Major Assignment #2
Draft #2
For centuries cars have been used for multiple reasons, from getting you to point A to B or for getting you from point A to B in the shortest time possible. There have been cars that come standard with over 1,200 horsepower. There are cars that can go 0-60 in less than 3 seconds and drive a quarter mile in under 9 seconds, from the factory. But what makes these cars so fast? Is it just the engine? How do these cars pass the emissions the same way a Toyota Prius passes emissions? In this essay I will be answering the question of how cars are designed and engineered to be extremely fast and also comply with street legal emissions and rules.
To first understand how car companies create such powerful machines, we must understand the rules and guidelines that must be followed for the car to be drivable. For this we will be using the Massachusetts yearly inspection guidelines. While most of the inspection is easy to get around with things such as the horn, lighting and steering, there are a few key things to be noted and that need to be worked around. The mirrors and the exhaust system are two major key factors to be noted on. Most of these high performance vehicles are designed extremely tight and small and have very little visibility. The mirrors must be designed to fit the car perfectly. Some cars use an electronic rear view mirror to overcome this. But the main problem is the exhaust setup. A car can only emit so much fumes into the environment or it will fail inspection. Having a free flowing exhaust is something that can generate great power gains in a car, like the Koenigsegg which has their own patented exhaust set up which gains the car upward of 300 horsepower when it's functionable.
Many car companies who are keeping their car cost efficient can't add such a special exhaust system like Koenigsegg. What they will do is create an exhaust system that is more free flowing and electrically operated so when the car is under full throttle it opens up more. While this is great for keeping a cost efficient exhaust, it does not nearly add enough horsepower as a true supercar exhaust. This is why many people modify their exhaust and make it more free flowing. A key component that keeps a car emissions friendly is a catalytic converter which is meant to reduce harmful emissions. Many supercars use a high flow catalytic converter which still reduces emissions but allows the backpressure on the car to still be utilized. The only issue is this type of product can only be functional when the car is under the right temperature. While you could just wait till the car is warmed up to inspect it, it will not pass the sales requirements. Koenigsegg has added a pre-catalytic converter before their primary one so when the car is still warming up they are still able to pass emissions. But what happens to the power? They implemented a small gap in between the pipes where the pre catalytic converter and the performance one meet, which allows air flow to go around the pre catalytic converter when the car is under full throttle, while still reducing emissions but allowing upwards of 300 horsepower to be brought to life.
When it comes to moving weight, moving a lighter amount of weight is definitely a lot better than moving more. Most automotive companies will use stainless steel for all the body panels on a car, besides plastic bumper covers. While this provides maximum safety for a car it makes the cars a lot heavier and more weight means more power to move it. In 1981 carbon fiber was introduced to the car scene. Carbon fiber is a lightweight material similar to steel as it keeps its shape under high pressure. When it comes to supercars carbon fiber is used in every aspect it can be used in. Door panels, bodywork, hoods, roofs, suspension and even panels and parts on the interior. When it comes to going fast you need to save as much weight as possible. Almost every carbon fiber vehicle needs to be reinforced by some kind of steel such as a roll cage. Adding this steel does add some extra weight but it must be done for the safety in the vehicle. Adding carbon fiber in a vehicle can significantly reduce the weight and reduce the performance numbers in a vehicle.
Whale having such a lightweight vehicle is a huge advantage it can be dangerous when traveling at speeds upwards of 200+ miles per hour. This is where aerodynamics comes into play. Many daily driver automobiles such as a Toyota Prius use aerodynamics to increase fuel economy. Every car's style is built off of aerodynamics. While many high end brands sculpt their panels in the high quality carbon fiber to make it look extremely fancy and breathtaking, it actually has some purpose behind it. Those big side door scoops you see on a Lamborghini are not for show, they're massive air intakes that scoop air while you're driving and feed it to the engine. That multifunctional electrical spoiler on a Bugatti does add to the uniqueness of the car, but it actually adds tons of downforce on the car to keep it from flying off the road. Aerodynamics are a hue factor in safety of a performance vehicle. They allow the car to flow perfectly and allow it to glide through the air.
