Questionnaire on the future of turbochargers
03-31-2013, 02:41 AM
#16
Rennlist Member
Done, hope my answers are helpful.
I was involved in FSAE in undergrad, building a turbocharged 600cc ethanol-fueled Yamaha R6 engine for a race car, and I'm invested in BorgWarner now. All in all, I consider myself fairly familiar with turbos (for someone who drives an N/A car, although I used to have a turbocharged Audi A4)
I was involved in FSAE in undergrad, building a turbocharged 600cc ethanol-fueled Yamaha R6 engine for a race car, and I'm invested in BorgWarner now. All in all, I consider myself fairly familiar with turbos (for someone who drives an N/A car, although I used to have a turbocharged Audi A4)
03-31-2013, 03:31 AM
#17
Rennlist Member
Done.
Put an IHI turbo on my old Golf (U.S. Rabbit) back in the early 1980's. Used to bait 308's and 911s by overtaking them and then slowing down a little. They would then overtake me and as they did I would match and often beat them either in a straight line or through the corners. We'd pull up at the lights and they would just shake their heads in disbelief that this little hatchback could hand them their ***. Note, this was a long time ago with very few cars on the road at night and the precociousness of youth. I don't advocate street racing nowadays and wish kids would get to the track rather than these 3 honks and blast down the highway with surrounding traffic.
Of course a well built high compression motor is fantastic too. Not really interested in these newer type cars with very linear turbo applications. Do want a bit of the old kick in the pants turbo rush if I'm going to drive one, even on the track.
Love turbos. Always have, always will.
Put an IHI turbo on my old Golf (U.S. Rabbit) back in the early 1980's. Used to bait 308's and 911s by overtaking them and then slowing down a little. They would then overtake me and as they did I would match and often beat them either in a straight line or through the corners. We'd pull up at the lights and they would just shake their heads in disbelief that this little hatchback could hand them their ***. Note, this was a long time ago with very few cars on the road at night and the precociousness of youth. I don't advocate street racing nowadays and wish kids would get to the track rather than these 3 honks and blast down the highway with surrounding traffic.
Of course a well built high compression motor is fantastic too. Not really interested in these newer type cars with very linear turbo applications. Do want a bit of the old kick in the pants turbo rush if I'm going to drive one, even on the track.
Love turbos. Always have, always will.
03-31-2013, 07:24 AM
#18
Rennlist Member
This is the logical place to post, since the 3-liter 930 Turbo was one of the first supercars, even production cars, in the US market to be made available with this technology. Saab also offered the 99 Turbo, but there really weren't very many commercially available turbo passenger cars at all when I started working on cars for a living in 1980.
I started in the early 1980's installing BAE Turbo kits on Ferrari 308's and, of course as a tax dodge, Ferrari built the 208 Turbo to take advantage of the tax laws that gave a discount for cars under 2-liters in Italy, at that time.
I installed Legend Industries turbo kits using the IHI RHB6 on Fiat Spiders at the dealership I worked at and Garrett AiResearch T04's on bigger stuff. We had a lot of trouble with people not warming up and cooling down the turbos, resulting in thermal problems that would cook seals and burn up impeller shaft bearings, so they went away.
Seems like its come full circle now in the quest for efficiency.
I will NEVER forget the first grey market, Euro Spec 3.0 liter 930 Turbo I drove after replacing the clutch in it. Moved my cheeks back, pushed my eyeballs back in my head and I was DAMNED glad the thing only had four speeds, 'cause I was moving the shift lever as fast as I could! Awesome...
I started in the early 1980's installing BAE Turbo kits on Ferrari 308's and, of course as a tax dodge, Ferrari built the 208 Turbo to take advantage of the tax laws that gave a discount for cars under 2-liters in Italy, at that time.
I installed Legend Industries turbo kits using the IHI RHB6 on Fiat Spiders at the dealership I worked at and Garrett AiResearch T04's on bigger stuff. We had a lot of trouble with people not warming up and cooling down the turbos, resulting in thermal problems that would cook seals and burn up impeller shaft bearings, so they went away.
Seems like its come full circle now in the quest for efficiency.
I will NEVER forget the first grey market, Euro Spec 3.0 liter 930 Turbo I drove after replacing the clutch in it. Moved my cheeks back, pushed my eyeballs back in my head and I was DAMNED glad the thing only had four speeds, 'cause I was moving the shift lever as fast as I could! Awesome...
03-31-2013, 11:17 AM
#20
Race Car
Internal combustion engines are a dead end, simply based on thermodynamic efficiency.
Forced injection/induction merely speeds up your path to the dead end.
It seems pointless to spend large amounts of time and resources continuing to develop the ICE, rather than a new technology that doesn't have the fundamental limitations.
Forced injection/induction merely speeds up your path to the dead end.
It seems pointless to spend large amounts of time and resources continuing to develop the ICE, rather than a new technology that doesn't have the fundamental limitations.
And now, we have more advanced development tools - CAE, CFD, etc. We've been hearing about the demise of the ICE for almost half of its life, yet we still can't find a better substitue.
The next big technology that will likely hit production is HCCI - homogeneous charge compression ignition. Basically, a gasoline engine that runs high enough compression to diesel.
I'm not sure what the end state will be, but having done engine development at an OEM for a living, that end state is still a long way off.
03-31-2013, 01:17 PM
#21
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Nothing like turbocharging, also went in the 80's with BAE's kits, Callaways kits etc., my first turbo project was with a 77' VW Scirocco, installed a BAE kit, with a Rajay turbo in it, howled *** with it, modifications keep going to it, then installed a Callaway "super fueler" device, now it raced like a scalded dog!Amazing time, it still are nowdays this time with Porsches,Jesus, it never ends!
I will think that one of the last pieces to go in the ICE, will be the turbocharger.,cheers, Sonny1.
I will think that one of the last pieces to go in the ICE, will be the turbocharger.,cheers, Sonny1.
04-03-2013, 11:37 AM
#22
3rd Gear
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We've been hearing this since Chevrolet put the first turbocharged vehicle in production, the Monza Corvair, in somwhere near 1962. 50 years later, we are STILL making improvements. It started with big strides in the mid 80's when electronic fuel injection became the norm. Now we are seeing huge benefits from other controls like VCT. As mentioned more recently, direct injection makes a bit differnce since it allows big changes in compression ratio (which is one of the biggest factors in thermal efficiency, look up Caris and Nelson for the curve).
And now, we have more advanced development tools - CAE, CFD, etc. We've been hearing about the demise of the ICE for almost half of its life, yet we still can't find a better substitue.
The next big technology that will likely hit production is HCCI - homogeneous charge compression ignition. Basically, a gasoline engine that runs high enough compression to diesel.
I'm not sure what the end state will be, but having done engine development at an OEM for a living, that end state is still a long way off.
And now, we have more advanced development tools - CAE, CFD, etc. We've been hearing about the demise of the ICE for almost half of its life, yet we still can't find a better substitue.
The next big technology that will likely hit production is HCCI - homogeneous charge compression ignition. Basically, a gasoline engine that runs high enough compression to diesel.
I'm not sure what the end state will be, but having done engine development at an OEM for a living, that end state is still a long way off.
