On Horse Power

[outsydthebox]

I would like to know how Elio would make it run on 87 octane with 12 to 1 compression . 10 to 1 is pretty much the point you must raise the octane.

We don't yet know for sure that they are...just what someone posted, speculation...for now.

 

[goofyone]

I would like to know how Elio would make it run on 87 octane with 12 to 1 compression . 10 to 1 is pretty much the point you must raise the octane.

While this has not been confirmed officially yet the technology which allows it to happen is called a high swirl engine. This is not actually even a new idea but just becoming popular again to meet stricter fuel efficiency and emissions requirements. Apparently all the Mazdas in the US now use SkyActiv-G engines which run at 13:1 on 87 octane. What engine design firm helps Mazda design their engines, well none other than our friends at IAV.

 

[srt6]

So James May is doing a WWII piece and one of the cars is the "Wartburg". The particular "Eastern Bloc" design he was looking at launched in 1956. 10 years later it became the model "353". It had a 1 litre engine, 3 cylinders, 2 stroke, had around 48hp with a top speed of 80mph and was constructed of steel.
According to Wiki it weighed 2,028lbs

I've been wondering what kind of power the elio would have during my commute. Even with me and my brother in it, it will STILL weigh, less than the "Wartburg". And with nearly 50 years of further automotive industry development...this car should scoot along just fine! I think I'll stop worrying about it.

 

[goofyone]

So James May is doing a WWII piece and one of the cars is the "Wartburg". The particular "Eastern Bloc" design he was looking at launched in 1956. 10 years later it became the model "353". It had a 1 litre engine, 3 cylinders, 2 stroke, had around 48hp with a top speed of 80mph and was constructed of steel.
According to Wiki it weighed 2,028lbs

I've been wondering what kind of power the elio would have during my commute. Even with me and my brother in it, it will STILL weigh, less than the "Wartburg". And with nearly 50 years of further automotive industry development...this car should scoot along just fine! I think I'll stop worrying about it.

I agree! While the Elio will not be a modern sports car it will do just fine as it will actually have about the same, or better, acceleration than many other compact cars.

Just to make the decision not to worry about it even easier, we also know that the engine is being designed with torque in mind as its stroke is longer than its bore and with two step valve lift, and likely two step timing, the engine will have two modes of operations depending on load which are designed to maximize power or efficiency.

 

[NSTG8R]

Well, my '74 Porsche 914 2.0L is spec'ed to have a 0-100 kph (62 mph) of 10.5 secs. It's a 2050lb. vehicle, with a 92hp flat-4, and handles like it's on rails. The Elio actually beats it in the lbs/hp department, so the Elio ought to be a blast to drive. If it comes anywhere close in performance, I doubt there'll be much bitchin' about it....at least not from me!

 

[Charlie G]

...then I became curious of the Elio specs vs my (shudder) 1976 Chevette with the 3speed slush box: 52 HP, 70 ftlbs torque and a curb weight just under 2000 lbs. The automatic 0-60 time was 19 minutes, no, wait, 19 seconds. And the EPA hwy mileage (at 55!, no AC!) was 30. HAH! I was lucky to get 25 mpg at 55-60, ever. That car would not spill your coffee...unless you fell asleep while holding it and waiting for 60!

You guys are scaring me. My work car is an 84 chevette 4 speed.

This is my late 80s Chevette 4 speed automatic, though you might not recognize it.

 

[Ty]

While this has not been confirmed officially yet the technology which allows it to happen is called a high swirl engine. This is not actually even a new idea but just becoming popular again to meet stricter fuel efficiency and emissions requirements. Apparently all the Mazdas in the US now use SkyActiv-G engines which run at 13:1 on 87 octane. What engine design firm helps Mazda design their engines, well none other than our friends at IAV.

I believe Mazda does that through direct injection which effectively stops pre-ignition because, well, the fuel isn't in there before it needs to be. The Elio will not be direct injection so the fuel could be prone to pre-ignition due to the heat of compression. If there's another way to avoid that without the more expensive direct injection, it would definitely be a good thing.

 

[John Painter]

55 ft lbs of torque as well. That's what'll get us up to speed.

I'm also interest in the weight to power ratio of the Elio coupled with extreme attention to drag and friction on the vehicle. With new 70mph speed limits here on Maine interstate, I'm very curious what the optimal speed will be for fuel efficiency and passing power in real life.

 

[goofyone]

I believe Mazda does that through direct injection which effectively stops pre-ignition because, well, the fuel isn't in there before it needs to be. The Elio will not be direct injection so the fuel could be prone to pre-ignition due to the heat of compression. If there's another way to avoid that without the more expensive direct injection, it would definitely be a good thing.

The Ports

Both the intake and exhaust ports were designed to have unimpeded flow into and out of the combustion chamber. The line-of-sight “tumble port” intake ports are designed to have high-flow capacity as well as generating high levels of in-cylinder air motion. The in-cylinder motion, in concert with careful shaping of the combustion chamber, enables fast burn rates and high knock resistance.

The intake port design and the fuel injector targeting allow for all the fuel to be aimed at the backside of the intake valve via:

Closed Valve Injection Timing: Allows for better fuel vaporization (heating) in part-throttle light load operation
and optimizes combustion efficiency for best fuel economy and lowest emissions.

Value Open Injection Timing: This same fuel targeting allows for very effective strategies at high load full-throttle performance. The fuel enters the chamber in atomized state (liquid – small droplet diameter), which cools the combustion chamber and allows for higher compression ratio and more optimized spark timing. In this way, a more cost efficient port fuel injected (PFI) engine can return similar knock resistance to a direct fuel injection (DI) engine.

http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=24b371802c83d81776b06aa68&id=9425a5595f

 

[Ty]

I stand (mostly) corrected!