Reducing engine load

[dimes1827]

just want to add some questions in decreasing fuel consumption
while recovering hp loss..
how about removing the alternator belt, while water pump,
power steering still got the belt..
only the alternator is disabled from the path, to decrease the load.
is there other feasible ways to keep the alternator turning/charging
the batt?

 

[obi_waynne]

I've made this into a new thread for you as I think it will be an interesting topic.

Firstly you can't disconnect your alternator or the car will stop running when the battery drains and this happens quite quickly.

The alternator is only pulling on the crank when there is an electrical load. This is why you notice a power loss when the air conditioning kicks in. I have seen kill switches that disconnect the alternator when acceleration on WOT (wide open throttle) but in the real world I don't see much point in that.

Replace the water pump with an electric one. This can take off quite a bit of strain from the crank.

Keep the electrical load low, turn off the heater radio lights etc... If you don't notice a power loss when these items are on then this illustrates how little effect the alternator has on your engine.

 

[dimes1827]

thanks Waynne :bigsmile:

"is why you notice a power loss when the air conditioning kicks in"
-isn't it the alternator keeps the battery from draining? or it allows
it to drain at a specific voltage, then recharge it again?

i was wondering if some other things will keep the
alternator pulley rotating (instead from the belt and engine) when in need
of charging/maintaining the battery's voltage level.

 

[coupe]

i thought the alternator ran all the time.
lose the water pump, go electric.
lose the mechanical rad fan, go electric
take off the air con.
thats about all you can do.

 

[old-git]

i thought the alternator ran all the time.
lose the water pump, go electric.
lose the mechanical rad fan, go electric
take off the air con.
thats about all you can do.

Alternator turns all the time. When not producing electricity it is freewheeling, but when it needs to charge the battery the resistance caused by producing electricity drains engine power.

Electric pumps reduce power drain, but they need to be powered continously making the alternator work harder and more often. Also, they are not as reliable as the traditional belt driven type.

Electric rad fan still needs power but should not be on very often under normal driving conditions.

 

[dimes1827]

ive read some about turbocharging,not for HP gain.
but the hot air pressure is directed to a turbine get the alternator turning.. enough to produce 6kW.

downside is when the car is at stop/traffic.. the battery is left on its own.

is the RPM of the alternator pulley same with the crank?
hope there's a gear mod to lighten the load for the alternator while increasing the rpm of the pulley

 

[obi_waynne]

Alternator drain is minimal, keep the battery topped up and avoid using the cars electrical items as much as possible. This will save money on underdrive pulleys and other devices.

With an underdrive pulley you may find that the alternator does not quite charge up the battery as it should.

Putting a turbo in the exhaust will always restrict the exhaust flow, if that is just being used to drive an alternator then you will probably end up with more of a power loss than you would otherwise have.

What about adding a solar panel to the roof to top up the battery and reduce the load on the alternator! (In the real world you will not notice a difference and will have wasted your money on the solar panel.)

 

[dpsubaru]

waynne, instead of a solar panel, attach some small windmills to the roof of your car, the fast you go the faster they turn and so the more power they generate - of course it might look a bit silly

 

[FactoryFast]

Whats all this about then ????.

 

[obi_waynne]

Just a thread asking for tips on reducing the load on an engine. I think we went a bit off topic though!

 

[FactoryFast]

why would you want to do that though ??.

 

[lutonmatt]

one cant get better mpg and more hp they just dont go together

and if you are worrying about to much engine load then your engine is to small lol get a v8 no worrys then

 

[FactoryFast]

v8s for sure as long as its not the rover version which struggles to overcome itself, i would disagree though.

My reasons are this, forget bhp etc look at a cylinder containing 1 drop of fuel and 2 of air, when ignited it creates heat and this heat expands pushing the piston away from itself while trying to push the head of at the same time (for every action there is a reaction). Now imagine a firework in your open hand it goes bang few burns but thats it, this is a standard engine, now make a fist around the firework it goes bang and your fingers fall off, this is a tuned engine. Skimming the head raises the compression ratio or rather forces the 1 drop of fuel and 2 of air to go bang in a smaller space like making a fist around the firework. So for the same amount of fuel you get a bigger push meaning you travel further and faster....

 

[lutonmatt]

agree with the rover v8
and sort of agree with the fireork thing tuned is better as long as its done right