Ford V-6 beats v-8's in towing competition

[Diamondpilot]

Not that I have a lot of experience, but I saw a cut-away version of the V-6 at the local annual auto show. The turbochargers were the smallest I have ever seen.
I think Ford has a home run with this one.

I guess you are talking about the Indy Car Show. Is it worth the price of admission this year? I need something to do this week while I am off.

Chris

 

[BethesdaEC]

Here is an article, Ford has done their homework on durablity.

The F-150 EcoBoost engine saw its first action on the dyno in July. Engineers punished it in temperature and load extremes simulating nearly 10 years of use – a regimen tougher than any consumer could ever subject a truck to. At this point, most engines would be ready to be rebuilt or retired, but the EcoBoost testing engine was just beginning.

The engine was dropped into a regular production 2011 F-150 at Kansas City Assembly Plant Then it hit the road and saw some of the most severe use Ford engineers have ever dreamed up.

* It hauled 55 tons of lumber
* It ran at full throttle for 24 straight hours towing 11,300 lbs
* Beat competitors' larger engines in an uphill towing competition
* It completed the world's toughest desert endurance race, the SCORE Tecate Baja 1000 in Mexico

Ford Offers Unprecedented Look at Teardown of F-150 EcoBoost Engine to Public at 2011 NAIAS - Yahoo! Finance

 

[davkir]

I guess you are talking about the Indy Car Show. Is it worth the price of admission this year? I need something to do this week while I am off.

Chris

Yes, the one in Indy. I enjoyed it, but I like looking at this kind of stuff. Online tickets save a buck apiece if you can't get passes from a dealer. Plenty of trucks, not many 3/4 or 1 tons. The convertible Camaro was very cool!

 

[Diamondpilot]

Yes, the one in Indy. I enjoyed it, but I like looking at this kind of stuff. Online tickets save a buck apiece if you can't get passes from a dealer. Plenty of trucks, not many 3/4 or 1 tons. The convertible Camaro was very cool!

Thanks. I think I will skip the Camaro, I am a Challenger man. That new 540HP Mustang has also caught my attention.

May have to take the special lady to dinner first to soften her up then the Auto Show. I am sure I will have to pay with a trip to the mall at some point.

Chris

 

[slowzuki]

No thats not true, slightly rich makes the most power, all conventional gas engines make peak power at slightly rich conditions. Slightly lean makes better fuel economy until you melt down.

I'm not making that up. For a gas motor, a little on the lean side makes more power. All you have to do is look at air fuel ratios compared to the dyno curve for an engine. The problem with to lean is it's hard on the engine.

The lean burn technology was an attempt to control emissions, which didn't always work out so great.

 

[sld]

One thing I know for sure is that max power is usually made with an air/fuel ratio of around 12.5:1 to 13:1.

I had a 1990 F150 with the 351. During that era Ford's programming was very rich to help keep the catalytic converter temps down. The Super chip programmer I bought did actually lean the mixture for more power.

Fast forward to my 2007 F250 with the V10. The factory programming keeps the air fuel ratio at 14.7:1 at all times and stays in closed loop. The only exception is it would richen up to cool the converter if it started heating up. The tuner I have now lets it go into open loop and roughly 12.5:1 to 13:1 and it makes noticeably more power. Goes back to 14.7:1 for steady cruise.

So, IMHO, it is a fact at what ratio makes the most power. Whether you are getting richer or leaner depends on where you started from.

The cylinder cooling effect from excess fuel plays a big role. It is not simply that you are burning more fuel and making more power. At richer than the 14.7:1 you are not getting a complete burn.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Not that this has anything to do with anything but way back in my aviation carrier I flew piston powered airplanes that were air cooled. Some with carburetor's , some fuel injection. Some Turbo Charged.

One thing that was common was they had Exhaust Gas Temperature gauges. We would lean to peak EGT then richen it up 75 to 125 deg F depending on the engine.

Chris

 

[Diamondpilot]

Run this past me again. You would lean out the mixture to peak the EGT. Then didn't you richen the mixture to drop the EGT by 75*F to 125*F to prevent valve burning etc.?

Correct. We would lean to peak EGT then richen it up 75 to 125 deg F depending on the particular engine. This would drop the EGT by the amount you wanted.

The EGT gauge's had no numerical values on them. They were just in maybe 20 segments and each one represented 25 deg F of temperature. You also had a needle on the gague that was movable by turning a knob. We called that the BUG and it was used for reference only. Once in level flight you set the manifold pressure by adjusting the throttle. You then set the RPM by adjusting the propeller. Once that was accomplished you leaned the mixture until you see the EGT gauge peak. You then set the bug to that value and richen it up to the value you wanted, maybe 100 deg F for example.

As you did this procedure the RPM would change as you got close to Peak EGT. And if you went past Peak EGT it would really drop off. Once all was set properly you may have to tweak the throttle a little to get the manifold pressure back where you wanted it and then the prop control to get the RPM back where you wanted it.

Chris

 

[scoutcub]

Correct. We would lean to peak EGT then richen it up 75 to 125 deg F depending on the particular engine. This would drop the EGT by the amount you wanted.

The EGT gauge's had no numerical values on them. They were just in maybe 20 segments and each one represented 25 deg F of temperature. You also had a needle on the gague that was movable by turning a knob. We called that the BUG and it was used for reference only. Once in level flight you set the manifold pressure by adjusting the throttle. You then set the RPM by adjusting the propeller. Once that was accomplished you leaned the mixture until you see the EGT gauge peak. You then set the bug to that value and richen it up to the value you wanted, maybe 100 deg F for example.

As you did this procedure the RPM would change as you got close to Peak EGT. And if you went past Peak EGT it would really drop off. Once all was set properly you may have to tweak the throttle a little to get the manifold pressure back where you wanted it and then the prop control to get the RPM back where you wanted it.

Chris

Sounds like way too much effort. Glad I fly choppers!!:thumbsup::laughing::laughing:

 

[Diamondpilot]

Sounds like way too much effort. Glad I fly choppers!!:thumbsup::laughing::laughing:

Glad I fly jets now also. Have not flown a piston airplane for 15 years.:licking:

Chris