The Spectacle of Rally

What makes Rally one of the greatest motorsports in the world is the wide range of terrain on which the races are run. For a competitor to be successful in rally, he or she must not only be a jack of all trades, but a master of it all. It’s this element of the sport that makes it one of the most enjoyable to watch. For the hardcore fans willing to forgo the the convenience of grandstands and brave the elements, it only enhances the experience.

In rally, you’ll never grow weary of cars circling around for hours on end, and red flags won’t be thrown because of a plastic bag blowing around on track. Even in the harshest of conditions—dirt, gravel, sand, mud, and snow—there’s no crew drying or sweeping the track. Day or night, -30° or 100°, rally does not stop for the faint of heart. Dynamically testing conditions that would normally thwart other motorsports’ delicate cars and manicured tracks, are what rally competitors thrive in. Roads that most people wouldn't dare to venture onto with an SUV, rally cars make easy work of. 

These conditions are just a contributing factor to what makes Rally one of the most visually spectacular motorsports. No two venues are ever the same; from one year to another, the same event may change dramatically. Wherever you point the camera at a rally race, you'll capture something unique and stunning. 

Last season was no exception for SRT USA. From the bitter cold snow that covered northern Michigan, to the ribbon of tarmac atop Mt. Washington, and to the dusty roads of the Pacific Northwest, there was no lack of visually stunning scenes.

For your viewing pleasure, we've put together a gallery of our favorite and most dramatic photos from the 2014 Rally America Championship. Be sure to check out the downloads tab in the menue to the right, where you can get some of these SRT USA images as your wallpaper.

Watch a 207-mph, Jet-Powered Bicycle Decimate a Ferrari in a Drag Race

Which is the more amazing feat: Switzerland’s Francois Gissy leaving a Ferrari 430 Scuderia sitting still at the dragstrip as he recorded 3.1 g’s of accelerative force on his way to a top speed of 207 mph, or that he did this on a BICYCLE? That bicycle, incidentally, was equipped with a rocket engine supplying 4.2 kN (944 pounds) of thrust. Gissy hit that 207-mph mark in just 4.8 seconds, at the 300-meter mark of the run. His quarter-mile time was a scant 6.8 seconds. If he has his way, Gissy could turn the 23-day Tour de France into a friendly afternoon of rocket-propelled insanity. Note that the actual record run was solo. The face-off against the Ferrari appeared to be for giggles. It was still the most comprehensive ass-kicking ever.

Porsche Recalls 13,500 Panameras and Cayennes for Fuel-Tank Seal Issue

It seems GT3s aren’t the only modern Porsches capable of self-immolating. According to Bloomberg, a Chinese regulation authority has determined that some Cayennes and Panameras built between 2011 and 2012 have a faulty seal that can let fuel evaporate and potentially catch fire. Porsche has taken the preemptive step of recalling 13,500 vehicles globally on its own accord. No fires have been reported and very few of those cars are in the U.S.

Why 0.5-Liter Cylinders Will Soon Dominate Automotive-Engine Design

A decade or so ago, a team of German university scientists settled on 500 cubic centimeters as the

ideal per-cylinder displacement for internal-combustion engines. A 500-cc cylinder with a stroke length larger than its bore diameter, these forgotten pioneers concluded, benefits the combustion process by minimizing the engine’s internal surface-to-volume ratio as the piston nears top dead center. Seeking to optimize power and fuel efficiency while reducing emissions, the three local powerhouses—BMW Group, Mercedes-Benz, and Volks­wagen Group—promptly joined the 500 club with boosted, direct-injected, long-stroke engines. Fiat Chrysler, Jaguar Land Rover, and Volvo are also applying for membership. Additional brands will surely follow, in part because 500-cc-displacement intervals align nicely with existing global taxation statutes. While hybrids and electrics will assist the move to better mileage with lower emissions, updated versions of Nikolaus Otto’s 139-year-old engine—many with 500-cc cylinders—will continue to do the heavy lifting.

Thus far, BMW is the most enthusiastic proponent of the 500-cc cylinder, with half-liter-based three-, four-, and six-pot gas and diesel engines either in production or about to be introduced. BMW’s newest family of TwinPower Turbo gas engines, which launched in the 2015 Mini Cooper Hardtop, shares its 82-mm (3.23-inch) bore and 94.6-mm (3.72-inch) stroke dimensions, plus direct fuel injection, variable intake- and exhaust-valve timing, and variable intake-valve lift systems. This modular approach enables 60-percent commonality of the component parts across three gas engines and 30 to 40 percent with the corresponding two diesel engines.

