23 replies to this topic

[reyno010]

Ran across this article today, sounds pretty interesting. The next generation of skyactive engines will no longer have spark plugs. 

 

http://gas2.org/2017...-no-sparkplugs/

 

 

[av8tor]

but how will I get my extra 2hp by using the special spark plug wires?

[TEAM MEDICARE]

Good bye turbos?

[FTodaro]

I would not want to do a leak down test on that, I fight it now with 10 to 1

[Jeff Wasilko]

I would not want to do a leak down test on that, I fight it now with 10 to 1

 

How would you if there's no spark plug hole?

[luvin_the_rings]

Automakers are being forced to use HCCI because of the Obama regs on fuel economy.  Honda also looked into it but decided to use 2 spark plugs instead, ironically. 

[Ron Alan]

Automakers are being forced to use HCCI because of the Obama regs on fuel economy.  Honda also looked into it but decided to use 2 spark plugs instead, ironically. 

Some/many regs will be disappearing soon!

[Tom Sager]

Interesting article, thanks for posting.  It's an interesting time in the auto industry with the transition to electric vehicles, autonomous driven vehicles and sharply increasing fuel mileage standards.  Our Miatas are thirsty pigs nowadays.  Our 2011 MX5 doesn't even get 30 MPG on the highway. 

 

I've often wondered why a wankel engine can't achieve better fuel economy than a piston engine given it's many fewer moving parts and firing on each rotation rather than every other rotation.  In fact they seem to do worse. 

[Bench Racer]

I've often wondered why a wankel engine can't achieve better fuel economy than a piston engine given it's many fewer moving parts and firing on each rotation rather than every other rotation.  In fact they seem to do worse. 

 Wid     https://www.quora.co...ave-bad-mileage

[SaulSpeedwell]

Interesting article, thanks for posting.  It's an interesting time in the auto industry with the transition to electric vehicles, autonomous driven vehicles and sharply increasing fuel mileage standards.  Our Miatas are thirsty pigs nowadays.  Our 2011 MX5 doesn't even get 30 MPG on the highway. 

 

I've often wondered why a wankel engine can't achieve better fuel economy than a piston engine given it's many fewer moving parts and firing on each rotation rather than every other rotation.  In fact they seem to do worse. 

 

Ugh, the Wankel.  Yes, it has fewer moving parts, but if I cut off one of your legs and both of your arms, is it going to take fewer CLIF bars for you to run the 100 yard dash?  Well, maybe ... but you'll be slower, and you'll probably be making an earsplitting noise the whole time, just like those damn rotaries! 

 

The problem with the Wankel is the explosions (BMEP for the nerds that will be checking my math) are not as effectively translated into torque.  Instead of blasting a piston straight back whence it came, you are trying to keep this spinning 3-pointed football "spun up".  Every time I look at a cross-section of a Wankel, it seems that if the thing wasn't spinning prior to combustion, it might just blow up like a pipe bomb.  So, the torque sucks, the combustion is inefficient, and nobody has perfected Mythril apex seals, so they have oil consumption/blowby problems.  It is a one-trick pony that spins fast because of few/no reciprocating parts, and has an artificially small CID that occasionally gave it an advantage in CID-regulated racing. 

 

As for autonomous vehicles, the technology is easy(-ish) but expensive (for now).  The bigger challenge is political and anthropological.  How well will Mama Grizzly tolerate Aiden and Jayden and Kayden and Qthpthlayden being killed by, or in, a robot car?  Ir President Ivanka passes liability limits of $1M per "___-den", then the math would work out great, and the insurance companies would be ecstatic (while not giving you a premium decrease because, well, you know, those robotic cars are so pricey to fix!).

[MPR22]

Self driving cars would save more money than they cost in overall transportation costs to the economy if only we could get ignorant people to let go. I have had many conversations with realatively intelegent people who "will never lay a car drive them". I tried to explain the difference in processing speed between their I phone and their organic super computer but they just don't get it. Probably the only time I will ever advocate the government mandating anything, hope it happens sooner than later.

[SaulSpeedwell]

Self driving cars would save more money than they cost in overall transportation costs to the economy if only we could get ignorant people to let go. I have had many conversations with realatively intelegent people who "will never lay a car drive them". I tried to explain the difference in processing speed between their I phone and their organic super computer but they just don't get it. Probably the only time I will ever advocate the government mandating anything, hope it happens sooner than later.

 

There is a shortage of software engineers, and especially GOOD ones, now that everydamnthing is a computer.  Be careful what you wish for, as I am not very confident that autonomous cars will be any more reliable or durable than your smartphone.  Chevy and Tesla can't quite get away the the "new every 2 years" trick, eh?  Silicon Valley seems to have quickly figured out that making cars is a lot harder than it initially seemed as viewed through their "ironic" non-prescription spectacles.  Autonomous cars will need constant updates, experience constant "bugs", and meanwhile the best software engineers will be working on Wall Street, or getting rich writing apps where you can do important things like kill animated pigs with animated flying birds, or send dog selfies to your 1,100 fake online friends, etc.   Is your 10 year old Apple iCar going to be able to share the roads with the Apple iCar 7S?  Or will it just slow down and be so buggy that you will spend your kid's tuition money to "upgrade"?

