Fto Tuning
Fto Tuning
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Mitsubishi FTO Power stage four As this guide is generic covering a wide range of vehicles by stage four it gets very difficult to predict specific modifications. At this stage we are talking about huge gains in power and torque. High specification engine re-design and build work, one off conversions and custom jobs possibly with a particular target in mind i.e. Circuit racing, drag racing, rallying, drifting, auto trials and fast road, all these areas can be discussed, designed and catered for by our team of engineers and technicians. Through our extensive knowledge of vehicle dynamics we recognise the importance of tuning the complete vehicle and not just the engine. For this reason we have separated our tuning packages into four areas. Mitsubishi FTO Power Tuning Technical Before we can fully understand the engine tuning process we must first look at Power Torque and Volumetric efficiency. Power is defined as the rate of doing work, and has units of Kilowatts (kW - named after James Watt) used widely in Europe or horsepower in the old Imperial units used here in the UK and in America. To see what power actually is, we look at the experiment that James Watt carried out in order to give a quantifiable standard for how much work could be carried out in a set amount of time. He wanted to know the rate at which work horses could raise coal from a coal mine. To do this he measured the mass of coal brought up the mine shaft, the distance that the coal was raised, and divided this by the length of time that it took to do this. He found that the horses would lift 33000 pounds 1 foot in one minute (or 1 pound 33000 feet in one minute), this unit of power became known as the "Horsepower." In metric terms, the Watt is defined as the power to do one Joule of work per second. One horsepower is equivalent to about 746 Watts, or 0.745699872 kW Now, we need to understand that power and torque are closely related and that by adding time to a force will give you power. Torque is basically the rotational equivalent of a force and is really the potential to do work and power is the rate of doing work? So, with a combustion engine, power is the torque multiplied by the radial velocity (speed) which is a measurement of time. So to calculate an engine's horsepower at some given speed, you use the following formula: power = Torque * RPM % 5252 To prove this formula we must look at the proof, which is as follows: Rev the engine to the desired speed. Measure the torque at that speed. Multiply the torque by 2 * PI * the engine speed in RPM. This gives you: X foot-pounds * 2 * PI * REVOLUTIONS % MINUTE Which, if you look closely, is a FORCE (in pounds) times a DISTANCE ("one foot * 2 * PI * revolutions" is the distance the tip of our one-foot moment arm travels, in feet) divided by TIME (in minutes). As we know, FORCE times DISTANCE divided by TIME = POWER. We now have power expressed in foot-pounds per minute. To convert to horsepower (33000 foot-
pounds per minute, remember), we simply divide by 33000. So Horsepower = Torque * 2 * PI * RPM / 33000 so Power = Torque * RPM / 33000/(2*PI) so Power = Torque * RPM / 5252. This incidentally, implies that an engine's torque and horsepower curves cross at 5252 RPM. So, as you can see, power and torque are very closely related, but it is important to realize that they are different. Remember that you can be applying a lot of torque for no result. Looking at the fact that power is the rate of doing work, it is obvious that if you are doing no work, you generate no power! So, no matter how hard you push that spanner, if the bolt doesn't turn, you generate no power. There are two ways of increasing the amount of torque generated by an engine - either increase the capacity (or, more correctly, capacity times volumetric efficiency), or increase the length of the lever arm (or stroke). For increased power, you can increase either (or both) the torque, or the revs at which that torque is generated. Increasing stroke will increase torque, so theoretically it would be good to have very long stroke engines. The problem is, if the stroke is too long, the volumetric efficiency decreases, particularly as the engine speed increases (which is why long stroke engines don't like high engine speeds, apart from the rotating friction and harmonics). Now this decrease in engine speed more than compensates for the torque increase, which is why very high power output engines tend to have very short strokes (once again, engine strength issues ignored). So as we can see the most important factor in increasing your engines performance is its volumetric efficiency. The volumetric efficiency of a 4-stroke engine is the relationship between the quantity of intake air and the piston displacement. In other words, volumetric efficiency is the ratio between the charge that actually enters the cylinder and the amount that could enter under ideal conditions. Piston displacement is used since it is difficult to measure the amount of charge that would enter the cylinder under ideal conditions. An engine would have 100% volumetric efficiency if, at atmospheric pressure and normal temperature, an amount of air exactly equal to piston displacement could be drawn into the cylinder. This is not possible, except by supercharging, because the passages through which the air must flow offer a resistance, the force pushing the air into the cylinder is only atmospheric, and the air absorbs heat during the process. Therefore, volumetric efficiency is determined by measuring (with an orifice or venturi type meter) the amount of air taken in by the engine, converting the amount to volume, and comparing this volume to the piston displacement. Volumetric efficiency= Volume of air admitted to combustion chamber / Volume of air equal to piston displacement x100
