China's automobile has developed for so many years, and the technological progress is obvious to all. As the heart of a car, the quality of the engine usually represents a brand's vehicle research and development capabilities. So, at this point of time in 2020, what level has the domestic automobile engine developed to? Has it even matched the international mainstream engine level? Today we will take a look at the gap between domestic engines and joint venture engines!
This comparison covers the more common displacements of 1.0T, 1.4T, 1.6T and 2.0T. For the comparison players, we have chosen domestic and joint venture engines. Performance engine (as shown in the table above) for comparison.
First of all, let’s compare the two most mainstream 1.6T engines. They are the SQRF4J16 from Chery and the EP6 series from PSA Group. From the point of view of the parameters, the horsepower and torque of the two are considered to be quite high in the 1.6T machine, and both can be added with 92 gasoline, which is more helpful for the economy of daily use. The cylinder material is also all aluminum , Lighter weight. In other technical aspects, there are some differences between the two 1.6T engines. Next, we will talk in detail.
To talk about the technology house among Chinese automakers, Chery is absolutely qualified to be elected. Although Chery's sales volume is far below that of Haval and Geely, it has always been at the forefront of technological exploration. At present, Chery’s most representative engine is the 1.6TGDI engine mounted on Xingtu and Tiggo 8. This engine belongs to Chery’s third-generation engine product. It has been installed in 2018 and is currently Chery’s strongest mass production. The engine, we can see this machine on Xingtu and Tiggo 8.
is the third-generation engine of Chery Group. The latest 1.6T engine code is SQRF4J16, where F stands for its engine series code, which is also the latest generation product, the previous generation engine code E series. 4J16 means that it is a four-cylinder direct injection with a displacement of 1.6L. After knowing this rule, the code name of Chery's engine will be well understood.
On the fuel injection system, Chery’s 1.6T engine also applies the current most mainstream direct injection technology. In order to improve the engine’s combustion efficiency, Chery’s engineers have adopted the direct injection of the F4J16 engine. The injection system is arranged on the side, combined with the upturned intake port design, can form a better tumble effect when the fuel enters the cylinder and improve the combustion efficiency.
However, the current injection pressure of this Chery engine is only 200bar. Although it is considered a mainstream level, it is slightly less than the 350bar direct injection system used by Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Toyota and other engines. Inferior. Fortunately, Chery is already upgrading its fuel injection pressure. The 350bar direct injection system will soon appear on the new F4J16.
The camshaft has redundant space
On the valve train, the F4J16 engine uses the intake and exhaust dual variable valve timing system, and its camshaft is also reserved Space leaves a certain degree of redundancy for future upgrades of variable valve lift technology, and valve lift technology happens to be the unique skill of the PSA 1.6T engine. We will talk about this later.
In terms of exhaust, the F4J16 engine uses an integrated exhaust manifold cylinder head, which can increase the warm-up speed of the engine, reduce cold start wear, and improve the fuel economy of the engine. The car can emit fewer pollutants, which can be regarded as a certain contribution to environmental protection.
In order to improve the internal working efficiency of the engine, F4J16 also uses a wave-shaped piston ring design (the part pointed by the red arrow in the picture above). This design has been seen on Volkswagen EA888 and EA211evo However, the wave-shaped piston ring can improve the oil scraping effect in the cylinder, and avoid the burning of oil and the increase of oil.
In terms of supercharger, F4J16 uses a turbocharger from BorgWarner. The low-inertia turbine blade design and electronically controlled turbo pressure relief valve can bring better power response and make the supercharger The pressure adjustment is more precise. Unfortunately, the current Chery 1.6T engine does not use dual scroll technology, which can be improved later.
In general, Chery’s F4J16 engine has achieved 197 horsepower and 290N·m of excellent parameters, while also achieving a theoretical thermal efficiency of not less than 37.1%. For turbocharged engines In general, a thermal efficiency of more than 37% is already a very good performance.
