Posted by Art H on April 24, 2002 at 23:31:55:
In Reply to: Piston or Rotary posted by Nobody on April 24, 2002 at 14:32:17:
If they were designed intelligently and if costs were no object, I believe rotary valves could be faster than pistons because turning a rotor could involve less moving mass than depressing a piston. Also, an intelligently-engineered rotary valve system could have fewer twists and turns and squeezes in the air path than a piston set. But I have never seen a rotary valve set that well-designed. And if anyone ever did make it, the rotors would still be a pain in terms of maintenance. That's why I go with pistons. But rotaries do make bigger bores possible, and that can be nice when agility is not the big issue.