AutoWeek | Updated: 07/03/07, 11:34 am et DETROIT - Ford Motor Co. plans to increase fuel economy by rolling out what it calls "twin-force" technology, consisting of two turbochargers on four-cylinder, V-6 and V-8 gasoline engines.
NoOp Comment: A 6.2 liter Hurricane V8 sporting two turbos would be an interesting setup for a Mustang.
Derrick Kuzak, group vice president for global product development, said the technology will deliver diesel-like fuel economy. Diesels offer a 25 to 30 percent gain in fuel economy compared with gasoline engines of the same size. The first vehicle to use the technology is the upcoming Lincoln MKS flagship sedan due in 2008.
NoOp Comment: You gotta love that! My Mustang -- 1993 Cobra with 235 horsepower -- gets 21-22 in mostly highway driving. The new Vettes with 400+ get over 25 and approach 30. It's crazy.
Kuzak said Ford also plans what it calls its power-shift transmission, a six-speed automatic that combines features of a manual with an automatic; and variable-displacement V-8 engines.
My '89 with 3.06 gears would get 26-27 on the highway at around 60mph. Our old '94 T'Bird (aka The Lead Sled) with 4.6L V-8 got 28 mpg on the highway with an automatic. Frankly, I'm not all that impressed with the overall mileage rating on 80% of new cars. They aren't that much better than the Corvette, on average.
I just want a standard six speed MANUAL transmission with a clutch. Leave the slush boxes the heck out of performance cars... At least that is one thing Ford did not screw up on the Shelby GT500...
I'm guessing it's a Valeo style computer controlled manual. No torque converter. A computer controls the clutch and you can let it make the shifts too or do it yourself. They've been available in Ferraris for at least ten years and have trickled down to many lesser makes.
About those high mileage turbos, I read something not too long ago about an ex-Ford guy who was working on alcohol injected turbos. I think it was in a Car & Driver. The concept involves a relatively small displacement engine with a static compression ratio unusually high for a turbo. As high as 12:1. This high CR and low cid gives great fuel economy at cruise. The turbo boost provides extra torque and hp on demand. The alcohol injection cools the charge and jacks the octane rating way up, to prevent ping. The story touted this system as the correct way to use ethanol to replace gasoline in the energy supply. The cars would have a separate tank for ethanol only.
I think they are making a mistake by not offering an automatic. Once you reach a certain horsepower level the automatic is going to rule on the drag strip for most drivers. Too much time is spent shifting when ETs are low, IMO.
This is one area where we disagree Michael. I am buying my GT500 to drive, not thrash on the drag strip, I absolutely HATE automatic transmissions. If I wanted to have/build the best 1/4 mile drag car, I could build one that would totally spank the GT500 in the 1/4 mile for less than half the price, automatic transmission and all...
I haven't owned an automatic since I was a teenager, and I converted two of those into manual cars. I driven 07 mustang autos, and a new 08 6.4 twin turbo auto superduty, they have come a long way, but all still feel like slush boxes to me...
but have you driven an 07 mustang auto with a custom tune? The stock programming for the automatic is pretty week in my opinion. The shifts are soft and slow... They don't downshift until you are almost at a complete stop, which mean when you're slowing down you most likely in the wrong gear. Then there is the annoying delay in downshifting when you floor it... although my understanding is this was improved in the 07's... and lets not forget they can be a bit on the upshift happy side at light to part throttle (got to maximize that fuel economy!).
So that being said, I can see why you and others feel that the 5r55s is just another automatic... The thing is the tranny is basically completely computer controlled, which means most (if not all) of these short coming can be address with a tune.
Case in point... I spent a half a day with Lidio at Alternative Auto... we spent it just thrashing around town. Lidio was able to customize my tranny to my style of driving! There is a tremendous difference between my custom setup and stock! My car is no longer upshift happy. The shifts at part throttle are fast and firm. At WOT the shifts are chirping the tires (1-2 and 2-3... 3-4 will chirp occasionally but usually not... however it still gets your attention!).
My car now actually downshifts! Kind of cool listening to the blub- blub as she downshifts as i coast down.. but more importantly it means I'm in the right gear if i decide I need to get moving in a hurry again. (Like after making a tight turn). Also my car will now downshift immediately if i punch it. With the stock program, you would put the pedal to the floor and you would way 1 to 2 second before the car would downshift. It was absolutely HORRIBLE.. and I've see more than a couple people complain about it.. with good reason! Now when I quickly push the pedal down my car will downshift INSTANTLY! No hesitation what so ever!
Final thoughts... the 5r55s is pretty dang good tranny.. it is holding up well for those guys that are really beating on it... I think the stock programming is way to conservative... and to really get the full potential out of it you really need to get a tune.. and if you can, get a good custom tune to tailor the tranny to your liking...
Going manual or automatic is always a matter of personal preference. I find the older I get the more I lean toward automatics. They can be set up to deliver some very good performance, especially when you can manually select each gear. The control that one has over shift timing, shift speed etc. in the computer age is quite remarkable. It isn't like the old days of vacuum control etc. For road course racing the manual is the best choice but street driving and strip use an automatic can work quite well.
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.