Saturday, July 27, 2013

Cadillac's Turbo Technology

Where is Cadillac Today?                        


Cadillac has been a leading luxury auto brand since 1902. Today Cadillac is growing globally, driven by an expanding product portfolio featuring dramatic design and technology. More information on Cadillac appears at www.cadillac.com. Cadillac's media website with information, images and video can be found at media.cadillac.com.


 

No More Turbo Lag

Turbocharging increases power and performance with efficiency, but the delay in the delivery of power – known as “turbo lag” – has historically been its key limitation.

That’s about to change.

Cadillac’s first-ever Twin-Turbo, available on the 2014 CTS Vsport midsize luxury sedan and XTS Vsport full-size luxury sedan in the U.S. this fall, kicks turbo lag to the curb with a unique combination of smaller turbochargers, top-mounted throttle body and shorter air pathways.

The Cadillac Twin-Turbo V-6’s patented air flow design, which eliminates circuitous heat-exchanger tubing, makes the most of engine packaging efficiency to improve torque response time over other air flow designs.



Rated at 420 horsepower on the all-new 2014 CTS Vsport and paired with Cadillac’s first eight-speed transmission, the Twin Turbo is one of the most power-dense engines in the midsize luxury sedan segment, rated at an SAE-certified 420 horsepower and 430 lb.-ft. of torque.

Air flow routing volume is reduced by more than 60 percent when compared with a conventional design that features a chassis-mounted heat exchanger. The water-to-air cooler system achieves more than 80 percent cooling efficiency with only about 1 psi flow restriction at peak power for fast torque production.

“By creating a very short path from the turbos to the throttle body, the compressors are able to draw air directly from the inlet box and send pressurized air through the intercooler immediately,” said Richard Bartlett, Cadillac assistant chief engineer for the 3.6L engine. “This gives the driver a more immediate feeling of power on demand.”

Using two smaller turbochargers rather than a single larger turbo also helps ensure immediate performance because smaller turbochargers spool up quicker to generate horsepower-building air pressure that is fed into the engine. An integrated charge air cooling system also contributes because the compressors blow through very short pipes up to the intercooler.

The single centrally located throttle body atop the engine controls the air charge from a pair of turbochargers after the temperature is reduced in the intercooler. This design fosters more immediate torque response and reduces complexity by eliminating the need for a pair of throttle bodies.

Together smaller turbochargers, top-mounted throttle body and shorter air pathways help sustain peak torque over a broad range – 1,900 to 5,600 rpm – for a confident feeling of power in almost all driving conditions, such as accelerating or overtaking traffic on the highway.

“The Cadillac Twin-Turbo intercooler design builds on our experience with the 6.2L supercharged engine used on the current CTS-V Series,” Bartlett said. “That means more performance for drivers without sacrificing efficiency.”






Friday, July 12, 2013

Street Racing: Not Worth It!






Growing up I spent many years at the Drag Strip, but when I got my first car (71' 455 Buick Skylark, low 12's in the quarter-mile) in High School I found a new way to skip school and hang out late at night. Throughout all my drag racing troubles I managed to almost kill myself and an old lady while skipping auto class to drag race a friend. I also got caught in a drag racing sting in Detroit a few years later that cost time off of work and a fortune in my pocketbook. Add that in with the mass amounts of traffic tickets and the stupidity adds up.  

As young adults, we were out of control. It all seemed like fun and games, but when I recently lost a friend from street racing I realized that no one was invisible and this might be as dangerous as I was warned.







My advice to anyone out there, settle it at the Drag strip. 

 Advantages
  • No reason for fighting because you can't cheat. (Leave Your Guns at Home)
  • Professional safety help is there for the sole purpose of a racing accident. And you won't have to worry about people running away from the accident to stay out of trouble when you're in need of help.
  • Doesn't cost that much to race, and a speeding plus drag racing ticket costs much more.
  • You're more likely to stay alive and not injure innocent people.
  • And usually, people are mostly friendly.

Friday, May 31, 2013

2017 Chevy Silveradro and GMC Sierra: Ready for Advertisement


You can't doubt that GM is ready for some major advertising. The all-new Chevy Silverardo and GMC Sierra are ready for some exposure. With a V-8 that boasts better fuel economy than the Ford EcoBoost technology and better sturdier builds all-round, GM is ready.


In the lure of the coming of GM's new trucks, stock prices and work productions have seen a definite rise. This is something that the GM corporation really needs. GM has even cut back on the summertime shut down to keep production up.

Image result for 2017 chevy silveradoLater this winter is when we can expect to see the money spent on advertisements. This is a big push for GM as their truck sales are reportedly 60% of GM's profits.

