If your goal is to produce 300, 400 or even 500 hp from your small-block, it is always easier to reach said goal with more displacement. Taking things to extremes will help illustrate our dilemma. Suppose your goal is an easy 400 hp. Achieving that with a 283 will require some serious components, as the 283 must produce a 1.413 hp per cubic inch. Producing the same 400 hp with a 400-inch stroker requires a specific output of just 1 hp per cubic inch.