Your ideal powertrain swap?

[Ecky]

I've been thinking a lot about engine swaps lately, and I thought to make a thread asking about everyone's dream powertrain swap, and why.

For my Insight, I have the following contenders:

1) Honda Civic Hybrid (1st gen) LDA engine + 5MT

-This is basically the Insight's stock engine, only with a 50% larger electric motor and an extra cylinder. It's so smooth and quiet, you'd almost think it's full electric, and I feel there's a certain elegance to the swap, because most of the wiring would be compatible, including for the hybrid system, and the batteries use the same cells. In the HCH1, which has a much larger frontal area, higher drag, and weighs 50% more, this engine is still good for 60mpg cruising at ~55, so I can't see it being significantly lower than the Insight's stock engine, but with gobs more power. With an aftermarket controller, the electric motor in this engine might actually be enough to power the car while cruising entirely by itself. Best of all, these are cheap and abundant, and I'll probably have a spare engine in a few years once the salt claims the all-steel HCH1 my wife drives.

2) 2016 Honda Civic 1.5T + CVT

-Getting rid of the hybrid battery would greatly increase storage area in the rear hatch. The engine + transmission weigh close enough to the Insight's engine + tranny + battery that it wouldn't much affect the total mass of the car, though weight distribution would be shifted forward a bit. This engine looks marvelous on paper, able to deliver 174-hp/162-lb-ft while also delivering nearly 65mpg cruising in the significantly heavier and less aerodynamic Civic it came from.



3) 2017 Accord Hybrid drivetrain

-This car's drivetrain is fascinating to me. Honda touts the 2.0L Atkinson engine as the most efficient in the world, at something like 42-43%. It's mostly a series hybrid, with the ~140HP engine generating electricity for the ~200HP electric motor, which can take the 3600lb Accord to 60 in under 7 seconds. When cruising at certain speeds, there's a clutched single-speed transmission which connects the gasoline engine directly to the wheels. It has no belts or accessories, and like the Insight, has heat-recovery systems that aren't found in any other Honda. The car it comes from is rated 49 city / 47 highway, and I'd be curious what kind of economy I could get in a car literally half the size and weight. The previous generation Accord hybrid came in a plug-in variant, with a 13 mile range with its 6.7kwh battery. I would be surprised if I couldn't get 25 miles or more out of it.

4) As fascinating as the above 3 engines are, I can't help but feel that gasoline engines are on their way out. With cheap Nissan Leaf motors and batteries on the market, and the Bolt about to bring 200 mile EVs "mainstream", it makes me wonder if it's a good idea at all to put a gas engine into this car. The Leaf battery's range would probably be at least 50% better in the Insight at modest cruising speeds, and I expect 150-300 miles would really suit my needs. An EV conversion might even end up being cheaper, all said and done, because of the fabrication and special parts required for the above swaps.

[rmay635703]

Kubota twin cylinder with a Toyo rear electric transaxle.

1989 1ltr Non-turbo Diesel Charade, also with the Toyo rear electric transaxle

[vskid3]

Sane swap: Camry hybrid powertrain into a Prius. Would almost double the power and be a few hundred pounds lighter than the Camry.

Less sane swap: Sane swap plus a rear engine LS setup (similar to what guys do with Fieros). 200hp and 40+MPG most of the time, 600+hp AWD when you crank up the V8. Ultimate hustler-mobile at the drag strip.

[19bonestock88]

For my Malibu?

I would like to get hands on the LEA code engine from the 14-15MY Equinox... The geometry is the same as my L61, but the engine utilizes variable valve timing and direct injection, and makes 185hp... I would ideally couple it to the taller final drive 4T45 transaxle from the six cylinder Malibu and tune it to work together... The more efficient engine, coupled with taller gearing, should provide a good bump in highway fuel mileage...

[Frank Lee]

I've got stuff sitting around already that could be arranged into.. uh... interesting combos.

Escort diesel drivetrain into Tempo (easiest- practically a bolt-in worth 45+ mpg). Or make a fwd '68 Chev C10 worth what- 35-45 mpg?

'89 Park Avenue with one of the all-time greatest engines, the 3800 V6... stretch the pan and put the entire chassis under my spare '59 Biscayne body; the floor on that is gone anyway. A 30 mpg full-sized fwd daily driver classic with more snort and handling than the original... I like that idea.

Metro 1.0 5speed m/t into Fiero. Take some weight out, convert to m/t, and chop the top too. Would it fit in front? If so, then the car would have an enormous and useful trunk. Nice small frontal area and sporty good looks the Metro simply doesn't have. (sorry)

[elhigh]

I want this


in this


That's a Kohler (formerly Lombardini) KD625-2 two cylinder, air cooled diesel engine to install into a Chevette. For preference, I would want to use the Scooter model, as it's the lightest of the bunch at a mere 1843 pounds.

Power would be way down on this little rig, but let's be real - no one ever expected a diesel Chevette to win any drag races. So long as it moved under its own power, it was meeting expectations.

Another little tidbit: the Kohler, while delivering a lot less power than the 4FB1 Isuzu diesel it replaces, is also over 100 pounds lighter.

I just think it would be fun to approach a project like Planejob's nicely put-together diesel Metro, except take it to that weird, what-the-hell-were-you-smoking place. Still (ostensibly) a GM product, still a diesel, and who knows? It might work.

[elhigh]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Metro 1.0 5speed m/t into Fiero. Take some weight out, convert to m/t, and chop the top too. Would it fit in front? If so, then the car would have an enormous and useful trunk. Nice small frontal area and sporty good looks the Metro simply doesn't have. (sorry)

I wonder if the G10 (A or B) could be converted to flat-3 orientation. You'd need a new oil pickup in the sump and doubtless some kind of well sealed windage tray, probably a completely new sump really. That might get it low enough to fit under the hood of a Fiero.

The idea of a Fiero with lots of trunk space is just funny. I like that.

[Frank Lee]

A "power" dome on the hood would work too. And be easy.

I just loooove this chopped Fiero. Mine wouldn't be a wide-body though.

[UltArc]

AM 5.9 V12 into the Mustang.

Because V12.

[freebeard]

4) As fascinating as the above 3 engines are, I can't help but feel that gasoline engines are on their way out. With cheap Nissan Leaf motors and batteries on the market, and the Bolt about to bring 200 mile EVs "mainstream", it makes me wonder if it's a good idea at all to put a gas engine into this car.

I tend to agree, but it's a whole different ballgame.

Powertrain from the 2017 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid:

Joining the NSX supercar and RLX flagship sedan, the 2017 MDX sport Hybrid is the third model to feature the company's three-motor Sport Hybrid SH-AWD powertrain. This uses a 3.0-liter DOHC V6 with Variable Cylinder Management mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox with an integrated electric motor, powering the front axle, while the two electric motors of the Twin Motor Unit power the rear wheels. Total system output is 325 HP (330 PS), 35 HP (36 PS) over the non-hybrid, and EPA fuel economy ratings are 25/26/26 in city/highway/combined (9.4/9.05/9.05 l/100 km). Also, apart from the advanced AWD, the MDX has electrified torque vectoring for improved straight line performance and cornering precision.

Acura Wants To Beak Free With 2017 MDX Facelift

This rear drive unit has more power than the Toyota/Lexus rear axle, and twice what the Arcimoto SRK spec is (although I can't find a reference). The torque vectoring is a big deal, at least to me. The SRK has it but the Toyota MGR is an open diff.

The donor vehicle should be the oldest, weirdest VW-powered whatever ever. Today I'm partial to the front-wheel drive Tempo Rapide Kombi:


http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_234029-Tempo-Rapid-Kombi-1959.html