Clever ZF EasyTurn Suspension Concept Allows Incredibly Tight U-Turns
We've seen concept cars featuring four-wheel-steering that makes it possible to pull up next to a parking space and drive sideways right into it, thanks either to four-wheel 90-degree steering or spherical tires that can just roll sideways. Don't hold your breath for these sideways parking car concepts, but supplier ZF recently showed off a front suspension design capable of steering the front wheels 80 degrees—enough to drastically reduce the amount of surplus parallel-parking space required for easy insertion/extraction and to tighten U-turn diameters considerably.
The Missing Link
In most front suspensions, a tie-rod connects the suspension knuckle directly to the steering rack. ZF proposes inserting a second link. This one runs roughly parallel with the tire, connecting the lower control arm in front to the knuckle at the other end. The traditional tie-rod then connects to this link, a bit closer to the control-arm pivot. The mechanical advantage this creates can more than double the range of tire pivot rotation from a typical 35 degrees in either direction to 80 degrees without extending the travel or dimensions and functionality of the steering rack.
Why Has Nobody Produced This Yet?
Swiveling the wheels and tires 80 degrees either way requires a lot of packaging space that is typically reserved for crash-structure frame rails, and their spacing has generally been dictated by a front-mounted combustion powertrain. Another problem is the lack of any sort of constant-velocity joint capable of transmitting drive torque over such an extreme angle, which makes the concept impractical for traditional front-drive vehicles. Finally, implementation would require a means of limiting the max allowable steering angle to parking-lot speeds, because suddenly dialing up 80 degrees of steering at speed could roll a tire off the rim and flip the vehicle.
Enablers: Electronics and Electric Drive
Modern electronics are more than up to the task of limiting steering angles to certain speeds, and this obviously means any rear-engine, rear-wheel drive vehicle could adopt this steering setup today and begin seeking out incredibly tight parallel parking spaces and hanging U-turns inside their garage or on their neighborhood street. Indeed, ZF demonstrated the concept on a rear-motor, rear-drive electric BMW i3. Another key enabler will be in-wheel electric drive motors, which eliminate the need for shafts and CV joints. These have yet to find favor with mainstream automakers, but advances we've covered by Orbis and Indigo address the technology's limitations in ways that could bring them to market—especially in ride-hailing and delivery vehicles, which stand to gain maximum benefit from the improved maneuverability.
When and How Much?
ZF's EasyTurn Suspension is so simple that it can be implemented quickly, whenever a manufacturer signs on the dotted line, but as of press time ZF had yet to announce any such contracts. And no supplier ever talks specifics on cost, but clearly this design adds a couple of ball joints, a link, and a bit of extra machining, so this won't be a budget-buster. Consider our fingers crossed for this cool concept.
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It holds the "holy grail" designation by most every import enthusiast's wish list and even raises the eyebrow of a substantial number of those that don't usually dabble in Japanese cars. Serving as the most popular model of the legendary Nissan Skyline family, this 2001 V-Spec II takes the drool-factor up quite a few notches and is being made available through Mecum Auto Auctions' Monterey visit from August 18-20.The Paul Walker/Fast & Furious ConnectionIf this R34 looks familiar with its gold and black decals and matte bronze TE37, Mecum states that this vehicle was used as a demo car to promote various Fast and Furious movies and was in the care of the late Paul Walker for an extended amount of time. The late actor reportedly racked up around 18,000 miles on the car. In addition, it was also used in BF Goodrich ads around the same time.Wait just a minute; a 2001 Skyline is too young to meet the federal government's 25-year import law, which forbids any Japanese (or other foreign market) vehicle manufactured less than two and a half decades ago to legally hit U.S. streets, right? That's what makes this example so unique. Given a pardon by the U.S. Government, its lucky new owner can take pride in the fact that their street legal R34 is able to hit their local freeways about four years earlier than the 2026 import law target date.Shady TimesRegistered as a 1999 model, its pardon is a bit of a shock given the cars burry past. A deep dive by the EPA and Los Angeles Sheriff's office zeroed in on importer Motorex, which was importing Nissan Skylines for eager customers in the 2000s. The service included sourcing the vehicle from overseas, physically importing it, taking care of the paperwork, and using an experienced third party to help meet crash and emissions guidelines to legalize a number of vehicles.Those guidelines included lowering the crash bars inside the Skyline's doors, adding multiple catalytic converters, and even more to satisfy the Department of Transportation's specifications. A multi-faceted series of events, the process was both lengthy and costly and took its toll on the business, as the owner was importing cars and collecting customer money much faster than the vehicles were being cleared and delivered to their new owners.A snowball effect resulted, exacerbated by what employees would refer to as excessive partying and a lavish lifestyle that left many without the car's they paid for. Add to that a theft report filed by Motorex that claimed multiple vehicles (for some reason left outside overnight) has been mysteriously stolen, and authorities began taking a closer look.What was uncovered included critical legal processes being skipped entirely and even in the face of speculation, undocumented Skylines steadily increased. That is, until the D.O.T. put a stop to importing pre-and-post 1996-99 Nissan Skylines entirely, while Motorex had its importer status pulled. A series of events, including physical assault, court hearings, jail time, the federal impounding of illegal vehicles, and so much more added to the tangled story of the Motorex fallout.Miraculously, a handful of R34 Skyline GT-R that Motorex had imported actually received the Governments pardon and were granted bond release on the condition that they were made NHTSA and D.O.T. compliant - like this one now being offered by Mecum.Mildly UpgradedThis is number 672 of 1,855 V-Spec IIs ever produced, and aside from its time in the spotlight with Paul Walker and appearing in print ads, it also has some choice modifications on board. The original 2.6L I-6 and 6-speed transmission remain inside the Bayside Blue model, updated with Nismo carbon fiber intakes, a GReddy intake manifold, radiator, and Trust exhaust. GReddy also gave the car a once-over, performing a complete tune up recently.Along with the 2000s-era graphics, the R34 was lowered with Tein coilovers complete with adjustable EDFC and TE37 Saga wheels were added. The cabin remains almost entirely original, the only notable additions being an ancient Momo Apache steering wheel and Sparco harnesses. Meticulously maintained, the car is in incredible condition both inside and out and estimated to fetch somewhere in the neighborhood of $750,000-$850,000 during Mecum Auctions' Monterey visit later this week.Given its history and exclusive status, it's probably worth every penny.
