Brad Clayton Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 I saw two new engine concepts this weekend in magazines. The first was a "Popular Science" 'zine that had a six stroke engine. The engine prototype was a one lunger that would complete it's usual four strokes but on it's normal 1st stroke now the fifth stroke it would be injected with water that would instantly turn to steam powering the piston down instead of fuel and on the sixth (exhaust stroke) a aux. valve would open allowing the steam to be redirected to a cooling condensor to be reused again. Pretty wild and simple idea. The second was in a "Truck Trend" 'zine. This engine had a variable compression ratio for better runability on E85 (spark knock prevention, ect.). I didn't take time to read the article but the pictures showed the oil pan off and a pretty wild rack gear set up. If you're in a store that has magazines check out the new issue. Not sure if I would want this motor in the lifetime powertrain option if I were producing it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 Brad, several years ago, I read an article about (I think it was a} SAAB engine where they could vary the compression ratio by moving the cylinder head away from or towards the crank... sleeves and all would move.... I wonder if this is an offshoot of the same idea???? Back in the 80s, Ford was experimenting with the "polymotor".... Largely made of polymer plastics, there was metal banding around wear points. IIRC, they were bragging 170 HP from a 4 cylinder DOHC engine weighing 175 pounds.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktmlew Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 WTF aren't "we" getting better mileage now than we did thirty years ago? Had a couple of Datsun pickups that got north of 30mpg with no effort at all. 82 Mercury LN7, 1.6 carb'd 4spd, got 32-35 all day every day, handled like a slot car, was plenty quick enough from a stoplight. WTF happened? Some say it's the increased wight of ABS, Air Bags, safety beams, etc... I say it's because the engineers have gone HP crazy. Do we NEED a 200hp 4-cyl to drive to work every day? I think not. Sorry for the rant but Jim's post about a light-weight high HP 4 cyl just frosts my ass... I want a reasonably safe car that gets at least 50mpg on GASOLINE!!! Shouldn't cost 30K either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Browning Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 What happened? Don't blame the engineers. The American consumer dictates much of what hits the road and their dollars go to the manufacturer that gives them what they want so can you really blame them for making the cars they do? If EVERYBODY wanted a cheap car that gets 50+MPG then there would be one in every showroom. Fact is, look at most dealer lots and the cars and trucks today still represent the American in most of the following ways: large, powerful, feature packed, multi-purpose or full of bling! A $15,000 Festiva just isn't cool to be seen in. Especially since you and three of your buddies can almost pick it up and stuff it in the back of an Excursion! As a society, we are great at telling everybody what to do to save the planet or clean the air or find alternative fuels. We fall miserably short in following our own advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 Good points, Kieth... there has always been at least one 4X4 pick up parked in my driveway.... There are times that I cringe at the pump island - my SuperCrew loves $100 fill ups. This little hummer http://www.thesmart.ca/index.cfm?ID=4720 can get you about almost 70 MPG.... I can just see me taking a load to the land fill or hauling my holiday trailer with it... Like "boxers or briefs", we all have our preferances... the preferance of the majority is going to determine the winner.... Me? I'm squandering my kids inheritance..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastendpowerstroke Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 Look I found a picture of Jim in his new Smart car going to the land fill. Funny how much he looks like his avatar huh? Seriously though I watched ICE ROAD TRUCKERS on the History Chanel that area looks a bit rough I think you'd get your ass kicked for driving a car like that in your area Jim... /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/rofl.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Clayton Posted December 23, 2007 Author Share Posted December 23, 2007 engine code name "lion" Nifty little unit, a derivative of the 4.4l F-150 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Browning Posted December 23, 2007 Share Posted December 23, 2007 Thats cool! I have heard rumors about something like this being developed... this must one of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Clayton Posted November 11, 2010 Author Share Posted November 11, 2010 Here is another interesting concept, that is getting alot of attention: HCCI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mchan68 Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 Here is another interesting concept, that is getting alot of attention: HCCI Okay, if I read correctly, put in more simplistic terms, it's not much different from having a diesel filled with gasoline. I guess the only difference being that fuel is injected into the cylinder head on the INTAKE stroke instead the POWER stroke if I read correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 Here is another interesting concept, that is getting alot of attention: HCCI This sounds like a variation on the adiabatic engine... something that the late, great Smokey Yunick was working on back in the late 70s and early 80s. Also called a "hot vapour" engine, the air fuel ratio was something over 20:1. Technology and metallurgy at the time was the engines biggest downfall. Fuel was introduced "upstream" and passed through a turbocharger - not to compress the mixture but to "homogenize" it. Intake, combustion and exhaust temps were high making things difficult with the technology available back then. Imagine something like this running on bio-fuel.... IIRC, there was a chapter or two devoted to this engine in "Smokeys Power Secrets". I'm pretty sure I have a dog-eared copy of it around here somewhere, but I believe the book is still available through Amazon or such. IIRC #2, Smokey was a key player in developing the big block Chevy engine (396/402 in the beginning) back when factory involvement in NASCAR was nearly ata fever pitch and I believe there were some interesting stories about that in the volume as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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