| Smaller more powerful engine for the Ford Mustang? |
Could the Ford Mustang be getting a smaller but more powerful engine in the future? Yesterday Ford Motor Company unveiled their new DOHC 3.5L V6 engine which is quite a bit smaller than the engine which sits between the strut towers of the current Ford Mustang, but produces 40 more horsepower. The 3.5L outperforms the current Mustang's 4.0L by producing 250 horsepower, and 240 lb/ft of torque with a redline of 6700 rpm, 600 more than the 4.0L. The only drawback we can see to this engine possibly being put in the Mustang is the higher rpm that it makes those numbers at. The 3.5L makes it's peak horsepower at 6250 rpm compared to the 4.0L's 5250 rpm, and the torque (which is the same between the two) is reached at 4500 rpm compared to the 4.0L's 3500 rpm.
This new powerplant features a High Pressure Diecast (HPDC) aluminum cylinder block, filled with a forged steel crankshaft, powder metal-forged connecting rods and high-temperature alloy, cast aluminum pistons. The engine’s cylinder block design represents the first application of a high-pressure die-cast block for a V-configuration engine for Ford. Ford chose this new casting technique because of it's various production advantages including tighter casting control which produces more consistent casts, and the reduction of raw material requirements which lowers overall product weight.
The upper end of this engine consists of DOHC (dual over head cam) aluminum cylinder heads which incorporate centrally located spark plugs, and combustion chambers resulting in a 10.3:1 compression ratio. "The 3.5-liter V-6 uses a compact, lightweight dual-overhead cam valvetrain for peak power capability and smooth operation at high RPMs. The engine also incorporates intake variable cam timing (iVCT) to optimize valve timing for a smooth idle, optimal part-load driving and an impressively broad torque curve with good power. The iVCT system uses a hydraulically actuated spool valve that can rotate the intake camshafts up to 40 degrees within a half-second."
“The 3.5-liter V-6 is capable of achieving PZEV certification by delivering low cold-start emissions and enabling rapid catalyst light-off, which is a significant accomplishment for a larger displacement V-6 engine,” says Tom McCarthy, engine systems manager for the 3.5-liter V-6 engine program. This is accomplished with low heat-loss exhaust manifolds and close-coupled catalysts for fast light off during cold start. Optimized fuel injector targeting minimizes cold-start emissions before the catalysts reach operating temperature.
So the question is whether this will ever be put in a Mustang. To be honest, nobody knows for sure. For right now the only thing Ford is saying about this engine is that it'll debut in the Ford Edge and Lincoln Aviator crossover utility vehicles next year. From that point on it will progressively be put in various vehicles, and by the end of the decade it should be in one of every five Ford Motor Company vehicles. Whether it will make it in the Ford Mustang base model is something we'll have to wait and see, but it's likely it will. Not only is this a lighter, smaller, more powerful engine, but it's also capable of being a PZEV (see below) engine, so why wouldn't Ford put it in the Mustang?
|
3.5L V6 |
4.0L V6 |
| Type |
3.5L DOHC
24-valve V-6 |
4.0-liter
60-degree V-6 |
| Manufacturing
Location |
Lima Engine
Plant, Ohio |
Cologne,
Germany |
| Configuration |
60-degree
V-6, aluminum block and heads |
Iron block
and aluminum head |
| Intake
Manifold |
Composite,
slit plenum |
Composite
shell-welded with internal runner pack |
| Exhaust
Manifold |
Cast iron |
Cast iron |
| Crankshaft |
Forged
steel |
|
| Redline |
6700 rpm |
6,100 rpm |
| Throttle
Body |
65mm,
electronic |
65-mm
single-bore electronic |
| Valvetrain |
DAMB, 4
valves per cylinder, intake variable camshaft timing |
SOHC, 2
valves per cylinder |
| Valve
Diameter |
Intake:
37mm
Exhaust: 31 mm |
Intake:
46.0 mm
Exhaust: 39.0mm |
| Pistons |
High
temperature cast aluminum alloy with low-friction coated skirts, low-tension rings |
Cast
aluminum |
| Connecting
Rods |
Cracked-powder
metal |
Forged
steel |
| Ignition |
Pencil coil |
Distributorless
with coil pack |
| Bore x
Stroke |
3.6 x 3.4
in/92.5 x 86.7 mm |
3.95 x
3.32/100.4 x 84.4 mm |
| Displacement
|
213 cu
in/3.496 cc |
245 cu in /
4,009 cc |
| Compression
Ratio |
10:03:01 |
9.7:1 |
| Horsepower |
250 @ 6250
rpm (estimated) |
210 @ 5,250
rpm |
| Horsepower
per Liter |
71.5
(estimated) |
53 |
| Torque |
240 lb-ft @
4500 rpm (estimated) |
240 lb-ft @
3,500 rpm |
| Recommended
Fuel |
87 Octane |
87 octane |
| Fuel
Injection |
Sequential
multiport fuel injection |
Electronic
returnless sequential |
| Oil
Capacity |
5.5 quarts,
with filter |
5 quarts
with filter |
PZEV: For those wondering what this stands for. The acronym PZEV stands for Partial Zero-Emission Vehicle. PZEV rated vehicles are supposed to produce 90% fewer emissions than the average new car and also have zero evaporative emissions.
Images courtesy of Ford Motor Company
Related:
2006 Ford Mustang Info
2006 Pony Package Pictures
2006 Ford Mustang Rumors
2005 Ford Mustang Info
2006 Ford Mustang V6 Pictures
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