TIGON Diesel Hybrid

[GreenHornet]

If anyone has noticed post #136 I updated it with my latest major change. I want to talk about it more here. This was not an easy decision at first cuz I felt like I was pretty much done making major changes to the car design. This car has changed so many times on paper it is almost comical but I feel like each time it just gets better and better lol :-)

The good part is I have wasted only small amounts of money! The bad part is I have wasted tons of time and energy!

Luckily for me I have tons of time and energy to waste but I must admit that it does get tiring after a while. I new that designing a kitcar from scratch was not going to be an easy task but I had no idea lol :-)

What prompted the drivetrain layout change was looking at the Opel Eco-speedster my dream car. Its engine layout is rear mid-engined rear wheel drive. I also thought about how the vast majority of performance race cars use this layout. The kicker for me was that I had to redesign the GT6 rear end anyways so I figured why not just make it fully independent and use as much off the shelf VW bits that I could rather than going fully custom in the back. In the end this will save time, money, and much headaches in the fab room!

The single biggest lesson I am learning here is that 80% of the kitcar project is being dedicated to the planning stages. While this is trying and difficult at times cuz I want to see physical progress I must stay patient and keep thinking in regards to creating a better efficient design. If it takes me twice the time to get the car designed and done than hopefully all the changes will have been worth it and that will show in how it performs!

[GreenHornet]

Got the transmission in yesterday looking forward to checking it out :-)

What I have planned for it is a few internal upgrades. First we will convert the box to a 6 speed. Next drill some holes for better oil flow to the 5th and 6th gears. We will then install a Peloquin LSD for better all around handling and performance over the open differential currently in the gearbox. Lastly fill her up with the best synthetic oil we can buy and bolt her up to the TDI :-)

This is part of my high mileage high performance strategy lol

GH

[mikeyjd]

Originally Posted by GreenHornet

Got the transmission in yesterday looking forward to checking it out :-)

What I have planned for it is a few internal upgrades. First we will convert the box to a 6 speed. Next drill some holes for better oil flow to the 5th and 6th gears. We will then install a Peloquin LSD for better all around handling and performance over the open differential currently in the gearbox. Lastly fill her up with the best synthetic oil we can buy and bolt her up to the TDI :-)

This is part of my high mileage high performance strategy lol

GH

Which oil do you plan to use?

[changzuki]

GH - Following your progress
~CrazyJerry

[GreenHornet]

Originally Posted by mikeyjd

Which oil do you plan to use?

I am not 100% decided at the moment but there are a few that most people in the VW TDI world seem to be happy with and that is the Redline and Torco products.

#1. Red Line Synthetic Oil - Gear Oil for Manual Transmissions
#2. Torco Oils and Lubricants - Full Line

[GreenHornet]

Originally Posted by changzuki

GH - Following your progress
~CrazyJerry

Thanks my friend I apologize if it has been hard to follow I have made so many changes that its just silly at this point. In a way its a good thing cuz now that I have invested so much time into it I have to finish lol :-) So no matter how much money it ends up costing me I will see this project to completion.

This car is definitely going to cost more than I originally budgeted. However for the kind of performance and fuel economy I am going to achieve I do not mind spending the extra coin with in reason.

The great thing is people will be able to decide for themselves what level of performance and efficiency they want. If they don't want to go all out like me they don't have to. They can build it for far less not going all performance upgrades and still have great results. The vehicle will be very scalable up and down with tons of owner design flexibility.

[GreenHornet]

Ok so where are we at with progress?

Currently I am getting ready to drop $1,500 on the O2A CTN 6 speed conversion. I was able to pick up the CTN transmission for $540 with shipping total. I will also be purchasing the Peloquin LSD for $795. This will be happening by the end of this month. Then I will get to work on getting it cleaned up and shining like new :-)

So total on the transmission thus far without any other internal mods = $2,835.00

This will give me the following gear ratios.

#1. 3.78
#2. 2.12
#3. 1.36
#4. .92
#5. .71
#6. .59

FD = 3.16
Final drive ratio (3.16 x .59) = 1.86

The conversion kit can be seen here = Gearbox Kit - Conversion Kit

Peloquin LSD = Peloquin Limited Slip - 02A Trans at evwparts

[GreenHornet]

I want to talk about the VW transmission advantages really quick. While it may seem that I am dropping a lot of money into the transmission your assumption is correct. This is money well spent as the transmission is a major component and integral catalyst to achieving top performance and efficiency goals.