After talking about our own brands, let’s take a look at the more representative PSA EP6 series 1.6T engines among major international manufacturers. As an engine jointly developed by PSA and BMW, this machine has won the "International Engine Award" 8 times in a row from 2007 to 2014. Subsequently, PSA Group upgraded the EP6 engine and introduced the second-generation EP6 engine. The first domestic model equipped with the second-generation EP6 engine is the domestically-made DS7 in 2018.
Looking at the parameters, the current DS7 1.6T engine has a maximum horsepower of 215 horsepower and a maximum torque of 300N·m. Looking at the parameters, it is even higher than Chery's 1.6T, and has even exceeded the level of many 2.0T low-power engines. In terms of cylinder structure, EP6 also uses an all-aluminum cylinder design. There are not many surprises. At present, the all-aluminum cylinder is the most mainstream material, which has a very positive effect on the lightweight of the vehicle.
In terms of fuel injection system, although EP6 engine is also in-cylinder direct injection, the fuel injection pressure is also relatively low, the same as Chery’s, only 200bar, this level is more than 10 years for this engine It was a very good level when it was first born, but from the current point of view, there is indeed a lot of room for improvement. At least it should be upgraded to 350bar when the new version is launched in 2018.
In terms of valve timing system, in addition to dual VVT variable valve timing, this machine is jointly developed by PSA and BMW, so it also has the Valvetronic variable valve lift of BMW housekeeping. This technology can achieve full throttle opening under most loads. The electronic control system controls the opening of the intake valve to achieve faster power response and less pumping loss. This is why this PSA One of the reasons why the 1.6T engine starts to respond very positively.
In addition to Valvetronic, the second-generation EP6 engine also uses an electrically controlled clutch water pump. Unlike the traditional water pump system, this electrically controlled clutch water pump is not directly connected to the engine belt. Instead, the clutch wheel in the middle determines whether the pump works. The water pump does not work in the cold car state, which can make the engine heat up as soon as possible to reach the ideal working temperature, shorten the hot car time and save fuel. After the water temperature is normal, the clutch wheel is combined with the water pump and the engine belt, and the water pump starts to operate normally to achieve the function of controlling the temperature and cooling of the engine.
In comparison, Chery’s 1.6T engine performs well in terms of efficiency, but there is still a lot of room for improvement in terms of technology. For example, the camshaft has reserved space for valve lift technology, and the pressure of the direct injection system is also Can be increased to 350bar, which may have to be handed over to the next version of the 1.6T machine to achieve. The PSA 1.6T machine, with the Valvetronic variable valve lift technology from BMW, and the twin-scroll turbocharger system, still has better performance and dynamic responsiveness than Chery 1.6T, but its performance in terms of fuel consumption It's a bit inferior.
Compared to 1.6T engines, 1.4T seems to be more common in recent years. Next, let’s compare Changan’s latest Blue Whale 1.4T engine and Volkswagen EA211 1.4Who is stronger with the T engine? In terms of parameters, Changan’s 1.4T engine has higher parameters and can also use 92# gasoline. Both engines are made of all aluminum and have similarities in the gas distribution system, fuel injection system and exhaust manifold layout. However, there are some differences in other technical details, so let's analyze them one by one.
Changan Blue Whale series is Changan’s main high-efficiency engine in the past two years, covering two displacements of 1.4T and 2.0T, as well as 48V light hybrid. At present, the most advanced and latest product of the Blue Whale series should be the 1.4T Blue Whale engine that was only equipped on the CS35 PLUS in 2019. It is worth noting that Changan also has a 1.5T Blue Whale engine with a thermal efficiency of 40%, but this engine has not been installed in batches, so I will not analyze it here.
Changan 1.4T engine's core goal is two words-high efficiency. In order to achieve this goal, Changan can be said to have piled up all its housekeeping skills. From the point of view of the parameters, this 1.4T engine has 158 horsepower and 260N·m performance, which is a relatively high data for a 1.4T machine.
In order to achieve excellent power output and fuel economy, Changan has used the latest Bosch 350bar high-pressure direct injection system for this 1.4T engine. Higher injection pressure can achieve better The fuel atomization effect, thereby improving the efficiency of combustion and reducing pollutant emissions. In-cylinder direct injection has always been one of the main technologies of the Blue Whale series of engines. In the future, Changan will also popularize 350bar high-pressure direct injection to more machines.
