What The Hell is A Closed Deck Engine and Why Does it Matter?

Stronger in all the right places.

2y ago
64.4K

When it comes to finding the strongest and most durable engine, look no further than the closed deck design. You may have heard that term thrown around online but what does it really mean?

When it comes to engine casting there are three main groups: open deck, semi-closed deck, and closed deck. In an open deck engine the cylinders are left unsupported and stand alone from the block itself, this is great for cooling but not strength. A Semi-closed deck features some cylinder wall support near the head but has more void than metal. Finally, a closed deck engine has metal support all around the cylinder walls near the head. This gives closed deck engines the ability to handle big power and last much longer.

Some of the most legendary engines like Toyota's 2J or Nissan RB26 are closed deck designs capable of handling huge amounts of power. Since a closed deck engine has more support near the head where the high pressure of combustion is at it's greatest, these engines are simply stronger where it counts. BMW's new B58 engine found in the new Supra and Z features a closed deck design prompting tuners to prepare for some big horsepower.

The main drawbacks of a closed deck engine lie in the cost. It's simply more money and harder to cast a closed deck engine and in the auto industry where every penny counts it's hard to justify. A closed deck engine is nice, but when modern materials and casting allow for cheaper open deck designs they're few an far between.

If you're looking for big power or just something to last a lifetime, a closed deck engine is ready to handle abuse.

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Comments (1)

  • Question for you, when people switch to closed deck are they using block filler(concrete type of thing)? Is this the same thing as using a sleeve except cheaper?

      2 years ago
1