I am justifying it because by using this O2A transmission I was able to gain superior engine/transmission placement mid engined in the rear of the car. I also will be able to save a good deal of money not having to custom fabricate an engine to bellhousing adapter like I would have had to do with the T5 transmission. The O2A gearbox is a direct bolt on for the 1.4L TDI 3 cylinder engine :-) This also can be considered an upgrade to the Polo gearbox cuz now we can use the 1.9L O2A clutch kit and get rid of the weak Polo 1.4L clutch. This allows us to now boost the engine without worry of clutch slippage or failure. The O2A gearbox is rated for a max torque capacity stock of around 260ft-lbs which is plenty for our purposes. We also now have taller gearing which gives us the ability to better take advantage of the diesels full torque range. Which will give us superior fuel economy compared to the stock Polo 1.4L TDI which achieves a healthy 62mpg freeway fuel economy rating. Even if I was not boosting the engine the stock AMF engine can easily be chipped to produce 115HP and 275Nm of torque or 202ft-lbs and in a car weighing 1,400lbs or less it will still be able to utilize the taller geared transmission with ease.

The other advantage is a person will be able to opt for the 1.9L TDI if they want greater raw power performance for serious track times. As the transmission is an O2A designed for the 1.9L TDI engines :-) Again they bolt right up no custom fabrication. Our rear bolt on subframe will include engine/trans mounts for both the 1.4L and 1.9L engines :-)

I was also able to eliminate the driveshaft which is one less moving part as well as the heavy Ford 8.8" differential and Lincoln Mark VIII axles, knuckles, hubs, and brake assembly. The estimated weight savings is around 100lbs which is pretty significant in and of itself. This also allows us to save big money being able to use the stock Passat/Jetta MK3 components such as axles, knuckles, hubs and brakes. All these parts total around $500 new.

We also save weight on the streamlined exhaust system. We will be going straight pipe which will only need minimal travel straight back which cuts out the Muffler, catalytic converter, and pipe length. Saving weight, money, complexity, and replacement costs down the road. This also gains us real estate under the car for an easier full under body tray design for increased aerodynamics!

Another overlooked advantage is part sourcing. Instead of having to go hunt for hard to find Lincoln Mark VIII parts we can now just go find everything we need out of a Passat/Jetta TDI which are rather easy to come by gaining time and efficiency. I am sure there are other advantages but this was just off the top of my head so I will add on as I have more time to really think more in depth on it.

Even at upwards of $3,000 this is not uncommon for a fully rebuilt transmission these days and all the advantages we gained were just huge for the overall kitcar design. I actually feel as though now I finally got it right and we can begin to really move forward with the assembly phase of the project.

GH

[GreenHornet]

So what is needed to produce 150HP out of our little 1.4L TDI 3 cylinder AMF engine and great performance times?

My 10 step plan is needed :-)

#1. Rebuild it and replace all the bearings, belts, and gaskets etc..
#2. Port head
#3. Upgrade injectors to PD130 AWX or PD150 ARL
#4. Load Audi A2 VNT software to AMF ECU
#5. Upgrade Turbo to GT1749VB PD150 ARL Turbo
#6. Upgrade AMF Clutch to O2A 1.9L 4 cylinder clutch kit
#7. Streamline Exhaust
#8. Optimize air intake
#9. Water/Meth injection system
#10. ECU Tune and final optimization

There you have it that is the necessary ingredients to reliably produce 150HP out of our 3 cylinder engine.

You might be wondering why would I want to double the horsepower and torque output of the engine. Wouldn't this be counterproductive to increased fuel economy! Well yes and no for my purpose it will in fact help fuel economy because I will be able to get into a taller gear quicker and stay there longer taking advantage more often of the reduced rpm engine load.

However the way the transmission is geared you will still be able to really produce some great 0-60 times as well. The 0-60 time should be in the 5 sec or better range which is pretty quick in deed. Yet still being able to enjoy over 100mpg fuel economy :-) You have the opportunity to achieve truly the best of both worlds.

This might I add is all on diesel only we have not even got to all of the the hybrid drive bonuses that add to the plate :-)

So what does this look like from a cost perspective?