In addition, Changan has also used an integrated exhaust manifold for this 1.4T engine. The cylinder head and exhaust manifold are integrated together to increase the engine’s heating speed and reduce Weight improves efficiency. In terms of superchargers, Changan’s 1.4T engine also uses a twin-scroll supercharger. As a small-displacement supercharged engine, the design of the twin-scroll tube can further improve the response speed of the turbo, reduce exhaust interference, and achieve more Good low-torque output. From the point of view of the parameters, this 1.4T engine can output a maximum torque of 260N·m at 1400 rpm, and continues until 4000 rpm. This speed range covers almost all the speed ranges used in daily use.
In addition, the current common water-cooled intercooler, the dual VVT variable valve timing system provided by Schaeffler, and all-aluminum cylinder blocks are also not absent. In addition, Changan’s 1.4T engine can also use 0W-20 low-grade oil, which can have smaller lubrication resistance and improve engine efficiency.
Combined, these technologies have also allowed the theoretical thermal efficiency of this 1.4T Blue Whale engine to reach an astonishing 38%, which is quite high in the turbocharger. It has become the leader among domestic small displacement supercharged engines.
In contrast, Volkswagen’s 1.4T engine should be more familiar to us, because at present this EA211 engine is used in almost all Volkswagen, Audi, and Skoda models that can be bought in China. Compared with the young Blue Whale 1.4T, Volkswagen's EA211 was successively assembled in domestic Volkswagen models in 2014, and it has continued to this day. From today’s perspective, Volkswagen’s 1.4T engine is no longer technically leading, and the parameters of 150 HP and 250 N·m are not impressive, but not bad.
From the perspective of basic technology, EA211 also has an all-aluminum cylinder block, dual VVT variable valve timing system, and also uses in-cylinder direct injection technology. However, due to the year of its birth, the current injection pressure of EA211 is only 200bar, which is the mainstream performance of the previous generation of direct injection technology, which is a bit behind the current 350bar direct injection system.
In additionEA211 also uses an integrated exhaust manifold design, which is currently the most commonly used structure for small-displacement engines. The exhaust manifold is integrated into the cylinder head, which can reduce the weight and volume of the engine. The cabin of the trolley is even more comfortable.
It is worth mentioning that the overseas version of EA211 also has ACT cylinder management technology. This technology is actually what we often call "cylinder closure", which turns off No. 2 and 3 when the load is low. Cylinder to reduce fuel consumption. But the EA211 engine castrated this technology after being made in China, so the domestic 1.4T does not have the function of closing the cylinder.
In terms of turbochargers, the Volkswagen 1.4T still uses a more traditional single-scroll turbocharger. Compared with the commonly used double-scroll tube, the single-scroll tube structure Simpler, but slightly inferior in terms of exhaust efficiency and turbo response.
Generally speaking, if only from a technical point of view, Changan Blue Whale 1.4T can be said to have completely surpassed Volkswagen’s 1.4T engine. The thermal efficiency of 38% is far more than Volkswagen’s 35%. As for why it is installed The actual power and fuel consumption performance behind the car is slightly inferior. In fact, the main factor is the gearbox.
In the field of 1.0T three-cylinder engines, the domestic manufacturer Geely is considered to be more representative, while the international manufacturer Ford earlier popularized 1.0T three-cylinder engines. In terms of parameters, the younger Geely 1.0T is ahead of Ford in terms of performance, but even by 2020 standards, Ford's 1.0T parameters are not bad. As for the cylinder body material, both are cast iron, which I personally think Geely is actually behind. Because Geely's 1.0T is a new machine that was installed in 2018, unlike Ford's 1.0T, it has been launched for many years. At present, the common dual VVT, low-inertia turbine, and integrated exhaust manifold are also equipped. Next, we will talk about some of the differences between the two in other technical aspects.
