simulation Software )
PipeMax ( Engine Simulation Software )
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Offline maxracesoftware
Post subject: Re: Discharge Coefficient equations
New postPosted: Tue Jun 05, 2012 1:06 am
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Joined: Wed Jul 08, 2009 11:35 pm
Posts: 2335
Location: Louisiana
forgot to mention ,
i just recently re-Ported and installed 2.550 int valves
in the 2nd pair of 11deg Darts that had 2.480 int valves
and Dyno results on DTS Dyno was 80+ HP gains and almost 500 RPM higher for Peak HP RPM point
that particular Engine was dynoed twice on same DTS Dyno
Erland