On 12/10/01 7:45 AM, "Robert J. Bradbury" <bradbury@aeiveos.com> wrote:
>
> Actually, didn't one manufacturer at one point have a V8 that turned off
> two cylinders when the power was not required? (BMW?)
Yes, its been done before. It isn't a bad idea really, though you'd
probably have to have somewhat more complex gearing if you wanted the
transition to be automatic and transparent. The downside is that this
feature almost certainly makes the vehicle more expensive.
Incidentally, the makers of Big American Trucks (ever at the forefront of
heavy duty utility vehicle design) have been working on significant new
mechanical designs for power transfer that should substantially increase the
transfer efficiency from the engine to the ground. These are supposed to be
coming to market in the next five years or so. Improvements in engine
efficiency have lead to smaller engines in trucks over the years (for
equivalent effective output), and these mechanical improvements should in
theory make a V6 (or better, an inline 6) feel like a big V8 in actual
usage.
I only get 12 miles per gallon with my 5.8L V8, but the truck is paid for
and the annual cost of using twice as much for fuel is far less than the
cost of replacing the truck. And there is also the trust factor. I have
been through the Gates of Hell and back with that truck, through some of the
most vicious terrain the world has to offer, and it has proven to be nigh
indestructible and unstoppable over the years. I don't want to have to go
through the same trust building ordeal with a new vehicle (which may or may
not cut it) that I've been through with my old Bronco. Part of the reason
the basic designs haven't changed much is that a significant part of the
market for them value rugged proven reliability above all else. When you
are 40 miles from the nearest house in very unfriendly terrain, you don't
want to have to walk for help. If that means a simple, reliable, but
sub-optimally fuel efficient design, so be it.
-James Rogers
jamesr@best.com
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Sat May 11 2002 - 17:44:25 MDT