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Mazda says it has made a long-awaited breakthrough in engine technology

ALiberalModerate

ALiberalModerate

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Fresh on the heels of last week's tie-up with Toyota, Mazda announced on Tuesday that it has finally made a breakthrough in gasoline engine technology. Mazda is calling it Skyactive-X; we know it better as homogeneous charge compression ignition, or HCCI. It should mean a 20- to 30-percent boost in efficiency compared to Mazda's current gasoline direct-injection engines, and we may well see it in the next revision to the Mazda 3.
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Read more here: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2017/0...ng-awaited-breakthrough-in-engine-technology/

This is the kind of innovation that efficiency mandates around the world have prompted. Currently the Mazda 3 with a GDI engine gets about 40 mpg on the highway. HCCI engines will have the next generation at nearly 50 mpg or more, with even lower emissions, and with even better performance.

Never count out human ingenuity.
 
WCH said:
Like the rotary engine?
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Nothing at all like the rotary engine. It is a gasoline engine that works like a diesel using compression for ignition (other than in cold starts or very low rpms).
 
SouthernDemocrat said:
Read more here: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2017/0...ng-awaited-breakthrough-in-engine-technology/

This is the kind of innovation that efficiency mandates around the world have prompted. Currently the Mazda 3 with a GDI engine gets about 40 mpg on the highway. HCCI engines will have the next generation at nearly 50 mpg or more, with even lower emissions, and with even better performance.

Never count out human ingenuity.
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And even before this small efficient gas powered cars were better for the planet than electric cars. These idiots who have decided that cars must be electric by 2040 to "save the planet" should talk less and learn more.
 
WCH said:
Like the rotary engine?
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There's a lot of stuff I like about my rotary (RX-8) but it sure does have issues. The heat of the rotary seems to mess with the seals and you'll lose compression at some point. When it cools everything comes back but it's damned sure not a road trip motor.

-edit-

Almost forgot, less than 10mpg takes away some of the fun too.
 
Lutherf said:
There's a lot of stuff I like about my rotary (RX-8) but it sure does have issues. The heat of the rotary seems to mess with the seals and you'll lose compression at some point. When it cools everything comes back but it's damned sure not a road trip motor.

-edit-

Almost forgot, less than 10mpg takes away some of the fun too.
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Lots of folks liked those Wankels. Hope this one stays around longer.
 
WCH said:
Lots of folks liked those Wankels. Hope this one stays around longer.
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The power curve and response are awesome. It's not great off the line but you get a nice, smooth rev and consistent power up to 8kRPM or so. It's also nice to be doing 90 behind someone on the freeway and just blow by them with a little goose to the accelerator. The car is FUN to drive.
 
Lutherf said:
The power curve and response are awesome. It's not great off the line but you get a nice, smooth rev and consistent power up to 8kRPM or so. It's also nice to be doing 90 behind someone on the freeway and just blow by them with a little goose to the accelerator. The car is FUN to drive.
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That engine needed a turbo like the RX7
 
Lutherf said:
There's a lot of stuff I like about my rotary (RX-8) but it sure does have issues. The heat of the rotary seems to mess with the seals and you'll lose compression at some point. When it cools everything comes back but it's damned sure not a road trip motor.

-edit-

Almost forgot, less than 10mpg takes away some of the fun too.
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You have the Renesis engine. I am surprised at the cooling issues most of the guys I have raced against which use the older 13B have the mileage problems(what wankel doesn't guzzle fuel) but the seals do just fine. Even with the big ported turbo motors. I presume you have the cooling system checked. How about your oil pump and cooling. If I remember correctly you have a sort of hybrid wet/dry oiling system. I wonder if you have blocked oiling ports near the seals.

I have a Katech/Motus Baby Block V4 in my Spitfire and I don't have problems with fuel mileage :) 40+. With a supercharger my torque curve is as good or better than the rotary though not quite as good as the inline turbo 4s and the definitely not the v6's. My motor is only a 150lbs WET, which makes up for what it lacks elsewhere. Crazy good balance very light weight and narrow footprint makes for an excellent road course machine that can take on and beat most everything but the really high dollar boys. I can pull a bit over 1.17g's on the skid pad. (Optimized air in cab adjustable air shocks and lowered springs front. Retrofitted GT6 Rotoflex suspension geometry in aluminum in the rear with coil over air ride shock springs. Converted rear brakes to disk to further lower unsprang weight. Custom top pivot arms replacing the leaf spring assembly) It pulled a bit over .98g stock. (Tuned air shocks) Not bad for a early 1970's machine. 1600lbs wet with me and a bit over 220hp and 150lbs tq. If I ever get ahold of a h1 V8 to shoehorn into it I will be able blow the doors off a Cobra 427 in a drag race. All I need is about $50,000 for the motor. Just the motor. Charity anyone? :)
 
PirateMk1 said:
Motor compression was too high to attempt at the manufacturer level and meet warranty requirements.
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Could have lowered comp ratio's. It was/is great handling car, let down by not enough power (combined with high fuel consumption, the 370Z has the power and somewhat better fuel economy
 
Lord Tammerlain said:
Could have lowered comp ratio's. It was/is great handling car, let down by not enough power (combined with high fuel consumption, the 370Z has the power and somewhat better fuel economy
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Hard to do an a rotary and meet all the other requirements. They run into the same problems as diesels which is higher nitrogen oxide levels at the exhaust because of higher combustion temps.
 
