org

I haven't heard the rumor, but it's a lot cheaper per car to build composite components on a few hundred thousand units than on a few hundred.

ducaT

Not a structural component like the chassis.
So when your wife goes and rear ends somebody, the pre-preg chassis needs to be completely replaced and therefore has to have the whole car disassembled and reassembled on a new chassis?
Insurance rates would skyrocket and the car would get a bum reputation right from the outset.

On top of all that there would have to be a SERIOUS retool in order to have pre-preg autoclaved manufacture on a scale to bring the returns required to make it happen.
GM's bread and butter for the past 10 years has been the truck market.
How exactly does a CF investment make returns there?

Then there's the steel union. Can you imagine dropping the demand for steel from GM by probably 50%.

No way in hell.


But back on topic. I'm pretty sure the block in the Impala is the same as the truck motor. When I saw it at the LA auto show, from what I could tell, it looked nearly the same.

chuntington101

CF is great and it will become more comon (in high end cars) as time goes on. the problem is the manufatureing prosses is so much more labour intersive and requires larger amounts or resourses. its great stuff for low volume pruction but for mass it would coz har to much. Aluminium (so im english) is a better material to use for a car chassis and can be easier than steel if you bond the components instead of weld them! also much lighter.

thanks Chris.

Bill Reid

iTrader: (14)

I could see the accessory drive (with modified aftermarket cranks possibly), making its way into rods with tight fit specs... and perhaps maybe someone will toy with trying make more room in the already tight C5/C6 engine compartments for power adders... a big single hairdryer at or near the stock location of the original waterpump would be cool to see. Whatever comes of the LS4 means folks will have more options to amke things work for their projects I would think

Full-Force

iTrader: (11)

i just settle for a rear end worth a chit

WS-Sick

Amen!

leaftye

If they use frame rails like on the C5/C6 or trucks, they could make them using a pultrusion process. It'd be more complicated to pultrude parts with bends, but it's just part of designing the tools. They could make the rails solid or hollow, and make long continuous runs to cut later, but cutting them will be a PITA if they use anything but a water cutter. It can have wound layers, as well as layers where the fibers run straight along the rail, so it should be strong dimensionally in all directions. The one thing I don't see is it being very light since it's not feasible (or even possible??) to autoclave a pultruded part. Anyway, pultrusion machines can cure the part while it's being made. If they use pultrusion, carbon fiber rails can be very affordable, especially if they find a good source for carbon fiber tow. Any other process I can think of requires much more human interaction, and complicated design and manufacturing methods (read "expensive"), so I think pultrusion may be the only way to go for frame rails. If it's anything but frame rails, I don't know how it can be affordable...

Wild85

iTrader: (1)

They are putting the 5.3 engine into the GTP and Impala SS for 2006 and its gonna be rear drive also.

Patrick G

iTrader: (14)

While it's true the 5.3L engines are going in the GTP, Monte Carlo and Impala, it is NOT true that they will be RWD. They will in fact be FWD.

Camaroholic

iTrader: (1)

There's a fair amount of LS4 info in this thread:

http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/058437.html

I think if I were gonna swap a V8 in to my Fiero, I'd do the LS4 & transaxle setup.

I also think that the most significant advancement is the Displacement on Demand feature. V4 to V8 automagically. The technology there is pretty cool. I think that's more interesting than the FWD configuration.

Phoenix 5.7

iTrader: (7)

i don't trust DOD. i want to see how a DOD engine is holding up after 100k, then ill trust it.

Third Gear

iTrader: (3)

That would suck if they put that on the LS7

I bet when HP Tuners comes out for DOD vehicles, that's the first thing they'll disable is DOD.

prince xizor

iTrader: (2)

DOD might not be that bad if they do it right. If it kicks in when Cruise is enabled than whats the problem? This technology has been around in Caddys in the 80's the V-8-6-4 if I am not mistaken. Besides whats wrong with getting a few more mpg with the way the petroleum prices are?