Jump to content
Create New...
  • 💬 Join the Conversation

    CnG Logo SQ 2023 RedBlue FavIcon300w.png
    Since 2001, Cheers & Gears has been the go-to hub for automotive enthusiasts. Join today to access our vibrant forums, upload your vehicle to the Garage, and connect with fellow gearheads around the world.

     

  • William Maley
    William Maley

    Toyota Not Following Everyone Else With Small Turbo Engines, Sticking With Large Displacement Engines

    William Maley

    Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com

    October 17, 2013

    The trend with powertrains is to do small-displacement engine with turbochargers to provide the performance of a larger engine with the fuel economy of the small engine. Toyota looks to be bucking the trend.

    In a interview with Automotive News, Koei Saga, senior managing officer in charge of drivetrain research and development for Toyota said the company will be investing into turbocharged engines, but it will not "emphasize turbocharging across many product lines." Instead, Saga says the company believes that using large-displacement engines with the Atkinson cycle.

    Here's why Toyota believes this is the right idea. Atkinson cycle engines keep the intake valves open longer than a normal gas engine, which cuts the length of the compression stroke and in turn cuts pumping losses. The end result is improve efficiency at the cost of torque. This is why you see Atkinson cycle engines used in hybrid vehicles since the electric motor can provide the low-end torque. When paired with a large-displacement engine, the hope is that you keep the efficiency while gaining back the loss in torque.

    In addition to the large-displacement Atkinson cycle engines, Toyota will invest heavily into continuously variable and fixed-gear automatic transmissions, as well as its fuel-cell vehicle program.

    Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

    William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.

    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    Small displacement + turbocharging doesn't pan out for better efficiency. It never did and it still hasn't. The reason is simple... by going from a 2.0L I4 to a 1.4L I4 you haven't changed the frictional losses that much because you still have the same number of valves, guides, followers, pistons, rods, etc. The main efficiency gains come from having smaller cylinders working at bigger throttle openings which allows the engine to operate at a higher effective compression -- because larger throttle openings equals lesser vacuum and squishing less vacuum equals higher effective compression. But turbocharging mandates an ~2 point reduction in compression ratio while providing no charge density improvements at cruise. This cancels out much of the efficient gains from displacement loss.

    The best non-hybrid efficiency is actually achieved with a large displacement Atkinson Cycle engine with least amount of camshafts, valves and cylinders. If you want the most fuel efficient 140hp you'll use a 2.5L 3-cylinder engine with 17.0:1 static compression and a 70% Atkinson cycle cam for a 11.9:1 effective compression @ peak volumetric efficiency. You'll use a single overhead cam or a in-block cam with roller followers/lifters. You'll use 2 valves per cylinders. And, you'll use direct injection. Apart from DI, you'll basically do the exact opposite of what many automakers are doing.

    In the end, 1.4L Turbo, 2.0L NA and 2.5L Atkinson engines probably have approximately the same output. The 2.5 Atk has the best fuel efficiency whereas the 1.4T has the highest cost and most reliability concerns. The 1.4T is only useful as so far as to take advantage of various countries' displacement tax laws to lower the new car and annual taxes. Whether this is significant depends on the country.

    • Agree 4
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites



    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




  • Support Real Automotive Journalism

    Cheers and Gears Logo

    Since 2001, Cheers & Gears has delivered real content and honest opinions — not emotionless AI output or manufacturer-filtered fluff.

    If you value independent voices and authentic reviews, consider subscribing. Plans start at just $2.25/month, and paid members enjoy an ad-light experience.*

    You can view subscription options here.

    *a very limited number of ads contain special coupon deals for our members and will show

  • Similar Content

  • Posts

    • Honestly, that's actually a good thing that it goes up every July. The problem with many states, and this isn't just gas taxes but all taxes, is that they don't index taxes to inflation, and then the governments are forced into drastic budget cuts and big jumps in taxes.  I work with local governments in PA and time after time I see this play out.  They pay themselves on the back for keeping property taxes low and not raising them for 6 years and then boom, they find themselves in a deficit which local towns are not allowed to run in PA.  Then there's a big tax hike and everyone gets pissed.  I'm working with one town where the population of the town is very affluent, but the town is going broke because of the tax structure.  They rely on property taxes, but the county hasn't reassessed property values in 30 years. So you have parcels that are worth 6-7 figures being assessed for tax purposes at like 100k.   And now everyone is stuck because if the properties get reassessed, the property taxes jump a few hundred percent.  Having the gas tax go up a little bit every year is the smarter way to do it. 
    • IL has the highest taxed gas (or 2nd/3rd highest - it goes back and forth with PA or CA or something - I don't know, top 3. ). 48.3c/gal as of July. It's gone up every July for the last like 6 years. When it first went up in 2017, that was fine. It did need to go up to maintain the roads. I believe it had been a very long time prior and I understood that. It's since gone up every year. In 2017 it went up to 19c/gal and it's ballooned up to 48.3c/gal.  Your average for 87 is $5/gal? The internet (AAA's website) is showing $4.39 for WA. IL is at $3.43. California is still the highest in the nation at $4.65.  https://gasprices.aaa.com/state-gas-price-averages/
    • Hence my secondary thought of buying an older four wheel drive full size truck. Our second vehicle sees few miles. Our 2004 Aveo has 84 K on it.  I am buying so much less. I don't want to support the current system, enough said. 
    • Welcome to Making America Great Again with Same Old Tariffs, just higher prices! Sadly, we are now worse off with the worst leadership ever and my gut tells me that I would not be surprised to see $40K the new Entry level of what used to be $24K.  I noticed that before the current tariff stupidity, the 12 pack of Korean Seaweed at Costco was $6.99, now $11.99. I noticed today that the Maguire auto care kit that was $19.99 is now $39.99. So much for bringing prices down.  Washington state now has the highest gas in the nation as the average cost per gallon here hit $5 today.
  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • My Clubs

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Hey there, we noticed you're using an ad-blocker. We're a small site that is supported by ads or subscriptions. We rely on these to pay for server costs and vehicle reviews.  Please consider whitelisting us in your ad-blocker, or if you really like what you see, you can pick up one of our subscriptions for just $1.75 a month or $15 a year. It may not seem like a lot, but it goes a long way to help support real, honest content, that isn't generated by an AI bot.

See you out there.

Drew
Editor-in-Chief

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search