Honda also came to the IRL in 2003, and by 2005 was clearly the dominant engine manufacturer. Starting in 2006, they became the only engine manufacturer in the IndyCar Series, and will continue in that capacity through 2011. The Honda engine is designed and produced by Ilmor, which is part owned by Roger Penske.
A 2008-spec Honda Indy V8
Since the IndyCar Series has only one engine manufacturer, that manufacturer concentrates on minimizing engine failure and minimizing costs instead of defeating rivals. As such, the engines are moderately de-tuned. The engines have proven themselves to be quite durable — there have been no engine failures at Indy from 2006-2010, which also lowers the number of crashes. Most of the engines, including those used for the Indy 500, are used for multiple races and are intended to last 1,200 miles (1,931 kilometers) between rebuilds.[13] The Honda engines are only available via lease arrangement from Honda, which, for the 2010 full season, costs $935,000 U.S. per season, per car. Honda techs travel with the series, as well as attending all IRL team testing sessions.[14]
IndyCar Series engines are rev-limited to 10,300 rpm and produce approximately 650 hp. The valve train is a dual overhead camshaft configuration with four valves per cylinder. The crankshaft is made of alloy steel, with five main bearing caps. The pistons are forged aluminum alloy, while the connecting rods are machined alloy steel. The electronic engine management system is supplied by Motorola, firing a CDI ignition system. The engine lubrication is a dry sump type, cooled by a single water pump.
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Originally Posted by Hardrock69
