Can this be true??
Discussion
I am a mechanical Engineering student and from my limited education I can see no reason that this engine would not be viable.
I feel sorry for this John Allan bloke and what has happened to him. I cannot understand why this was not persued as even a "special" project by one of the big manufacturers.
I am considering looking at this in further depth maybe even as a final year project at Uni (although due to the difficulty and cost nothing will probably come of it).
Consider this though: a VLB flat 6 engine would have the same firing pattern as a regular V12 and as it's effectivly a 2 stroke specific power (ie. bhp per litre) would be doubled.
So, anyone up for a naturally aspirated 4 litre flat 6 pushing out 700bhp at 20000rpm.....
Now stick that in your Porsche and smoke it!
I really hope that one day this engine makes it into production.
Andy
I feel sorry for this John Allan bloke and what has happened to him. I cannot understand why this was not persued as even a "special" project by one of the big manufacturers.
I am considering looking at this in further depth maybe even as a final year project at Uni (although due to the difficulty and cost nothing will probably come of it).
Consider this though: a VLB flat 6 engine would have the same firing pattern as a regular V12 and as it's effectivly a 2 stroke specific power (ie. bhp per litre) would be doubled.
So, anyone up for a naturally aspirated 4 litre flat 6 pushing out 700bhp at 20000rpm.....
Now stick that in your Porsche and smoke it!
I really hope that one day this engine makes it into production.
Andy
Andrew,
Don't count your chickens etc! Something along these lines is the subject of intensive study in this country right now...
As a matter of interest, you could help with another rather interesting study - psychiatric, not mechanical - if you were willing to bare your soul and answer this question as accurately as possible:
Why did you use the phrase "stick that in your Porsche and smoke it!" in your post? What prompted you to mention Porsche instead of, for example, Ferrari or TVR? Widespread perception? Personal prejudice? Antipathy to Porsche drivers? BBC propaganda? Daily newspapers? etc. etc. To put it simply, why did Porsche spring to mind?
If you prefer not to answer I shall naturally respect you decision!
And by the way, what's so bad about Skodas - they lost that reputation years ago (or do they still deserve it?).
>> Edited by McNab on Sunday 10th February 20:29
Don't count your chickens etc! Something along these lines is the subject of intensive study in this country right now...
As a matter of interest, you could help with another rather interesting study - psychiatric, not mechanical - if you were willing to bare your soul and answer this question as accurately as possible:
Why did you use the phrase "stick that in your Porsche and smoke it!" in your post? What prompted you to mention Porsche instead of, for example, Ferrari or TVR? Widespread perception? Personal prejudice? Antipathy to Porsche drivers? BBC propaganda? Daily newspapers? etc. etc. To put it simply, why did Porsche spring to mind?
If you prefer not to answer I shall naturally respect you decision!
And by the way, what's so bad about Skodas - they lost that reputation years ago (or do they still deserve it?).
>> Edited by McNab on Sunday 10th February 20:29
This rings a bell. I haven't gone through the (interestingly coloured) web site - but I seemed to remember that Rover were working on a very lean burn engine back then.
I think something to do with catalytic converters and precious metals companies lobbying the US government basically made the VLB engine illegal.
Oh well.....the oil is all going to run out soon anyway....
Cheers,
Andy.
I think something to do with catalytic converters and precious metals companies lobbying the US government basically made the VLB engine illegal.
Oh well.....the oil is all going to run out soon anyway....
Cheers,
Andy.
Imagine if you connect this engine to a Torotrak IVT (Infinitely Variable Transmission) system ( which gives 28% better fuel economy than a 4 speed auto and 17% better than a manual and all with better performance!!!!) It is an amazing invention unlike any other transmission and it is British! See how the Torotrak IVT works at www.torotrak.com Torotrak claims that this will be the industry standard transmission system in the future ( due to increasing concerns over global warming and fuel economy etc ).
Andy.
Andy.
Rovers K series engines were originally designed as VLB engines. It was one of the reasons why Thatchers Government gave them the dosh to develop it cos the Rover engineers convinced her that it represented the future for petrol engines.
The notion that we would all end up having to put hot, dangerous catalysts, containing precious metails, at great cost, and with a severely adverse effect on fuel consumption and performance was so far fetched that the investment in VLB technology looked a surefire winner.
