Rotary Engine Porting

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Although engine porting is not easy, individuals who are willing to take the risk destroying perfectly good engine parts can pull off a great job.  You might want to practice on some bad plates to start with for practice.  There is a sharp learning curve to learning how to port an engine properly.  Sometimes also, not the biggest ports are the best! 

Some people port and polish their intakes so much that they make it worse, or sometimes it shows gains in a turbo application, but with a naturally aspirated motor the porting job can be horrible.  The best bet would be to purchase a porting template from Pineapple Racing. Theses give you the safest route to porting and polishing a rotary engine. 

If you are building a race car, or want the maximum performance you’ll want to talk to an expert.  Some of the porting variables we have talked about are only the beginning of porting.  An expert engine builder will already have a port designed that he or she have found effective for specific applications.

Final Thoughts

If you are doing anything more than an extended or mild port you’ll want to look into upgrading some of your other engine parts.  The last thing you want is upgraded ports with parts that won’t allow you to get the most from the port job because they aren’t up to par.  With porting you’re expecting the engine to make significantly more power, and rev higher so stress levels are going to be increased.  A good rebuild should take into consideration including different clearances and tolerances, upgraded apex seals and new factory bearings. 

You may also want to consider upgrading your driveline: your differential, gearbox and clutch.  Figure out if you will want to get a programmable EFI or use a simple carburetor.   The most preferable solution is the EFI but if cost is an issue, just go with a carburetor such as a Weber.  Please take note that when using a carburetor you’ll likely receive worse gas mileage than with an EFI.

Finally don’t do a poor job porting your engine.  You’ll ruin it, or make it worse than it was.  Many people get carried away and remove to much material, making the ports even worse than when they got it.  Porting is a skill that takes time, and if done properly can have magnificent results.  The curvatures, clearances and smoothness all matter so really consider if it’s worth the risk of doing yourself, or having an expert rebuild it. 

If it were me, I’d have an expert perform the job for me.  The best place to go, is Pineapple Racing, they do wonderful Rotary Engine Porting Work.