Supercharged Camaro Z/28 Makes Serious Power: Video

Chevrolet designed the Z/28 version of the Camaro to be a lightweight track boss with word-class credentials. Still, some feel its 505-horsepower, naturally aspirated 7.0-liter V-8 is underpowered, especially compared to its 580-horsepower ZL1 brother. Though the Z/28 has been on the market for a relatively short time, owners are already beginning to pour on the power.

Redline Motorsports in South Florida has already shown what's possible. The speed shop threw on an Edelbrock supercharger, high-flow injectors, a performance camshaft complete with beefier valvetrain, and a full exhaust with two-inch diameter headers. Topping the build off is a full tune of the Z/28's ECU, making all the added parts work together.

The result was a full 197 horsepower and 208 pound-feet of torque added to the Camaro's baseline dyno run. That translates into an impressive 652 horsepower and 628 pound-feet of torque at the wheels. No doubt its 0-60 mph time will drop below the 4.0 seconds it takes a stock Z/28.

Supercharged Camaro Z/28 Makes Serious Power: Video originally appeared on topspeed.com on Sunday, 5 April 2015 06:00 EST.

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Ferrari Will Not Turbocharge V-12s Any Time Soon

Despite the current "turbocharge everything" trend, followed by Ferrari itself with cars like the California T and the new 488 GTB, Ferrari isn't yet ready to forget about its naturally aspirated engines. At least not when it comes to screaming V-12s, a prerequisite of almost every Ferrari halo model since the company started making road cars. According to a recent report by Autocar that quotes a mysterious Ferrari insider, the Italian sports car maker will prolong its naturally aspirated V-12 era with a little help from electric motors.

More specifically, the much-anticipated 48-volt electrical systems that a number of German carmakers like Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz are currently preparing, will abet Ferrari's new predilection for mild hybrids. In short, the company's upcoming V-12 engines will not be augmented by turbochargers for better fuel economy, but will get more oomph and improved efficiency courtesy of electric motors. "There will be no turbos on our V12s. Expect instead to see 48-volt systems on the next generation." the unnamed Ferrari insider told Autocar.

Take it with a pinch of salt, since the information hasn't been verified by an official source, although the idea does make sense and the technology is imminent. A mild hybrid system would keep the high-revving nature of the big Ferrari V-12s, while also adding extra go at lower revs and improved fuel economy - the best of both worlds.

Continue reading to learn more about Ferrari's V-12 engines.

Ferrari Will Not Turbocharge V-12s Any Time Soon originally appeared on topspeed.com on Saturday, 28 March 2015 12:00 EST.

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Chevrolet Introduces the All New LT1 V8 Engine for the C7 Corvette

Posted on 10.24.2012 14:00 by Justin Cupler Filed under: Chevrolet | coupe | industry news | Accessories | sports cars | Chevrolet Corvette | Chevrolet Corvette C7 | Cars | Car News

Chevrolet has just announced the information on the 2014 Corvette's all-new engine. This new powerplant is a 6.2-liter V-8 --- not the 5.5-liter that everyone was thinking - and it boasts loads of technical goodies that make it better than any engine the mighty `Vette has ever had.

Allow us to introduce you to the all-new LT1 Gen V engine, which pumps out an impressive 450 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 450 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm - that's a 20-horsepower and 26 pound-feet increase over the outgoing 6.2-liter. One thing that GM did not change up is the fact that the LT1 Gen V engine will retain the OHV and cam-in-block configuration that the small block engines before it did. Yeah, we know, a little dated, but if it works for GM's engineers then so be it.

Hit the jump for a detailed analysis of the new Chevrolet LT1 V8 engine for the Corvette C7.

Chevrolet Introduces the All New LT1 V8 Engine for the C7 Corvette originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 24 October 2012 14:00 EST.

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Carbon Revolution launches first production one-piece carbon fiber rim

Posted on 10.11.2012 16:00 by Kirby Garlitos Filed under: | industry news | Accessories | technology | Cars | Car News

The continued evolution of carbon fiber doesn’t appear to be slowing down in the auto industry. With the material already being used extensively in almost all sectors of the industry, it was only a matter of time before somebody came up with some new way to use carbon fiber.

Turns out, Carbon Revolution has that new product with the first production one-piece carbon fiber rim.

The claim is that the carbon wheel is 40% to 50% lighter than its aluminum counterparts, improves fuel consumption by 2% to 4%, reduces CO2 emissions, and increases overall efficiency by 5%.

The product was born as a result of what the company says is a decade-long attempt at research and development. Take the admittedly obvious benefits of a lighter and sturdier wheel, and this new product is certainly worth the buzz it’s generating.

"Creating a composite wheel that is made entirely in one piece from continuous fibers is particularly challenging given the significant geometric complexities", Brett Gass, Carbon Revolution's engineering director, said.

As a man that has been with the company from the start, Gass’ extensive knowledge in the technology and the subsequent applications allowed them to push past the tribulations of producing a product that could potentially revolutionize the industry.

As far as meeting industry standards are concerned, Carbon Revolution has said that the carbon fiber wheels have met OEM And Certificate Body standards, including SAE 2530, TUV German Aftermarket, and German OEM AK-LH 08 standards.

Carbon Revolution launches first production one-piece carbon fiber rim originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 11 October 2012 16:00 EST.

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