Hey Ford...Welcome to 1986!

[MeanBuicks]

Turbo-Charged Family Boosts Ford’s Engine Performance

Automaker cranks out more torque with less engine
Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor -- Design News, January 14, 2008

At the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) here in Detroit, Ford Motor Co. rolled out a family of turbo-charged engines capable of boosting performance and fuel efficiency.

Known as EcoBoost, the new engine line could see use on as many as half a million Ford vehicles. The giant automaker claims the new design will boost fuel efficiency by as much as 20 percent in its vehicles. Moreover, Ford engineers at the show here said smaller EcoBoost engines will be capable of replacing larger predecessors.

“Now we can use a V6 where we would have used a V8, and a four-cylinder instead of a V6,” said Dan Kapp, director of powertrain research and advanced engineering for Ford.

Kapp stated that a 3.5-liter EcoBoost will crank out 340 lb-ft of torque, the same as one of the company’s V8s already in use. It also yields a 2-mpg fuel-economy advantage over the V8.

“The brilliance of it is that you get all that torque, all the way down to the 1,500-rpm range,” Kapp said. “It has this very flat torque curve that gives you better performance.”

Ford engineers achieved these improvements by combining turbo-charging with gasoline direct injection. Turbo-charging, in which heat energy from the exhaust is used to spin a turbine, has long been a traditional method for improving engine output in automobiles, but has often been linked to a “turbo-lag” phenomenon that causes engines to not perform as well at lower rpms. By simultaneously injecting gasoline directly into the engine’s combustion chamber, however, Ford engineers were able to vastly reduce turbolag. As a result, the new engine family can increase flow to the turbine, even at lower engine revolutions.

“It allows us to reduce engine displacement by as much as 30 to 40 percent,” Kapp said.

Ford plans to introduce the new engine concept in the 2009 Lincoln MKS.

Unlike many new automotive engine families, which require massive re-tooling of engine transfer lines, EcoBoost also offers the advantage of not requiring significant changes in its production plants. That’s important for Ford, because building a new engine production line from scratch can cost as much as $400 million by some estimates.

“We can deploy this technology onto the existing engine architectures, so we don’t have to make a massive investment in re-tooling of the production lines,” Kapp said.

Looks like Ford Motor Company just discovered the brilliance of the turbo Buick with its 355 ft.-lb. 3.8L. Come to think of it, Ford's old 3.8L was basically a copy of the Buick V6.

 

[NASSTY]

It's too bad Buick wouldn't go back to doing what they were doing in 1986.

 

[tmaxxfreak88]

They just now figured out how fuel injection works too? :tongue:

 

[gbsean]

Ford has messed with Turbo Chargers before...they had a T-bird and a Mercury Capri that had Turbo's...never took off...no pun intended

 

[fast86gn]

LoL hahahahahaha I read that same article today in the business section of the Dallas Morning news, they made it sound like they discovered something new??????????? Buicks been doing ot for 30 + years. Ecoboost hahahahahahahahaha

 

[waddell87]

That is really to funny, also try it Ford, with a family size sedan weighing 3800+ lbs and not in a car 1/2 the size of a pinto. Then they'll have accomplished something...20yrs too late..LOL

 

[klrv6]

What's to gain?

Oh boy, I get 2mpg better. It also depends on the vehicle they drop those into. Lets see, put a boat or something on the back of that and you can plan on working that engine so hard, you get worse mileage than a V8. If only they were able to prove that the average vehicle with one of these turbo engines can get anywhere from 30-45 mpg, I would be more impressed. 2 MPG just isn't enough to justify the extra cost when parts break or wear out.

It will be more fun to have a higher power, lighter car to play around in though. Throw in a tank full of e85 and the fun begins.

 

[JayC]

Guess you never drove a Mustang SVO.. those things were badass.

 

[MeanBuicks]

Oh, I realize that Ford has utilized turbos in the past. As fast86GN caught, the amusement with this article is that they are so excited like they just discovered a totally new concept/technology.

The marketing points Ford makes are the very same thing Buick said back in the 1970s when the turbo V6 made its way into not only the Regal but Riviera, Century and LeSabre.

 

[fast86gn]

Oh, I realize that Ford has utilized turbos in the past. As fast86GN caught, the amusement with this article is that they are so excited like they just discovered a totally new concept/technology.

The marketing points Ford makes are the very same thing Buick said back in the 1970s when the turbo V6 made its way into not only the Regal but Riviera, Century and LeSabre.

Agreed.

The SVO Stangs were ok but they weren't all that There is one here local that runs the 1/8 in the mid 8/s with lot's of mods. But stock... there not that much. Compare it to the SRT 4banger of today from Mopar, and there is no comparison in my opinion.

How much eco-boost does it run? lol

 

[gnxtc2]

You guys missed something with the Ford engine.....Direct injection. The fuel injector injects fuel right into the combustion chamber, just like a diesel.

I am in no way putting down the Buick Turbo.

Billy T.
gnxtc2@aol.com

 

[fast86gn]

You guys missed something with the Ford engine.....Direct injection. The fuel injector injects fuel right into the combustion chamber, just like a diesel.

I am in no way putting down the Buick Turbo.

Billy T.
gnxtc2@aol.com

The DI is something your going to start seeing more and more. I just bought a 08 Saturn Sky Redline for the wife. It is DITI Direct Injection Turbo Intercooled I-4. 260hp on 16lbs Curb weight is 3,000lbs.

 

[MeanBuicks]

You guys missed something with the Ford engine.....Direct injection.

I saw that. One would hope that twenty years after the intercooled TB, OEMs would be able to improve engine economy and output via technology. Direct injection or not, there doesn't seem to be much difference between a 2009 340 ft.-lb. 3.5L and a 1986 355 ft.-lb. 3.8L.

Sure would be nice if Buick was still in the game hot & heavy.