The Elio Engine

[slinches]

Why wouldn't they be driven 250k+ miles? It seems like the Elio's primary purpose is to be a daily commuter vehicle.

Plasma spray cylinders are definitely rebuildable at least once or twice. The process is essentially to machine back to bare metal, respray to build up to a slightly smaller diameter, then hone the bore to the correct diameter and surface finish.

The reason I said it may only repairable once or twice is that you have to remove a bit of extra material to get back to clean parent metal. Depending on how thick the walls are to start with, you can only cut back to a certain depth before the integrity of the cylinder wall is compromised. Unlike a sleeve, the plasma spray coating doesn't add strength. The spray coat materials have good compression strength and wear properties, but basically zero tensile strength. All of the pressure and mechanical loads must be supported by the cast cylinder block.

 

[John-b-gone]

Why wouldn't they be driven 250k+ miles? It seems like the Elio's primary purpose is to be a daily commuter vehicle.

Plasma spray cylinders are definitely rebuildable at least once or twice. The process is essentially to machine back to bare metal, respray to build up to a slightly smaller diameter, then hone the bore to the correct diameter and surface finish.

The reason I said it may only repairable once or twice is that you have to remove a bit of extra material to get back to clean parent metal. Depending on how thick the walls are to start with, you can only cut back to a certain depth before the integrity of the cylinder wall is compromised. Unlike a sleeve, the plasma spray coating doesn't add strength. The spray coat materials have good compression strength and wear properties, but basically zero tensile strength. All of the pressure and mechanical loads must be supported by the cast cylinder block.

Now this is why I joined this forum thanks guys

 

[Ian442]

I put 200,000 miles on my car in a little over 5 years. It can be done pretty fast

 

[Muzhik]

in thinking about it .... what percentage of Elio owners will actually put 250,000 miles on their trikes .... I suspect that number will be very, very small

Just so we're clear: will this Flame-Spray increase the gas mileage any?

 

[slinches]

I think that's about cost rather than mileage. It's cheaper to do flame spray and one tight tolerance machining operation than to machine the 3 tight tolerance diameters needed for a cylinder sleeve.

 

[WilliamH]

Just so we're clear: will this Flame-Spray increase the gas mileage any?

The block in an Elio engine is cast aluminum which is pretty soft (as compared to iron). Flame spraying lays a hard coat on the cylinder walls which can then be polished. If it wears down the cylinder can be bored out and re flame sprayed for added life. Hope this is helpful.

 

[JEBar]

Just so we're clear: will this Flame-Spray increase the gas mileage any?

about all I can tell is the spray cuts weight which can increase fuel mileage .... again from the link in post 1753 :

"The switch in technology saved 102 lb over the 2010 engine in the Shelby GT 500, reducing the notorious nose-heavy tendency of the high-performance Mustang, improving handling and improving fuel economy. "

with the Elio motor being much smaller than the one in a Shelby the difference shouldn't be a great but going for 84 mpg, every little bit helps

 

[Ty]

Sleeving a cylinder or three probably won't make much of a difference to anyone. It is harder to do than flame spray but is just as durable. It has the advantage of maintaining more bore strength on rebuilds and being available to local shops. The couple of pounds of steel in three cylinders also won't make much difference. I'm sure most of us carry more than a few extra pounds of junk in our trunks.

 

[bowers baldwin]

The way I see it, if you put 250K miles on your Elio, it owes you nothing at that point, and just buy another one (I know we live in a disposable society)

 

[outsydthebox]

Just so we're clear: will this Flame-Spray increase the gas mileage any?

IIRC, "flamespray" technology does lower friction, which should improve mileage and engine life. As it was explained to me (at the Rome, Ga air show) and (the way my mind processed it ), the flamespray process leaves layers of tiny beads on the surface. This leaves "voids" (between the beads) which retain engine oil, and the piston rings sliding across the "tips" of the beads. So, less surface area in contact with the piston rings, along with better lubrication (should) result in better mileage and engine life.