Good reading about thr LS 430 and some 400 Engineering
06-09-05, 06:11 PM
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
Good reading about thr LS 430 and some 400 Engineering
http://www.sae.org/automag/globalveh...2001/index.htm
Third-generation Toyota Celsior/Lexus LS430
Toyota's new Celsior/Lexus LS430 flagship sedan in top-of-the-line, Japanese market, C-spec trim.
Toyota's flagship sedan celebrated its tenth anniversary when it moved into its third generation. Toyota must have been in a hurry, aspiring to join the world's elite class of cars represented by the two renowned German brands.
Chief engineer Yasushi Tanaka's motto is "Continuity is power." Indeed, the new Lexus LS430, called Celsior in Japan, is continuity in the relentless pursuit of engineering excellence and impeccable build quality established in the first-generation and refined in the second. Toyota emphasizes, however, that the third-generation LS430 is no makeover of the predecessor, with 90% of the hardware renewed.
Celsior C-spec interior with navigation / information display.
The four-door sedan adheres to two rigorously observed outer dimensions: overall length no longer than 5 m (16.4 ft) and width within 1.85 m (6.07 ft), which Toyota maintains is the universally acceptable optimum size for a personal (versus official and business, i.e., chauffeur-driven) luxury sedan. The LS430 measures 4995 mm (197 in) long and 1830 mm (72 in) wide - unchanged from its predecessors.
The original LS400 had primarily been intended for the new premium-brand Lexus for the U.S. and Europe. As such, priority was placed on front-seat accommodation, with that of the rear-seat area being adequate rather than generous. Toyota's Japanese marketing team then took note of the new luxury sedan and decided to launch it in Japan as the Toyota Celsior. The car became an overnight success among affluent customers, who preferred to drive rather than be driven. The latter clientele soon expressed their desire for more legroom, which was echoed in the U.S. as well. Toyota dutifully obliged with a 50-mm (2-in) increase in the second-generation Celsior/LS400 by cleverly rearranging the major components on the platform carried over from the first.
The Celsior's 0.25 drag coefficient was attained with the help of careful underfloor airflow management.
The German makers began offering long-wheelbase versions of their top sedan models, which were identified with the letter "L" in their model designations in the all-important U.S. market. "We were again receiving 'two more inches' calls from our dealers and customers, conveyed through the Lexus marketing arm," reminisced chief engineer Tanaka. It was achieved by a new architecture - or platform - with a 75-mm (3-in) longer wheelbase, which is now 2925 mm (115 in), and the taller cabin at 1490 mm (59 in). The coupling distance (between the front and rear hip points) is now 1035 mm (41 in), exactly 50 mm (2 in) more than its predecessor. Front and rear headroom have also been increased by 25 and 40 mm (1 and 1.6 in), respectively.
The engine was moved 30 mm (1.2 in) rearward and the front overhang was shortened by 65 mm (2.6 in) to 835 mm (33 in). The 84-L (22-gal) fuel tank is now located under the rear seat, contributing a 110-L (3.9-ft3) increase in trunk volume, which is now 573 L (20.2 ft3). The doors' opening area is larger, enhancing ease of entry and exit. The Japanese coil-sprung model has a mass of 1790 kg (3950 lb) and weight distribution is 53% front/47% rear. The car's turning circle has been reduced from 10.6 to 10.4 m (34.8 to 34.1 ft) curb-to-curb by placing the steering gear assembly ahead of the front axle, increasing the steering lock.
The Celsior's transmission is the latest refinement of Toyota's rear-drive A650E 5 Super ETC.
The first-generation LS400 was quite respectable in its ability to move through the air, obtaining a drag coefficient of 0.29. The second-generation improved its Cd value to 0.28. The latest LS has attained a remarkable coefficient of 0.25. The key to the exceptional coefficient is underfloor airflow management. Toyota has devised a methodology whereby underfloor drag characteristics can be isolated from those of the whole car. Toyota's aerodynamicists are jealously guarding this measurement technology. For wind noise reduction, Toyota used the Japanese Railways (JR) advanced wind tunnel, whose background noise level is the lowest. (JR's famous "Bullet Express" train series is developed and tested in this tunnel.) All together, more than 400 h were spent in the tunnels for the LS430 aero-dynamic development, according to Toyota.
The LS430's 3UZ-FE engine is the evolution of the 1UZ-FE light alloy, quad-camshaft, 32-valve V8, with a bore increase from 87.5 to 91 mm (3.44 to 3.58 in) to obtain 4.292 L. The engine adopts the VVT-i continuously variable timing system on the intake camshaft for a 45° variance in intake valve operation (vs. 50° in the 1UZ-FE). Compression ratio is unchanged at 10.5:1. The engine designers' aim was increased low- and mid-speed torque, which is about 10% greater in the usable up-to-4000-rpm range. The 3UZ-FE is rated at 206 kW (280 hp) at 5600 rpm, in deference to the Japanese industry's voluntary constraint of maximum advertised power, and peak torque is 430 N*m (317 lb*ft) at 3400 rpm. The U.S. LS430 is not governed by this restraint, so a truer 216 kW (290 hp) at the same engine speed is quoted.
