Anyone Else Excited for 3-Cylinder Engines?!

"Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind)
07/19/2016 at 09:15 • Filed to: Tree-Bangers

I have an odd love for the chubby quadricycles we call subcompact cars here in the States. I get a lot of these as week long rentals since they give me a chamce to drive everywhere with the pedal to the floor. A 3-cyl turbo engine is nothing but exciting to me because it means broader torque and an even lighter front end on the only vehicles you can consistently equip manuals to and buy brand new for $15k in vibrant and interesting colors!

I’m a basic b*tch with a complex heart and I would like my Accent to reflex that! I tore up the highways in a Fiesta SE last time I was out here in Florida and I’m enjoying this Veloster now that I’m used to the timing, it just needs a tiny turbo engine.

DISCUSSION (31)

PanchoVilleneuve ST > Wobbles the Mind
07/19/2016 at 09:18

I like his boxy metallic boner.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Wobbles the Mind
07/19/2016 at 09:19

Kinja'd!!!

Just get a Wartburg and turbo it already, you weasel.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Wobbles the Mind
07/19/2016 at 09:22

I want a V-twin at each wheel.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > PanchoVilleneuve ST
07/19/2016 at 09:23

Dick in a block, dick in a block.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Wobbles the Mind
07/19/2016 at 09:26

I really want to drive a new Fiesta Zetec S. Basically an ST with the Ecoboost 1L. Too bad we don’t get it in the states.

Dave the car guy , still here > Wobbles the Mind
07/19/2016 at 09:31

If VW would keep around the VR type block and twin charge a gas motor I’d love it. I think in a VR3 configuration a high mileage Polo with 150+ hp and stick would sell easily here.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Wobbles the Mind
07/19/2016 at 09:34

Bruh, you can pick up a Mirage for like $11k.

Someone Else's Projects > Wobbles the Mind
07/19/2016 at 09:36

Yes.

Also, I know two-strokes are dirty, thirsty, and demanding, but this is just joyful.

Cé hé sin > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
07/19/2016 at 09:44

Wartburg?

Wartburg

Kinja'd!!!

jimz > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
07/19/2016 at 09:49

how would you turbo a crankcase-scavenged two stroke?

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
07/19/2016 at 09:49

We do get an SE with the 1liter Ecoboost though, but I doubt anyone is buying them. “You want time to pay more for a smaller engine? What, are you smoking crack or something?”~most Americans.

Wobbles the Mind > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
07/19/2016 at 09:52

Needs a turbo though. I had one in Houston and thought for sure the lack of power and no control due to CVT were going to get me killed. Acceleration wasn’t an option, and that is the safety feature I use most. No matter what anyone says, you need the most power when you are stuck in traffic because you only have 1.5 seconds to change lanes.

jimz > Wobbles the Mind
07/19/2016 at 09:54

the two I’ve driven are a Fiesta with the 1.0 Ecoboost, and a Figo with the non-turbo 1.0. the turbo obviously makes a huge difference, but I don’t like the sound of either engine. 3-bangers just have this wierd, dissonant engine note.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > Wobbles the Mind
07/19/2016 at 09:55

I have something with a 1.5L 3cyl... thinking of turbo-charging it...

Kinja'd!!!

running about 10PSI boost and adjusting the fueling slightly should get me from 28HP -> 42HP, keeps it well within safe/reliable margins for the engine, and the only driveline part that gets toward the danger zone is the front differential. (a noted point of “fragility” in these. Its not that the front diff is WEAK, mind you, just that it will be the first thing to break before anything else does.)

random001 > Wobbles the Mind
07/19/2016 at 09:58

Yes, when they are coupled to another 3 cylinder engine in a V configuration, and add a V-Twin. We shall call it the twin-I3-plus-v-twin! Yes!

Mercedes Streeter > Wobbles the Mind
07/19/2016 at 09:58

3 cylinder, check!

3-pedal Manual, cheeeeck!

Turbo, CHECK!

Cheap...uh, we won’t ask about that one.

Kinja'd!!!

wafflesnfalafel > Wobbles the Mind
07/19/2016 at 10:01

that 1.5l turbo 3cyl in the BMW i8 sounds cool... and didn’t that 1.0l Ford win a bunch of awards or something? We honestly don’t have many Fiestas out here...

Mattbob > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
07/19/2016 at 10:01

but how many torques will you get?

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > jimz
07/19/2016 at 10:05

Very carefully. Actually, though the “standard” way to turbo a two-stroke is to directly “blast out” the combustion chamber, there’s nothing inherently wrong with pressurizing the crankcase *a little bit*, which then will clear the combustion chamber more vigorously than usual- as long as you can solve all the issues with having the crankcase more overpressure than usual. Should work for at least thirty seconds.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Wobbles the Mind
07/19/2016 at 10:06

Yeah, the CVT in it makes acceleration comical. My sister bought one. It was tons of fun to drive “flat out” though while still being unable to get out of my own way.

jimz > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
07/19/2016 at 10:11

sounds like a properly set up resonance-tuned pipe would be more effective.

Kinja'd!!!

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > Mattbob
07/19/2016 at 10:13

so, lets calculate backwards... limited engine RPM is 2800, N/A HP peak is at 2550 RPM, we’ll assume that peak HP will now be at peak RPM with the turbo installed... use the calculator on the interwebs.... cary the 1.... ~78 lb/ft, up from ~58.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > jimz
07/19/2016 at 10:20

Well, simpler in terms of no tendency to over-blow the chamber and need to improve the crankcase sealing. More limited in effective power band, though, and getting three resonance chambers - one for each cylinder - packaged under the hood might be even more tricky than a turbo.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
07/19/2016 at 11:14

A more powerful engine, just on a car with no options.