2.2L VS. 2.5L Please! Help Me Decide On My Rebuild

[The Barron]

I am close to the build. I am VERY torn here.. I have an 87' 2.2 engine here I can take the crank out of and I have to bore the block and buy pistons anyways.

My car is an 89' Lebaron Coupe. Its going to have a:

5 clutch a413 /w shift kit.

I'll be running between 14-16Psi with a T2 spec setup and 2.5" exhaust /w 3" billet muffler. (possibly be installing 5th injector and run 18psi)

>I CANT REALLY AFFORD FORGED PISTONS<

This will be mostly a cruiser

Car will encounter more highway races than stoplight races.

I am lightening the car up as much as I can. I run Pizzas & 205/60/15's.
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This is the last time I'll bother people with this question.
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1989 LeBaron Coupe|2.5L Turbo I Auto
Under Restoration..and then some!
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/420349/1

[The Barron]

Lookin; like 2.5L so far tonight.. I'll wait till the thread is to make the decision.

Please ponder the points carefully. I am trying to draw on the vast experience of others. I have searched the board on this question. But I'd like to see what a "secret ballot" turns up.

[The Barron]

....the 2.2 people are waking up..

Upon searching looks like all the big dogs use 2.2's for (DRAG RACING). I am going for a well rounded machine in the end I guess....

[Turbo Charger]

Let me race Gary on the highway and then we'll let you know. Should seriously give you a good idea.

I say go with the 2.2.. but make sure you put in the 89's Rods.

[moparzrule]

My vote is for 2.2, especially with an automatic. A 2.5L will top out sooner than a 2.2, and somebody passing you because you topped out is FAR worse than them passing you simply cuz they have more power.
And yes put in T2 rods!

[20lbBoostlancer]

1 of the choices is 2.5 w/o balance shaft has anyone sucessfuly made a 2.5 w/o a balance shaft b/c im building 1 right now and i dont know which to do ..........balance shaft or not

[20lbBoostlancer]

and how do i get that naturally aspirated crap out from under my name b/c mines nothin close to that

[The Barron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moparzrule And yes put in T2 rods!

89' 2.5L rods are T2 rods correct?

[The Barron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turbo Charger Let me race Gary on the highway and then we'll let you know. Should seriously give you a good idea. I say go with the 2.2.. but make sure you put in the 89's Rods.

OK.. will you guys do me a favor? Go out pace each other ar 75KM/h then punch it. His auto should pull like a banshee at that speed.

bone stock my baron would pull 80-105km/h in 2 seconds

[The Barron]

Wow this is close!

[juxsa]

I myself like the 2.2 but I have been told by others that once you go 2.5 you won't want another 2.2

I wouldn't know since the only 2.5 I have ever owned was an auto N/A car... slow as dog $hit

I have been tossing back an forth between buying a 2.5 longblock and building that up or just building up my 2.2 and I still havn't made up my mind.

As I understand it though the 2.2 has a more even power curve then the 2.5L with the HP and Torque rising and falling roughly the same versus the 2.5 which has all its tourqe drop off before its HP peaks. I am no expert and this is from me only looking at a handfull of dyno sheets so I could very well be wrong.

[moparzrule]

Anybody that says 2.5 isn't thinking for it as a daily driver. Sure the 2.5 will be better at the drags, but you never get much over 5500 RPM out of them with an 8V head. The 2.2 if built correctly will pull hard until 6500. With an auto you do not have overdrive, plus the slippage of the torque converter you should be doing over 3000 RPM at 60 MPH on the highway (can some auto guys confirm please?). The 2.5 tops out before the 2.2 will. Our cars have enough traction problems with the torque of a 2.2, I can hardly find reasoning to go to a 2.5 IMHO.

[The Barron]

Well.. here is what my car did... @ 5-6Psi all I had to do is just put it in drive and mash the throttle and it would smoke the tires. I measured over 80 feet,both tires once. Bottom end=insane.

Now the car never cared to be reved over 5200-5500 Rpm. The top spees was 125Mph@5800Rpm.

This is in TOTAL stock 89' trim. Actually it never would hit the factory 7 psi or whatever it was.

The only thing that I dont like is these numbers:

2.2L T2@14psi= 174hp@5200 | 200ft/lbs@2400

2.5L T1@7psi= 150@4800 | 180@2800

This makes me wonder.. what kind of HP/torque #'s does a 2.5L give up when fed 14psi of intercooled charge?

I think.. is sacrificing X numbers of hp/tq at the same boost levels WORTH say.. 10mph of top end?!

Just laying down what is going through my mind here. Not being biased.. just asking QUESTIONS.

[turbovanman]

I say 2.5L, its an auto so the added lower torque will help that. As for Moparulze, your not listening to what he said, he didn't want to drag it so revving past 5500 rpm is pointless and moot.

As for T1's, the rods are the same as T2's. I have a 2.5 without balance shafts and I am now running a 2.5L with them and i like it better, way smoother and quieter, especially with the hard HD motor mounts.

[moparzrule]

Barron-Thats exactly what I mean. No traction, pointless when racing because you loose the race from jsut sitting there.
T2 rated at 11 PSI
2.5 T1 is 9 PSI


Turbovanman- With an auto on the street you are going to want to be able to rev higher and pull hard in the upper RPM's on the highway.