Light alloy components figure prominently in the Celsior's front suspension design.
The Celsior is one of two cars that qualify for Japan's stringent SULEV standards (the other car is the Nissan Bluebird Sylphy, whose 1.8-L inline four-cylinder engine is an adaptation of the U.S. SULEV Sentra unit). The Lexus LS430 meets the U.S. ULEV and European Stage 4 rules. The exhaust cleansing system employs two-stage catalytic converters. The manifold converter for each bank of cylinders is Toyota's new ceramic monolith type with 140 cells/cm2 (900 cells/in2) - one of the densest substrates in automotive application. The monolith's wall thickness is only 0.05 mm (0.002 in). Each manifold converter has a 0.87-L (53-in3) volume, its monolith coated with platinum, rhodium, and palladium active substances. A 1.01-L (62-in3) platinum/rhodium underfloor catalyst is combined in the system.
An interesting departure from the first- and second-generation Japanese Celsior powerplant practice is seen in the cooling system. Toyota's designers adopted a hydraulic motor to drive the single cooling fan whose switching action was accompanied with hardly a swish of fluid. However, for the LS400 a conventional twin-electric fan system was used. For the new Celsior/LS430, they adopted the twin-electric fan system across the board now that the whole power unit is housed within a well-insulated compartment.
The LS430 in a 64-km/h 40% offset crash.
The transmission is the latest refinement of Toyota's rear-drive A650E 5 Super ECT (five speeds, electronically controlled transmission). The artificial intelligence control extends the grade logic to downshift from 4th to 3rd on steep downhills as well as adapting gear ratios to frequent changes of direction as on a twisty mountain road. The engine and transmission are now centrally managed by two 32-bit ECUs vs. the LS400's two 16-bit system.
The LS430 chassis had originated at Toyota's advance chassis group and was developed over two years when it came to the LS product design team, accompanied by chief designer Moritaka Yoshida, who became the new car's assistant chief engineer. While the chassis employs the same basic "double-wishbone," short- and long-arm design as the LS400, it is all new. Yoshida maintains that a rear-drive sedan's dynamic performance begins at the rear suspension. He worked forward to the front suspension, finally balancing the act to attain the design and development target.
Celsior safety equipment includes a full-length air-curtain restraint.
The rear suspension comprises a forged aluminum L-shaped upper arm, twin unequal length and height tubular lower links, a mid-height toe-control link, and a rear-mounted anti-roll bar. The shock absorber/coil spring unit is mounted on the forged aluminum hub carrier. The front suspension combines a high-mount, forged aluminum upper A-arm and a closed-section, pressed-steel lower A-arm, connected by a forged aluminum upright/hub carrier. An anti-roll bar is mounted forward of the suspension. As before, coil-sprung and electronically controlled pneumatic suspension choices are offered in the range. In addition to the normal metal-sprung specification, Toyota offers a Sports package called the "eR suspension" for Japan, with firmer spring and damping characteristics. The pneumatic suspension has two operating modes, Normal and Sport, and two height settings, Normal and High, which can be selected by central-console-mounted switches.
Steering is by a rack-and-pinion system with electronically controlled variable power assist, calling for 3.53 turns of the steering wheel from lock to lock. The brakes are all ventilated discs, with vacuum boost assist, and equipped with ABS and EBD (electronic brake distribution). Toyota's VSC (vehicle stability control) system and traction control are also standard. The optional adaptive cruise control employs throttle, transmission (shift-down), and, when required, brake application to slow down but not to a halt. The adaptive system uses laser radar as before. The LS430 is designed and has been tested to meet the crash protection requirements of the three major markets - the U.S., Japan, and Europe. Toyota's internal tests indicated that the car would qualify for the top four-star ranking in the stringent Euro-NCAP criteria.
The new luxury car is laden with comfort and convenience equipment and accessories whose descriptions would fill a good page or two. They include cool-/warm-air-ventilated front seats, a navigation/information display system, and a Mark Livens premium audio option.
- Jack Yamaguchi
Third-generation Toyota Celsior/Lexus LS430
Toyota's new Celsior/Lexus LS430 flagship sedan in top-of-the-line, Japanese market, C-spec trim.
Toyota's flagship sedan celebrated its tenth anniversary when it moved into its third generation. Toyota must have been in a hurry, aspiring to join the world's elite class of cars represented by the two renowned German brands.