The new hoods do serve a purpose and looks great too. The GM trucks should bring enough work for everyone. Factory workers will have to be trained, GM engineers have been rehired to help make sure the new technology will be worked incorrectly and everyone in the GM spectrum should see a sufficient amount of work increases. GM and everyone hopes, especially Detroiters, that this increase in work will help the slowly improving economy. 




Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Corvette Stingray or Camaro ZL1: Which is a Better Buy

 Corvette or Camaro

It's tough to say which is a better buy?



But I think it's safe to say they're both completely Bad Ass!

Awesome power.

Awesome styling.

Awesome reputation. 

And well, Chevrolet's Greatest Hits.

So, which one?

The Vette looks awesome, and lets face it, who would not want to be seen in a American icon. I think when you drive in a Vette it gives you a certain amount of confidence. It puts you in a different class of car guy. Plus, this Corvette could very well be one of the Baddest Ass looking Corvettes ever made.


When it comes to Camaro, there is plenty of prestige there as well. Pretty much all the technology available to today's muscles cars is implicated on it, and lets not forget it has its legendary status as well. And, there is too more reasons not to over-look the Camaro: less pricey and more spacious.  

So which one would I choose, doesn't mater.

So which one should you choose? I guess that just depends on what kind of Bad Ass you want to be.

With the Woodard Dream Cruise right around the corner, it should be interesting to see just how many ZL1s and Stingrays flood the streets, possibly maybe even a brand new COPO or two, they are out there. Also another thing that might be interesting to see, is since the Woodard Dream Cruise is such a media attracting event, maybe Chevrolet will feel a little ambitious and give us a little sneak peak at the new Z28s.

Regardless, it's a good summer to be a Chevrolet fan.



Sunday, May 5, 2013

2020 Camaro Speculations

 2015 Camaro's Future

With Ford Mustang hard at work for more fuel efficient sports cars for the future. The competition for Chevrolet is on, and why not the federal fuel standards are only going to get tougher. We all ready know that Mustang is building smaller and lighter sports cars and flirting with hybrid options. One can only speculate that Chevrolet has already been hard at work doing the same. 
 

 

What Will the Camaro Be?

The next iteration of Chevrolet’s recently reborn sporty/performance car, which is currently outselling archrival Ford Mustang. Confirmation came in early 2010 from a director of Grant Thornton LLP, a consultant to parent General Motors, and from industry-analysis firm CSM Worldwide. Those sources say the redesigned Camaro will launch in calendar 2014, doubtless as a 2015 model, and will move to the rear-wheel-drive Alpha platform that underpins Cadillac’s new ATS premium-compact car, due in mid- to late 2012 as a 2013 entry. Today’s fifth-generation Camaro uses a cut-down version of the Zeta 1 architecture developed by GM’s Holden branch in Australia and which featured on the 2008-09 Pontiac G8 large sedan.



Like the car it will replace, the 2015 Chevrolet Camaro will be offered as a coupe and convertible with powertrain choices ranging from mild to wild. Reporting by website GM Inside News (GMI) suggests overall size and weight may be little changed, even though a smaller, lighter Camaro would seem almost mandatory in light of escalating federal fuel-economy standards and growing consumer preference for more fuel-efficient vehicles of all kinds.

According to GMI, the Alpha program originated in late 2004 as another Holden project, but languished until 2007, when Cadillac decided to develop the platform for a long-desired challenger to the likes of Audi A4, BMW 3-Series, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. However, as GMI notes, the project suffered “mission creep” as Cadillac decreed more and more changes that “quickly turned a light, sporty platform on its head…” Among the conditions imposed by the luxury brand were space for V6 engines as well as the intended 4-cylinder units; engineering to accommodate optional all-wheel drive; and a larger “Alpha +” platform for the next-generation of Cadillac’s CTS premium-midsize sedan. 

As a result, says GMI, “Each addition has caused another issue to engineer around, thus causing the Alpha program to exceed GM’s mass requirements...by nearly 500 pounds. It is unclear how heavy Alpha products will be, but every independent Alpha source…has indicated that the final curb weight could push 4,000 pounds unless GM puts the program on a [crash diet] before launch.” GMI goes on to cite company insiders and supplier sources as saying “the Alpha program has been a near-constant stream of drama and problems for GM, which were compounded by the company’s June 2009 bankruptcy. Even today, as the program nears its final stages...problems are still being worked out.” Among those are a planned multi-link front suspension that no longer works as intended with the accumulated flab and is being given the band-aid treatment rather than a full do-over.