When you have all these factors adding up to create this beautiful looking carbon fiber car that has a super complex exhaust with this car that weighs so little, where does all the power come from? It comes from a super simple engineered device that adds more air into your car. That's right cars are capable of up to 1200 horsepower due to air. There are two main ways your car can get this air, superchargers or turbochargers. They all have their benefits and their drawbacks. On a car that needs to have a super quick takeoff, like a Dodge Charger Hellcat, the car will use a supercharger. A supercharger is a belt-driven device that crams air into your car immediately. Once you step on that peddle, you get your boost. The supercharger is connected to the same belt that your car uses to run. As the car's belt rotates the supercharger rotates. The more the supercharger rotates the more air it spools up and the more air goes into your engine. The main drawback is the gas mileage from your car may not be affected at all or may get worse, due to the more energy your car needs to produce to make the belt turn. If you are designing a lightweight car that is going to maximize every aspect of power, you want to install a turbocharger. A turbocharger uses the exhaust gas and pressure from your car to spool up a small fan that creates more air for your engine. The turbocharger uses existing energy to create more power for your engine. The only drawback is this power needs to be built up with your exhaust, it is not instant. The farther up you put a turbo on your exhaust the quicker it will be, but the power will never be as instant as a supercharger.
While some cars get you from point A to B, some cars get you from point A to B as fast as they can. Engineers design cars to have extreme power, while also keeping them emission friendly. From the exhaust being more freely open, to using the exhaust to create more power. Thanks to the invention of carbon fiber in the auto industry cars were able to be made a lot lighter and were able to travel a lot faster. And due to the engineering behind the aerodynamics of the car the cars were able to glide through the air while staying on the ground at 200+ miles per hour. That is how engineers made cars as fast as possible while keeping them emissions friendly.
Citations
“Basic Inspection Information.” Mass Vehicle Check, www.mavehiclecheck.com/motorists-basicinfo.
Hurd, Byron. “Here's How Koenigsegg's Exhaust Setup Passes Emissions.” Motor Authority, 6 Sept. 2019, www.motorauthority.com/news/1124723_koenigsegg-exhaust-setup-passes-emissions.
Adams, Eric. “Carbon Fiber's Days As the Car World's Lightweight Miracle Material May Be Numbered.” The Drive, The Drive, 17 Sept. 2018, www.thedrive.com/tech/23639/carbon-fibers-days-as-the-car-worlds-lightweight-miracle-material-may-be-numbered.
Witzenburg, Gary. “Turbochargers vs. Superchargers: Which Is Better?” Car and Driver, Car and Driver, 12 July 2020, www.caranddriver.com/features/a25412500/turbocharger-vs-supercharger-definition/.
Bugatti Veyron Technology, www.bugatti.com/models/veyron-models/technology/.
Draft #2
For centuries cars have been used for multiple reasons, from getting you to point A to B or for getting you from point A to B in the shortest time possible. There have been cars that come standard with over 1,200 horsepower. There are cars that can go 0-60 in less than 3 seconds and drive a quarter mile in under 9 seconds, from the factory. But what makes these cars so fast? Is it just the engine? How do these cars pass the emissions the same way a Toyota Prius passes emissions? In this essay I will be answering the question of how cars are designed and engineered to be extremely fast and also comply with street legal emissions and rules.
To first understand how car companies create such powerful machines, we must understand the rules and guidelines that must be followed for the car to be drivable. For this we will be using the Massachusetts yearly inspection guidelines. While most of the inspection is easy to get around with things such as the horn, lighting and steering, there are a few key things to be noted and that need to be worked around. The mirrors and the exhaust system are two major key factors to be noted on. Most of these high performance vehicles are designed extremely tight and small and have very little visibility. The mirrors must be designed to fit the car perfectly. Some cars use an electronic rear view mirror to overcome this. But the main problem is the exhaust setup. A car can only emit so much fumes into the environment or it will fail inspection. Having a free flowing exhaust is something that can generate great power gains in a car, like the Koenigsegg which has their own patented exhaust set up which gains the car upward of 300 horsepower when it's functionable.
Many car companies who are keeping their car cost efficient can't add such a special exhaust system like Koenigsegg. What they will do is create an exhaust system that is more free flowing and electrically operated so when the car is under full throttle it opens up more. While this is great for keeping a cost efficient exhaust, it does not nearly add enough horsepower as a true supercar exhaust. This is why many people modify their exhaust and make it more free flowing. A key component that keeps a car emissions friendly is a catalytic converter which is meant to reduce harmful emissions. Many supercars use a high flow catalytic converter which still reduces emissions but allows the backpressure on the car to still be utilized. The only issue is this type of product can only be functional when the car is under the right temperature. While you could just wait till the car is warmed up to inspect it, it will not pass the sales requirements. Koenigsegg has added a pre-catalytic converter before their primary one so when the car is still warming up they are still able to pass emissions. But what happens to the power? They implemented a small gap in between the pipes where the pre catalytic converter and the performance one meet, which allows air flow to go around the pre catalytic converter when the car is under full throttle, while still reducing emissions but allowing upwards of 300 horsepower to be brought to life.