Chief engineer Yasushi Tanaka's motto is "Continuity is power." Indeed, the new Lexus LS430, called Celsior in Japan, is continuity in the relentless pursuit of engineering excellence and impeccable build quality established in the first-generation and refined in the second. Toyota emphasizes, however, that the third-generation LS430 is no makeover of the predecessor, with 90% of the hardware renewed.
Celsior C-spec interior with navigation / information display.
The four-door sedan adheres to two rigorously observed outer dimensions: overall length no longer than 5 m (16.4 ft) and width within 1.85 m (6.07 ft), which Toyota maintains is the universally acceptable optimum size for a personal (versus official and business, i.e., chauffeur-driven) luxury sedan. The LS430 measures 4995 mm (197 in) long and 1830 mm (72 in) wide - unchanged from its predecessors.
The original LS400 had primarily been intended for the new premium-brand Lexus for the U.S. and Europe. As such, priority was placed on front-seat accommodation, with that of the rear-seat area being adequate rather than generous. Toyota's Japanese marketing team then took note of the new luxury sedan and decided to launch it in Japan as the Toyota Celsior. The car became an overnight success among affluent customers, who preferred to drive rather than be driven. The latter clientele soon expressed their desire for more legroom, which was echoed in the U.S. as well. Toyota dutifully obliged with a 50-mm (2-in) increase in the second-generation Celsior/LS400 by cleverly rearranging the major components on the platform carried over from the first.
The Celsior's 0.25 drag coefficient was attained with the help of careful underfloor airflow management.
The German makers began offering long-wheelbase versions of their top sedan models, which were identified with the letter "L" in their model designations in the all-important U.S. market. "We were again receiving 'two more inches' calls from our dealers and customers, conveyed through the Lexus marketing arm," reminisced chief engineer Tanaka. It was achieved by a new architecture - or platform - with a 75-mm (3-in) longer wheelbase, which is now 2925 mm (115 in), and the taller cabin at 1490 mm (59 in). The coupling distance (between the front and rear hip points) is now 1035 mm (41 in), exactly 50 mm (2 in) more than its predecessor. Front and rear headroom have also been increased by 25 and 40 mm (1 and 1.6 in), respectively.
The engine was moved 30 mm (1.2 in) rearward and the front overhang was shortened by 65 mm (2.6 in) to 835 mm (33 in). The 84-L (22-gal) fuel tank is now located under the rear seat, contributing a 110-L (3.9-ft3) increase in trunk volume, which is now 573 L (20.2 ft3). The doors' opening area is larger, enhancing ease of entry and exit. The Japanese coil-sprung model has a mass of 1790 kg (3950 lb) and weight distribution is 53% front/47% rear. The car's turning circle has been reduced from 10.6 to 10.4 m (34.8 to 34.1 ft) curb-to-curb by placing the steering gear assembly ahead of the front axle, increasing the steering lock.
The Celsior's transmission is the latest refinement of Toyota's rear-drive A650E 5 Super ETC.
The first-generation LS400 was quite respectable in its ability to move through the air, obtaining a drag coefficient of 0.29. The second-generation improved its Cd value to 0.28. The latest LS has attained a remarkable coefficient of 0.25. The key to the exceptional coefficient is underfloor airflow management. Toyota has devised a methodology whereby underfloor drag characteristics can be isolated from those of the whole car. Toyota's aerodynamicists are jealously guarding this measurement technology. For wind noise reduction, Toyota used the Japanese Railways (JR) advanced wind tunnel, whose background noise level is the lowest. (JR's famous "Bullet Express" train series is developed and tested in this tunnel.) All together, more than 400 h were spent in the tunnels for the LS430 aero-dynamic development, according to Toyota.
The LS430's 3UZ-FE engine is the evolution of the 1UZ-FE light alloy, quad-camshaft, 32-valve V8, with a bore increase from 87.5 to 91 mm (3.44 to 3.58 in) to obtain 4.292 L. The engine adopts the VVT-i continuously variable timing system on the intake camshaft for a 45° variance in intake valve operation (vs. 50° in the 1UZ-FE). Compression ratio is unchanged at 10.5:1. The engine designers' aim was increased low- and mid-speed torque, which is about 10% greater in the usable up-to-4000-rpm range. The 3UZ-FE is rated at 206 kW (280 hp) at 5600 rpm, in deference to the Japanese industry's voluntary constraint of maximum advertised power, and peak torque is 430 N*m (317 lb*ft) at 3400 rpm. The U.S. LS430 is not governed by this restraint, so a truer 216 kW (290 hp) at the same engine speed is quoted.
Light alloy components figure prominently in the Celsior's front suspension design.
