I read somewhere that the VQ is an open engine, and that this isn't conducive to FI. What exactly is this about, closed and open?

 

closed deck and open deck is what i think ur thinking of

and yes we have a open deck

 

Open deck, with thick iron liners.

 

Yeah that's it!

So, what exactly is the difference and how does this affect FI on the VQ35?

 

In theory, an open deck design lacks the strength of a closed or solid deck. At a certain cylinder pressure, the idea is that an open deck might wobble a little bit, and blow a head gasket. For very high boost levels, or NOS, or track use, many people will recommend sleeving the block to strengthen it. There isnt enough practical experience at high boost, to determine at what point a sleeved block is needed. Also, the first few pioneers that used the AEBS sleeved blocks have had some head gasket issues as well. Although its unclear if the sleeves were at fault, or something else. If you do decide to sleeve the block, I would be looking at Darton.

 

This article here explains open blocks and why OEMs use them http://sportcompactcarweb.com/tech/0104scc_ssbbpart7/
Scroll down to the "Blocks" section, then read the third paragraph that starts with Honda.

Chris

 

Thanks for the info. So does this mean the VQ35 isn't ideal for tracking or FI?