NEW TURBOS/MORE BOOST
With bigger, more robust motors, stuffing more boost into the combustion chambers would be another logical adaptation. The manufacturers will tell you the current turbos from Borg-Warner are solid and reliable, but the sizing is a bit off — they’re a wee bit inefficient in the rev range where they’re asked to perform.

There are a few factors to consider before deciding upon which turbos to install, so it’s not as simple as going bigger to get more power. Smaller turbos can make plenty of boost, but if they aren’t operating within the optimal RPM window, peak boost will not be delivered. The same goes for bigger turbos; the potential for huge boost figures are there, but if the sizing of the turbines on the hot and cold side are off, or the correct diameter for the turbine housing has been missed, the big boost numbers won’t be reached.

It’s also possible to fit a larger rotating assembly inside the existing housings; look for Borg-Warner to be consulted on matching the best turbo to the motors and helping to push more boost through the angry little mills.

REVS
This is where the money gets spent. IndyCar’s manufacturers have been bound to 12,000rpm since 2012, and if the series wants more power, more revs would get the job done, but at what cost? Manufacturers are generally opposed to RPM increases unless it’s absolutely necessary, and that’s due to the intense development required for valves, vale springs, and the valvetrain as a whole.

On the flipside, fans have been calling for better, more evocative sounds to come from the TTV6 engines, and an increase from 12,000 to something like 14,000 would have certainly pleased the ears. IndyCar baked in the same 12,000 maximum with the new formula, so manufacturers will be spared the costs and fans, unfortunately, won’t be hearing a higher pitch.

Image by Scott LePage/LAT

INTERCOOLERS
For the sake of reduced packaging complexity, all parties involved with the 2012 engine regulations agreed to leave turbocharger intercoolers out of the formula. An intercooler, which is little more than a radiator for the air drawn in by the turbos, uses high-speed air funneled in through the sidepods to cool that air before it reaches the combustion chambers. Cooler air is denser, and with more air density, there’s more oxygen to mix with fuel and ignite. With an intercooler lowering the temperature of the air entering the motor, an increase in power is found.

It would also add cost, and from a design standpoint, installing a large intercooler in one of the sidepods would require a significant amount of work to the DW12 if it’s carried over in 2021.

Even with a new chassis for 2021, a fair amount of space could be needed to fit an intercooler that can significantly lower air temperature. Take a look at the intercoolers used on the turbocharged single-turbo V6 motors in F1, and they are massive. IndyCar wouldn’t need to copy that approach, but size does matter.

If IndyCar sticks with E85 ethanol, intercoolers would be a must. If it goes to methanol, the fuel’s cooling properties would likely remove the need for intercooling.

Image by Scott LePage/LAT

MILEAGE/MOTORS
Of all the practical decisions for IndyCar to make, relaxing the minimums that come with every engine lease would help the manufacturers to push the horsepower envelope.

For years, Chevy and Honda were bound to reaching 2,000 miles between rebuilds, and then it leapt to 2,500 before a recent change of policy erased the mileage minimums. The new standard involves a limit of four engines per lease, and while more than four can be supplied (if one breaks, etc.), only the first four motors can earn points toward the Manufacturers’ championship.

While I’m not suggesting IndyCar should remove all restrictions in this area, more power will be generated if manufacturers aren’t facing stiff penalties for their engine building aggression.

PARTING THOUGHTS
Take a change in fuel, more displacement, more boost, and all-new advancements with cylinder head design, new camshafts, crankshafts, and the inevitable improvements in electronics that will come ahead of 2021 with engine control units and direct-fuel injection, and delivering 900hp is more than attainable. The approximate 20hp leaps each year until 1000hp is hitting the ground in 2026 is also a reasonable request.

What’s the only negative associated with IndyCar’s future engines? I’m not sure I can wait until 2021 for the ground to shake and fences to rattle when these monsters fly by.