Firing on half-cylinders.

• Autores: Steven Ashley
• Localización: Scientific American, ISSN 0036-8733, Vol. 291, Nº. 6, 2004, págs. 20-22
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • This article reports on innovations in designing fuel-efficient eight-cylinder engines. Despite rising fuel prices and fears of an oil crunch, Americans' lust for big vehicles with gas-gulping V-8 engines is unlikely to abate anytime soon. So unless a full-size car or truck is passing at speed, climbing a hill or towing a trailer, its eight-cylinder engine runs only half-heartedly--and inefficiently: operating at less than full load lowers fuel economy. Power-train engineers at DaimlerChrysler and General Motors have perfected an affordable way to smoothly morph V-8 gas guzzlers into V-4 fuel misers and back again as required. To the automakers, the new cylinder-deactivation systems provide a relatively low cost way to improve the poor fuel mileage figures otherwise posted by their latest crop of five-liter-plus pushrod engines--Chrysler's popular Hemi and General Motors's new Gen IV small-block V-8. INSET: CUTTING THE FAT.