Here we go folks. Welcome the special olympics of internet arguing.
Grab your popcorn.
Let's try to compare apples and apples, not go off on some tangent.
For starters: The reason I'm dicking with the "ridiculously expensive" engine mod's is the fact that I have the motor appart for a rebuild. You see after 200k mi. I the a valve seals that decided they were tired, this tends to make a motor smoke a little. I also have had the wonderfull ticking sound of worn rockers for the last 20k. When I mic'd the cam it's worn way beyond tolerances. So since I have to replace the cam anyways, I liked the idea of replacing it with something that would complement the intended usage and the rest of the drive train. It is really not adding to the expense.
I'm not sitting here dreaming of ways to make my explorer jump small buildings. I'm simply rebuilding a worn out motor. Something I would be doing regardless of changing cam's
Please do tell the class just how Torque, Horsepower, acceleration are all related. Especially the part how "engine out put is not important". Silly me, if I had only known the engine output was not important, I would have removed my engine a long time ago. After all if it's not important it must just be dead weight, and I could really use the extra room for more wheel'n gear.
If engine output is not important, why is eveyone trying to stuff a v8 where their v6 was? Why is everyone dicking with chip's, airbox's, and ignitions?
Why is the majority of the crap sold in Summit, Jeg's, PAW, etc... all geard toward increasing engine output?
Now to your insightful crack about shift kit's and "total performance" Where the H**l did you get the idea that I dont understand that? Where did you get the idea that I don't under stand that certain tranny mods will drasticly improve the life of a tranny? I'm talking about my motor. Not my tranny. If I had tranny questions, or gearing questions I would have asked them. Besides a shift kit will not magically increase the capacity of what it can handle or how fast it will accelerate from a dead stop. It will magically improve ET's on the drag strip and how long it can handle it's max capacity, because of how it shifts and locks up. It can help with many other things, but unless you mess with the actual gearing in the tranny it dont do, do do when it comes to actual pulling power.
I'm not even going to address the octane and detonation, other than to say. Yeah it does help w/that. Duh, no SH*T, I never said it did'nt. I will say, running 91 in a regular every day car will NOT ruin the engine. Yes, it will be an incredible waste of money, but it will NOT harm anything. That and I have seen with mine own two eyes readouts (the s = plural as in more than one) that tell me you will get different emissions readings between the 2.
On the flip side, if you have a 11:1 iron headed HP motor and try to run 87 you will have detonation and you will be rebuilding the motor in a short amount of time. Especially if you are aggressive in timing.
I'll even agree with you that TQ at the tire is a combination of Gearing and motor (gearing includes tire size). The point is. I've alreay done what I'm going to do to the tranny. I have the gear ratio that suits my overall usage. There for I have no interest whatsoever in changing gear ratios.
I notice that your example of toluene only seems to be a teaspoon to 20 gallons. Wow, I had no idea that was the only possible mixure. What if someone mixed a cup of toluene to a gallon of regular. Do you still think it would be washed out and have no measureable reading on emissions?
What if Someone ran some AV gas? Would that have any measureale difference? What if someone ran some Gasahol?
What if somone mixed some nitromethane up and put it on the sniffer?
I know the tree huggne flower smok'n, smog cops don't want you running anything other than their approved juice. Precicely beause it could give a "false reading" We all know a car that passed with a false reading is much more of an environmental danger than a car that has a waiver, because it can't pass. Oh wait, could it be, that they generate less revenue on one as opposed to the other?