Melbourne firm, Harrop Engineering and Perth-based Orbital Engine Company have assumed some of the out-sourced development work for Toyota's forced induction V6 Aurion.
Harrop has been set to work on the Eaton twin-vortices supercharger (TVS) installation for the Aurion, the first time a production car has been fitted with this unit anywhere in the world.
The supercharger runs quieter than is the case for conventional superchargers and, according to TRD chief engineer, Stephen Castles, "The TVS unit has performed really well and definitely helped deliver the engine performance we need."
Unlike turbochargers, the supercharger does not require an intercooler to cool the fuel/air charge before entering the engine's combustion chambers.
Another advantage of going with a supercharger is that torque was available without the slow response ('turbo lag') that often afflicts turbocharged engines.
To date, the TRD Aurion V6 (more here) has met and exceeded all performance targets set for it, including the 235kW power output. Testing in the car has recorded faster acceleration times than expected when the project commenced, two years ago.
Orbital has taken care of the calibration and testing work for the new engine.
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