 
GMI reports that engineers are “now struggling to reduce Alpha’s mass by a quarter-ton,” a huge amount for a new platform at such a late design stage. “One source has indicated that GM is willing to throw all sorts of new composite technologies at the body, structure, and powertrain to achieve that goal [for both] the Cadillac Alpha cars and the sixth-generation Camaro.”

 

The Camaro's Speculations

 

With so many issues still unresolved, it’s anyone’s guess at this point (June 2011) how the 2015 Chevrolet Camaro will turn out. Regardless of how many pounds are pared from the platform, we suspect the exterior package will be downsized to some degree, possibly close to that of the current Ford Mustang or even a bit smaller, perhaps on the order of the original 1967-69 or 1982-92 Camaros.

As for engines, several sources suggest that the 2015 Chevrolet Camaro will be offered with a base 4-cylinder or two, possibly small-displacement jobs with GM’s eAssist “mild hybrid” electric drive and available turbocharging; one or more optional V6s, likely based on the company’s ubiquitous 3.6-liter twin-overhead-cam design and also perhaps with eAssist and forced induction; and a smaller but more-efficient V8 than today’s 6.2-liter, something on the order of 5.0-5.4 liters, again with eAssist likely and perhaps optional supercharging. The V8 would likely be the same basic mill being rumored for Chevrolet’s next-generation C7 Corvette sports car and should be virtually all-new with the possible exception of retaining overhead-valve cylinder heads for reasons of lower cost and easier under-hood packaging, not to mention hallowed “Chevy small block” tradition. Whatever the final choices, all engines will doubtless maximize mpg with measures such as direct fuel injection, “double” variable valve-timing (intake and exhaust), and low-friction internal components.

Likewise, transmissions for the 2015 Chevrolet Camaro will be chosen to provide a competitive balance among performance, fuel economy, and refinement. There’s talk of new 7-speed manual and automatic designs for V8 and up-level V6 models, but we think it more likely that GM will stick with its current 6-speed transmissions, at least for 2015-16.

Other aspects also can’t be confirmed, doubtless because they’re still a long way from decided. Even so, logic suggests the 2015 Chevrolet Camaro will mimic the current car with a 4-wheel independent suspension (though doubtless redesigned), standard 4-wheel disc brakes, and good-size wheels and tires. Steering assist will probably go from conventional engine-belt-driven hydraulic to electrohydraulic or pure electric, again to maximize mpg.

Styling? It’s almost sure to retain Camaro’s traditional long-hood/short-deck proportions and the current models’ wide stance, but surfacing and details will hinge on the final exterior size and on whether sales trends suggest the need for a big departure from today’s aggressive sharp-edged look. We know Ed Welburn, GM’s Vice-President of Global Design, is an avid Camaro fan, so his Camaro team will likely strive to blend familiar elements with fresh touches--and to improve aerodynamics as another aid to fuel economy.

 

Camaro Expectations

  

GM has been working hard to update and upgrade Chevrolet’s car line, starting with the new-for-2008 Malibu midsize sedan. The reborn Camaro is part of that effort and is evidently seen as no less important to the brand’s sales and image than mainstream products like Malibu and the new Cruze compact sedan. Remember that Chevy’s ponycar was resurrected after six years in limbo to start sale on the very eve of GM’s historic 2009 bankruptcy. As noted, the fifth-generation has lately been outselling traditional foe Ford Mustang--adding convertibles for 2011 has no doubt helped--and management undoubtedly hopes the sixth-generation will do as well or better. Even so, market conditions and buyer tastes are always changing, so it will be interesting to see if the next Camaro resonates with the public as much as the current one seems to. Of course, a lot will depend on what happens to Mustang with its upcoming redesign, expected in 2014-15 in time to mark the model’s 50th anniversary.

 

The New Camaro's Chances

 

There is no mistaken, despite the many factors now conspiring against affordable sporty/performance cars, the 2015 Chevrolet Camaro is going to happen. Too bad we don’t yet know much about precisely what will happen, but we do know somewhat of what will happen. 

One can only hope that are American Sports Car does not turn into some that mimic those annoy Rice Burners/Tuner cars!




 




This is a really cool Q/A interview with Chief Engineer of the brand new Z/28, Al Oppenheiser

 New Trans Am and Firebird speculations

 

 

Friday, May 3, 2013

The 2014 Indianapolis 500 Pace Car

 2014 Corvette Stingray

Indy 500 Pace Car

2014 Corvette Indy 500 Pace Car



When the 2014 Stingray was introduced at the North American Auto Show it made a huge buzz,
and now to keep that buzz going it will appear as the Pace Car for the Indy 500.
Chevrolet also got the honors for the festival car with their Special Edition Hot Wheels Convertible Camaro.
This is a nice boost for Chevrolet and their sports car division.