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ProsStrong, great-sounding engineOutstanding manual shifterYour hat stays on at 120 mph with top down ConsDoesn't handle as well as expectedSomewhat odd gearingWe know it can be betterLet's take a trip back to 2016, even if Porsche diehards would prefer we didn't. That's when the company introduced the fourth-generation Boxster, now with a 718 prefix and (cue the loyalists' gags) turbocharged flat-four engine offerings in place of the naturally aspirated flat-sixes that had powered every version of the popular and much-lauded roadster since it first arrived 20 years earlier.The new engines were among the best four-bangers in history, but nevertheless, cries never ceased for a reversion to the old. So while other 718 Boxsters carry on with the 2.0- and 2.5-liter turbocharged units, the prior 2.5-liter 718 GTS that lasted a scant two model years in the U.S. between 2018 and 2019 is gone. Instead, the new 982-series 718 Boxster GTS 4.0-liter gives many of us what we've wanted: a new flat-six. The engine itself is a punched-out, free-breathing derivation of the 3.0-liter twin-turbo 9A2 flat-six family found in every non-GT and non-Turbo 991.2 and today's 992 911s. It 394 hp and 309 lb-ft of torque, figures that.Other items of note: The GTS 4.0 adds thicker anti-roll bars, recalibrated PASM dampers, upgraded chassis mounts, slightly larger brakes, and upgraded wheels. Along with the larger engine and extra standard features like heated seats and dynamic lights, it boasts Porsche Torque Vectoring with a mechanical limited-slip differential. However, the car adds roughly 145 pounds compared to the old GTS 2.5, .Contrary to what we expected heading into PVOTY, though, the overall package didn't blow away our judges."I'm whelmed," features editor Scott Evans said. "I expected to love this car, and I'm kind of meh on it. I know Porsche can do better with this chassis. It's the damping that surprised me; it doesn't soak up midcorner bumps as well as I expected, and it feels a little skittery at high speeds. Porsches are usually more locked down, and as a result, I couldn't carry as much speed through fast, bumpy sweepers as I could in lesser cars. I was 8 mph faster in the Subaru. But what a fantastic shifter; it's just perfect in movement and feel. Sucks about the super-long second gear, though. I kept wanting to take extra laps to see if I was doing something wrong. I felt like I could learn to drive the car better if I just kept trying, even though I knew some of the issues really didn't have anything to do with my driving."Senior features editor Jonny Lieberman agreed. "Evans is right," he said. "The Boxster GTS is good, but it isn't great. The long second gear makes things a little confusing, and it just doesn't handle as well as we expected it to."The fact we can say this about such a capable machine that's long been a favorite speaks volumes about just what a stupendous level of performance modern sports cars have reached. As features editor Christian Seabaugh said, "Other than the noted 'complaints,' it's an excellent car. Well balanced, poised, and easy to drive fast and find your limit. The steering is sharp and direct, and the brakes are pretty good."In the end, while the 718 GTS 4.0 is a great Boxster, it isn't yet quite as outstanding as we know it can be.2021 Porsche 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 Specifications Base Price/As tested $90,250/$100,000 Power (SAE net) 394 hp @ 7,000 rpm Torque (SAE net) 309 lb-ft @ 5,000 rpm Accel, 0-60 mph 4.2 sec Quarter-mile 12.4 sec @ 115.9 mph Braking, 60-0 mph 99 ft Lateral Acceleration 1.07 g (avg) MT Figure Eight 23.6 sec @ 0.87 g (avg) EPA City/Hwy/Comb 17/24/19 mpg Vehicle Layout Mid-engine, RWD, 2-pass, 2-door convertible Engine, Transmission 4.0L direct-injected DOHC 24-valve flat-6, 6-speed manual Curb Weight (F/R DIST) 3,173 lb (45/55%) Wheelbase 97.4 in Length x Width x Height 172.4 x 70.9 x 49.7 in On Sale Now Show All
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