Piston Slap: D.I. Another Day?
TTAC Commentator edgett writes:
Sajeev –
I’ve got a 2007 BMW 335 which has a direct injection system. Although I enjoy the car, it has been through three fuel pumps in 35,000 miles and BMW has thankfully extended the warranty on the fuel pump to 100,000 miles and seven years. The benefits, however, are extraordinary. This engine gets excellent fuel mileage and makes fantastic power. So tell me why DI systems are so difficult that mighty Honda has yet to take the plunge!
Sajeev answers:
Actually they are jumpin’ on the bandwagon. And I am totally okay with auto makers taking far too long (for some people) to get their act together, but that’s a byproduct of being a Lincoln-Mercury fanboi used to such disappointment. Anything, like the recent news from Honda, that gives me a glimmer of hope gets my heart all a-flutter!
Could be worse, I could be a Pontiac fanboi. But I digress…
Automakers have finite resources. They may not put all their eggs in one hand basket, but they will stick with something for a soon-to-be made product to give it the best chance of success. That’s just smart business. Imagine how bad it would be for Lincoln if they didn’t promote Ecoboost stuff, instead focusing on the next generation Town Car with a Coyote V8! Oh wait, there I go again. Dammit.
Keeping corporate news releases and press exposure to one item is fair, but when it comes to R&D and pie-in-the-sky products, everyone hedges their bets. To some extent. Hyundai was the first to go mainstream family sedan with DI motors, obviously they were ahead of the curve and everyone else decided to make sure their stuff was at least as reliable. And there’s a good chance Hyundai learned something from BMW’s fuel pump issue. Honda is following Hyundai, for all the right reasons.
Money. Time. Resources. External human influences. The wrath of Mother Nature. All of these hold back Honda’s DI motors…and occasionally break the heart of a Lincoln-Mercury fanboi.
Believe that.
Send your queries to sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry.
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Point of historical reference: GDI is only new to cars. All German and some Japanese military aircraft engines used it in WW2, and US commercial aircraft engines used it until the end of the piston era. These were applications where power output and/or efficiency trumped upfront cost. The combination of increasing weight (due primarily to government-mandated safety devices) and increasing (government-mandated) fuel economy standards have now consumer vehicles to the same point. Unfortunately the consumer gets screwed, since even a large improvement in gas mileage doesn't come close to paying for the extra cost of technologies like GDI or hybrid powertrains, unless you're a traveling salesman, cab driver etc.
Not new for cars either. The Mercedes 300SL used it in the middle 1950s. They soon figured out that port injection was a whole lot simpler and almost as good. Nowadays though emission control and fuel economy make GDI worth a second look.