# How much power can a stock ABA bottom end can handle?



## hairyspheers (Sep 22, 2003)

Like the topic says and what are the ABA's weak areas?


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## BMGFifty (Sep 2, 2004)

*Re: How much power can a stock ABA bottom end can handle? (hairyspheers)*

it's transmission and bad tuning. Honestly, the aba can handle more hp than most (99%) people make. It's only when you get in the 300's that you should worry.


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## hairyspheers (Sep 22, 2003)

*Re: How much power can a stock ABA bottom end can handle? (BMGFifty)*

You mean worry about breaking something in the block?


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## hairyspheers (Sep 22, 2003)

*Re: How much power can a stock ABA bottom end can handle? (hairyspheers)*

Let me rephrase the original question into 2, 
1. How much power can the stock aba bottom end handle all day long, 250hp, 275hp, 300hp?
2. Would the stock bottom end reach 8000 rpm without any modifications? 


_Modified by hairyspheers at 8:23 PM 12-13-2007_


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## jamesr88 (Oct 9, 2007)

i would also like to know since i know my new top end can spin 8000+


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## MecE2.0 (Dec 20, 2005)

*Re: (jamesr88)*

depends on the year. pre mid 95 have forged cranks and cast rods/pistons. later cars had cast cranks and forged rods/pistons (not sure why. this is coming from european car btw) so earlier ur rods will prob be the weak point, later, the crank. the same article said they can handle around 250 reliably. they are a pretty stout engine, but if ur gonna spend the money on big power i wouldn't wanna risk all the work/cash on possibly weak internals. i don't think going to 8000 would be a huge deal tho, the prob there is more in the cyl head, although balancing everything would prob be worth the cash


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## hairyspheers (Sep 22, 2003)

*Re: (MecE2.0)*

Can the stock block be used to make that kind of power and last 100k miles doing it. Anyone with a ABA stock bottom making 250whp please comment on thier experiences with how well the block holds up to that kind of power?


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## ghoastoflyle (Jan 21, 2003)

the 2.0 can take 200, perhaps even 250 no problem, but when you've put the kind of cash into it to get those kind of numbers(>200), why take that kind of chance? The tranny is the weakest link.
Airflow is an obstacle as well.


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## hairyspheers (Sep 22, 2003)

*Re: (ghoastoflyle)*

The goal is to know how much power the stock ABA bottom end can handle before any cash is needed to modify and/or change the parts to stronger ones.
Just let me remind anyone else who comments, I am only questioning the ABA bottom end and not any particaler head.


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## Stephen McTowlie (Mar 13, 2007)

*Re: (hairyspheers)*


_Quote, originally posted by *hairyspheers* »_The goal is to know how much power the stock ABA bottom end can handle before any cash is needed to modify and/or change the parts to stronger ones.
Just let me remind anyone else who comments, I am only questioning the ABA bottom end and not any particaler head.

Well why 8000 rpm's?
Is this forced induction?
High RPM's will kill a bottom end faster than high boost.
RPM's = STRESS...
that's why Honda's use small lightweight rods and short stroke cranks...
they are built to make power up high in the rpm scale..and not alot of TQ.
hence the light weight parts. like an over sized Crotch rocket.
An ABA will handle serious boost as will a VR6 bottom end.
stock VR6's will go 500 hp all day every day.
My money is on 360 hp for an OBD1 bottom end reliable
Not sure on the OBD2 bottom end.....I'll let ya know when it starts to act up








I've been over 260 for a while now


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## ABF Jeff (Nov 16, 2005)

*Re: (MecE2.0)*


_Quote, originally posted by *MecE2.0* »_depends on the year. pre mid 95 have forged cranks and cast rods/pistons. later cars had cast cranks and forged rods/pistons (not sure why. this is coming from european car btw) so earlier ur rods will prob be the weak point, later, the crank. the same article said they can handle around 250 reliably. they are a pretty stout engine, but if ur gonna spend the money on big power i wouldn't wanna risk all the work/cash on possibly weak internals. i don't think going to 8000 would be a huge deal tho, the prob there is more in the cyl head, although balancing everything would prob be worth the cash

Although the general consensus for the ABA is that OBDI had a forged crank and oil squirters, there is almost no regularity to what they had except this
* 
ALL ABA'S HAD FORGED RODS AND CAST PISTONS
*
Thanks for playing.


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## hairyspheers (Sep 22, 2003)

*Re: (Stephen McTowlie)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Stephen McTowlie* »_
Well why 8000 rpm's?
Is this forced induction?
High RPM's will kill a bottom end faster than high boost.
RPM's = STRESS...
that's why Honda's use small lightweight rods and short stroke cranks...
they are built to make power up high in the rpm scale..and not alot of TQ.
hence the light weight parts. like an over sized Crotch rocket.
An ABA will handle serious boost as will a VR6 bottom end.
stock VR6's will go 500 hp all day every day.
My money is on 360 hp for an OBD1 bottom end reliable
Not sure on the OBD2 bottom end.....I'll let ya know when it starts to act up 








I've been over 260 for a while now









What do you normally rev it too when you are on it? My ABA is normally aspirated and when I road raced it, it was sitting at 6500 to 7000 most of the time. I know it can at least handle that much.


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## myjettaisred (Sep 19, 2004)

*Re: (hairyspheers)*

i was running 15 psi on stock compression, with OVER 200,000 miles on a STOCK obd2 bottom end. I put over 10k on that setup before the car met an untimely demise







( crash) to this day the motor still runs perfectly in non-turbo form in my buddies car.
in my opinion, ASSUMING PROPER TUNING AND FUELING 
for a daily driver, the bottom end is well in the safe zone at 250 crank hp.

i would put the outer safe limit at 280 ish at the crank.
for those of us who like to push things a little, ( or a lot) and like to tempt fate and play with fire.... depending on how many miles on the motor, 350 at the crank would be the outer limit.


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## ABF Jeff (Nov 16, 2005)

*Re: (myjettaisred)*

I broke the block on an OBDI crank and aside from the crank walk that ultimatly killed the block, the crank was intact. That was on a T3/T04E 57trim at 28psi... I'd say if you can control the detonation via proper tuning, you can take the ABA pretty far


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