PirateMk1 said:
Hard to do an a rotary and meet all the other requirements. They run into the same problems as diesels which is higher nitrogen oxide levels at the exhaust because of higher combustion temps.
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I didn't know the rotary had issues with NO. By the way your car sounds amazing and perhaps scary to drive at speed. Coming from a guy who has taken motorcycles to 155 mph
 
Lord Tammerlain said:
I didn't know the rotary had issues with NO. By the way your car sounds amazing and perhaps scary to drive at speed. Coming from a guy who has taken motorcycles to 155 mph
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I have a class A so driving is/was my profession. Its like driving a tiny go cart, especially after I have driven my 53' step deck. I drive like a bloody maniac in that thing. (Spitfire) (I drive like granny professionally when I do drive which is not much anymore) I should have a stack tickets a couple feet tall. I have taken my Spitfire to about 140 on the straightaways at Buttonwillow, but she starts getting a bit squirrely because of the lift issues and me wanting to keep it street worthy and not alter the body radically. I don't have a front splitter and it needs mods to the bonnet and the whole thing lowered another 3 inches or so and it needs spoiler as well. I aint doing that. Main thing I improved with the modifications was the acceleration and deceleration and skid pad numbers which on a road coarse which I prefer to run are more important than raw straight line speed. The current cars I compete against the new corvettes are the toughest because they can do everything I can and do it a bit better at least technically. Whether there driver can keep up is another matter entirely. I just love sticking it to the BMW, Ferrari and Porsche guys. The Jag and Aston Martin guys think its funny as hell. So do I.

Yea the combustion chemistry at higher temps increases the NO outputs on any motor so its a balance of temp and compression to optimize fuel efficiency and emissions. Lower temps, compression ratios increase particulates and unburned fuel as a general rule.
 
Lutherf said:
The power curve and response are awesome. It's not great off the line but you get a nice, smooth rev and consistent power up to 8kRPM or so. It's also nice to be doing 90 behind someone on the freeway and just blow by them with a little goose to the accelerator. The car is FUN to drive.
Click to expand...

That's what I've heard. I put 250,000 miles on a Mazda B2000. Wish them and Ford still made those.
 
SouthernDemocrat said:
Read more here: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2017/0...ng-awaited-breakthrough-in-engine-technology/

This is the kind of innovation that efficiency mandates around the world have prompted. Currently the Mazda 3 with a GDI engine gets about 40 mpg on the highway. HCCI engines will have the next generation at nearly 50 mpg or more, with even lower emissions, and with even better performance.

Never count out human ingenuity.
Click to expand...

I wonder what the actual production efficiency will be, and how much more the engine costs.

How long does it last, and how small will a US crash test standard car be that gets 50 MPG...
 
SouthernDemocrat said:
Nothing at all like the rotary engine. It is a gasoline engine that works like a diesel using compression for ignition (other than in cold starts or very low rpms).
Click to expand...

I read it still uses spark plugs. Ignites at a lower temperature, is supercharged.

It simply mixes the gasoline and air better for optimum burning efficiency.
 
PirateMk1 said:
Hard to do an a rotary and meet all the other requirements. They run into the same problems as diesels which is higher nitrogen oxide levels at the exhaust because of higher combustion temps.
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Yes, modern emission standards are the hardest thing for rotary engines to meet.
 
Lord of Planar said:
They still put out lots of power for their size.

Ever see one up and personal?
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The RX8.

Yes a coworker had one, or more correctly his son, but he drove a few times, he showed me it and I showed him my 370Z. The RX8 does put out alot of power for it's size, no doubt
 
Lord of Planar said:
I read it still uses spark plugs. Ignites at a lower temperature, is supercharged.

It simply mixes the gasoline and air better for optimum burning efficiency.
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Yes, but it has been the holy grail for car manufactures just the same.
 
Lord of Planar said:
I wonder what the actual production efficiency will be, and how much more the engine costs.

How long does it last, and how small will a US crash test standard car be that gets 50 MPG...
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They are not changing the platform for the Mazda 3 that it will ship with in 2019. I can't imagine production costs being much higher than with the current GDI engines as they have to be competitive with other cars in its class like the Honda Civic.
 
SouthernDemocrat said:
They are not changing the platform for the Mazda 3 that it will ship with in 2019. I can't imagine production costs being much higher than with the current GDI engines as they have to be competitive with other cars in its class like the Honda Civic.
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It's hard to say. I didn't see any engineering details, and the little I read about valve control makes me wonder about that technologies cost of production and term of life.
 
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