Archive for Technology

Piezo fuel injectors are all the rage for turbodiesel engines these days for the superior performance they have. Pieze injectors (graphic shown) can inject fuel using multiple jets and multiple injections per cycle, and is the key to reduce in-cylinder emissions, boost performance, and reduce noise. This comes at a cost however - piezo injectors are expensive as the piezo crystal that gives it it’s name is expensive to produce.

Robert Bosch GmbH says it has succeeded in developing a solenoid valve injector that can handle up to 29,000 pounds per square inch of pressure and will launch it later this year. This new solenoid valve injector comes very close to the performance of piezo injectors.

While high end manufacturers like Mercedes Benz would likely still go for piezo instead for benefits of better refinement and reduced engine noise, Bosch targets the mid-range customers for this new solenoid valve injector.

Source

Fiat Powertrain Technologies has unveiled the latest revision of it’s 1.9 liter JTD MultiJet 16 valve inline-4 turbodiesel engine, which uses twin stage turbocharging to produce high power and massive torque in a wide RPM range at the same time.

Low end torque has improved by 50% over current JTD MultiJet models, with 300Nm available from just 1,250rpm going up to peak torque of 400Nm at 2,000rpm. The new engine is available in two stages of tune - 177 horsepower and 188 horsepower at 4,000rpm. The higher 188 horses version is exclusively for Fiat and Fiat Group companies like Alfa Romeo and Lancia, while the 177 horsepower version will be made available for purchase to customers. Nanjing as one of the first customers comes to mind - they were reported to be sourcing a powerful turbodiesel for it’s MG 7 sedan from an European manufacturer.

The new engine uses a 16.5 compression ratio, low-voltage metallic glow plugs, an improved EGR cooler, and a new inlet port design. It complies with projected Euro 5 emission standards. It has a cast iron block and an aluminium alloy head.

The 177hp version will be available in July 2007 onwards, while the 188hp version is set to be launched in June 2008. The engines will be produced at Pratola Serra in Italy.

Toyota has something new up it’s sleeves - Valvematic, an evolution of the VVT-i mechanism which now incorporates continuous valve lift control together with VVT-i’s existing valve timing control. Valvematic also eliminates the need for a throttle valve, instead controlling the volume of intake air using valve lift instead.

According to Toyota, an improvement of 5% to 10% can be seen with fuel efficiency, as well as an improvement of 10% with the power output on a similiar engine displacement comparison. Toyota also mentions reduced CO2 emission as well as improved acceleration responsiveness.

The first Valvematic-equipped engine will be a 2.0 liter model, most likely a replacement for the 145 horsepower 1AZ-FE engine which has been pretty much slotted with different tune levels into all Toyota cars in the C-segment and above. The trademark “Valvematic” was registered by Toyota a few months ago, so alot of people have been expecting this. One of the first few cars to get the new Valvematic 2.0 liter engine are the 2.0 liter versions of the recently launched twin sedans Toyota Allion and Toyota Premio. The 2.0 liter variants are set to debut in Winter 2007.

The new Toyota Valvematic 2.0 liter engine will most likely be christened the 3ZR-FAE, and will put out 158hp at 6,200rpm and 196Nm at 4,400rpm. Being part of the new ZR engine family, variable valve timing features will be the same as the 2ZR-FE’s Dual VVT-i system - valve timing on both intake and exhaust valves.

Honda also recently announced an engine with continuous valve lift control combined with variable valve timing, a technology it calls AVTEC.

Check out a patent application filed by Toyota in March 2007 by clicking here - I think it is the patent for Valvematic. Be warned though, it’s pretty long.

Volkswagen produced this infomercial for the Volkswagen TSI Series of engines. Volkswagen aimed to produce a motor that both offered fuel economy as well as performance, together with driving comfort in the sense that driving will not be a tiring process that requires you to rev your engine to high revs all the time to get decent pickup. Cruising around with city driving under 2,500rpm without feeling the engine is lacking in torque offers a more relaxing drive.

Recently, Volkswagen added a 1.4 liter turbocharged engine to it’s TSI family, joining the existing 1.4 liter twincharged engine. Interesting to note that the intercooler for this engine is water-cooled, and is integrated into the intake manifold. The use of a single turbocharger in this TSI-badged engine means TSI does not refer to the twincharging method of using both a turbocharger and supercharger for forced induction anymore, instead referring to small displacement, low fuel consumption, and high power Volkswagen engines.

This video focuses on the new 1.4 liter single turbocharger TSI engine, and differences with it’s twincharged sibling.

Check out the video after the jump.

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Click here to read the rest of Volkswagen’s TSI Engine

BorgWarner and Volkswagen has developed a new DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox) gearbox codenamed DQ200 which will succeed it’s current DG250 6-speed DSG gearbox from BorgWarner. One major difference relevant to the consumer would be it’s 7-gears compared to the first generation DSG’s 6-speeds.

The new 7-speed DSG now uses twin dry clutches, while the 6-speed DSG uses oil-submerged clutches. The new gearbox uses a pair of dry, organic bonded friction linings that do not require cooling, making the drivetrain more efficient through the extra ratio and the fact that less power is required for the gear selection and clutch servo system. The new 7-speed DSG weighs 79kg, compared to 75kg for the 6-speed unit, however despite being heavier, it is smaller. Oil volume has been reduced by 75% from 7 liters to 1.7 liters, thanks to the new dry clutches. This oil travels in two different circuits - one for the gear teeth, and the other feeds the gear actuators.

