Solving the Utterly Useless Fuel Economy Issue in the Mazda RX8
An interesting blog & article on an amazing body and suspension. I’d own one now if I had the plan to make improvements. Perhaps one day.. Here are some clips from the post and the link so enjoy:
35 MPG RX8 by Paul Lamar
This is a method of downsizing the rotary engine for highway cruising. Right now the RX8 engine is running at about 3250 RPM at 65 MPH and getting 25 MPG. My guess it is using about 30 HP to go 65 MPH. That would be a fuel burn of around 2.6 gallons an hour or 15.6 pounds per hour or a BSFC of around .52. BSFC is defined as the number of pounds of fuel burned for every HP generated in one hour. Here is a very old BSFC map from a NSU Wankel rotary engine. No doubt the RX8 engine BSFC is considerable improved over this engine never the less the basic principles still apply. I don’t have a corresponding map for the RX8 engine in case you were wondering.
A turbo compound rotary could achieve a BSFC of about .38. Turbo compound engines use small turbines extracting HP from the 50% waste energy in a gallon of gas and feeding it back into the output shaft. A well known technology from the 1950’s used in airliner piston engines. One of the problems with these A/C engines was the failure of an exhaust valve would take out the turbine. Needless to say the rotary has no exhaust valves. The 8 HP turbine would be geared down by at least ten to one. Working backwards a BSFC of .38 would be a fuel burn for 30 HP of 11.4 pounds per hour or 1.9 gallons per hour or a MPG of 34.2 MPG at 65 MPH.
Ford EcoBoost Engines – Turbocharged, High Heat Efficiency needs a 100% Synthetic
In a previous Facebook post on the Sioux Falls page, I mentioned the merits of the 1.0 3-cyl EcoBoost engine but there are several more popular and practical versions in the other vehicles Ford offers. All of these are the most impressive works ever developed by Ford. The overall design of the powerful six’s with the excellent flow of the internal exhaust manifolds to turbo (low inertia twin units) make engine warm-up fast while achieving the most power per cubic inch ever known. There are challenges however making our AMSOIL Signature Series a must for long life and low maintenance.
There are blends and “fully” synthetic products recommended by Ford but with AMSOIL you know you get a TRUE 100% synthetic which can stand up to the heat (beyond what this engine can generate actually) for any amount of time while resisting formation of deposits in your turbo’s lines. AMSOIL leads the industry with the lowest volatility thus less chance for oil vapors being drawn into combustion via PCV and what does get drawn in has less of a chance to leave deposits on the scorching hot intake valves. Also should the driver fail to change oil at the proper recommended interval, AMSOIL has you covered!!
Ford has positioned a “specially developed” version of Castrol called Magnatech but after examining the overall merits it still doesn’t address long term deposits. Castrol doesn’t make any claims to be a true 100% synthetic (They use the term Fully Synthetic which is common for Group IIIs) nor are there any viscosity retention tests. As a AMSOIL customer first and a dealer 2nd, I trust AMSOIL even more hearing from those who work in the windpower industry that AMSOIL has revolutionized their return on investment and all the severe issues with the Castrol product. According to them, AMSOIL provides the only lubricant to solve a serious viscosity retention issue which others have not. This method of solving problems over stockholder profits allows their products to be years ahead in technology and performance. The Signature Series addresses these issues with the EcoBoost even years before there was a need.
No warranty issues with the Signatures Series as long as you use the proper viscosity. But should anything happen AMSOIL backs their products 100% with their own guarantee and complete satisfaction. No other lubricant company comes close to this type of protection..
Lastly The #1 reason to use AMSOIL’s Signature Series (5W-30, 5W-20 or 0W-20 per your owners manual) is simply for the performance!! There is a difference. It’s in the base stocks and additive packages and it’s constantly being verified and improved. A difference you can feel and an additional load off of the internal parts at all temperatures under all loads. And many synthetic do leave deposits. Not Signature Series. It’s not a Group III base. If a OEM had a duplicate product it would have to be generally around $15 retail per quart to satisfy typical markups needed.
Sioux Falls Ford owners – We want to be your oil for max performance in these exceptional engines! Don’t settle for dealership…
With the EcoBoost and other engines utilizing the gasoline direct injection there’s an additional issue with the intake side of the intake valves concerning cleanliness. As fuel is sprayed directly into the quench area, it bypasses the whole intake manifold and top side of the intake valves thus allowing debris and varnish from the combination of intake dirt and oil vapor from PCV. Ford mechanics have said Ford is working on a solution to this problem but have yet to publish anything on the matter. They warn to not try to spray or apply anything under warranty so we will update this blog when the time comes.
In the mean time only AMSOIL Signature Series 5W-30, 5W-20 and 0W-20 has the lowest volatilityin the industry. In fact AMSOIL was the first company to use the NOACK Volatility test as a standard to go by. This guarantees the lowest amount of crankcase oil vapor being sucked back through the intake system through PCV.
The authorized mechanic referenced in the video below suggests the use of a catch-can once warranty is complete. It will prevent more buildup on these sensitive parts.
Thank you again for reading my AMSOIL blog. I’m Ches Cain with The Synthetic Warehouse. Hope you visit the Sioux Falls store and try out all the products in all of your equipment. Ask for a catalog and be sure to get a coffee mug when you buy a case of any oil!!
