RE: Three Turbos For The Next M3?
Monday 11th July 2011
BMW's next M3 could come with - get this - three turbochargers, if recent reports on the webnet are anything to go by.
Three Turbos For The Next M3?
Web rumours suggest BMW will pile on the blowers for its next M3
The new M3 is due in 2014 and - presumably as a way of placating those upset at the loss of naturally aspirated M cars - might well feature a trio of turbos to help the expected 3.3-litre six-cylinder motor produce around 450bhp.
So how would it work? Well, apparently two of the turbochargers would work in the conventional way, providing extra puff courtesy of recycled exhaust gases, but the third would run on electricity.
Now, we're not exactly of an engineering bent at PHHQ, but we suspect that this would be in order to achieve a power boost right from the get-go, before the conventional turbos have had time to spool-up. Knowing the way the car industry is these days, there's probably some sort of 'green' motivation behind all this, too. But we don't really care about all that, do we?
Either way, the idea of an electricity-powered turbocharger creating a tri-turbo M3 sounds like an intriguing, if far-fetched idea. But it comes from the creative news brains over at Auto Express, so if it's wrong remember you heard it there first...
Discussion
louismchuge said:
Back of the net with the first post! Bravo. 
Oh come on, PH taking news stories from Auto Express? Really?!?!?!
They're the automotive journalism equivalent of Jeremy Kyle!
Anonymous call to AE: "Hey, i work near Dunton, and saw a 3dr Focus with big wheels and it made a wikkid noise"
Next week's AE headline:
FORD MAKING NEW V8 CAPRI WITH 4 TURBOS AND 4WD AND A SUPERCHARGER AND LOTS OF OTHER STUFF!!11!!!
PROOF INSIDE!!!!!
(Cue photochopped 'Capri' done with less skill than a 3yr old on MS Paint)
They're the automotive journalism equivalent of Jeremy Kyle!
Anonymous call to AE: "Hey, i work near Dunton, and saw a 3dr Focus with big wheels and it made a wikkid noise"
Next week's AE headline:
FORD MAKING NEW V8 CAPRI WITH 4 TURBOS AND 4WD AND A SUPERCHARGER AND LOTS OF OTHER STUFF!!11!!!
PROOF INSIDE!!!!!
(Cue photochopped 'Capri' done with less skill than a 3yr old on MS Paint)
Beefmeister said:
Oh come on, PH taking news stories from Auto Express? Really?!?!?!
They're the automotive journalism equivalent of Jeremy Kyle!
Anonymous call to AE: "Hey, i work near Dunton, and saw a 3dr Focus with big wheels and it made a wikkid noise"
Next week's AE headline:
FORD MAKING NEW V8 CAPRI WITH 4 TURBOS AND 4WD AND A SUPERCHARGER AND LOTS OF OTHER STUFF!!11!!!
PROOF INSIDE!!!!!
(Cue photochopped 'Capri' done with less skill than a 3yr old on MS Paint)
^^^ ThisThey're the automotive journalism equivalent of Jeremy Kyle!
Anonymous call to AE: "Hey, i work near Dunton, and saw a 3dr Focus with big wheels and it made a wikkid noise"
Next week's AE headline:
FORD MAKING NEW V8 CAPRI WITH 4 TURBOS AND 4WD AND A SUPERCHARGER AND LOTS OF OTHER STUFF!!11!!!
PROOF INSIDE!!!!!
(Cue photochopped 'Capri' done with less skill than a 3yr old on MS Paint)
Beefmeister said:
Oh come on, PH taking news stories from Auto Express? Really?!?!?!
They're the automotive journalism equivalent of Jeremy Kyle!
Anonymous call to AE: "Hey, i work near Dunton, and saw a 3dr Focus with big wheels and it made a wikkid noise"
Next week's AE headline:
FORD MAKING NEW V8 CAPRI WITH 4 TURBOS AND 4WD AND A SUPERCHARGER AND LOTS OF OTHER STUFF!!11!!!
PROOF INSIDE!!!!!
(Cue photochopped 'Capri' done with less skill than a 3yr old on MS Paint)
Hey, its what the Motorcycle news does, and it works for them! They're the automotive journalism equivalent of Jeremy Kyle!
Anonymous call to AE: "Hey, i work near Dunton, and saw a 3dr Focus with big wheels and it made a wikkid noise"
Next week's AE headline:
FORD MAKING NEW V8 CAPRI WITH 4 TURBOS AND 4WD AND A SUPERCHARGER AND LOTS OF OTHER STUFF!!11!!!
