Welcome to Revolution 5 Spring is in the air and the racing season is once again upon us. In this issue of Revolution we take a look at the exciting sport of truck racing – at 5500kg upwards, these must be the largest racing machines on the track, and 30 of them heading for a chicane make a magnificent spectacle! We’re also still following the progress of diesel sports cars from Audi and Peugeot as the Le Mans 24 hour race is on the horizon. Garrett outlines why replacement of VNT™ units is preferable to repair; both Spin Doctor and Mark Dickinson’s column address the importance of oil to the turbocharger; and we look at a number of innovations on the engine front from a wide range of manufacturers. New engines mean more demand for replacement turbochargers and you can rest assured that BTN Turbo will help you with the units you need. As ever, we offer turbo recognition from the VIN, a ‘new for old’ replacement policy on an increasing number of units and our ‘12 month no quibble’ warranty on commercial vehicle turbos. For more information on our services, including fault finding, build sheets and our complete catalogue, please go to www.btnturbo.com. Enjoy the spring and summer and remember, if you need any help or advice about turbochargers, just call BTN Turbo on 01895 4666666. Rachel Birch Editor VW 1.4 litre engine has a turbocharger and supercharger The innovative TSI engine from Volkswagen provides maximum power with minimum fuel consumption, by using a turbocharger and a supercharger. Dubbed the ‘Twincharger’, it is a 1.4 litre petrol engine that gives excellent power delivery throughout the speed range with no turbo lag; fuel economy of over 38mpg in a Golf GT; and an output of 168bhp. The manufacturer claims that it has all the benefits of a petrol engine in that it is quieter than a diesel and has a wider rev range, but it delivers comparable fuel efficiency and torque (177 lb ft). The thinking is quite simple. In order to combine the power characteristics of a large engine with the lightness and economy of a small engine, a turbocharger is the obvious answer when the engine is running at high revs. However, low exhaust pressure at low revs is an inherent problem and can cause turbo lag. This is overcome by the use of a high speed, mechanically-driven compressor, or supercharger, controlled by an automatic charge pressure control system. It kicks in during initial acceleration and supplies additional boost by working alongside the turbo when additional power, such as when overtaking, is required. FSI direct fuel injection allows a high compression ration of 10:1 and the ability to pass 7000rpm without risk: in the Golf, that means a top speed of 137mph, 0-60 in 7.7 seconds and more than 38.2mpg, with a CO2 output of just 175g/km. The TSI power plant, which won the Best New Engine Award in the International Engine of The Year Awards, is available in the Golf GT and Sport, and the Touran SE and Sport. Mark’s remarks Industry comment from Mark Dickinson, Sales & Marketing Director of BTN Turbo How drivers destroy their turbos Looking at the Spin Doctor article on oil in this issue of spinning at up to 200,000 rpm, reaches a phenomenal Revolution, I was struck by the fact that many drivers temperature and things start to cook! The oil begins to ‘coke’, don’t know how to treat a turbo. producing particles that will grind their way through the turbo bearings tomorrow morning when he starts the cold The businessman, for example, sets off in the morning in his engine again. brand new turbocharged car. Short on time, he has his foot to the floor before the oil has warmed and circulated properly. I suppose that we in the aftermarket should be grateful – it Then, after a couple of hours, he dives into the motorway means more business for us supplying and fitting the services, turns off the engine without letting it idle and goes for replacements. You can be sure that, when he is off the road, a ‘comfort break’. Little does he realise how much damage he is that businessman wants his car back quickly, which is why we inflicting on his turbocharger. As the oil stops circulating and hold massive stocks and can get you the replacement turbo you the fan comes to a halt the turbo, which seconds ago was need by next day delivery. The turbocharged Saab that doesn’t need petrol or diesel Saab gave green motoring a performance boost at the 2007 an incredible 300bhp. This has been possible through Geneva Motor Show when it unveiled its latest BioPower modifications to the engine management system and internal technology – the first