Urba Centurion #4
 

There will soon be a second Centurion on the roads of North America ;) Once of course I get done fixing it up. I just couldn't see it sitting around collecting dust I had to buy it. For $450 minus the engine and another $1,000 roughly in shipping costs I figured it was a pretty good deal. Of course only an ecomodder would see it this way lol :D

I did not need the 750cc engine as I all ready had a spare Kubota Z482 laying around. So my plan will be to retrofit the smaller yes I said smaller 482cc Kubota into it along with an assortment of goodies that will allow it greater fuel economy potential as well as performance you would expect to see from the modern Smart ForTwo 0.8L diesel car.

Smart car diesel specs = SMART ForTwo - 2012, 2013, 2014 - autoevolution

The Kubota Z482 engine can be found in Aixam cars in Europe = Aixam - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Kubota Z482 specs = http://www.kubotaengine.com/assets/d...M-Z482_E4B.pdf


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It has "project" written all over it.

I see potential with this.

Are you going for an all-out mpg build? If so, I demand no less than 200 mpg :D

250mpg has all ready been achieved with CJ Urba Centurion #3. Like CJ I will keep the outside theme of the car intact with only minimal ecomodder mods. However I do have some ideas that should yield some fabulous fuel economy results.

Reduce installed power

#1. Reduce engine size. The original Centurion was equipped with the 750BB 3 cyl 17hp engine. My Centurion will have the Z482 2 cylinder which is the smallest of the Kubota Super Mini Series Engines at only 482cc. It generates 13hp @ 3600rpm. The engine weighs in at 117lbs vs the 750bb engine at 181lbs.

Weight savings with this modification is at 64lbs. My overall total weight savings goal for the car is 200lbs. So I am off to a good start with the engine selection.

#2. Reduce weight of the Engine further. Fabricate composite low profile oil pan with sump. 2-3lbs estimate saved here
#3. Fabricate Composite intake and piping. Estimated weight savings 10lbs total between intake and exhaust.

Reduce rotational mass

#3. Lighten the Flywheel. My thought is reduce it just slightly maybe 3-4lbs. That way it does not have negative effects on fuel economy yet will help the lower HP 2 cylinder engine with acceleration.
#4. Carbon fiber driveshaft. There is no good reason other than added cost not to get a carbon fiber driveshaft. They are much lighter than stock steel units. They have a smaller diameter and can with stand far greater stresses. They are also much safer than metal driveshafts. Should see a 10lb weight reduction here at minimum. Like a lighter flywheel this will enhance acceleration dramatically of the smaller Kubota 2 cylinder engine.

Even though the Z482 is only 13hp optimizing its rotational mass will allow it to perform as good if not better than the original Centurion. However the added advantage here is we have one less cylinder and 268cc less :thumbup:

Total weight savings with these mods should put me close to 100lbs which is half my target goal.

Instead of finishing what's there you could build an integral boattail.

You've got your work cut out for you, but it looks fun.

That would also help the engine reaching its optimum temperature faster.

CR good to hear from you.

Not to many would have recognized that detail :thumbup:

My hats off to you CR you will appreciate this build once I am done with it

Talk to you soon my friend,

GH :)

i'm in.

I won't be going all out with this because I want to preserve the original look of the Centurion. But lengthening it say 12 inches would help out the aero profile a bit. I think the back of Centurion slopes a bit much and could be softened up to taper more gradually without sacrificing the overall look. So I may be up for this since I did have planned to do some work on the back in regards to the rear hatch. It may also be necessary to lengthen a little in order to get the rear wheel skirts to fit and look right anyways. A long tailed Centurion may not be a bad idea :thumbup:

Aeromods I have planned for sure are as follows:

#1. Front Window rake reduction similar to Centurion #3
#2. Full Belly Pan
#3. Side Mirror Delete like Centurion #1
#4. removable rear wheel skirts
#5. Grille Block
#6. Ride Height Reduction
#7. Shaved door handles
#8. Windshield wiper compartment