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.