production-based engine to be optimised components, allowing the use of greater boost pressure with a for pure bioethanol (E100) fuel. raised compression ratio. This exceptionally high specific power output of 150bhp per litre demonstrates scope for future Bioethanol fuel is produced commercially from agricultural crops ‘rightsizing’ – using small, high output engines that also deliver such as wheat, corn, grain, sugar beet and sugar cane. Unlike energy savings. petrol, its consumption does not significantly raise atmospheric levels of CO2, which some scientific research suggests is a major Peak power is complemented by a substantial 400Nm of torque, contributor to global warming. This is because emissions released giving the engine similar power to a naturally-aspirated 4.0 litre during driving are balanced by the amount of CO2 that is unit. The Saab 9-5 BioPower 100 Concept accelerates from 0 – 62 removed from the atmosphere when crops for conversion mph in just 6.6 seconds and from 50 – 70 mph (in fifth gear) in are grown. an even more impressive 8.2 seconds. Saab launched its BioPower flex-fuel technology 18 months ago and its entire range is now available with engines that can run on the eco-friendly yet potent fuel source bioethanol E85, standard unleaded petrol, or any mix of the two fuels. They enjoy substantially reduced fossil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, whilst delivering significant increases in power, when running on bioethanol E85 compared to when running on petrol. BioPower 100 is an exciting evolution as it requires no fossil fuel at all, and it demonstrates the great performance potential of bioethanol. Combining Saab’s turbocharging expertise with the use of high-octane E100 fuel, the 2.0 litre 9-5 engine produces White Van Man: dragon or knight of the road? Is the term ‘White Van Man’ affectionate or derogatory? 74% of van drivers think it’s the latter, or that it doesn’t apply to them personally, according to a survey carried out by GfK for Ford in March of this year. Indeed, 37% said it was ‘rude or insulting’ although 11% are proud to be called WVM. The survey revealed that today’s definitive White Van Man is male, about 42 years old, married and wants to retire early. His favourite foods are curry and roast dinners and a significant number choose organic foods. His preferred drinks are beer (49%) and tea (11%) and he doesn’t smoke (62%). Speed limiters result in extremely close racing He reads The Sun (38%) and listens to local music stations (32%) and BBC Radio 2 (28%). His favourite sport is football - 79% watch and 37% play. 80% eat in the cab of their van with 26% using transport cafes. A Race of Giant The winner of the very first truck race at Donington in the mid-80s arrived with a fully loaded trailer, unhooked it, competed, collected the silverware and on Monday morning was back on the road to deliver his load! The sport has moved on a great deal in the past two decades and the When it comes to working, the top factors machines used nowadays are a far cry from their road-going cousins. in the job satisfaction stakes are providing client satisfaction and finishing jobs on Limited top speed time. He feels he is professional and wants to be perceived as such: 69% like to keep Just as in every form of motorsport, the main objective when their van clean and more than half do care preparing a racetruck is to make it go faster, but truck racing has about how other drivers see them. some regulations that make it equally important not to go too fast. Reassuringly, more than nine out of ten Due to the sheer size and weight of these speedy six-wheelers, a agree that people who drive while speaking maximum speed limit of 100mph was enforced right from the on the phone are dangerous. beginning of the sport, for safety reasons. And, although most vans are white (64%), One side-effect of this rule is that the racing tends to be extremely WVM can also be Blue Van Man (13%), Red Van Man (8%) or Silver Van Man (7%). close. No-one can run away into the distance purely because of a superior top speed. Of course, this places a premium on acceleration Keeping mobile is very important: WVM has and braking. a responsible attitude to van maintenance and 58% say that their van breaking down Quicker than a Porsche 911! is like losing their right arm. The 12-litre turbocharged diesel engines used by the majority of the With annual van sales in excess of 325,000 in the UK, there are plenty of vans out there field are tuned to produce in excess of 1000 horsepower, which is for us to maintain.