Car News, Reviews and Discussions

[amirm]

OK, I am not a "car guy" but the latest changed in automotive technologies has gotten my attention. I thought we create a "master" thread where we post interesting news and information about cars. No limits to what can be discussed.

I am going to start by posting about the latest engine announcement from Mazda where they have conquered the holy grail in engine technology by mixing the best of Diesel and Gas engines together, resulting in claimed 20 to 30% improvement in fuel efficiency. They call it Skyactiv-X or HCCI, its technical term.

And this with diagrams to understand what is going on:

Availability is 2019 which is pretty fast given how different this engine technology is.

 

[Thomas savage]

After owning/girlfriends a Mazda with a innovative rotary engine I'm not sure I trust Mazda and fancy engine technology.

 

[Cosmik]

It will, apparently, have a restricted future in the UK.

Britain is to ban all new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040

https://www.theguardian.com/politic...all-diesel-and-petrol-cars-and-vans-from-2040

 

[Thomas savage]

It will, apparently, have a restricted future in the UK.

https://www.theguardian.com/politic...all-diesel-and-petrol-cars-and-vans-from-2040

By that time if I'm unfortunate to still be breathing all I will be needing is a mobility scooter..

 

[iridium]

The world’s first production-ready variable compression ratio engine
https://www.infinitiusa.com/now/tec...body_more_details_cta_owner_aug_enews0817_Int

I have been following this for awhile. This presentation has easy to understand diagrams, unlike some earlier ones.
The crankshaft is fixed in place as usual, but the piston connecting rods are NOT directly connected to the crankshaft. The connecting rods are connected to a multilink that allows for the variable compression.

I like the HCCI; I really hope they get it right.

And one other thing, if you want lousy mileage, run corn in your car.

iridium.

 

[Thomas savage]

Nowt wrong with putting old chip oil in the work van

 

[iridium]

Nowt wrong with putting old chip oil in the work van

"old chip oil" is a lot better than corn.

iridium.

 

[Thomas savage]

"old chip oil" is a lot better than corn.

iridium.

Smells well nice too ...

 

[iridium]

The brake disc is actually part of the wheel, and the caliper is positioned to the inside of the brake disc [normally to the outside].

iridium.

 

[Don Hills]

Well, that's a bit dumb... will likely make it harder to change a wheel. And if you do change a wheel and it has a less worn disc, you'll need to carry around a tool to press the brake pads back into the caliper.

Edit: Ok, watched it now. So long as the outer rim with the tyre is customer changeable, it'll probably work.
Edit2: Still don't like it. The outer rim has to be a tight fit on the inner "star", or have some other form of precise location, so that if you change the rim/tyre the new one is precisely centred for balance. If the rim buckles or warps slightly (caused by an impact that deflates the tyre, or by running while deflated) it may jam on the star and be unable to be changed.
On the plus side, the bolts holding the rim to the star don't have to be as big as the ones at the hub on traditional wheels. (Less leverage.) This means they're likely to be easier to remove/tighten.

 

[Sal1950]

After owning/girlfriends a Mazda with a innovative rotary engine I'm not sure I trust Mazda and fancy engine technology.

Wankels turned out to be Wankers. LOL

 

[Sal1950]

The brake disc is actually part of the wheel, and the caliper is positioned to the inside of the brake disc [normally to the outside].

Perimeter brake rotor design, excellent for maximizing available disc rotor diameter and hence braking power. On Eric's bikes also allowed for so much braking with a single rotor system that a ton of unsprung weight could be saved over the dual disc designs. Decreasing unsprung weight increases suspension efficiency for better handling.
A win-win-win design.
One of the earliest commercial use I was aware of was on Eric Buell's 2003 XB9R

 

[iridium]

The HCCI engines and the Variable Compression Ratio engines are dependent upon the computer and mechanical intricacies of Variable Valve technology, fuel timing & quantity, and engineers doing the proper measurements [like all well known audio companies].

iridium.

 

[iridium]

After owning/girlfriends a Mazda with a innovative rotary engine I'm not sure I trust Mazda and fancy engine technology.

Are you allowed to own girlfriends in your country? In our country the girl marries the guy ASAP so that she owns him.

iridium.

 

[RayDunzl]

Perimeter brake rotor design

Well, the application bay be new, but "perimiter rotors" have been around a while.

 

[Sal1950]

Well, the application bay be new, but "perimiter rotors" have been around a while.

With dual discs surfaces none the less.

 

[Thomas savage]

Wankels turned out to be Wankers. LOL

Well it rolled its way through my bank account and I had a good few phone calls with crying woman on the other end in distress..

Ended by replacing it ( me buying her another car) with a used mini ( BMW made) , I advised her to buy a Honda Civic type R but no she bought the Mini... I refused to pay the garage bills and boy was there more of those.

It's funny but in this age of equality I don't remember any woman paying my garage bills or buying me much , I must just not be ' worth it'

 

[amirm]

It's funny but in this age of equality I don't remember any woman paying my garage bills or buying me much , I must just not be ' worth it'

It ain't just women. No man would pay your garage bills either!

 

[NorthSky]

I love cars, the faster the better. It's the same with audio; the faster the audio signals keep up in the entire chain the less congestion we end up with @ the end of the music system reproduction; the sound in the listener ears, pure, unaltered, no distracting reflections, no slow signals with delay.
A high performance hi-fi stereo system is like a high performance optimally tuned car.

Mazda? Yeah ok, I'm all for fuel efficiency in the big cities. But where there's no limits, on race tracks and super fast point A to B highways of the fastest countries in the world (Germany, Italy, Dubai, ...), I like cars with style...say a Bugatti Chiron for example. If they can make them electric and going 260 miles per hour in a straight line and good for one thousand miles plus in a single charge that takes only ten minutes before it is fully charged; that'll be the day of the future, just before quantum teleportation (human molecules instant space travel...a la Star Trek).

The way I envision transportation in future cities is with elevation.

 

[RayDunzl]