It’s not just the 500-cc displacement that matters, but also the dimensions that yield such volume. While a cylinder with a smaller bore than stroke (a so-called under-square design) contradicts the classic approach to maximum power at stratospheric rpm [see “Different Strokes”], there are compelling reasons for this move. A small bore shortens the flame travel needed to consume the fuel-air mix and diminishes quenching of the flame at the bore’s periphery. With smaller piston crowns and a more compact combustion chamber, there’s less heat lost to the cooling system. Smaller bores trade shorter overall block length for a modest increase in height, handy for jamming potent engines into tight confines.

One hardship enthusiasts must bear is slightly lower redlines. In exchange, we get better mileage (when we can resist the urge to pin the throttle) and enhanced flexibility attributable to the broader spread between torque and power peaks. Considering the global statutes in place mandating higher efficiency, we’re happy that Otto’s engine has more life left in it.

Different Strokes

Here’s a look at two different approaches to making power. Mercedes-Benz’s 6.2-liter AMG V-8 is the last gasp of the old way, but it’s unlikely to survive until 2025. Its replacement is the twin-turbo 4.0-liter new-wave V-8 spreading throughout AMG’s lineup.

2018 Mazdaspeed 3: Zoom-Zoom, Please Come Soon-Soon

COMPETITION

Ford Fiesta ST and Focus ST, Mini Cooper S, Subaru WRX, Volkswagen GTI.

WHAT MIGHT GO WRONG

A high sticker price and buzz-killing insurance rates may put off young buyers who most want it. And Mazda must sell enough regular 3s in the U.S. to justify a low-volume hard-core model for those who have worn out their 2007–2013 Mazdaspeed 3s.

ESTIMATED ARRIVAL AND PRICE

Don’t expect a Speed 3 before the 2018 model year, but do expect Mazda to work hard to keep the price below $30,000.

Two Metals Enter, One Leaves: The Miracle of Friction Stir Welding

The typical images of welding—a robotic arm burping sparks or a masked Jesse James hovering over

a glowing metal puddle—don’t apply to friction stir welding (FSW). The metal-joining technique was developed in 1991 by The Welding Institute, an industrial research center near Cambridge, England. In the mid-1990s, two Scandinavian aluminum-extrusion companies became the first to use the technique commercially. Since then, it has been widely adopted by the aerospace industry and has slowly trickled into the automotive realm.

Sparks and eye shields are part of fusion welding, where an electric current heats two pieces of metal to a molten state. When the metal pool cools, a single, solid joint results. In contrast, FSW is a solid-state weld involving no molten metal. Heat generated by pressure and friction is all that’s needed to ensure a strong metal bond.

The benefits are numerous. Most notably, FSW works with dissimilar ­metals. Not only can it weld different aluminum alloys, but it can also weld steel to aluminum. Before FSW, this was time consuming, costly, and often resulted in brittle bonds not suitable for load-bearing applications.

A Tale of Two Porsche Seven-Speeds: Manual and PDK

Rummaging through the parts bin to build several cars out of the same basic bits is nothing new and, in rare cases, can even result in cars with distinct personalities. Porsche’s Boxster, Cayman, and 911 don’t suffer from sharing a multitude of body, chassis, and powertrain components. Now Porsche’s transmission engineers have moved parts-sharing down to the micro level to reap two transaxles from one blueprint. The world’s first seven-speed manual gearbox is an offshoot of the seven-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic introduced three years ago for the 997-series 911. Both are available in the 2012 991-series 911 Carrera and Carrera S.

Porsche and ZF have been collaborating on the design and development of these transaxles—code-named the DT11 (PDK) and the MT11 (manual)—since 2003. From the start, the two companies planned on sharing the maximum number of parts and manufacturing tools. Credit ZF engineer Dr. Michael Ebenhoch with inventing the twofer shift kinematics.

Each gearbox is comprised of three aluminum castings—a front section, a rear section, and one removable cover. While those castings are different to suit each transaxle’s functional distinctions, roughly one-third of the internal parts are common [see above]. The main shaft, output shaft, differential, some of the gears, and the ­synchronizer mechanisms are shared. The PDK ’box has two input shafts versus the manual transaxle’s single shaft. A drive flange added to the output shaft sends torque to the front axle in four-wheel-drive models.

While the manual transaxle is lubricated with 3.5 quarts of hypoid-gear oil, the PDK requires two types of lubricant. Gears and shafts run in 3.7 quarts of hypoid-gear oil. Another 5.7 quarts of  hydraulic oil keep the PDK’s wet clutches and control circuit happy. Naturally, the PDK trans is the heavier unit. Including its lubricants and oil cooler, it weighs 256 pounds. The manual transaxle weighs 189 pounds, not counting its clutch components.