Volume of air equal to piston displacement Put simply the volumetric efficiency is the measure of your engines ability to process the charge (air fuel mixture entering the engine). For example an engine with a high volumetric efficiency would be the Honda F20 engine found in the Honda S2000 this engine produces 240bhp and 208nm of torque from a 2000cc displacement, this is achieved through finely calculated gas flows through the engine combined with high engine speeds. By tuning a vehicles engine we are increasing its volumetric efficiency, from fitting a larger turbo to carrying out major engine work down to removing negative pressures in the induction system by fitting an induction kit we are always trying to achieve the same thing higher volumetric efficiency, hence greater torque which can then be converted to power through speed.
Also See Chassis Tuning Also See Breaking Upgrade Tuning Also See Transmission Tuning
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Chassis Tuning Packages Chassis Tuning stage one It is important that the vehicles chassis and suspension are working as well as possible for the car to handle well in its standard form, therefore for stage one there are various products we can offer to help improve the standard package. Up rated Powerflex bushes. Suspension bushes are some of the most highly stressed components fitted to a motor car. They undergo enormous strains and in the most arduous of conditions with no maintenance or lubrication. The material they are manufactured from is a rubber compound containing natural products which deteriorate with age. It becomes softer and more pliable, resisting the forces placed on it less and less. Therefore allowing more and more movement of suspension components and offering less and less control over the suspension geometry. This in turn causes accelerated tyre wear, braking instability and poor handling. This is the single biggest reason you can instantly tell the difference driving a three year old car compared to a showroom new one. However even new cars will benefit from powerflex bushes because of their superior design they offer much more effective control of the suspension components to a much greater extent than normal rubber items. We offer a large range of Power flex bushes. For a vehicle suspension system to work correctly it is important that the chassis is as stiff as possible, for this reason we recommend the use of upper and lower strut braces to stiffen the chassis between suspension pickup points. Chassis Tuning stage two For stage two we would generally recommend (depending on the type and age of the vehicle) that you change the dampers. For most applications a coilover package is the best option offering the most adjustability for your money. This would include springs and dampers, the spring seats are adjustable offering adjustable ride height and corner weight balance. As part of stage two your coilovers are fitted in our workshop where the car is set up on the flat patch where castor, camber, toe and corner weights are checked and where possible adjusted to manufacturer specifications or to match your given application (rallying, drag racing, circuit racing E.T.C.).
Chassis Tuning stage three Firstly if the vehicle is still suffering adverse body roll even with the fitment of good quality dampers and springs, anti roll bars can be added to increase roll stiffness, a nice trick you can play with adjustable anti roll bars is to tension and slacken front and rear bars to change the car from under steering (front pushing on in corners) to over steering (rear end sliding round in corners). With any chassis/suspension package the way your vehicle behaves on the road or circuit is only as good as the way it is set up and adjusted. For stage three we liaise with you the customer to assess what it is you want from your vehicles handling behaviour and look at what components need to be changed to achieve this. Assuming that you already have good bushes and good quality shocks and springs we then change components to allow more adjustment to the Camber Castor and Toe. These components would typically include: Adjustable top mounts Adjustable upper or lower rear arms Adjustable lower front arms Adjustable Castor rods
Chassis Tuning stage four As this guide is generic covering a wide range of vehicles by stage four it gets very difficult to predict specific modifications. At this stage we are really dealing with custom work: Movement of chassis pick up points Fully rose jointed suspension.