 

Imagine how the next MadMax movie would work if the cars were autonomous and required the Internet and GPS network to be up in order to function.  When Lower Slobbovia launches a satellite to shoot down our satellites, dudes (and girls, and centaurs, and even Oberlin students) in old "unconnected" cars would quickly rule the sandpile!  This assumes they knew how to drive, and that the car wasn't German.  Nobody can keep a German car running in a dystopian future! 

[Tom Sager]

There is a shortage of software engineers, and especially GOOD ones, now that everydamnthing is a computer.  Be careful what you wish for, as I am not very confident that autonomous cars will be any more reliable or durable than your smartphone.  Chevy and Tesla can't quite get away the the "new every 2 years" trick, eh?  Silicon Valley seems to have quickly figured out that making cars is a lot harder than it initially seemed as viewed through their "ironic" non-prescription spectacles.  Autonomous cars will need constant updates, experience constant "bugs", and meanwhile the best software engineers will be working on Wall Street, or getting rich writing apps where you can do important things like kill animated pigs with animated flying birds, or send dog selfies to your 1,100 fake online friends, etc.   Is your 10 year old Apple iCar going to be able to share the roads with the Apple iCar 7S?  Or will it just slow down and be so buggy that you will spend your kid's tuition money to "upgrade"?

 

Imagine how the next MadMax movie would work if the cars were autonomous and required the Internet and GPS network to be up in order to function.  When Lower Slobbovia launches a satellite to shoot down our satellites, dudes (and girls, and centaurs, and even Oberlin students) in old "unconnected" cars would quickly rule the sandpile!  This assumes they knew how to drive, and that the car wasn't German.  Nobody can keep a German car running in a dystopian future! 

[MPR22]

There is a shortage of software engineers, and especially GOOD ones, now that everydamnthing is a computer.  Be careful what you wish for, as I am not very confident that autonomous cars will be any more reliable or durable than your smartphone.  Chevy and Tesla can't quite get away the the "new every 2 years" trick, eh?  Silicon Valley seems to have quickly figured out that making cars is a lot harder than it initially seemed as viewed through their "ironic" non-prescription spectacles.  Autonomous cars will need constant updates, experience constant "bugs", and meanwhile the best software engineers will be working on Wall Street, or getting rich writing apps where you can do important things like kill animated pigs with animated flying birds, or send dog selfies to your 1,100 fake online friends, etc.   Is your 10 year old Apple iCar going to be able to share the roads with the Apple iCar 7S?  Or will it just slow down and be so buggy that you will spend your kid's tuition money to "upgrade"?

 

Imagine how the next MadMax movie would work if the cars were autonomous and required the Internet and GPS network to be up in order to function.  When Lower Slobbovia launches a satellite to shoot down our satellites, dudes (and girls, and centaurs, and even Oberlin students) in old "unconnected" cars would quickly rule the sandpile!  This assumes they knew how to drive, and that the car wasn't German.  Nobody can keep a German car running in a dystopian future! 

Whats with Elon Musk and his tunnel vision, why go against the air pathway that seems more logical and requires no infrastructure maintenance.  

[Bench Racer]

My initinal thoughts are progress is great. While giving a few thoughts relative to todays input for autonomous vehicles, I said to me (because one of the steering inputs is sensors watching highway painted/striped lines), how'd they work in snow. Simple deal, today they don't.

 

Reading at your choice:

 

http://auto.economic...s-cars/56871699

[MPR22]

My initinal thoughts are progress is great. While giving a few thoughts relative to todays input for autonomous vehicles, I said to me (because one of the steering inputs is sensors watching highway painted/striped lines), how'd they work in snow. Simple deal, today they don't.

 

Reading at your choice:

 

http://auto.economic...s-cars/56871699

Wifes car has issues seeing the stripes if they are yellow.  The solution would be to embed the roadways with RFID chips at least that is one possible solution.  

[Bench Racer]

Wifes car has issues seeing the stripes if they are yellow.  The solution would be to embed the roadways with RFID chips at least that is one possible solution.  

There are change the highway solutions up the a$$, but at whose expense??? If Elon/other's want to be in this business leader, take on the solution at their expense. 

 

Drago's quite, another cruise, in the off season.

[MPR22]

There are change the highway solutions up the a$$, but at whose expense??? If Elon/other's want to be in this business leader, take on the solution at their expense. 

 

Drago's quite, another cruise, in the off season.

I think the current cost is lost in numbers.  The ones i would like to see reduced is:

 

https://en.wikipedia...in_U.S._by_year

 

On this note,

How many of those involve texting and driving?

How many of those involve commercial vehicles? 

[Bench Racer]

On this note,

How many of those involve texting and driving?

How many of those involve commercial vehicles? 

WTF, why would anyone want to factor in reality. Don't get me going on this one, it'll make the parity thread/threads look like child's play. How about, poor little kiddo was driving to school and she was thrown out of the car and lost here life. If you put your F'ing seat belt on chances are poor little kiddo wouldn't have been killed. We read this crap all the time. There are sooooo many lame excuses why folks don't wear their seat belts, shucks, if you want to increase the chances of loosing your life when in a car, don't buckle up.

[Justin Casey]

Eventually, camshafts will no longer exist.

http://www.freevalve.com/