Reducing Vehicle Friction Helps Automakers Meet CAFE Standards
10-31-2011, 07:30 PM
#1
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Reducing Vehicle Friction Helps Automakers Meet CAFE Standards
Man, the automakers are looking for anything to help them out!
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=23152
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=23152
Friction reduction brings tiny mpg improvements
The more stringent CAFE standards that are looming have automakers running to find ways to improve fuel economy. The easy/cheap to implement strategies for better fuel economy have already been implemented in the past, so what’s left for automakers to try now are things that require lots of work for minimal gains.
One area where the automakers are looking to get tiny bits of economy is by reducing the friction inside an engine. Friction reduces the power of an engine and creates heat. If the friction can be reduced, the engines can produce more power allowing the automaker to downsize the engine for better economy without sacrificing performance.
Considerable effort is being put into small gains such as the 3 mpg Honda achieved in the V6 used in its Odyssey minivan. One of the things that helped get that extra fuel economy was reducing friction in the engine by 4%.
That 4% reduction in friction was good for a tiny 0.15 mpg increase in fuel economy according to The Detroit News. The increase seems hardly worth the effort, but automotive engineers say that it is a worthwhile gain. Every little bit will be needed to reach the CAFE goals in the future.
One of the places that the most friction occurs and can be reduced is in the piston assembly. Automakers are using specialized coatings they can apply to the cylinder bores to help the engine operate with less friction.
Mercedes-Benz is one company that has been using friction-reducing coatings in the cylinder bores as far back as 2006. The Mercedes-Benz process is called Nanoslide and according to MB, it reduced fuel consumption in the firm’s diesel V6 used in the ML350 BlueTec model by 3%. Honing the cylinders for a smoother finish is another technique. The key is making a smooth finish yet leaving grooves that can hold oil for lubrication.
Changes to the engine design are also being made by some to improve efficiently and reduce friction. Ford offsets the crank from under the cylinders in the new 1L 3-cylinder engine to reduce friction. Some automakers are also moving to thinner oils and allowing engines to run hotter to keep the oil thin and easier to move in the engine. Other tech that will be needed to meet fuel economy standards will include direct injection, cylinder deactivation, and hybrid technology.
Chrysler's CEO has already stated the company will be forced to go hybrid to meet upcoming CAFÉ standards.
The more stringent CAFE standards that are looming have automakers running to find ways to improve fuel economy. The easy/cheap to implement strategies for better fuel economy have already been implemented in the past, so what’s left for automakers to try now are things that require lots of work for minimal gains.
One area where the automakers are looking to get tiny bits of economy is by reducing the friction inside an engine. Friction reduces the power of an engine and creates heat. If the friction can be reduced, the engines can produce more power allowing the automaker to downsize the engine for better economy without sacrificing performance.
Considerable effort is being put into small gains such as the 3 mpg Honda achieved in the V6 used in its Odyssey minivan. One of the things that helped get that extra fuel economy was reducing friction in the engine by 4%.
That 4% reduction in friction was good for a tiny 0.15 mpg increase in fuel economy according to The Detroit News. The increase seems hardly worth the effort, but automotive engineers say that it is a worthwhile gain. Every little bit will be needed to reach the CAFE goals in the future.
One of the places that the most friction occurs and can be reduced is in the piston assembly. Automakers are using specialized coatings they can apply to the cylinder bores to help the engine operate with less friction.
Mercedes-Benz is one company that has been using friction-reducing coatings in the cylinder bores as far back as 2006. The Mercedes-Benz process is called Nanoslide and according to MB, it reduced fuel consumption in the firm’s diesel V6 used in the ML350 BlueTec model by 3%. Honing the cylinders for a smoother finish is another technique. The key is making a smooth finish yet leaving grooves that can hold oil for lubrication.
Changes to the engine design are also being made by some to improve efficiently and reduce friction. Ford offsets the crank from under the cylinders in the new 1L 3-cylinder engine to reduce friction. Some automakers are also moving to thinner oils and allowing engines to run hotter to keep the oil thin and easier to move in the engine. Other tech that will be needed to meet fuel economy standards will include direct injection, cylinder deactivation, and hybrid technology.
Chrysler's CEO has already stated the company will be forced to go hybrid to meet upcoming CAFÉ standards.
11-01-2011, 06:32 AM
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Re: Reducing Vehicle Friction Helps Automakers Meet CAFE Standards
Nothing new about reducing internal engine friction. That sort of work has been going on for years and years. That's also why you see some crazy oils, like 0W20, being used in some new cars.
11-01-2011, 06:32 AM
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11-01-2011, 08:09 AM
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Re: Reducing Vehicle Friction Helps Automakers Meet CAFE Standards
This applies not only to the engine, but the entire drivetrain. The transmission, differential, bearings... A tiny reduction in weight and friction from every component adds up in the end. You can even take it as far as electrical components. More power demand means more load for the charging system (engine/alternator). Day time running lights alone cause a 1% penalty on fuel efficiency.