Breaking a long-standing tradition, the new 911’s top speed (ranging between 178 and 189 mph) occurs in sixth, not top, gear. The overdrive seventh-gear ratios—0.617:1 (PDK), 0.711:1 (manual)—help maximize highway mileage while minimizing driveline commotion. Third- and seventh-gear ratios are specific to each gearbox; the rest are shared between the two transaxles.

One minor hitch is the manual’s five-gate shift pattern. According to Porsche, this is a necessity. First and reverse gears had to be in close proximity for convenience, and moving first from its traditional 911 upper-left location was not an option. That leaves seventh all by its lonesome in the extra gate.

Our hats are off to Porsche for both ­saving a manual and for improving the 911’s functionality by adding a seventh gear ratio.

Canadian Manufacturing Sales - January 20, 2015

BCREA ECONOMICS NOW

Canadian manufacturing sales declined for the third time in four months in November, falling 1.4 per cent to $51.5 billion. Lower sales reflected weakness in motor vehicle, chemicals and food manufacturing.

In BC, where manufacturing employs over 160,000 people,  manufacturing sales fell 1.2 cent on a monthly basis, but were 2.6 per cent higher year-over-year.  Through the first 11 months of the year, manufacturing sales are 6.5 per cent higher than 2013.

Vancouver is second most unaffordable market in the world

Vancouver has been identified as one of the most unaffordable cities in the world in a study of major

property markets. The Demographic International Housing Affordability Survey studies and ranks property markets in Canada, US, UK, Australia, Japan, China (Hong Kong), Singapore, Ireland and New Zealand. Its findings for this year rank Hong Kong as the most unaffordable followed by Vancouver.

While it is the only Canadian city in the top 10 Victoria, Toronto, Kelowna and Fraser Valley are also listed as unaffordable. Among the most affordable in the study are the New Brunswick markets of Moncton, Saint John and Fredericton, Windsor, Ontario and Charlottetown, PEI.  Read the full report.

by Jamie Henry

House prices down in December, but is it just the time of year?

House prices declined for the second consecutive month in December, but is this just an indication of real estate’s slowest months of the year?

Teranet-National Bank’s House Price Index showed an overall 0.2 per cent decline, but also stated that, in the past five years, price drops in November and December have been frequent.

According to the report, house prices were down in five of the 11 metropolitan markets surveyed: Halifax (−1.9 per cent), Calgary (−1.1 per cent), Quebec City (−1.0 per cent), Montreal (−0.9 per cent) and Vancouver (−0.4 per cent).

The indexes for Victoria and Winnipeg were flat, while prices were up in Toronto (0.3 per cent), Edmonton (0.2 per cent), Ottawa-Gatineau (0.1 per cent) and Hamilton (0.1 per cent).

In fact, Hamilton house prices reached a new record in December, in line with national reports that Hamilton will be one of the country’s hottest property markets in 2015.

With a 12-month rise of 7.8 per cent, Hamilton was one of four markets that saw an increase in house prices well above the countrywide average in 2014.

Calgary house prices experienced a rise of 8.3 per cent, while Edmonton house prices increased 5.8 per cent and Toronto house prices increased 7.2 per cent.

The 12-month rise was closer to the average in Vancouver (five per cent) but lagged it in Victoria (3.2 per cent) and Winnipeg (1.5 per cent).

Montreal (0.3 per cent) and Ottawa-Gatineau (+0.1 per cent) showed minimal gains, while prices were down from a year earlier in Quebec City (−0.8 per cent) and Halifax (−2.5 per cent).

by Jennifer Paterson

Canadian and US Employment - January 9, 2015

BCREA ECONOMICS NOW

Employment in Canada was relatively unchanged to end the year, falling by 4,300 jobs in December.

The national unemployment rate remained at 6.6 per cent. Total hours worked, which is closely associated with economic growth, increased by a relatively strong 0.7 per cent.

In BC, employment grew by 2,200 jobs in December. However, the headline number masks an enormous shift in employment from part-time to full-time work. Full-time employment increased a remarkable 22,300 while part-time work fell by 20,200. That full-time employment figure, if it holds, would be the largest monthly gain in full-time jobs since September of 2011. The provincial unemployment rate fell 0.4 points to 5.4 per cent. For all of 2014, BC employment growth was just 0.9 per cent, but did accelerate to average growth of 1.7 per cent in the final three months of the year.

In the United States, the labour market continued to gain strength in December, adding 252,000 new jobs.  Moreover, the US unemployment rate  declined 0.2 points to 5.6 per cent. Over the past three months, the US economy has created an average of 289,000 jobs per month.

BCREA Housing Market Update (January 2015)