Will Lexus follow the FI trend
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Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Sep 2007
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From: California
Will Lexus follow the FI trend
I was wondering
Mercedes Benz is going completely turbocharged by 2010. Lots of supercharged cars.
Audi has been turbo charging their engines, more specifically the I4, since forever. They've got the RS6, v10 turbo, plus a lot of other stuff.
BMW, after a very very long sting with NA engines, released the n54 engine(135i, 335i, 535i,) which have little to no lag and also theres rumors of M division considering FI.
Makes me wonder, what are their japanese competitors going to do? More specifically, Lexus, Infiniti, Acura and plans for the future, with balance of performance and more importantly efficiency in mind? Grace me with your wisdom Car Chat.
Of course Subies, Mitsu, GTR, etc. dont count. I'm talking direct competitors
Mercedes Benz is going completely turbocharged by 2010. Lots of supercharged cars.
Audi has been turbo charging their engines, more specifically the I4, since forever. They've got the RS6, v10 turbo, plus a lot of other stuff.
BMW, after a very very long sting with NA engines, released the n54 engine(135i, 335i, 535i,) which have little to no lag and also theres rumors of M division considering FI.
Makes me wonder, what are their japanese competitors going to do? More specifically, Lexus, Infiniti, Acura and plans for the future, with balance of performance and more importantly efficiency in mind? Grace me with your wisdom Car Chat.
Of course Subies, Mitsu, GTR, etc. dont count. I'm talking direct competitors
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Jan 2005
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From: A better place
Right now, Toyota is unlikely to jump into FI. The rumor currently though is that in a few years Toyota will get back into FI with electrically-assisted turbo engines. That's supposedly Toyota's goal in terms of FI, but we'll see what happens.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Dec 2006
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From: NY
Yeah.... more specifically variable geometry, electrically assisted turbos.
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Lexus power is comparable and so is their performance without FI. Their engines compression also does not make it attractive.
Lexus "turbo" are hybrids. Instant torque and power at any time. Passing power is incredible.
Many of their new engines are so efficient, that I don't think they will need to turn to FI for decent power and gas mileage.
Valvematic will hit the mainstream in the next few years, plus dual vvti, direct injection, etc. Their commitment to engine technology is impressive IMO, as opposed to just dumbing down the engine and slapping on a turbo.
A lot of people, myself included, are turned off by the maintenance and dicey longevity of turbos.
Valvematic will hit the mainstream in the next few years, plus dual vvti, direct injection, etc. Their commitment to engine technology is impressive IMO, as opposed to just dumbing down the engine and slapping on a turbo.
A lot of people, myself included, are turned off by the maintenance and dicey longevity of turbos.
Racer
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,792
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From: so. cal
They have the turboed diesel v8 in the Land Cruisers overseas, and they have other turbo diesel engines, if you count the aftermarket TRD turbos, then Toyota cars in Japan have a bit of choices
Driver
Joined: May 2007
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From: NJ
Here's a really cool read on Toyota R&D labs research into the future of FI.
http://autospeed.com/cms/A_108916/article.html
"In a seminal paper, Hiroshi Uchida of the Toyota Central Research and Development Labs has given a dramatic technical insight into where turbocharging is headed. The paper, Trends in Turbocharging Technologies, shows how turbos will be used in the next decade of high fuel efficiency, low CO2 emissions engines. Linking compound twin turbocharging with electric motor assist and variable geometry turbos, Uchida explains the form in which turbos will dominate production car engineering."
'...."It seems clear, therefore, that in the future the individual development of engines and turbochargers will be supplanted by the development of turbocharged engine systems.
“Turbocharged engines incorporating new technologies are expected to make a major contribution to satisfying the demands for reduced CO and NOx emissions.“
"And when you see your first twin turbo, twin intercooler, electric assist turbo Toyota – you read it here first!"
Last edited by MelF1fan; Aug 2, 2008 at 06:35 PM.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 7,285
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From: A better place
Many of their new engines are so efficient, that I don't think they will need to turn to FI for decent power and gas mileage.
Valvematic will hit the mainstream in the next few years, plus dual vvti, direct injection, etc. Their commitment to engine technology is impressive IMO, as opposed to just dumbing down the engine and slapping on a turbo.
A lot of people, myself included, are turned off by the maintenance and dicey longevity of turbos.
Valvematic will hit the mainstream in the next few years, plus dual vvti, direct injection, etc. Their commitment to engine technology is impressive IMO, as opposed to just dumbing down the engine and slapping on a turbo.
A lot of people, myself included, are turned off by the maintenance and dicey longevity of turbos.
Your points about turbos are certainly valid, and that is one big reason why Toyota is working towards electrically-assisted turbos. Electric assist means little to no turbo lag, and it also means less wear and tear on the turbo, improving longetivity/reliability and reducing maintenance.
Advanced
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 554
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From: NV
Lexus will be behind the 8 ball as far as performance goes if they don't follow suit I am afraid. Their currently lineup is nice but not fast enough. They need the F models to really take off and get better with each one.
Lexus Champion
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From: NYC/ATL