11-01-2011, 10:33 AM
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Re: Reducing Vehicle Friction Helps Automakers Meet CAFE Standards
I still see the HP numbers on every day 4 cylinder commuter cars being much higher than the were in the '80s and '90s. At what point do you think we'll see those numbers drop to eek out some extra MPGs?
11-01-2011, 10:47 AM
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Re: Reducing Vehicle Friction Helps Automakers Meet CAFE Standards
I always thought alternators had a static amount of drag on the engine. The pulley doesn't require more torque to turn based on current. Or are you saying the draw from other accesories affects ignition?
11-01-2011, 11:09 AM
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Re: Reducing Vehicle Friction Helps Automakers Meet CAFE Standards
11-01-2011, 11:20 AM
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Re: Reducing Vehicle Friction Helps Automakers Meet CAFE Standards
Here's a nice article that explains the load on the engine due to the alternator:
http://tech.rennlist.com/911/pdf/alt...onengineas.PDF
Basically, the alternator has a regulator circuit that controls the strength of the magnets. As electrical load increases, the magnetic force is increased to generate more electricity, which therefore puts more load on the engine.
http://tech.rennlist.com/911/pdf/alt...onengineas.PDF
Basically, the alternator has a regulator circuit that controls the strength of the magnets. As electrical load increases, the magnetic force is increased to generate more electricity, which therefore puts more load on the engine.
Last edited by ImportedRoomate; 11-01-2011 at 11:25 AM.
11-01-2011, 12:42 PM
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Re: Reducing Vehicle Friction Helps Automakers Meet CAFE Standards
That 4% reduction in friction was good for a tiny 0.15 mpg increase in fuel economy
11-01-2011, 01:29 PM
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Re: Reducing Vehicle Friction Helps Automakers Meet CAFE Standards
Yep. So when reducing friction, it's a good idea to do it through engineering advances instead of taking quick short cuts.
11-01-2011, 01:43 PM
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Re: Reducing Vehicle Friction Helps Automakers Meet CAFE Standards
and from this we need to get to an AVERAGE fleet fuel economy of 35mpg. That's why thanks to this stupid law, nobody is going to be able to afford anything bigger than a Smart car in a few years. The only way to get average fuel economy to the ridiculous levels that the government has put in place is to make them super small, grossly underpowered, and manufactured with expensive materials.
11-01-2011, 04:01 PM
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Re: Reducing Vehicle Friction Helps Automakers Meet CAFE Standards
11-01-2011, 05:11 PM
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Re: Reducing Vehicle Friction Helps Automakers Meet CAFE Standards
I dont think so. Honda doesnt offer much in performance cars. Do they even have a car that has 300+ hp? A truck that can actually be used as a truck?
11-01-2011, 05:31 PM
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Re: Reducing Vehicle Friction Helps Automakers Meet CAFE Standards
I was thinking about this the other day, and some simple changes that automakers could probably swing without a lot of investment:
-Eliminate front license plates and their requisite blocky plastic holders (they'd have to leverage political relationships here...).
-Add a few more psi in the tires to the sacrifice of ride and road noise, but + fuel economy
-Change the tire compounds "i.e. low rolling resistance tires" in non-performance cars to be more fuel efficient.
-Stop producing cars with mast antennas. Most automakers are able to fit AM/FM/Satellite and cell phone antennas into a single sharkfin in an area of the car that doesn't produce a lot of drag.
-Swap halogen DRL's for LED systems.
-Mirrors. Holy Christ, they just keep getting bigger and bigger. Most Geo's didn't have a passenger side mirror.
-Add plastic cladding to the underbody. Volkswagen did this with the GTi and a lot of other automakers to their cars, and the reduction in underbody drag attributed to a 10% increase in fuel economy in some cases!
-Completely eliminating mechanical fans in favor of electric fans with electric thermostats on trucks.
-Converting non-performance AWD systems into part time AWD, or "AWD on demand"
-Eliminate front license plates and their requisite blocky plastic holders (they'd have to leverage political relationships here...).
-Add a few more psi in the tires to the sacrifice of ride and road noise, but + fuel economy
-Change the tire compounds "i.e. low rolling resistance tires" in non-performance cars to be more fuel efficient.
-Stop producing cars with mast antennas. Most automakers are able to fit AM/FM/Satellite and cell phone antennas into a single sharkfin in an area of the car that doesn't produce a lot of drag.
-Swap halogen DRL's for LED systems.
-Mirrors. Holy Christ, they just keep getting bigger and bigger. Most Geo's didn't have a passenger side mirror.
-Add plastic cladding to the underbody. Volkswagen did this with the GTi and a lot of other automakers to their cars, and the reduction in underbody drag attributed to a 10% increase in fuel economy in some cases!
-Completely eliminating mechanical fans in favor of electric fans with electric thermostats on trucks.
-Converting non-performance AWD systems into part time AWD, or "AWD on demand"