Since there are now more ratios to play with, the first gear of the new 7-speed DSG has had it’s ratio increased to provide stronger acceleration from a standstill, while the 7th gear acts as a high ratio overdrive to help ease on the fuel consumption on highway drives. Another feature would be the ability for the DSG gearbox to be mounted transversely. Thanks to it’s compact size, the DSG gearbox can now be mounted into smaller Volkswagens like the Polo as well as it’s larger siblings.

The new gearbox will first debut in 1.4 liter TSI and 1.9 liter TDI equipped Volkswagens. It only handles power outputs up to 170 PS and 250Nm of torque, so don’t expect it to appear in the more high performance models such as the Golf GTI.

In other Volkswagen news, the staple 1.6 liter FSI engine will be replaced by the recently announced 1.4 liter Turbo FSI engine. This is not the same as the 1.4 liter TSI engine - it only has a turbocharger without a supercharger and produces 122 PS maximum power and 200Nm of torque from as low as 1,500rpm, compared to the 1.4 liter TSI’s 140 PS and 170 PS ratings. All models using the 1.6 FSI engine will be replaced with a 1.4 Turbo FSI model, including the Golf, Golf Plus, Golf Estate, Jetta, Passat, and others.

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Click here to read the rest of Volkswagen announces new 7-speed DSG gearbox

Ever heard of the Caparo T1? Well, now you have. It’s what you might consider calling a two-seater F1 car for the road. It’s powered by a 2.4 liter high revving V8 engine, similiar to an F1 car, and it makes up to 700 horsepower (only after some extra tuning though - some say only around 500hp at stock levels) at an astronomical 10,200rpm. Now that is a huge amount of horsepower for a car expected to weigh just under 470kg.

It can also corner almost like an F1 car - 3Gs of cornering force is achievable compared to an F1 car’s 4.5Gs. 0-100km/h takes only 2.5 seconds, but the most impressive feature is it’s braking ability - 0kmh to 160kmh and back to 0kmh in 8.5 seconds. That’s only 3.5 seconds to brake from 160kmh to a stand still, thanks to it’s 6-piston billet machined race calipers on steel brakes for the front, and 4-piston calipers for the rear.

The Caparo team consists of engineering legends like Gordon Murray, whom some of you might know as he is a columnist of Evo magazine. He was responsible for the McLaren F1. And that is enough to make you an engineering legend. The other team members are mostly ex-McLaren employees

A video after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Caparo T1 - an F1 car for the streets

The results of the 2007 International Engine Of The Year awards are out. The question everyone will be asking is - will the BMW 5.0 liter V10 be able to persevere and continue it’s reign as the award winner for the third time consecutively this year? Or will it be out-triumphed by a rival from another manufacturer, or perhaps another engine from BMW’s own stables? We find out what the results are after the jump!

Click here to read the rest of International Engine Of The Year 2007 Results

Come 9th May 2007, we’ll know the results of the 9th International Engine of the Year Awards. Last year BMW dominated the awards and won the main title for the second consecutive year with it’s 5.0 liter V10 found in the BMW M5 and M6.

This year’s contenders include Volkswagen’s 1.4 liter TSI engine which employs innovative use of both a supercharger and a turbocharger, Porsche’s 3.6 liter twin turbo which is the first petrol turbocharged engine to use a Variable Geometry Turbocharger, and Toyota’s 1.0 liter three-cylinder engine which is supposedly the lightest combustion engine on sale today. Of course, there’s Volkswagen’s 2.0 potent liter Turbo FSI.

For now, let’s recap the results for 2005 and 2006 in the posts linked below.

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ZF, a company whose gearboxes are in many of our cars including that sweet new fast shifting quick locking 6-speed auto in modern BMWs has unveiled a new 8-speed automatic gearbox and presented it at the 28th International Vienna Motor Symposium.

Though some of you may think ZF is yet another automakers who wants to lead in the cog race, which is currently led by Lexus with their 8-speed auto, but ZF says number of gears was not a priority when designing this unit.

“Our main development target was to find a transmission concept which allows for significant additional fuel consumption reduction and thus offers tangible added value to our customers and drivers without making any compromises in terms of performance”, explains Dr. Michael Paul, ZF Executive Vice President, Technology and Group Executive of the Car Driveline Technology division. It just so happened that to achieve those targets, 8 gears was needed.

The new gearbox can also handle larger input torque with the same weight as compared to the previous model, the second generation 6-speed that’s found in the 335i. It was also designed to be modular, which means it can be used in all-wheel drive systems without much modification. The torque converter can be replaced by new clutches or could be omitted completely when an integrated starting clutch is used.

The new ZF 8-speed automatic transmission will be used in the F01/F02 2009 BMW 7-Series in the flagship V12 model, and possibly the Rolls Royce RR4 later.

Volkswagen has revealed yet another new engine at the 2007 Vienna International Motor Symposium. This new unit is a 1.4 liter turbocharged unit making 122 horsepower and 200Nm of torque from as low as 1,500rpm! This unit is not to be confused with Volkswagen’s 1.4 liter TSI engines which are available in both 140hp and 170hp forms, as this new 122hp engine only uses a turbocharger without the addition of a supercharger as with the TSI engines.

Volkswagen also demonstrated it’s new DQ200 7-speed DSG gearbox, which adds one more gear ratio to it’s existing DG250 six-speed DSG units. The 7-speed DQ200 handles torque figures of up to 200Nm, making it suitable for low displacement applications like this new 1.4 liter TFSI. It won’t find it’s way into performance models until can sustain more torque.

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