1981 Mazda Rx-7 Gs Coupe 2-door 1.1l on 2040-cars

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How Mazda got Skyactiv-X to work is incredible

"Take everything you know about engines and turn it around," Mazda North America Vehicle Development Engineer Dave Coleman says, patiently and with a look of benevolent pity, as he's quizzed about the particulars of the company's new engine. The Skyactiv-X engine is enigmatic — and deceptively simple in operation. And the bottom line for American consumers is that they'll be able to buy a car (or crossover; we don't know yet what vehicle will first get it) by late 2019 that provides diesel-like fuel economy but runs on regular old gasoline. In between diesel and spark ignition, but it's neither To truly understand it, you have to dive into the contradictions. Take that regular old gasoline: Contrary to common sense, the lower the octane, the better it works. In the lab, the Skyactiv-X engine loves 80 octane. The lowest Americans get is 87, so the engine is tuned for that octane. Go higher and you lose some low-end torque. Coleman was right. It's hard to wrap your head around an engine that thrives just at the point when most gas engines would aggressively self-destruct. It uses a supercharger to pump additional air — but not additional fuel. It uses spark plugs to start a combustion cycle that normally doesn't need a spark. And, quixotically, it's not displacing Mazda's own American-market diesel engine, currently languishing in a seemingly endless hell of regulatory approval. More bizarre: Mazda is a tiny automaker facing real existential headwinds, and gasoline compression ignition is a massive challenge. GM and Hyundai announced compression ignition, or HCCI, projects (full name, homogeneous charge compression ignition) to great fanfare, but they never amounted to a production hill of beans, crippled by reliability issues or horrible vibrations. Worse, they only worked at an unusably narrow range — low RPMs and low loads. HCCI research improved direct-injection gas and diesel engine technologies for these companies, but HCCI itself remains untamed. The benefits of lean combustion Why even try to tame HCCI? The answer is much better fuel economy and lower emissions. Less burned carbon-based fuel, less carbon dioxide released. That's simple. But there are some thermodynamic reasons for the lean combustion you can achieve with compression ignition that are worth explaining. The ideal amount of fuel for a conventional engine to burn is about a 14:1 air-to-fuel ratio. That lets every molecule burn nicely, in theory.

Here's what you had to say about the Tokyo Motor Show

We obsessively covered the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show. You, our readers, provided the color commentary. Read on and, of course, leave your comments below. Subaru Viziv Performance Concept: Remember the WRX concept they showed in 2013, and what the production version looked like in 2015? Pepperidge Farm remembers. wooootles 2 foot high wing on the trunk or gtfo :) sc0rch3d Mazda Kai Concept : Dear Honda, this is how you dynamically style a hatchback. Thank you. Dfelix70 Kudos to KODO design. There are so many things I love about this "Kai" car: the awesome split panoramic sunroof, the Jaguar-esque tails (sporting an "eyebrow up"... ala The Rock), a sleek family resemblance to the already beautiful CX-5 and CX-9. Seems suspiciously close to being a production ready Mazda3 — save for a few fanciful bits (door handles, mirrors etc). If it doesn't get too watered down by the time it hits the streets ... take my money! Randy Ross Mitsubishi e-Evolution Concept: As an 06 IX and 12 X owner, this is so upsetting. I will never buy this or care to give it another look. Hope you are glad you killed my favorite track-ready car to produce this electric junk. AcidTonic Picture the GT-R going away for a few years and coming back as an SUV. This is ridiculous. Surely someone in marketing could've came up with another cool name. Evo The Evo sedan is dead, whether this exists or not. I don't mind. Lada1200 Honda Sports EV Concept : I sure would like to see this "less is more" design aesthetic spread to their gas-powered production line. RustyShackleford Love it. I see glimpses of late 1970 Scirocco with Honda flair. Gintonics I just want ONE question answered in the affirmative, and that is... "RWD?" Henadenk AND A FEW FROM FACEBOOK: Toyota's press conference: Wake me up when they talk about the Supra. David Levinson Yamaha Cross Hub Concept: All I can think is modern day Brat, which has its own kind of charm. I'm assuming that it's a unibody design, but it seems happy to be its own thing rather than that crossover pretending to be a pickup called the Ridgeline. Would definitely take the Yamaha over the Honda, although I doubt it'll come to the states. Cole Henry Mazda Vision Coupe Concept: Face: KIA K7, Tail: Aston martin. Harold Shin A bit British, no? Jim Lykas Related Video: News Source: Honda, Toyota, YamahaImage Credit: Subaru, Mazda, Mitsubishi Auto News Green Tokyo Auto Salon Tokyo Motor Show Honda Mazda Mitsubishi Subaru Toyota 2017 tokyo motor show

Mazda MX-5 Miata goes Head 2 Head with Subaru BRZ

It's a battle that's been in the making for some time now: the Subaru BRZ versus the Mazda MX-5 Miata. And now that the new Miata has arrived – and in Club spec to boot – that's exactly what Motor Trend has lined up for its latest episode of Head 2 Head. Now before you go screaming that one's a coupe and the other a convertible, take a few commonalities into account. Roofs aside, both feature a 2.0-liter four mounted up front, driving the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission. Both are made by Japanese automakers and cost around $25-30k, give or take. Both produce around the same amount of torque, and while the Subaru may be more powerful, the Mazda's considerably lighter. To create a more even contest, then, you'd have to line a BRZ up against a Scion FR-S, or the MX-5 against the upcoming Fiat version of the same. Of course, being that close on paper doesn't mean that it's a draw. One has to come out on top. And after taking both along country roads and the Streets of Willow racing circuit, our friends at MT have picked one over the other. You'll want to watch the 22-minute video above (or at least skip ahead to the end) to see which came out on top, but if you're as enthused by a purist driver's car as we are, you'll enjoy every minute of it. News Source: Motor Trend via YouTube Mazda Subaru Convertible Coupe Economy Cars Performance Videos motor trend mazda mx-5 head 2 head