The US Govt and the EU regs were changed as a result of an unholy alliance between the catalysts makers, the metals suppliers, lazy car comapnies like VW and GM who had no VLB technology of their own and some idiotic "greens" who thought that by insisting on catalysts they would get the lead out of petrol quicker. Those same greens must have been at the recreational chemicals though cos they failed to notice the damage done by making every car a CO2 production unit (greenhouse gas!), the cost to the environment of mining the extra precious metals needed, the cost of recycling the dead catalysts, the increase in fuel consumption and the biggest fact of all: namely that on short journeys (less than 5 miles) that catalysts never get up to working temperature and the car is producing more polution than an ordinary non cat engine at that point. Given that 80% of journeys are less than 5 miles, it doesn't look too sensible a decision no does it!?
Andy400se
The notion that we would all end up having to put hot, dangerous catalysts, containing precious metails, at great cost, and with a severely adverse effect on fuel consumption and performance was so far fetched that the investment in VLB technology looked a surefire winner.
The US Govt and the EU regs were changed as a result of an unholy alliance between the catalysts makers, the metals suppliers, lazy car comapnies like VW and GM who had no VLB technology of their own and some idiotic "greens" who thought that by insisting on catalysts they would get the lead out of petrol quicker. Those same greens must have been at the recreational chemicals though cos they failed to notice the damage done by making every car a CO2 production unit (greenhouse gas!), the cost to the environment of mining the extra precious metals needed, the cost of recycling the dead catalysts, the increase in fuel consumption and the biggest fact of all: namely that on short journeys (less than 5 miles) that catalysts never get up to working temperature and the car is producing more polution than an ordinary non cat engine at that point. Given that 80% of journeys are less than 5 miles, it doesn't look too sensible a decision no does it!?
Andy400se
Andy,
Totally right - you beat me to that one. But one final point - the old K-series with the lean burn was actually more friendly to the environment without a Cat than it was with a Cat.... And not just simple crud, but the important greenhouse gases and much more economical too.
Toyota used to have a lean burn 1.6 in the old Carina (the first of the Derby ones) which was actually very good. However, it had so little cred that hardly anyone bought one... Shame as it was technically good - more economical than the 1.8 and 2.0 and as powerful as a 1.8... In the quest for the fleet market Toyota dropped the engine and directly competed with Ford / Vauxhall... shame.
One small little question though - does anyone remember the Mazda diesels that were supercharged? Again, another little dead-end of technology...
Cheers,
Paul
Totally right - you beat me to that one. But one final point - the old K-series with the lean burn was actually more friendly to the environment without a Cat than it was with a Cat.... And not just simple crud, but the important greenhouse gases and much more economical too.
Toyota used to have a lean burn 1.6 in the old Carina (the first of the Derby ones) which was actually very good. However, it had so little cred that hardly anyone bought one... Shame as it was technically good - more economical than the 1.8 and 2.0 and as powerful as a 1.8... In the quest for the fleet market Toyota dropped the engine and directly competed with Ford / Vauxhall... shame.
One small little question though - does anyone remember the Mazda diesels that were supercharged? Again, another little dead-end of technology...
Cheers,
Paul
Sorry guys
Didn't mean to cause offence with the Porsche thing, I've got nothing against Porsches, it's just that the VLB engine on the site had to use oppositly opposed cylinders as part of the design and the first high performance sports car with this configuration that sprung to mind was the Porsche.
(I am a big TVR fan myself though, nothing like a V8!)
McNab regarding the study in this country, that sounds interesting....(you must know something I don't, and I trawled the web for hours but then I don't suppose that a major car company would publish top secret research on the web!)
Also there's nothing wrong with the skoda it's just that it handles like it has jelly suspension and it's beginning to annoy me
PS. I would love to stick it (VLB engine) in my skoda but I fear that it would disintergrate the minute I start it up
Andy
Didn't mean to cause offence with the Porsche thing, I've got nothing against Porsches, it's just that the VLB engine on the site had to use oppositly opposed cylinders as part of the design and the first high performance sports car with this configuration that sprung to mind was the Porsche.
(I am a big TVR fan myself though, nothing like a V8!)
McNab regarding the study in this country, that sounds interesting....(you must know something I don't, and I trawled the web for hours but then I don't suppose that a major car company would publish top secret research on the web!)
Also there's nothing wrong with the skoda it's just that it handles like it has jelly suspension and it's beginning to annoy me
PS. I would love to stick it (VLB engine) in my skoda but I fear that it would disintergrate the minute I start it up
Andy
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