Well so far not to bad actually considering we are doubling the engine output :-)

#1. Engine rebuild $750 est.
#2. Port Head is done in house during engine rebuild no added cost
#3. Injectors varies but I paid $80 per AWX injector for a total with shipping of $260.00
#4. Audi A2 VNT software was free from an associate
#5. GT1749VB ARL refurbished turbo was $520 with shipping
#6. Clutch kit was $275 with shipping
#7. Exhaust TBD but much cheaper do to streamlining it :-)
#8. Air intake TBD also
#9. Water/Meth Injection system $500-$600
#10. ECU tune and optimization $400-$700 depending

Total hard numbers thus far = $2705.00 - $3105.00

This car could easily be built for under $15,000 if you were not trying to chase all out performance and fuel economy like I am doing! Even with the stock engine with an ECU tune to 115hp + the hybrid drive with an added peak of 40hp you are looking at a combined 155hp. This can be done on the cheap and still easily achieve over 100mpg all day long with good performance out of the 1,400lb streamlined TIGON hybrid :-)

[GreenHornet]

So what I am doing is building closer to most likely a $20,000 all out no expenses saved version :-)

That will achieve a true hypercar status and be the first hypercar kitcar design that is affordable and achievable for the determined Joe like me!

What exactly is a hypercar?

"Hypercar

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the highest performing supercars, see Hypercar (supercar)

The Hypercar is a design concept car developed by energy analyst Amory Lovins at the Rocky Mountain Institute. This vehicle would have ultra-light construction with an aerodynamic body using advanced composite materials, low-drag design, and hybrid drive.[1] Designers of the Hypercar claim that it would achieve a three- to five-fold improvement in fuel economy, equal or better performance, safety, amenity, and affordability, compared with today's cars.[2]"

Link = Hypercar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This pretty much sums up the TIGON Hybrid kitcar and is why I am going all out on this first prototype! I want to prove a point that we can have both high performance and fuel efficiency at the same time but at an affordable cost.

So compare a max $20,000 TIGON budget to known Hypercars around the world to gain perspective.

#1. Opel Eco Speedster only 3 built and never for sale (priceless)
#2. VW XL1 more than $150,000 = Volkswagen 1-litre car - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
#3. BMW i8 more than $200,000 = BMW i8 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
#4. Porsche 918 Spyder = $845,000 = What It's Like To Race In Porsche's $845,000 Hybrid Hypercar
#5. Ferrari Laferrari = $1,690,000 = LaFerrari - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So what do you get in these cars for these kinds of dollars?

Well on one extreme you get a combined 200+ mpge rating with the XL1 and a top speed of 99mph with 0-60 in 12.7 sec. You get 17 world records with the Eco Speedster and over 100mpg with a top speed of 160mph and 0-60 in 8.8 sec. The BMW gives you 112mpg combined also a 160mph top speed and a 0-60 in 4.8 sec. The Porsche beauty goes 0-62 in 2.8sec and gets 71mpge doing it. The Porsche has a top speed of 211 mph and gets better gas mileage on lower emissions than a Toyota Prius. Now for the Ferrari Titan 0-62 is in 2.9sec top speed of 220 mph and gets 16.6mpg disappointing IMHO V12 or not.

Now what will TIGON be expected to do for a drop in the bucket budget of $20,000 or less.

#1. 150 mpge or better
#2. 175 mph top speed or better
#3. 0-60 in 5 sec or better

We achieve this through superior aerodynamics, lighter weight, proper engine, optimized gearing, optimized wheel/tire combo and hybrid drive system.

Think the size and weight of the Urba Centurion = 128-mpg Diesel-Powered Sports Car
but with sub .20 aerodynamics, lightweight 15" wheels, LRR tires for economy run and racing tires for speed testing, direct drive hybrid drive system no belts! Optimized electric power supply for a mild hybrid design capable of stop start, regenerative breaking, acceleration boost, and engine off cruising scenarios.

So when TIGON is done and fully tested we ecomodders will have a true hypermodder :-) that will rival all these 6 figure cars few of us could ever afford!

Ambitious this project is but why not I look at it like this I only live once so if I am gonna spend my time and energy doing something than it might as well be worth while and memorable. No more wasting my time doing BS that does not do me or anyone else any good!

I will next start to work up a price list thus far so everyone can get a good idea of where I am at as far as total invested and how much more I need to go to get it done. I will also workout a rough draft timeline now that I have the car layout determined and set in stone. That way we have some tentative time goals to shoot for.

Another thing I have done is started working on my website. Once the website is complete I will be blogging in there most of the time. The website is TIGONTDI.COM

I will notify in this forum once the website is up and going so that everyone will be able to follow the actual build there on the website.

Ok everyone that is enough rambling from me today take care,

GH