Hey, remember the Lincoln Mark LT? It was a really nice Ford F-150 with a Lincoln badge and different grille. It didn’t sell well. Seems as if people didn’t want a Lincoln pickup truck.
So, how do you sell a high-dollar pickup truck with all the luxury amenities you can stuff into it? Ditch the Lincoln badge and label it the Platinum F-150. So the question is, is the F-150 Platinum the platinum standard? Let’s find out. Read More…
The question many people ask me is if there is a replacement for displacement. I have had this discussion at length multiple times recently. With all the new CAFE requirements and the public’s demand for better fuel economy, some people are worried about fun cars.
While it is true things need to change to achieve better gas mileage numbers, that does not mean the fun will end. New technologies are making different things possible for this new age. The use of direct injection and forced induction will likely play a large role in the future of the combustion engine Many automakers are already downsizing their engines and starting to implement these technologies.
Ford is utilizing twin-turbo charging in combination with direct injection to create more power from smaller displacement engines. They are calling this technology EcoBoost. Using two turbos spooling up at different times, it reduces the old problem of turbo lag. Achieving maximum torque under 2000 rpm’s is one benefit from using this set up. Even better is that the torque curve is flat! Ford is getting 365 horsepower and 355 pound feet of torque out of a EcoBoost V-6 displacing only 3.5 liters! The engine could undoubtedly handle more boost and produce much higher numbers than that, but long term durability would be called into question at some point. Some theorize that the 3.5 liter EcoBoost could have an output of 450+ hp and 450+ ft-lb.
2010 Audi S4 Supercharged 3.0 liter V6
I mentioned earlier that many companies are downsizing the displacement of their engines. Ford’s EcoBoost powerplant is just the beginning. In the 2010 Audi S4, a supercharged V6 is used. This replaces the 4.2 liter V8 found in the previous generation S4. Many worried about the hp and torque ratings of the car when the smaller displacement engine was announced. The fact is, the 2010 S4 with its supercharged V6 has more torque and only slightly less hp than the V-8. The gas mileage has improved greatly and the driving dynamics are still intact. The only real loss was the deep burble from the throaty V-8. Problem was, that V-8 was thirsty.
Mercedes has also announced they will start downsizing their engines and will begin to offer more forced induction on future models. Mercedes’ performance arm AMG will be following suit with downsizing and forced induction as well. BMW has already started this with the latest M models, which utilize twin-turbo V8′s instead of naturally aspirated V10′s.
2009 Chevrolet Corvette LS3 6.2L V8
All this talk about forced induction is great. Downsizing is definitely going to play a role in the future. However, that is not to say you can’t get decent gas mileage out of a big, naturally-aspirated engine. A base model Chevrolet Corvette is rated at 26 mpg on the highway. That is 26 mpg from a 6.2 liter V-8, producing 430 hp! That isn’t terrible – in fact that is down right great! No direct injection, no turbos, no superchargers – just good old American muscle. The 2010 Ford Mustang 5.0 V8 achieves 25 mpg on the highway. Again, naturally aspirated, with no forced induction.
Back to the original question, is there a replacement for displacement? It really can be answered either way. Yes, you can get the power of a naturally aspirated V-10 out of a blown V-8, or V8 power from a technology-infused blown V-6. And now, we are just starting to see V-6 power from inline 4′s with direction injection and turbos. What you do lose when you try replacing displacement is the sound and feel of the engine. A turbo V-6 just doesn’t have the same rumble when you start it up. Everyone’s opinion will differ on this topic. In the end, mine is that you can replace the power of a larger displacement motor and even get some better characteristics, but in the end you can not replace the feel and experience of a larger, naturally-aspirated engine. It will always be different, but not necessarily worse.
Recently I had the pleasure of meeting the great folks of Evolution Motorsports. The crew, led by fearless founder and owner Todd Zuccone, came into town to tune a monster Porsche GT2 for a customer. They got to work quickly and set up shop at Imola Motorsports with Kevin and his crew for the week.
You know the saying all work and no play makes a something something something? Well, to avoid that scenario Todd and the crew brought along their latest creation, which they call the “PDK Car.” This is a 2010 Porsche 997.2 Twin Turbo equipped with the new PDK (Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe, good luck saying that if you aren’t German) dual clutch transmission, which since this is a 201o model, it has the proper paddle shifters, not those dumb buttons on the steering wheel.
After spending some time talking with Todd, it became very clear why they are one of the leaders in this industry. When I asked about his company versus the competition, he was very professional. His responses consisted of statements like “the work speaks for itself” and “really it is about experience”. After a nice chat, he tossed me the keys to the PDK car. Of course I had a big stupid grin on my face – because someone just tossed me keys to a 650 hp Porsche.
