OLD: F1 Cars To Run on 1.6 Ltr 4 Cyl Engines!

[Thetraveller]

For people following the developments in F1 and motor sports this might be an old news. But keeping this in the context, I wanted to bring up the newly debated topic of reduction of Cylinders in Car engines.

First of all the news -

The FIA's World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) has approved new regulations which will see the 2.4 litre V8s currently used by Formula One teams replaced by four cylinder 1.6 litre engines from 2013. The decision to give the go-ahead to the changes follows lengthy discussions between the FIA, engine manufacturers and specialists.

The more environmentally-friendly units are expected to deliver a 35 percent reduction in fuel consumption, whilst providing the same level of performance enjoyed by today's F1 drivers. Energy recovery systems and additional energy management will be utilised to ensure this is possible.

For details see - Formula 1

Being a technical graduate myself and having read about engines during my not so educative years, I had always thought that more cylinders meant more power and uniform distribution of output. During recent years, the idea of reducing the engine sizes in terms of cylinders is catching up. With the latest breed of VW hatches running on 3-pots, I always thought that how a brand like VW would give justice to its value? And then I drove one!!!

I am not sure of what technical improvements or advancements have been done to make those 3-cyl engines run smoother or give uniform power output, but they dont look like the ones with which we are used to from yester-years!

With now awe-inspiring F1 technologies also moving towards smaller engines with better performance and reduced emissions, this is getting hard for me to digest. Is this our new future, as I read in some other thread that it is better to go for petrol engine, as there is a reliable chance of some alternative fuel being used in coming years? Who can answer all these doubts?

Surely google aint helping here!

 

[codename47]

Re: OLD: F1 cars to run on 1.6 ltr 4-cyl engines!

I read some where that Petrol engines can be used to consume hydrogen when it is available. Ethanol fuel (from CSR) can also be used

Diesel is also produced these days named as Bio-diesel. In Australia , Ventura buses run by Bio-diesel I heard.

More cylinder = more power I agree but more weight as well.

VW is really a good company . VW recently released their GOLF R which had R32 model a 3.2 Litre V6 engine but now they released R which is 2.0 Litre 4 cylinder turbo charged petrol engine that powers all wheels.

Power to weight ratio is what matters.

sorry I am not much of a help

 

[jayadev]

Re: OLD: F1 cars to run on 1.6 ltr 4-cyl engines!

bio diesal ,hydrogen based petrol alternative. lets figure out what one of indian guy did back in 2000.

Ramar Pillai is back. Nearly 15 years after scientists trashed his claim of a herbal fuel, he held a press conference in Chennai on Wednesday with a new name, Ponnupillai Ramar, and a different fuel'. Claiming it would make transportation much cheaper Rs 5 for a litre he wants the government to support his efforts.

He says his concoction when mixed with water and heated to 78 degrees Celsius turns into an inflammable bio-fuel that gives a smokeless blue flame. "The mixture is 15 gm ammonium chloride, 15 gm sawdust and 15 gm yeast. It is fermented and distilled. Then I mix it with a litre of water and shake it a bit. See how the water settles at the bottom. I call it Velar Bio Hydrocarbon Fuel," he says.

A CBI case against Ramar for cheating is still in court. He was arrested in March 2000 for allegedly buying organic chemicals from the market, mixing them with additives and selling a herbal fuel'.

That has not stopped him from making a re-appearance in public with a fresh claim. "I have been waiting for a grant for the patent I filed in 2008. It has been declared now and no objections have been filed so far. Now it is just a matter of getting the certificate," he says.

Ramar says he had been readying to get his product into the market. "A lot of people have been threatening to steal my technology and trying to keep the product from entering the market. I have decided to get it to the market in some part of the country within a month. The Himachal Pradesh chief minister has a licence ready for me. I made a lot of enemies after I was successful in selling 15 lakh litres of fuel between 1996 and 2001. None of my customers complained," says Ramar. [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]However, Ramar Pilai started selling the fuel at Rs 19 per litre at the rate of 200 litres per day, after procuring a licence from the State government. On March 12, 2000, he was arrested by the CBI suspecting his fuel to be just ‘linear alky benzene’.[/FONT]-toi

 

[codename47]

Re: OLD: F1 cars to run on 1.6 ltr 4-cyl engines!

Indian politics or just big fishes trying to take over

 

[Thetraveller]

Re: OLD: F1 cars to run on 1.6 ltr 4-cyl engines!

What Ramesh Pillai did was outstanding! But to stand against the big oil mafias is not easy. There is a lot of blood and politics money involved there.

But the moot point of my discussion was whether reduction of cylinders it the new way forward. I agree that Alternative fuels may be knocking the doors and are used sooner than later. But what will happen to the craze of cars like Lamborghinis, Ferraris and even GTRs running on those big V8s, V12s, W24s etc.

I got the chance to drive the new Petrol Polo and dont mind me saying it but there was not much to make out except for the initial rattle which comes at time of cranking. That is it. It is refined and rev happy and easier to pull.

I agree with you codename47, probably automobile makers are hitting the sweet spot with lower cyl engines too and power-to-weight ratio is decreasing all the time.