You should all check out this web site! This is the engine of the future, or at least the cylinder head/valvetrain of the future - spherical rotating valves! Imagine, no camshafts, lifters, pushrods, rockers, valve springs or poppet valves! Benefits include significantly lower emmisions, greater horsepower, improved fuel economy, higher compression ratios, centrally located spark plugs with no valves to get in the way, simpler design, higher RPM potential, no valvetrain lubrication required! There is a link to a Popular Hotrodding article on the site somewhere. The company is currently making motorcycles with these engines, but they have prototyped racing engines, diesel truck engines, passenger car engines, etc. It seems that they are in the process of getting together a consortium to begin manufacturing?
As an engineer, this stuff is really facinating and shows a lot of potential! Maybe someday there will be a retrofit kit for SBCs!
http://www.coatesengine.com

 

Guy I work with saw one at Rousch racing and said they took it to 15,000 rpm's. Assuming they used a short stroke crank but that is still screaming.

 

The V-8 racing engine looks wicked. Interesting concept on head design. Looks like they are going to build in Oklahoma.

 

Wow, pretty ingenius. Thanks for the info



Pat Kunz

 

WOW! I want one...higher compression on lower octane fuels, less pollution, fewer moving parts...sounds like a win/win situation to me. I wonder when they'll be in production?

 

Impressive!!!!

 

These were in there too, alot more feasible and avalible now

http://www.bankspower.com/twin-turbo-products.cfm

 

I thought it was very impressive also. What really needs to happen is auto makers to get their engineers lokking into this because, as someone said, it is a win all around - better performance, better fuel efficiency, lower emissions, simpler design- allusing lower octane fuels! This looks to solve alot of issues. Better all around solution, IMHO, that costly and COMPLEX hybrids!

 

very cool!!

 

Ahh man I hate it when people steal my ideas...

Seriously though very design!

 

Great idea however like everything new or alternative there will be a new set of problems, still has moving parts that wear out I'll wait untill the second revision

 

I had the opportunity to see a non-functioning demo engine, hold some of the parts in my hands, and meet Mr. Coates in person when he visited my school a few years ago. He developed this technology quite some time ago. However, it's our current American auto manufacturers that keep putting him down. He's been sued multiple times and even brought to jail because his products threaten to revolutionize the IC engine industry.

At the time of his visit, I believe he said the going cost for a prototype was about $3000 per head (so $6000 for a V8). About a year ago I wrote to the company and asked if they had any retrofit kits available for SBCs, and unfortunately, they had none. If I recall, their reply letter said they had suspended attempts to push this technology on the American market and were working closely with a foreign auto manufacturer to introduce the new technology to their production line.

From an engineering stand-point, it's fascinating stuff! It's just too bad we probably won't be the first ones to see it

Matt

 

Very interesting. Their "Engine of the Future" page sounds a little hype-y but as an upstart I guess they have to be pretty... bold.

I'll have to keep an eye out for them. The technology sounds really cool and if it's really that easy I would expect the big automakers to be jumping on it right away.

 

You got your post in just before me.

While I was reading their site I kept waiting to hear the plea of the victimized inventor.

Let's just say for a moment you're a high ranking GM official with responsibilities in engine production/development. Now, someone comes to you with a new engine technology that gives you (from what the Coates website implies) a significant advantage over your competitor's engines. Think about it... with all the buzz about Honda engines being effieient and powerful, wouldn't you love to come up with something that whups on them? With the govenrnment breathing down your neck about emissions and fuel economy while consumers are sucking up SUVs left and right, wouldn't you want an edge? Especially if it doesn't mean going through all the trouble of designing a hybrid.

So... with everything to gain and only licencing fees to lose you SUE? This isn't Red China, you don't get thrown in jail for "free thinking."

Don't get me wrong, I hope there is more to this tech. than hype, I really do because it sounds great. I've just gotten my hopes up reading articles about fantastic new technology that's only being held back because it's "so revolutionary the current companies are afraid it will succeed" too many times though.

 

One of the sales trainers that used to come by my old job was talking about using those engines. He had a champ car team or something...the small formula looking cars.

 

hmmm... interesting

 

This coates engine has been around for years. The problem I see with it is cylinder (valve) sealing. They have some stuff about the magic seal that solves all problems but I don't buy it. Maybe it seals for a while but no auto manufacturer is going to touch it if it doesn't work for atleast 150k miles. Same thing with the rotary engines. Their achilles heal is also the seals.

I don't think the poppet valve is a bad design or is holding the IC engine back. F1 engines rev what, 20.000 rpm, and they still run poppet valves. They're doing some interesting stuff though like using compressed gas as valve springs.

I put this in the same category as the other dreamers. The Smokey Yunick Adiabatic engine, The Bourke engine, the miller cycle etc. Lots of hype, very little real results.

 

i hope that's just crappy audio, cuz that bike sounds awful....

 

I would like to think I could get more power then 480 bhp from a 855 cubic inch engine.
still waiting to be impressed.

 

Forget the engine ... I like the self-adjusting wheel bearings.