4WD MODIFICATIONS – TECH TORQUE
If you want to know how ESC works, what a nanotube is, who Ackroyd was or why Australia will grow its own fuel – it’s all here.
Lithium Battery technicalities
Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4), also known as lithium and LFP, batteries deliver high energy and power density for mobile applications. They often have the best combination of performance, safety, cost, reliability and environmental characteristics for RV and marine applications.
Alternatives to diesel examined
Whether you believe in climate cage or not isn’t the issue: the fact is that all engine makers are heading down the alternatives-to-fossil-fuel path and a tiny market like Australia’s isn’t going to influence global developments.
Hot Vee engines explained
The LandCruiser 300 Series introduced the ‘hot vee’ diesel to Australia. In this short story we explain what that means.
Diesel Emissions Systems
It’s not so long ago that we were all in fear of the imminent arrival of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) on 4WD diesels. The latest systems have DPFs and SCR as well.
Atkinson and Miller cyle engines
Electrification doesn’t mean the end of the internal combustion engine, but tomorrow’s passenger car engines are being designed primarily for hybrid-electric vehicles and as range extenders.
All leaf springs are not the same
The leaf spring has been with us since horse-drawn wagon passengers demanded better ride quality and the long-serving leaf spring is still the principal springing medium for the rear ends of light commercial 4WDs.
Cylinder deactivation explained
Cylinder deactivation – shutting down multiple cylinders during light-load conditions – is becoming increasingly popular as a means of reducing fuel consumption and emissions. We explain how it works.
High performance research petrol engine
It’s accepted wisdom that there’s no alternative to the diesel for heavy duty 4WD tasks. Two highly-qualified US researchers disagree and have come up with a petrol-fuelled alternative. The editor sourced this MIT Energy Initiative report.
A particulate filter makes many modern diesel 4WDs unfit for purpose
Australian consumer law says that goods must be suitable for any particular purpose the buyer makes known to the seller.If you make it clear that you want to drive your intended new 4WD in long grass and do lots of stop-start and low speed work the salesman should tell you that a new turbo-diesel Euro 5 wagon or ute is not for you.
Ammonia as a source of hydrogen fuel
On August 8, 2018, Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) gave a public demonstration of its newly developed ammonia-to-hydrogen fuelling technology. What are the ramifications of this technology, you may well ask.
Multispeed transmissions
Heavy trucks have been using up to 20-speed gearboxes for many years, so multispeed transmissions aren’t new in the automotive world. However, they’re relatively new to the 4WD scene and the main reasons are economy and emissions reduction.
Fuel Cells explained
As vehicle makers enter a new era of propulsion based on electric motors it’s timely to look at the fuel cell. This cold (or warm) combustion power source is already in service in several areas, including portable electricity generation and vehicle power.
Hybrids and range extended electric 4WDs are coming
It seems inevitable that the future of 4WDs is as hybrids and range-extended electric vehicles.
Diesel future under a cloud
Five years ago we’d have laughed if someone said 4WD diesel engines are higher-maintenance and more likely to break down than petrols, but that’s the situation today. The latest diesels are high-maintenance and fragile.
Variable-compression-ratio engines
Infiniti presented a VC-T (Variable Compression -Turbocharged) engine at the Paris Motor Show on 29 September 2016. It’s claimed to be the world’s first production-ready variable-compression-ratio engine.
Shock absorbers explained
Shock absorbers are probably the least understood components of a 4WD’s suspension. These devices are more properly called dampers and their function is to control spring action.
Flat engines could be the future
The dual goals of meeting tight emissions standards and improving fuel consumption have seen some engine development companies look to designs of the past for inspiration.
48-volt electrical systems are coming
The 12-volt electrical system has been with us for many years, but is now running out of capacity. A dual 12V-48V system is the first step towards a higher-voltage solution.
Carbon dioxide isn’t the end of the combustion line
If you took any notice of the current Federal Government (but who would?) you could be forgiven for thinking that there’s no such thing as Climate Change and we can go on blissfully digging up coal to burn here and sell overseas, while importing almost all our liquid fuels.
Aluminium 4WDs are here to stay
The amount of aluminium content in 4WDs is steadily increasing and some makers have adopted all-aluminium bodywork. What’s driving this trend?
The carbon battery could be the anticipated power storage solution
We try not to get excited about battery breakthroughs, but this simple design seems to hold more promise than complex technologies. Let’s hope!
Dual-mass flywheels explained
Dual-mass flywheels are fitted to some modern manual-transmission 4WDs. What was wrong with the tried and proved solid flywheel and sprung clutch plate?
Shedding light on how lights work
Lights that lit the way for 4WDs used to be variations on the same incandescent-globe theme, but now there are HID and LED lights. Here’s how they all work.
Air Suspension Works
We clocked up 190,000 mainly bush kilometres on our Discovery 3 and the suspension lived up to Land Rover’s claims for superior on and off road behaviour over conventional steel spring suspensions. The rest of the vehicle was a disappointment, however.
Two Turbos are Better than One
When BMW released its 2008 twin-turbo, three-litre, X-5 diesel Down Under it was a 4WD production vehicle first. We’d been seeing twin-turbo engines for years, but this design was different.
Traction Control Explained
We’ve been living with traction-controlled 4WDs since late last century and systems have improved dramatically in that time.
Thermo Electric Generators Are on the Way
Within a few years it’s likely you’ll look under the bonnet of a new 4WD and discover there’s no alternator. The electric power to run the vehicle’s ancillary systems will come from the exhaust system – or, rather, from a thermoelectric generator (TEG) that’s part of it. The technology is being employed in post-2014 F1 racing cars.
Stop-Start Technology is Here
It’s so obvious you might wonder why stop-start engines aren’t standard on all vehicles, but making stop-start work smoothly, safely and reliably is not as simple as it first seems.
Should the ‘Diesel’ Really Be Called an ‘Akroyd’
Most people think that the internal combustion engine was invented in the late 1800s, but the principle of internal combustion was demonstrated by Dutch scientist Christian Huygens way back in 1673. In the Huygens engine a piston was blown upwards in a cylinder by a gunpowder explosion.
Nanotubes Explained
A nanotube is a cylinder made up of atomic particles and has a diameter that is as small as one billionth of a metre: a nanometre. Between 10,000 and 50,000 nanotubes can fit across the diameter of a human hair.
Global Electronic Stability Control
At a Geneva meeting in June 2008 the UN World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (UNECE WP29) adopted a Global Technical Regulation (GTR) on ESC for light duty vehicles and passenger cars.
Differentials Explained
In the early days of the motor vehicle, designers soon tumbled to the fact that a solid rear axle wasn’t the ideal arrangement across the back of a car, because when the machine went around a corner the outside wheel dictated the rotational speed and the inside wheel had no choice but to spin off excess speed.
Australia’s Slow Alternative Fuels Planning
‘She’ll be right’ has long been the Australian motto, reinforced by the smooth transition we made from a wool-based export economy to an iron ore- and coal-based one.