Automotive

The interior is what you would expect of a €2.4 million car. Premium materials such as leather, aluminium, magnesium and carbon fiber have been used to create a cocoon of luxury. Creature comforts ensure its occupants are comfortably nestled while they cruise through the city or having a blast down the expressway.

  Powertrain

 

This 8.0-litre W16 engine is a piece of engineering art. Derived from the unit used on the Veyron, it has been heavily reworked to now produces 1,479bhp and torque has also been increased (1,599Nm). How did engineers squeeze more power? Bolting on larger turbochargers is the first solution. The two-stage system is incorporated, connecting two turbochargers in series. This minimises turbo lag at low engine speeds. And at higher engine speeds, more air can be forced into the engine. This means more fuel can been injected and burnt to produce more power. The charged air cooling system used on the Veyron has been improved to enhance its cooling capabilities. This is necessary as there is more combustion happening. At full bore, more than 60,000 litres of air is gobbled up by the engine every minute. More fuel is supplied to each cylinder by 2 duplex fuel injectors. That means a total of 32 injectors. Duplex fuel injectors allows more fuel injected as engine speed increases. As a result, the fuel can be burnt more cleanly and the correct fuel/air ratio can be maintained at all times. In essence, the result is not only an increase the power output, but also to ensure that the power is usable. All 1,599Nm of torque is available from 2,000 to 6,000RPM. (a flat torque curve)

  Exhaust

To help the engine breathe better due to the increase in exhaust gases (as a result of increased intake air), a new titanium exhaust system is used to reduce back pressure. This contributes to more power. The catalytic converters used on the Chiron are much larger, 6 times the size of those found in a Mondeo, to cope with the increased load. The exhaust system has been cleverly utilised. There are 6 exit pipes. 2 of those are directed downwards to channel more air through the diffuser. This creates a blown diffuser, which significantly increases downforce. The remaining 4 sticks out at the back.

 Transmission

The seven-speed dual clutch transmission (DCT) derived from the Veyron has been strengthened to manage more power. And power is transmitted to all 4 wheels to provide maximum traction.

 Body

 

The weight of a car is probably the one key factor that manufacturers are constantly striving to keep to a minimal as practically possible. The weight (or a lack of) not only affects fuel efficiency. It also affects the entire dynamics of the car, be it stability, handling or acceleration. The Chiron is built upon an all-new carbon-fiber monocoque chassis. The rear subframe is also made from carbon fiber to save weight. The floor section is made from a honeycomb sandwich to help minimise noise, vibration and harshness (NVH). And the entire body is wrapped with a carbon-fiber skin. Weighing in at 1995kg (Dry), the Chiron is physically bigger. It is 3 inches longer, 2 inches taller and 1.5 inches wider. The carbon chassis tub has torsional and flexural rigidity comparable to that of a LMP1 prototype race car. (50,000Nm per degree of twist and 0.25mm of deflection per tonne) These are really impressive figures for a car its size and nature.

 Aerodynamics  

For a car capable of speeds in excess of 460+ km/h, one can only imagine that aerodynamics play a crucial role in thecar's performance. Engineers and designers spent more than 300 hours in the wind tunnel to develop a body that produces ample downforce to keep it planted to the road yet slippery enough to reach its top speed. It is very much a case of form follows function here too. Every curve and crease works the airflow to create downforce, facilitate cooling or both. Active aero is becoming a trend as performance can easily be increased with its deployment. The massive retractable rear spoiler needs no introduction. It is able to adjust its height according to the and doubles up as an air brake under heavy braking. A diffuser flap at the front axle when deployed, helps reduce drag and channel more air for brake cooling.

 Cooling

The cooling system has just one task: to prevent the engine from overheating. As the engine works hard to produce 1,479 usable brake horsepower, the radiators and heat exchangers have to dissipate twice the amount (2,958bhp) that is rejected as heat. That is a lot of cooling to do. The body has been shaped to channel air effectively to the key areas to ensure maximum cooling. Thus, aerodynamics not only enhances the car's performance, it also cools the car simultaneously.

However, that is half the puzzle solved. To do that, 10 radiators have been deployed to handle the massive load. Yes, 10! More than you will ever need for your house, or any car for that matter. This is what the radiators are for.

• 3 heat exchangers for the air-to-liquid intercoolers.
• 3 engine radiators.
• 1 for the air conditioning system.
• 1 transmission oil radiator.
• 1 differential oil radiator.
• 1 engine oil radiator

 Suspension

"Adaptive Chassis" is the term coined by Bugatti for their active suspension, another performance enhancing system. The system manages and alters the ride height; damping of the shock absorbers; electric steering feel; electronic management of the powertrain; the aerodynamic control system and  the vehicle stability control system. There are 5 modes that the driver can choose from, depending on the conditions and what he want to achieve with the car. They are namely Lift (raises the front end to ride over humps); Auto (activates at speeds above 50 km/h for comfort and handling); Autobahn (activates at speeds above 180 km/h for maximum stability during high-speed cruising); Handling (maximum agility for track use); Top Speed (increases the speed limiter from 380 to 420 km/h). All modes bar one can be activated by a dial on the steering wheel. "Top Speed" mode can only be activated by a second key called the Speed key. This is a feature that has been carried over from the Veyron.

 Brakes & Tyres

 

With great power and a heavier body, great stopping power is needed. The disc rotors are made of carbon silicon carbide, a lighter material that is more resistant to brake fade. The sizes of the disc rotors have been increased by 20mm in diameter and 2mm in thickness to improve heat dissipation. That is 420mm for the front and 400mm for the rear! There are rims that are smaller that those discs! Stopping them are newly designed calipers with titanium pistons, 8 for the front and 6 for the rear. And the pistons vary in sizes to even out the brake distribution on the disc rotors. The Pilot Super Sport tyres have again been co-developed with Michelin.They are now however larger, both front and rear tyres. The size of the front tyre has increased 14% in size to 285/30ZR20. And the rear tyre 12% to 355/25ZR21. This significantly increases the contact patch and improves performance. Each tyre is tested to withstand 5,000Nm of torque and every gram of rubber has been subjected to 3,800Gs of centrifugal force, that is 3800 times the force of gravity.

 Verdict

Cars such as the Veyron and the Chiron, are like bold statements to the world that boundaries are meant to be pushed further and broken. They are projects that celebrates the wonders and brilliance of engineering. It is said that Bugatti did not make any profit for every Veyron they sold but they did it anyway, just to prove a point. And they have once again captured the world's attention with their latest creation. 

 
 

Written by Z-one

 

This message has been edited by ZoneTecnico on 2016-03-21 21:02:40

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