When it comes to moving weight, moving a lighter amount of weight is definitely a lot better than moving more. Most automotive companies will use stainless steel for all the body panels on a car, besides plastic bumper covers. While this provides maximum safety for a car it makes the cars a lot heavier and more weight means more power to move it. In 1981 carbon fiber was introduced to the car scene. Carbon fiber is a lightweight material similar to steel as it keeps its shape under high pressure. When it comes to supercars carbon fiber is used in every aspect it can be used in. Door panels, bodywork, hoods, roofs, suspension and even panels and parts on the interior. When it comes to going fast you need to save as much weight as possible. Almost every carbon fiber vehicle needs to be reinforced by some kind of steel such as a roll cage. Adding this steel does add some extra weight but it must be done for the safety in the vehicle. Adding carbon fiber in a vehicle can significantly reduce the weight and reduce the performance numbers in a vehicle.
Whale having such a lightweight vehicle is a huge advantage it can be dangerous when traveling at speeds upwards of 200+ miles per hour. This is where aerodynamics comes into play. Many daily driver automobiles such as a Toyota Prius use aerodynamics to increase fuel economy. Every car's style is built off of aerodynamics. While many high end brands sculpt their panels in the high quality carbon fiber to make it look extremely fancy and breathtaking, it actually has some purpose behind it. Those big side door scoops you see on a Lamborghini are not for show, they're massive air intakes that scoop air while you're driving and feed it to the engine. That multifunctional electrical spoiler on a Bugatti does add to the uniqueness of the car, but it actually adds tons of downforce on the car to keep it from flying off the road. Aerodynamics are a hue factor in safety of a performance vehicle. They allow the car to flow perfectly and allow it to glide through the air.
When you have all these factors adding up to create this beautiful looking carbon fiber car that has a super complex exhaust with this car that weighs so little, where does all the power come from? It comes from a super simple engineered device that adds more air into your car. That's right cars are capable of up to 1200 horsepower due to air. There are two main ways your car can get this air, superchargers or turbochargers. They all have their benefits and their drawbacks. On a car that needs to have a super quick takeoff, like a Dodge Charger Hellcat, the car will use a supercharger. A supercharger is a belt-driven device that crams air into your car immediately. Once you step on that peddle, you get your boost. The supercharger is connected to the same belt that your car uses to run. As the car's belt rotates the supercharger rotates. The more the supercharger rotates the more air it spools up and the more air goes into your engine. The main drawback is the gas mileage from your car may not be affected at all or may get worse, due to the more energy your car needs to produce to make the belt turn. If you are designing a lightweight car that is going to maximize every aspect of power, you want to install a turbocharger. A turbocharger uses the exhaust gas and pressure from your car to spool up a small fan that creates more air for your engine. The turbocharger uses existing energy to create more power for your engine. The only drawback is this power needs to be built up with your exhaust, it is not instant. The farther up you put a turbo on your exhaust the quicker it will be, but the power will never be as instant as a supercharger.
While some cars get you from point A to B, some cars get you from point A to B as fast as they can. Engineers design cars to have extreme power, while also keeping them emission friendly. From the exhaust being more freely open, to using the exhaust to create more power. Thanks to the invention of carbon fiber in the auto industry cars were able to be made a lot lighter and were able to travel a lot faster. And due to the engineering behind the aerodynamics of the car the cars were able to glide through the air while staying on the ground at 200+ miles per hour. That is how engineers made cars as fast as possible while keeping them emissions friendly.
Citations
“Basic Inspection Information.” Mass Vehicle Check, www.mavehiclecheck.com/motorists-basicinfo.
Hurd, Byron. “Here's How Koenigsegg's Exhaust Setup Passes Emissions.” Motor Authority, 6 Sept. 2019, www.motorauthority.com/news/1124723_koenigsegg-exhaust-setup-passes-emissions.
Adams, Eric. “Carbon Fiber's Days As the Car World's Lightweight Miracle Material May Be Numbered.” The Drive, The Drive, 17 Sept. 2018, www.thedrive.com/tech/23639/carbon-fibers-days-as-the-car-worlds-lightweight-miracle-material-may-be-numbered.
Witzenburg, Gary. “Turbochargers vs. Superchargers: Which Is Better?” Car and Driver, Car and Driver, 12 July 2020, www.caranddriver.com/features/a25412500/turbocharger-vs-supercharger-definition/.
Bugatti Veyron Technology, www.bugatti.com/models/veyron-models/technology/.