The Celsior is one of two cars that qualify for Japan's stringent SULEV standards (the other car is the Nissan Bluebird Sylphy, whose 1.8-L inline four-cylinder engine is an adaptation of the U.S. SULEV Sentra unit). The Lexus LS430 meets the U.S. ULEV and European Stage 4 rules. The exhaust cleansing system employs two-stage catalytic converters. The manifold converter for each bank of cylinders is Toyota's new ceramic monolith type with 140 cells/cm2 (900 cells/in2) - one of the densest substrates in automotive application. The monolith's wall thickness is only 0.05 mm (0.002 in). Each manifold converter has a 0.87-L (53-in3) volume, its monolith coated with platinum, rhodium, and palladium active substances. A 1.01-L (62-in3) platinum/rhodium underfloor catalyst is combined in the system.
An interesting departure from the first- and second-generation Japanese Celsior powerplant practice is seen in the cooling system. Toyota's designers adopted a hydraulic motor to drive the single cooling fan whose switching action was accompanied with hardly a swish of fluid. However, for the LS400 a conventional twin-electric fan system was used. For the new Celsior/LS430, they adopted the twin-electric fan system across the board now that the whole power unit is housed within a well-insulated compartment.
The LS430 in a 64-km/h 40% offset crash.
The transmission is the latest refinement of Toyota's rear-drive A650E 5 Super ECT (five speeds, electronically controlled transmission). The artificial intelligence control extends the grade logic to downshift from 4th to 3rd on steep downhills as well as adapting gear ratios to frequent changes of direction as on a twisty mountain road. The engine and transmission are now centrally managed by two 32-bit ECUs vs. the LS400's two 16-bit system.
The LS430 chassis had originated at Toyota's advance chassis group and was developed over two years when it came to the LS product design team, accompanied by chief designer Moritaka Yoshida, who became the new car's assistant chief engineer. While the chassis employs the same basic "double-wishbone," short- and long-arm design as the LS400, it is all new. Yoshida maintains that a rear-drive sedan's dynamic performance begins at the rear suspension. He worked forward to the front suspension, finally balancing the act to attain the design and development target.
Celsior safety equipment includes a full-length air-curtain restraint.
The rear suspension comprises a forged aluminum L-shaped upper arm, twin unequal length and height tubular lower links, a mid-height toe-control link, and a rear-mounted anti-roll bar. The shock absorber/coil spring unit is mounted on the forged aluminum hub carrier. The front suspension combines a high-mount, forged aluminum upper A-arm and a closed-section, pressed-steel lower A-arm, connected by a forged aluminum upright/hub carrier. An anti-roll bar is mounted forward of the suspension. As before, coil-sprung and electronically controlled pneumatic suspension choices are offered in the range. In addition to the normal metal-sprung specification, Toyota offers a Sports package called the "eR suspension" for Japan, with firmer spring and damping characteristics. The pneumatic suspension has two operating modes, Normal and Sport, and two height settings, Normal and High, which can be selected by central-console-mounted switches.
Steering is by a rack-and-pinion system with electronically controlled variable power assist, calling for 3.53 turns of the steering wheel from lock to lock. The brakes are all ventilated discs, with vacuum boost assist, and equipped with ABS and EBD (electronic brake distribution). Toyota's VSC (vehicle stability control) system and traction control are also standard. The optional adaptive cruise control employs throttle, transmission (shift-down), and, when required, brake application to slow down but not to a halt. The adaptive system uses laser radar as before. The LS430 is designed and has been tested to meet the crash protection requirements of the three major markets - the U.S., Japan, and Europe. Toyota's internal tests indicated that the car would qualify for the top four-star ranking in the stringent Euro-NCAP criteria.
The new luxury car is laden with comfort and convenience equipment and accessories whose descriptions would fill a good page or two. They include cool-/warm-air-ventilated front seats, a navigation/information display system, and a Mark Livens premium audio option.
- Jack Yamaguchi
03-02-17, 01:55 AM
#6
Here are some videos I found on YouTube about Lexus and some interesting videos about the LS400 and LS430...
History of Lexus, developing the LS400:
1990 Motorweek LS400 review:
1994/5 LS400 Debut video:
1999 Men And Motors LS400 Review:
2001 LS430 "The Calling" debut video:
2001 Men And Motors LS430 Review:
2002 Men and Motors LS430 Review:
History of Lexus, developing the LS400:
1990 Motorweek LS400 review:
1994/5 LS400 Debut video:
1999 Men And Motors LS400 Review:
2001 LS430 "The Calling" debut video:
2001 Men And Motors LS430 Review:
2002 Men and Motors LS430 Review:
Trending Topics
03-02-17, 07:12 PM
#8
Moderator
Wow, quite the resurrection of a thread here... Still interesting info, though.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
vinster29
LS - 3rd Gen (2001-2006)
29
06-02-05 06:31 AM
