Prius Pain
I just wanted to say to Julian Edgar that I think the supercharged hybrid was
a great project. It is painful that it didn’t work out, but I hope you had fun
making it (and getting paid for it, you lucky bastard :P)
Kent Slaughter
Australia
Injector Search Complete!
Re my question at Response...
I have finally sourced the injectors I want – I’ve got Keihin 73cc per second
units from Canada. So my project is now moving ahead!
I have been reading Julian Edgar's write-up on his Prius. It is a shame he
didn't use an Eaton supercharger. They are much quieter than a straight-lobed
blower - witness the new Mini or a SC Commodore or SC Benz. The M45 is the one
the Mini uses and they can be picked up pretty cheap, as can the M62 units on
most MBs. Another problem is that the throttle has been place AFTER the SC and
not before the SC - this causes more noise again. Another option may have been a
clutched unit, so it would come on with demand. The Benz M45 and M62's have
clutches and are late generation high helix blowers. I just think it is a shame
Julian went to all that trouble, only to pull the SC off.
I was talking with a workshop the other day that is having all sorts of
dramas with a blower on an Alfa. They also have the throttle mounted
post-blower and the noise is just frantic! They can't even take it to the rego
station because there is no point.
Peter de Vries
Australia
Good to hear re the injectors. Unfortunately there is no other
supercharger that’s an appropriate size for the Prius (which makes just 43kW
from its petrol engine). The noise remained at full throttle, so it wasn't the throttle location causing the problem. The turbo? Ahhh it's much quieter - keep watching AutoSpeed!
EWP Test Results?
I am extremely interested in the testing you did of the Davies Craig EWP (Testing the Davies Craig Electric Water Pump - Part 1).
I am a member of the University of Michigan Formula SAE racing team. We’ve built
a small open wheel race car and use this pump on our car. Could you please send
me a copy of the article you did on it? I realise that you are concerned about
legal issues but I can assure you this will remain absolutely confidential and
no one besides me will see the report.
Bryan GilroySmith
USA
We are unable to present this story
online or forward it to anyone on a private basis. It doesn't take much nous to work out why...
Taller Benz Gearing?
I recently bought a 2000 model MB100D with a 5-speed manual. I am wondering
whether there is a different differential available so that when travelling on
the highway at 110 km/h the engine doesn't have to scream at 3500 rpm? Any idea
of the cost to exchange?
Roulf Commandeur
Australia
We aren’t aware of any taller diff
ratios that’ll bolt in – we suggest asking your local Mercedes service centre if
there’s an option.
02 Sensor Position
Quick question - what would you suggest is optimal distance from the valves
to tap in an 02 sensor into the headers? How far away would be too far?
John Littler
Australia
We suggest that you have a close look
at the 02 sensor positioning in some factory engines that are the same
configuration as your engine (ie V configuration, horizontally opposed, rotary,
in-line, atmo or turbocharged). Use these factory positions as a guide. If the
engine you have came factory fitted with an 02 sensor we suggest that you stick
to this location.
Oops!
In your article Building and Testing an Airbox
you say...
"This is an extremely sensitive gauge (we’ve covered them before so to find
out more, do a site search under ‘Magnahelic’)"
Unfortunately, this doesn't work because you have it misspelled! In every
other article it is "Magnehelic" - with an "e".
It might be nice to fix that one as I did an initial search for "Magnahelic"
and couldn't find but one reference! Any prizes for finding spelling errors?
Dave Bolen
USA
Well spotted – article fixed. And, no,
there aren’t any prizes...
Time to Mature...
Can I have your opinion? After owning Escorts, early Bimmers, a few 4WD
turbos and having one point left on previously pristine licence, it’s time to
get ol... er... mature....
I'm down to looking at LS400/Celsiors available from Yahoo Motorsport or Ford
EFII Fairmont Ghias - they are around the same price. Primarily I want a car for
trips from Sydney to Inverell over the mountains and up the back country. The
Falcon has longevity, age and simplicity in its favour but has a live rear end.
The Lexus has wishbone suspension, but do you think its world beating
engineering was five years ahead of the Falcon? I would sooooo much love a BMW
750iL, but I think that's my heart talking...
Matthew King
Australia
Wow – an interesting choice! The
Celsior wins easily in terms of refinement, comfort, quality and handling
stability. Performance is also in favour of the big Toyota, though a 5.0 litre
V8 version of the Fairmont Ghia is in the same ballpark. The only advantages of
the Ford are its simplicity and the cost and availability of parts. The Celsior
is the better car overall. A back-to-back test drive will quickly convince you
of that! If you haven’t already, see The Lexus LS400
and Celsior Magnificence
for more on the Celsior.
Not So Cool Polo?
I own a 2005 VW Polo 1.4 litre and feel that the air conditioning on this
model is not very effective. I measured the temperature of the cooled air (at
the air vents) to be 10 degrees Celsius. Other models, like the Golf, are 4-5
degrees Celsius. What is the temperature that’s considered normal from
factory?
Bassam ElGhussein
Lebanon
We suggest raising the issue with your
local VW dealer service centre. They should be able to compare air conditioning
performance to other versions of your vehicle and identify if there’s a
problem.
Loves the Imports
I just want to say that I thoroughly enjoy your road tests on the various 15
year old Japanese imports – for example, the Subaru Leone RX/II was great story
(Grand-daddy Subie).
I visited Yahoo Motorsport's website and found some fascinating cars. Just
wondering if you might be testing any more 15 year old imports in the near
future?
Michael
Australia
We plan to cover more Japanese
import vehicles. However, given recent regulation changes, there won’t be many more 1989/1990 model vehicles
featured.
More on Subaru Bits
In response to A.Hocking's question about intercooler splitters (Response)...
To the best of my knowledge they are fitted standard to some of the later model
STis. The same could also be said for intercooler water spays. If it's so
effective why don't Subaru fit it to all their intercoolers? Simple answer -
cost and simplicity. That is why the STi has both a spitter and water
spray...
Brent Muldoon
Australia
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