As we all know, Geely began to popularize Drive-E series engines on a large scale after acquiring Volvo, but for Geely itself, this 1.0T three-cylinder engine used in Binrui and other models is more Like a demonstration of Geely's achievements after learning Volvo's technology.
In terms of parameters, this 1.0T three-cylinder engine is squeezed out by Geely with 136 horsepower and 205N·m data. This value has certain advantages compared with other 1.0T engines, horsepower And the torque has even surpassed the Volkswagen 1.2T engine.
As mentioned earlier, Geely’s 1.0T engine uses cast iron cylinder block material. As we all know, the biggest disadvantage of cast iron compared to all-aluminum cylinder block is its heavy weight, which is not conducive to the whole vehicle. Lightweight. Considering that this machine is mainly assembled in models of less than 100,000 yuan, perhaps weighing the cost is also a big factor. But in any case, as a machine born in 2016 and installed in 2018, we have reasons to require it to be made of aluminum.
Geely also knows the influence of cast iron on weight, so it has also done some "steal light" methods for this engine. For example, reducing the thickness of the cylinder wall can reduce the weight of the cylinder to a certain extent. In addition, the cylinder head and oil pan of this engine are still made of aluminum alloy, which can be considered as lightweight as possible within a limited cost.
On the valve train, dual VVT variable valve timing is naturally the standard configuration of the current engine, but in order to improve the running quality of the three-cylinder engine, Geely used it for this 1.0T machine With the ultra-quiet wet timing belt, the timing belt can be lubricated by oil, which has quieter running noise than other timing chains or non-wet belts. However, the timing belt needs to be replaced and maintained regularly, and the wet belt also has certain requirements for the quality of the engine oil, and the later use cost is slightly higher.
In order to improve the engineFor efficiency, Geely also equipped this 1.0T three-cylinder engine with 200bar in-cylinder direct injection technology. Interestingly, it also uses an overhead direct injection layout, which is quite similar to Volvo's Drive-E series. The high-pressure oil rail and the oil pump arranged above the cylinder head can be directly seen through the appearance.
In terms of exhaust structure, Geely’s 1.0T also uses an integrated exhaust manifold design. The advantages of this design have been discussed before, so I won’t repeat them here.
Since the basic displacement is only 998ml, in order to further improve the timing and response speed of turbine intervention, this engine uses a small inertia turbocharger from Garrett, which has a smaller moment of inertia. Can bring better dynamic response. Therefore, the turbocharger of this engine can intervene at 1000 revolutions, and can output a maximum torque of 205N·m at 2000 revolutions.
Bo Yue PRO still retains 1.8T four-cylinder power
With the self-developed 1.0T and the 1.5T and 2.0T blessings from Volvo, Geely is now in the engine field. Competitiveness is still very good. However, compared with Changan, Chery and other manufacturers, all three-cylinder small-displacement engines have been criticized by consumers. Perhaps because of this, Geely has not given up on the old 1.5L self-priming, 1.4T and 1.8T four-cylinder engines many years ago.
To say that 1.0T was first popularized in major international factories, Ford's 1.0T Ecoboost series is definitely a very well-known one. This engine has been installed in vehicles since 2011 and is used in many entry-level cars and SUVs under Ford.
In terms of parameters, the 9-year-old 1.0T engine is indeed not the leader, but from the perspective of the year, this machine is indeed the top level 1.0T machine. In terms of cylinder body material, Ford’s 1.0T uses the mainstream cast iron material at the time, but it doesn’t have many grooves.
In terms of valve system, the dual VVT variable valve timing is naturally not absent. This basic valve system technology is still available. It is the same as Geely’s 1.0T, and Ford and Geely’s The 1.0T also uses the timing belt design, which is more helpful to the NVH of the whole machine, but it needs regular maintenance and replacement. However, Ford's belt is not a wet structure like Geely, and the maintenance cost is theoretically lower.
Interestingly, Ford’s 1.0T engine also uses an overhead direct injection system. Compared with the side-mounted layout, the overhead layout can be used when the fuel injection pressure is not high enough. Reduce the wet wall phenomenon in the cylinder and improve the combustion efficiency. Limited by the technology in 2011, the fuel injection pressure of this Ford machine is only 150bar, slightly inferior to Geely's 200bar.