PROOF INSIDE!!!!!
(Cue photochopped 'Capri' done with less skill than a 3yr old on MS Paint)
(although some people do argue that MCN stands for More Crap than News...)
V88Dicky said:
A screaming N/A V8 being replaced by a six-pot is depressing enough, without introducing many, many turbochargers 
And to think people were up in arms when the E46's replacement got a V8 instead of a Six. Take your point about 'screaming' though. It's hard to imagine a turbo like this having a spine tingling soundtrack and razor sharp throttle response in the best M3 tradition. Edited by Gad-Westy on Monday 11th July 11:26
marcosgt said:
Surely it's not a turbo charger if it runs off electricity...?
M
Exactly...isn't an electric "turbocharger" actually just a supercharger...so it will be both turbocharged and supercharged like the Polo GTi engine (which I can say, as my wife owns one, still suffers from turbolag and is not as nice as a NA engine...although it is still pretty impressive)M
Sounds good in theory, this from back in 2006 so might be market ready by now.
Martin Verschoor technical director of Garrett Engine Boosting Systems said:
What is E-boosting and what are its prospects? E-boosting stands for electrical-assisted boosting; by incorporating a very high speed electrical motor in rotating assembly of a turbocharger, you can drive it up to very high speeds, before you have exhaust gases to do so. It is very powerful, specifically when there is no exhaust gas available, such as at idle, or in stop and go.
It is entirely integrated inside the turbocharger, with virtually “real-estate” penalty to speak of. The size of the electric motor is about an inch long. It makes the turbocharger an inch longer, with no impact on the timing and virtually no impact on the weight. The trick is to make electrical motors are capable of motoring more than 120,000 rpm and withstand mechanical loads in excess of 200,000 rpm – because turbos spin that fast.
The other challenge is to get enough electrical energy into their designs. The majority of cars use 12 volt or a 14-volt alternator.42 volt would be a significant help. But we believe that electric boost is feasible with 12-volt systems. The prospect is very real for electric boost. You will see it in premium diesels such as the Renault Aspach (sic) or the Peugeot A06 (in Europe). They have limited space and need lots of power density and bottom end. I also clearly see it in high-end gasoline engines, built for high performance.
I could imagine it in a (Chevrolet) Corvette or (Ford) Mustang Cobra like vehicle, having an electrical-assist turbo. If you go to 42 volt or a hybrid, e boosting would also allow very aggressive downsizing of the (IC) engine. This would allow very aggressive downsizing of the engine. Instead of applying a three-liter V6, you could apply a one-liter internal combustion engine, equipped with an electrical boost turbo plus an electric motor. You can only do extreme downsizing – 50 percent or more – with electrical assist turbocharging.
It is entirely integrated inside the turbocharger, with virtually “real-estate” penalty to speak of. The size of the electric motor is about an inch long. It makes the turbocharger an inch longer, with no impact on the timing and virtually no impact on the weight. The trick is to make electrical motors are capable of motoring more than 120,000 rpm and withstand mechanical loads in excess of 200,000 rpm – because turbos spin that fast.
The other challenge is to get enough electrical energy into their designs. The majority of cars use 12 volt or a 14-volt alternator.42 volt would be a significant help. But we believe that electric boost is feasible with 12-volt systems. The prospect is very real for electric boost. You will see it in premium diesels such as the Renault Aspach (sic) or the Peugeot A06 (in Europe). They have limited space and need lots of power density and bottom end. I also clearly see it in high-end gasoline engines, built for high performance.
I could imagine it in a (Chevrolet) Corvette or (Ford) Mustang Cobra like vehicle, having an electrical-assist turbo. If you go to 42 volt or a hybrid, e boosting would also allow very aggressive downsizing of the (IC) engine. This would allow very aggressive downsizing of the engine. Instead of applying a three-liter V6, you could apply a one-liter internal combustion engine, equipped with an electrical boost turbo plus an electric motor. You can only do extreme downsizing – 50 percent or more – with electrical assist turbocharging.
Schnellmann said:
Exactly...isn't an electric "turbocharger" actually just a supercharger...so it will be both turbocharged and supercharged like the Polo GTi engine (which I can say, as my wife owns one, still suffers from turbolag and is not as nice as a NA engine...although it is still pretty impressive)
I thought a supercharger was driven mechanically (usually from the crank)?Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff