Zenos E10 S Track Car Boasts EcoBoost Power

Ford EcoBoost engines has already been installed in millions of cars across the world, from the subcompact Fiesta to the top-selling F-150. The Zenos E10 S is just the latest to get some small displacement, turbocharged love from the Blue Oval, though don’t expect to see this track-spec racer parked outside your apartment building.

For $39,995, the Zenos E10 offers drivers “The Thrill of Belonging” and a 200 horsepower 2.5 liter naturally-aspirated engine. THe new E10 S teps things up with the 250 horsepower 2.0 liter EcoBoost found in the Focus ST. That 25% power boost enables the 1,433-lb Zeno to zip from 0 to 62 MPH in about four seconds flat, compared to 4.5 seconds with the naturally-aspirated engine. The 135 MPH top speed is the same for both models, but you can bet that the E10 S gets there quicker.

How’d they keep the E10 so light? Carbon fiber and aluminum mostly, which come together in the form of a monocoque chassis with adjustable Bilstein dampers, a six-speed manual transmission, limited-slip differential, and four-point racing harnesses for both the driver and passenger. Other than that, it has only the barest of necessities on the inside, with a heater being an option and the radio not an option at all. It’s a bare-bones racer, though you can opt for things like a roll cage and on-board fire extinguisher, though even the windshield will cost you extra if you really, really want it.

The same engines that are at the heart of Ford’s quest to save fuel are the same ones propelling a new generation of track racers to new levels of performance. That’s pretty cool if you ask me.

Source: Gizmag

Toyota Unveils Two Tiny And Efficient New Engines

Toyota debuted a pair of fuel efficient, small-displacement engines that the automaker says is up to 30% more efficient than the engines they replace. With a much higher thermal efficiency and a suite of fuel-saving technologies, Toyota may have created some of the most efficient gasoline engines in the world. If only they’d give us the details.

The two engines displace either 1.3 or 1.0 liters total, less volume than you’ll find in your standard bottle of cola. Even so, Toyota has packed these tiny engines full of technologies aimed at efficiency. The 1.3 liter engine is a dedicated hybrid motor, and as such it runs runs the Atkinson3 cycle. This more efficient but less powerful cycle allows for a much higher compression ratio of 13.5:1, and is also paired with a cooled EGR system, stop-start, and variable valve timing that gives the hybrid motor a thermal efficiency of 38%.

Most motors are lucky to break 30%, and better efficiency is arguably the most important “fuel” there is. This engine will likely find use in the next-generation Toyota Prius, though we’ve been warned not to expect a huge jump in MPG numbers, at least on paper. These new engines, combined with new electric motors that use fewer rare earth elements, and we start to get a clearer view of the picture Toyota is painting. It’s all about efficiency, baby.

The smaller 1.0 liter engine, meanwhile, was developed alongside Daihatsu and uses many of the same features to achieve an almost-as-impressive 37% thermal efficiency. According to Toyota’s oddly-worded press release, this teeny tiny motor is some 15% more efficient than the engine it replaces, while the larger hybrid engine is a whopping 30% more efficient.

Little engines are going to be big business in the coming years, and Toyota’s entry in this competitive field certainly makes a statement. Without some hard MPG and horsepower figures though, it’s difficult to draw a fair comparison between the Toyotas motors and the Ford EcoBoost and Honda Earthdream engines.Once those details are out of the bag, and these engines start showing up in production cars come 2015, we’ll see just how much more efficient these tiny little motors are.

Source: Toyota

2013 PRI Show at Indianapolis: Sustainable Fuels Rule

Forget LA, Detroit, Chicago, or even SEMA. If you’re a dedicated go-fast enthusiast, the Performance and Racing Industry trade show (aka, the PRI Show) is the one you want to be at. With serious hardware from motorsports’ major players and some trick new toys on display, the 2013 show at Indy was no exception- and that’s especially true if you like a little “sustainable” with your crazy levels of horsepower.

After several years in Orlando, the PRI Show is back in its spiritual home in Indianapolis- just a few minutes away from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Over the next few days, I’ll be trying to bring you the best green/sustainable fuels tech from a show that’s heavy in alternative, sustainable fuels like ethanol, propane, and more- including a real “blast from the past” entry for our Recycled Hawtness series and a review of my ride to and from the trip- a 2014 Toyota Avalon Hybrid.

Here’s a rundown of the first-person PRI Show coverage you expect to read here over the next few posts, along with a sample gallery to give you a taste of what you can expect. Enjoy!

• Ford’s Ecoboost crate motor
• the world’s fastest sprint car
• a new, plant-based engine oil
• Honda’s USAC Midget race car
• ethanol-powered racing lawnmower
• some news on the next great Mustang
• a new, plug-n-play flex-fuel ECU from AEM

Source: Gas 2

GM: new Sierra 5.3L V-8 EcoTec3 highway fuel economy tops Ford EcoBoost V-6

2014 5.3L V-8 EcoTec3 AFM VVT DI (L83) for Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. Click to enlarge.

The 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 full-size pickup truck features a new 5.3L EcoTec3 V-8 engine equipped with direct injection, cylinder deactivation (AFM) and variable valve timing to achieve EPA estimates of 16 mpg city (14.7 l/100 km) and 23 highway (10.2 l/100 km) with two-wheel drive or 16/22 mpg (14.7/10.7 l/100 km) with four-wheel drive.

In addition to highway fuel economy estimates that are 2 mpg higher than a 2013 Ford V8 pickup equipped with a 5.0L Ti-VCT V-8 and 3 mpg higher than a Ram V8, Sierra’s new V-8 highway fuel economy estimates also measure higher than those of the 2013 Ford F-150 EcoBoost V-6 (23 mpg for the Sierra, 22 mpg for the Ford EcoBoost F-150), GM noted.

2WD Pickup truck fuel economy comparisons
Model	Engine	Fuel economy		Power (hp)	Torque (lb-ft)
		City mpg	Hwy mpg
2014 GMC Sierra	5.3L EcoTec3 V-8	16	23	355	383
2013 Ford F-150	5.0L V-8	15	21	360	380
2013 Ford F-150	6.2L iVCT V-8	13	18	411	434
2013 Ford F-150	3.5L EcoBoost	16	22	365	420
2013 Ram 1500	5.7L HEMI V-8	14	20	395	407
2013 Ram 1500	4.7L V-8	14	20	310	330
Source: GM, Ford, Model Year 2013 EPA Fuel Economy Guide.

With an SAE-certified 355 hp (265 kW) and 383 lb-ft (519 N·m) of torque—increases of 40 hp and 48 lb-ft compared to the 2013 model—Sierra’s new 5.3L offers towing capacity of up to 11,500 pounds.

Most GMC owners—three out of four last year—will opt for the 5.3L V-8 engine, which is an $895 option, according to GM.

The 5.3L EcoTec3 V-8 is one of three more efficient new engines for the Sierra; a 4.3L EcoTec3 V-6 is standard. Sierra also will be available later this year with a new 6.2L EcoTec3 V-8 with more power, torque and capability than the 5.3L. Additional specifications for the 6.2L will be released later.

EcoTec3. Announced in December 2012, the new EcoTec3 engines feature three advanced technologies—direct injection, cylinder deactivation and continuously variable valve timing (CVVT)—to make the most of power, torque and efficiency across a broad range of operating conditions. The new engine family includes a 4.3L V6, a 5.3L V-8 and a 6.2L V-8, all matched with six-speed transmissions.

The EcoTec3 engines use direct fuel injection to optimize combustion over a broad range of conditions. The engines also feature a new cylinder-head design and a new, sculpted piston to optimize the mixing of air and fuel in the engine and the burning of the mixture to create power.

The heads features smaller combustion chambers shaped to complement the unique topography of the piston heads. The smaller chamber size and sculpted pistons produce a compression ratio of 11.0:1 or higher, depending on the engine, while the heads features large, rectangular intake ports with a slight twist to enhance mixture motion.

To further enhance combustion, the intake and exhaust valve positions have been switched from previous versions, and the valves are now slightly canted toward the cylinder centerline. Also, the spark plug angle has been revised and the electrode is now closer to the center of the chamber to support optimal combustion.

The pistons feature unique sculpted topography that was optimized via extensive computer analysis to precisely direct the fuel spray for better mixing and more complete combustion. The contours of the piston heads are machined after casting to ensure dimensional accuracy.

Cylinder deactivation, also known as Active Fuel Management (AFM), is now standard on all three engines for the Silverado and Sierra 1500.

The system uses oil pressure, controlled by the powertrain control module, to deactivate the lifters on selected cylinders, closing the valves for those cylinders. It deactivates four of the cylinders on the V-8 engines and two cylinders on the V-6 under light load conditions—operating the engines as a V-4—and seamlessly reactivates the cylinders when the driver demands greater power. The transition takes less than 20 milliseconds and is virtually imperceptible.

Source: Green Car Reports