Audi Competes With Diesel Sports Car At Le Mans.

[QuattroMan]

· Audi R10 world premiere in Paris

· V12 TDI engine produces over 650 hp

· First test successfully completed



AUBURN HILLS, MI. (December 13, 2005) – AUDI AG is once again one step ahead of the opposition: The inventor of ‘TDI’ will become the world’s first automobile manufacturer to fight for overall victory with a diesel engine at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans. The all-new Audi R10, which was unveiled on Tuesday in Paris, is powered by a totally new 5.5-liter, twelve-cylinder bi-turbo TDI engine, which is extremely quiet and economical.



The Le Mans Prototype, with over 650 hp and more than 1,100 Newton meters torque, significantly exceeds the power produced by the majority of previous Audi racing cars – including that of its victorious R8 predecessor. Audi ventures into previously unexplored diesel-engine terrain with the V12 power plant manufactured completely from aluminum. As with the TFSI technology, which triumphed initially at Le Mans before being adopted for mass-production, Audi customers should benefit once again from the lessons learned in motorsport.



“With the A8 4.2 TDI quattro, Audi already builds one of the most powerful diesel cars in the world,” explained Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, at the R10 presentation in Paris. “The Le Mans project will help our technicians to extract even more from TDI technology. Nowadays, every second Audi is delivered with a TDI engine. We expect that the percentage of diesel engines will be even larger in the future.”



The R10 prototype’s V12 power unit, which is equipped with two diesel particle filters, is hardly recognizable as a diesel thanks to the engine’s smooth running nature. The TDI engine’s specialties presented the Audi Sport engineers with a whole list of challenges. The injection pressure easily exceeds the 1,600 bar achieved in production cars. The usable power band lies between 3,000 and 5,000 revs per minute – an unusually low rev range for a racing engine. The driver must change gear in the R10 far less often than in the R8 because of the TDI engines favorable torque curve.



The enormous torque of over 1,100 Newton meters does not only make extreme demands of the R10 transmission system – even the latest generation of engine dynamometers at Audi Sport had to be re-equipped with special gearboxes capable of withstanding the unusual forces.



Additionally, radical changes to the chassis were also necessary. The Audi R10 has a significantly longer wheel base than the R8. The overly wide front tires are, up until now, unique for a Le Mans Prototype. New technologies were also implemented during the development of the carbon-fiber monocoque. Chassis, engine and gearbox form an extremely rigid, fully stressed unit.



“The R10 project is the biggest challenge ever to have been handed to Audi Sport,” said Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “TDI technology has not been pushed to its limits in motorsport yet. We are the first to confront the challenge. The demands of such a project are accordingly high. Long-term technology partners such as Bosch, Michelin and Shell support us in our quest. Together we have the chance to write new chapters in the history books of motorsport and diesel technology.”



The new Audi R10 successfully completed its first test at the end of November. An extensive test program, including the 12-hour race at Sebring, FL on March 18, is scheduled before the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 17/18, 2006. The development team from Audi Sport is supported by Reinhold Joest’s squad, which also performed this task during the R8 project.

[Rockefella]

Cool, real cool.

[derekthetree]

any info on its max revs?

[henk4]

Originally Posted by derekthetree

any info on its max revs?

"the usable powerband lies between 3 and 5000 revs". It could probably be made to turn higher, but it would not bring anything.
It would be an ideal engine to combine with a full autobox.

It should also be noted that this is the first Audi diesel with a common rail system, a fact not highlighted too much in the press releases as it admits defeat of the pump-jet system, used so far in all VAG diesels. These will be phased out starting in 2007. Obviously Audi is not too keen on telling that to the world in order not to endager sales of the current engines

[derekthetree]

Originally Posted by henk4

"the usable powerband lies between 3 and 5000 revs". It could probably be made to turn higher, but it would not bring anything.
It would be an ideal engine to combine with a full autobox.

It should also be noted that this is the first Audi diesel with a common rail system, a fact not highlighted too much in the press releases as it admits defeat of the pump-jet system, used so far in all VAG diesels. These will be phased out starting in 2007. Obviously Audi is not too keen on telling that to the world in order not to endager sales of the current engines

i saw that bit but i was wondering if it was the power or torque peak. if it isn't going to rev muh above 5000 it is going to be the weirdest sounding le mans car

[henk4]

Originally Posted by derekthetree

i saw that bit but i was wondering if it was the power or torque peak. if it isn't going to rev muh above 5000 it is going to be the weirdest sounding le mans car

that would have been the Howmet and the Rover turbine cars

[drakkie]

Originally Posted by henk4

that would have been the Howmet and the Rover turbine cars

i assume the mazda otary one sounded quite weird too

[quattro_20v]

Originally Posted by henk4

It should also be noted that this is the first Audi diesel with a common rail system, a fact not highlighted too much in the press releases as it admits defeat of the pump-jet system, used so far in all VAG diesels. These will be phased out starting in 2007. Obviously Audi is not too keen on telling that to the world in order not to endager sales of the current engines

If you are right this site and I might be wrong on that one http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/frame...hp&carnum=1686

The bigger Audi diesels already had that, VW and audi arent the same in everything

[henk4]

Originally Posted by quattro_20v

If you are right this site and I might be wrong on that one http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/frame...hp&carnum=1686

The bigger Audi diesels already had that, VW and audi arent the same in everything

I have already been told that I was wrong. The V8 is the only VAG product with a CR diesel. I had not realised that, however it is a fact that the pump/nozzle engines will be phased out

[Comaha]

Originally Posted by henk4

I have already been told that I was wrong. The V8 is the only VAG product with a CR diesel. I had not realised that, however it is a fact that the pump/nozzle engines will be phased out

Nope, wrong again. The new 2.7 and 3.0 litre diesels use common-rail as well.

[henk4]

Originally Posted by Comaha

Nope, wrong again. The new 2.7 and 3.0 litre diesels use common-rail as well.

wow a lot of leaps today, but I still maintain that the PD engine is on the way out , until somebody proves me wrong there. Has the new Paris Dakar racer by any chance also already been fitted with a CR engine?

[Piacki_117]

Who has had this stupid idea? Run in Le Mans with a diesel-engined car! They are crazy!!!!

[Jack_Bauer]

Originally Posted by Piacki_117

Who has had this stupid idea? Run in Le Mans with a diesel-engined car! They are crazy!!!!

Why do you say that? The biggest revolution of the R8 was probably vastly improved fuel economy over the competition (although obviously it was a damn quick car too), and the diesel engine should be a massive step in improving fuel economy. If anyone can make this work it'll be Audi. They have all the experience in producing competitive chassis and aero packages, and they have the funding and the resources to develop a reliable diesel engine too (providing they can build a gearbox tough enough to handle all the torque ). I'm really looking forward to it.

[Jakg]

Originally Posted by Piacki_117

Who has had this stupid idea? Run in Le Mans with a diesel-engined car! They are crazy!!!!

nowadays diesels are just as refined as petrols, in fact, diesels a bit like Firefox, make fun of it when you dont use it, but the second you try it and youll never go back

[Comaha]

Originally Posted by henk4

wow a lot of leaps today, but I still maintain that the PD engine is on the way out , until somebody proves me wrong there. Has the new Paris Dakar racer by any chance also already been fitted with a CR engine?

Well, you live and learn.
But you're right with the phasing out. If i remember correctly it will start in 2007.