Geely-Volvo’s CEVT engine boss explains why the Proton X50’s 3-cylinder is better than a 4-cylinder





...Removing one cylinder is also a super effective in cutting down weight, which is directly related to fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. There’s also the added benefit of achieving better front:rear weight balance in front-wheel drive cars, which is the norm these days anyway.

The benefits of a 3-cylinder over a 4 is very clear. The challenge is to mitigate the vibration problems from a 3-cylinder’s uneven firing order. Solving it is complex, but not difficult if you know what you are doing. Technology for dampers and today’s understanding of engine harmonics is good enough to allow car companies to overcome the problem.

The Geely 1.5TD engine, which Malaysians know as the 1.5 TGDi (identical to 1.5 MPI except for fuel system), contains many of such countermeasures into its engine design.

Explaining them requires a Ph.D but Sandquist briefly said the use of counterweighted crankshafts, dual mass flywheel with centrifugal pendulum absorber damper, single balancing shaft, low noise timing belt, high stiffness oil pan, asymmetric oil pump impeller, engine compartment and vibration dampener – all hidden away from view, allows the 3-cylinder to run very smoothly.

Dr Sandquist adds that vibration (lack of) of the 1.5TD engine is not only controlled, but it’s actually better than some of their rivals’ 4-cylinder engines...

Source: WAPcar, news/7854/amp

This post has been edited by freeman1: Nov 16 2020, 08:03 PM

Maybe 30 years later...

Answer from Geely-Volvo Engine Boss:

The Proton X50’s 1.5-litre turbocharged engines (MPI and TGDi) are not the only 3-cylinder engines on the market. The all-new 2020 Nissan Almera also uses a 3-cylinder.

Going further up the hierarchy, BMW and MINI also use 3-cylinder engines in many of their models. The Toyota GR Yaris, which is developed with inputs from world rally champion Tommi Makkinen, also uses a 3-cylinder engine, and it costs more than a FK8 Honda Civic Type R!

So why are companies backpedalling their earlier message to customers that they should pay more for a bigger engine?

Someone a lot smarter than me once told me this, “When learning something new, you learn by following the rules, because it’s safer and easier. Then you work to master the craft, but somewhere down the line, you will reach the limit of current understanding because what you are trying to achieve is no longer normal. Moving beyond that normal limit requires you to unlearn, and even break the rules.”

Science didn’t progress for more than 1,700 years because Aristotle’s philosophies was thought to be universal truth, until Galileo introduced quantitative, methodical methods to science.

Isaac Newton had to throw out Aristotelian worldview to properly explain the laws of motion. But classical Newtonian laws had to be smashed before Neils Bohr could understand movements in the invisible world of atoms, and after that, Planck, Einstein, and Schrödinger had to throw out the very foundation of 19th century science before mankind could understand the uncertain world of quantum physics.

For automotive engineers like Dr. Sandquist, they are facing a similar need to throw out conventional understanding before they can move forward. The car industry is now in a once in a 100 years revolution...

In before... yes... but petro is dirt cheap now... the transition will take longer time... at least 50 years for msia

Typical toyota mindset... old tech = reliable = good

That's called self destruct mode, is one of the anti theft feature, poorfag wont understand wan...