No Displacement on Demand for C6

[LMN8R]

;stupid

The good news is that the GM press release said that the Vette engine would not have DOD. I agree, the Corvette is not the place for that kind of thing. I could, however, see outfitting an XLR with something like that. Anything but a sports car. Trucks, SUVs, econs, etc. I don't care to see DOD, hybrid/electric, "clean diesel," solar panels or any other environmental wizardry on a Corvette. I maintain this point regardless of efficiency, power, whatever. The damn things already have enough emissions controls on them to clean the hot air coming out of Henry Ford's descendants.

Corvettes have fuel tanks which hold fuel for GAS ENGINES. Nice ones. World class ones. When we stop using gas in them, stop making the cars.

 

[Hib Halverson]

I know that for 05, DoD on Corvette is a dead duck. The problem is the exhaust sound. A V4 doesn't sound like what a V8 Corvette is supposed sound like. Never say never, however.

If the Corvette's power output is going to grow to where it's performance can exceed that of a Viper or a Ford GT and still get under guzzler, DoD might be in the car's future.

DoD is brand new technology that only GM has right now. It works using an ingenious special kind of valve lifter on four of the engines cylinder---every other cyl. in the firing order.

Twice now, once in late 2001 and again early last week, I've driven prototype GM trucks with GM Displacement on Demand 5.3L V8s. The first time the system was near seamless in the transistion between 4 and 8 cylinders. Right at the change over you could hear and feel a slight difference in the powertrain dynamics. Two weeks ago, the with nearly two more years of development, the system is even more seamless. This time, I could not detect the change over. An engineer riding with me and monitering engine controls with a notebook computer had to tell me when the engine was running as a V4.

In 05 the only DoD vehicles will be the long wheelbase midsized SUVs. Expect DoD to be in far more V8-powered trucks in 06 and 07.

Will it be in the Corvette? Well, as I said, not in 05. I think it might come later, however, if the exhaust issue can be worked out. Frankly, I think DoD is some pretty revolutionary technology. It will be interesting to watch how it affects the fuel economy of GM trucks.

If having DoD on a Corvette meant the difference between paying the guzzler tax and not, I'd take it.

 

[LongTimer]

I know that for 05, DoD on Corvette is a dead duck. The problem is the exhaust sound. A V4 doesn't sound like what a V8 Corvette is supposed sound like. Never say never, however.

If the Corvette's power output is going to grow to where it's performance can exceed that of a Viper or a Ford GT and still get under guzzler, DoD might be in the car's future.

DoD is brand new technology that only GM has right now.

I agree with your post, Hib. I was thinking that perhaps the DoD programming could be modified, for vettes only, so that it engages only above 5 MPH. I would think that this would accomplish the desired results for the fed economy tests, yet leave us with our desired "performance idle."

What do you think?

 

[LMN8R]

Goat is a guzzler

A press release from GM today shows that the new GTO from Pontiac (with an auto tranny) will get a composite EPA fuel economy of 21.5 which will put it in the 'gas guzzler' category. The manual will get 24.8, which will be okay.

At any rate, if the goat gets to get away with being a gas guzzler and doesn't have to suffer with having half of its cylinders tied behind its back, then the Vette shouldn't either.

-Greg