The Possibility of a New 240SX

With the uprising of the tuner culture into the mainstream that we've seen over the past couple of years, it's no surprise that car companies are coming back a little harder, trying to provide us with some better chassis to work with.  Just look at the BRZ/FR-S!  Perhaps the times are changing-- nevertheless, I digress.  You can read about that here.

Anyways, the real story starts here, and it doesn't sound pretty, but trust me...it gets prettier.  ;)

I was sitting in "the office" at work the other day after a hefty lunch reading an article from one of my favorite auto-related entertainment providers, GT Channel, when I noticed this...

One rendering acquired from GT Channel's website Source

What is it?  Is it a land shark or some sort of Nissan Murano Sports Coupe?  Uh oh, is this death for the Nissan Juke!?  Hahah, no it's not a crossover and it's not some sparky little hybrid either.

It's the supposed concept for a new Nissan 240SX

Fan-made rendering of a "Silvia S16" Source

A couple of years back before the recession hit, Nissan was supposed to come out with a successor to their Silvia line.  But when the money hit rock bottom, so did their plans for a new Silvia.  I mean can you blame them?  Gas prices were sky-rocketing and people were losing their jobs and even their houses, let alone their Japanese sports car.  However tough times call for tough decisions.  Engineers have been challenged, they have been thinking, and they have been deciding on new ways to save you gas and move your ass.

One way of doing what I just said is to down-size displacement, down-speed the crankshaft's rotations using a reducing gear, and increase volumetric efficiency by means of B00000ST.

2011 Mini Cooper Engine Source

And the reason I mention this is because Nissan is proposing to do exactly this to get more power while still achieving reasonable fuel economy from the supposed "new Silvia's" power plant.  Rumors say that the engine powering the new Silvia could be based off of the 1.6 L engine in the Nissan Juke, except it would likely be turbo or supercharged if it found its way into the love bird's little chassis.  Another rumor is that a 1.8 L engine shared with a Mercedes C 180 could find its way into the new "bay girl."

Mercedes C180 from 2008 Source

2011 Nissan Juke engine Source

The chassis for this new Nissan is supposed to be based off of the Infiniti G or the Nissan Z chassis.  This chassis, the FM chassis, is highly versatile and has been written about in Modified Magazine when the Z's and G's were first coming out.  This allows cost to be cut while not sacrificing driveability or fun!  Whoopee!

Source

The bottom line is, as always, we will just have to wait to see.  But based on rumors and stories circling the web along with comments from company execs, it's not unlikely that this could happen.

Thanks for reading as always guys.  My fans are the best.

Chassis and Subframe Assembly Rigidity

Hello ɭexi.ɭaron viewers!

     Today's addition is a little late, and I apologize for that, but for the tuners out there, I have a story that will stress the linear relation between chassis rigidity and handling.

     Before I go any further, think back to the Swindon Honda Plant post that I made about a week ago.  In the second part of the plant tour video, you get a peek at how engines, suspension, steering racks, and all are assembled to the chassis all at once.

     Well, this is a subframe assembly.

     All of the aforementioned components are mounted to it, and it is jacked up and attached to the bottom of the car's chassis.  When the two are mated, chassis and subframe, there are significant gaps between the threads of the bolt and the threads of the subframe assembly's hole.  Also, there are slight imperfections in between the subframe assembly's and chassis's hard metal which make it hard for the fit and finish to be perfect.  Check out this illustration.

     By placing a piece of special alloy in between the bolt and the subframe and chassis, it is possible to eliminate motion which occurs even when the bolt is torqued.

     This eliminates much of the vertical motion experienced when going over bumps in the road, thus eliminating bump-steer, improving stability and response at all speeds, and lowering road noise.  Check out this video.