Below was the set up on the 997.2 TT I drove-
Evolution MotorSports EVT.2 650 HP Performance System
EVOMSit SDI3 ECU Calibration (www.evomsit.com)
EVOMS 65mm Billet VTG Turbochargers
EVOMS ClubSport Headers
EVOMS / Fabspeed 70mm Sport Exhaust w/ GT2 Style Tips
HJS Motorsport 200 Cell Catalysts
EVOMS Billet Boost Diverter Valves
Alright, so I know the real question is what was it like? Well two things, one I was in the middle of the city and did not have a long time with the car. Thus I did not have track access. Secondly, it was rush hour (note to self, plan better for these things). Regardless the car takes off like a you are being shot out of a rocket. Keep in mind the turbo 911′s have all wheel drive. Thus this car was clawing at the pavement from all four corners. This really made a huge impression with me when launching or even just hitting the gas. Todd had warned me that the tuning in the software for the PDK downshifts was not 100%. He was right, it is a little slow on the downshift. If you pull the left paddle (for a downshift) it has a slight delay and then drops down a gear. Upshifts are lightning fast and you can feel the shift under hard acceleration. When I say feel, it feels like a hard fast thud. Not a sound that makes you cringe however, because it does not sound like it is breaking. The sound is more of a clean quick shift made at lightning fast speed. The steering was terrific just like any other Porsche 997.2 TT. The exhaust sounded great with a strong braaap braaap noise coming with each shift.
The interior was mostly stock, though the seats were not stock – rather they were thin and covered in leather with center inserts to keep you from moving. They were very tight and you were not going to be moving during an aggressive track session. The seats also had a harnesses for track days and a fire extinguisher was bolted to the floor directly in front of the passenger seat. The particular car I was in had a factory navigation and sound system, along with automatic climate control. That was all fine and dandy, but I turned off the radio and the air conditioning, rolled down the windows and listened to the sweet sound of the tuned 3.8 liter pumping out 650 hp to all four wheels.
They took the car to this past months local Cars & Café , and after that headed over to the track to run some quarter mile figures. It ran consistent mid 10′s pushing 130 mph. This was achieved by someone that had never even been in the car. That in itself is a testament to the ease in which someone who has never gotten into the car can drive it consistently and pull great numbers.
Overall the “PDK car” was a beast. It was not twitchy or hard to drive, yet it had terrific power delivery. This is a car that could be tracked on Saturday and still drive to work on Monday. I already know they are working on a R8 Twin Turbo among other things. I can only expect to see greater things to come from EVOMS in the near future, and I for one look forward to that.
Full Disclosure- The review vehicle was provided by Evolution Motorsports
The better part of yesterday journalists spent over 6 hours in a Chrysler press conference listening to their detailed plans for the coming 5-years. Of course most of the people there, including Ray Wert from Jalopnik, were live tweeting all the information for our viewing pleasure. We now know what will be coming out from Chrysler and can start evaluating the actions they are taking to achieve their plans. Seems the twitterverse started doing that immediately. So what exactly happened? Below I will touch on the highlights.
Ram-
Ram will no longer be known just as the full size pick-up name plate. Instead it will be known as the truck line of Chrysler vehicles. All trucks going forth in the future will be known as Ram. The brand is going to appeal to the commercial side of business.
Jeep-
They said Jeep is going “back to its roots”. What that means is yet to be seen.
2011 Grand Cherokee coming in 2010
Fiat-
Fiat 500 Abarth
Chrysler-
Supposed to be up market and have style with class. This will remain to be seen.
Dodge-
Engines/Transmissions-
Ram will keep the current ram’s head as the logo. Dodge’s logo will be Dodge spelled out in black and red. Chrysler is receiving a new logo which looks very similar to the Aston Martin logo. Fiat and Jeep will retain their current logos. It has been confirmed a 6.4 liter Hemi is coming, and will have 450 hp. Also confirmed is next year the Sebring, 300, PT Cruiser, and the Town & Country will all have special editions next year before the refreshed models (or in the PT Cruisers case, dies) hit the showrooms. The PT Cruisers special edition, fittingly, will be “Final Edition”. The 300C will have a “sport” edition while the Sebring’s special edition will be known as “Ocean Edition”. The Town & Country’s special edition will be a “Fashion Edition”. Also shown were two photos of the next Dodge Charger. One photo was the new gauge cluster while the other was of the side of the car looking from the rear fender. The photo of the outside looks very similar to the 1999 Dodge Charger RT concept car. The major take aways from the announcement is that maybe Fiat did know what they were getting into and possibly, just maybe, Chrysler could turn out to be on the right course. The above is a lot to accomplish in a small amount of time so time will tell how this “plan” turns out.
2011 Dodge Charger
2011 Dodge Charger Gauge Cluster
1999 Dodge Charger RT Concept
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