FF
Guru
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2007
- Messages
- 22,552
. "Am I running 30% load or 10% load? Does the engine really care? .
The load is defined by the power an engine might produce at That operating RPM.
We have all seen the HP/RPM graph of an engine and it climbs as the RPM is increased.
A "proper" load is one that uses a good percentage of the power available at THAT operating RPM.
Cruising at say 1600 the engine might be well loaded ,might not be,
but a comparison to WOT is not valid , as you are not operating at WOT .
The attempt to match engine load to the prop is best done with a CPP , or perhaps a 2 speed tranny.
For most recreational boaters it is meaningless.
A good 8000 hour diesel will suffer massive abuse and still operate for 4,000 hours.
At the norm of 200 hours underway a year , its a LOT of years!
The load is defined by the power an engine might produce at That operating RPM.
We have all seen the HP/RPM graph of an engine and it climbs as the RPM is increased.
A "proper" load is one that uses a good percentage of the power available at THAT operating RPM.
Cruising at say 1600 the engine might be well loaded ,might not be,
but a comparison to WOT is not valid , as you are not operating at WOT .
The attempt to match engine load to the prop is best done with a CPP , or perhaps a 2 speed tranny.
For most recreational boaters it is meaningless.
A good 8000 hour diesel will suffer massive abuse and still operate for 4,000 hours.
At the norm of 200 hours underway a year , its a LOT of years!