It is worth mentioning that this Ford 1.0T engine uses a dual thermostat design, and the two thermostats respectively control the two circulating water channels leading to the cylinder block and cylinder head. , Due to the different temperature characteristics of the cylinder block and cylinder head, the opening temperatures of the two thermostats are also different. Similar to the advantages of the integrated exhaust manifold, the dual thermostat/dual waterway design allows the engine to enter operating temperature earlier, and at the same time, it can provide warm air in the car faster.
From the perspective of thermal efficiency, this 1.0T engine has a good level of 35%, which is consistent with the Volkswagen EA211 1.4T low-power version of the same period, but Ford’s 1.0T liter The power has reached 125 hp/liter, which is much higher than Volkswagen’s 93.6 hp/liter.
Generally speaking, the Geely 1.0T installed in 2018 is not completely ahead of the 2011 Ford 1.0T, because Geely’s 1.0T does not use the latest technology in 2018, but instead It was Ford that invested a lot in this Ecoboost engine as early as 2011Forward-looking technology. In addition to Ford, GM, Honda, and Volkswagen also have excellent works on 1.0T engines. Currently, there are not many independent engine products in the 1.0T field.
Finally, let’s talk about the most widely used 2.0T engine in the world. At present, the more advanced 2.0T among domestic brands is the latest 4B20J1 of GAC. Looking at the global market, the most well-known 2.0T engine belongs to Volkswagen's EA888 series, and today we compare it with the most technologically advanced EA888 Gen3b. Since Gen3b is a low-power engine, it cannot be compared with GAC's high-power in terms of parameters. As for other technical aspects, there is a very big difference between the two, so let's talk about these two 2.0T engines.
Although GAC Trumpchi is not a brand with a very long history, they are not bad at all in the engine field. The most representative one is the brand-new 2.0T engine, which is code-named 4B20J1. At present, all models with the tail mark of "390T" under the GAC Trumpchi brand are in use.
In terms of parameters, this 2.0T engine has 252 horsepower and 390N·m data performance, which is not only significantly better than the 210 horsepower and 320N·m of its old generation 320T engine, Even compared to Audi's EA888 (252 horsepower, 370N·m) and other luxury brand 2.0T engines, the parameters are not inferior.
In addition, this engine claims to have a theoretical thermal efficiency of 38%, which is only 39% behind Nissan 2.0T among turbocharged engines, which is the same as Changan Blue Whale 1.4T and GM Ecotec 1.0T, slightly better than Honda 1.5T.
In order to achieve excellent performance and thermal efficiency, GAC has also put all its housekeeping technology on the 390T engine. The first is the fuel injection system. The 4B20J1 uses 350bar high-pressure direct injection technology from Delphi in the United States, and adopts a side layout, which can improve the effect of in-cylinder tumble flow and improve efficiency. At the same time, 350bar high-pressure direct injection can reduce 70% of particulate matter emissions compared to 200bar direct injection, which is also obviously helpful to the environmental protection and emissions of the engine.
The high-pressure fuel rail is arranged under the intake manifold, and there is a sound insulation material wrapped outside, which can reduce the working noise of the direct injection system and make the external noise of the engine idling more quiet.
In terms of the design of the combustion chamber, the 4B20J1 also uses GAC’s patented GCCS combustion chamber control system. By optimizing the structure of the combustion chamber and intake port, it can be used with 350bar direct injection on the side. A better tumble effect is formed in the combustion chamber, which allows the gasoline and air to mix more evenly, improves the combustion efficiency, and also avoids the increase of oil.
In the supercharger design, the 4B20J1 engine also uses the twin-scroll turbocharger commonly used in BMW and other models. The supplier of the supercharger is Japan IHI. The advantages of twin-scroll turbines have also been mentioned before, reducing exhaust interference and improving turbine response speed. From the actual experience, it has smaller turbo lag and better low-torque output.
In order to further improve the response speed of the turbine, the 4B20J1 engine also uses an electronically controlled turbine bypass valve, which can be adjusted by an independent motor according to different working conditions. When the engine is cold-started, the exhaust bypass valve is fully opened to allow the exhaust gas to reach the three-way catalytic converter, which accelerates ignition and reduces emissions. At the same time, by increasing the opening of the exhaust bypass valve, the exhaust back pressure can be reduced, which is conducive to improving the fuel economy of the engine.
As for the current mainstream dual VVT variable valve timing, low-friction piston wall, silent timing chain and other hardware configurations will naturally not be absent, all appearing in 4B20J1 above. It is also thanks to various optimizations in fuel injection, combustion chamber, intake and exhaust that this domestic 2.0T engine has reached a theoretical thermal efficiency of 38%, which can be said to be quite excellent among the 2.0T currently mass-produced. Level, surpasses EA888 Gen3b, which is known for its efficiency.
If anyone in the world promotes 2.0T most actively, the public is definitely an undisputed one. Since the EA113 era, Volkswagen's 2.0T engine has gradually become famous. Although the subsequent EA888 had serious problems such as oil burning, with the launch of the third-generation model in 2011, the EA888 Gen3 series officially entered the world-class 2.0T engine camp. In 2015, in response to increasingly stringent emission regulations, Volkswagen launched the so-called 3.5-generation model EA888 Gen3b, which focuses on fuel economy and has a thermal efficiency of 37%, surpassing Toyota 8AR and becoming the 2.0T engine with the highest thermal efficiency at the time.
Gen3b’s cylinder block is still made of EA888’s traditional cast iron cylinder block. Considering the huge load of this machine, the cast iron cylinder block can save the public a lot of costs. The point is that the modification potential is slightly better, but it will drag down the weight of the vehicle. In any case, at this point in time in 2020, Volkswagen should upgrade the cylinder block for the EA888 series.
In addition, another highlight of Gen3b is the use of dual injection technology, including 250bar in-cylinder direct injection and traditional intake manifold electronic injection, which can switch the injection method according to the load, allowing The engine achieves the best working efficiency and reduces carbon deposits. But nevertheless. The direct injection pressure of 250bar will no longer have an advantage in 2020. After all, the Guangzhou Automobile 2.0T that we are comparing with uses the 350bar direct injection system.
Compared with GAC's 2.0T engine, another ace technology of Volkswagen EA888 Gen3b is the dual-cycle system. The electronically controlled variable valve timing system adjusts the opening and closing time of the intake valve, closing the intake valve in advance during the engine's intake stroke, so that the expansion ratio inside the engine is greater than the actual compression ratio, thereby improving thermal efficiency and reducing fuel consumption. Therefore, the thermal efficiency of the EA888 3b engine has also reached 37%, which is significantly improved compared to the 35.4% of the ordinary Gen3.
In addition, if it is the Gen3b engine used in Audi, there is also AVS variable valve lift technology, which further improves the adjustment opening of the intake valve and expands the adjustment range of the valve timing system .
As for the turbocharger system, EA888 does not have any advanced technology, even the twin-scroll turbocharger is useless, it is still the traditional single-scroll design.
To sum up, it can be seen that if you compare the latest domestic engines with the world’s mainstream machines, the performance, thermal efficiency, and technology are no longer the case. This also shows that domestic In recent years, the brand has achieved good results in the exploration of the engine field.
Then why does our domestic car actually lag behind the joint venture model in terms of performance and fuel consumption in most cases? In fact, the performance of a car does not entirely depend on the engine. As the ultimate transmitter of power, the performance of the gearbox is often more critical. This is precisely the weakest part of the domestic car, and in the short term, it wants to surpass Joint venture cars are still difficult.
Fortunately, our Chinese brands have begun to make efforts in the fields of PHEV and new energy in recent years. It is not empty talk to take this curve to surpass the traditional gasoline car manufacturers. Only in the field of new energy, domestic cars have to face an extremely strong opponent, and it is the already domestically produced Tesla. Therefore, whether in the field of traditional fuel vehicles or new energy, domestically-produced vehicles still have a long way to go before they can truly become world-class.
