Powertrain KV6 Engine
The KV6 is an all-alloy 24-valve 6-cylinder quad cam unit, of 2.0- and
2.5-litre capacities, developed from the award-winning K Series 4-cylinder
engine. Major brand customers include Rover, where it powers the award-winning
75 and 45, MG in the new ZT and ZS and Land Rover for their all-terrain
Freelander. This year Powertrain Ltd engineers have developed new performance
derivatives for the engine range with maximum power output reaching 190Ps, with
245Nm of torque.
The K Series lightweight modular construction has recognised motorsport
credentials, and made the KV6 the natural choice to power the MG ZS EX259
Touring Cars. The engine was developed for the British Touring Car Championship
(BTCC) by racing specialists Advanced Engine Research (AER) helping the MG ZS
to victory at Brands Hatch earlier this month, in only its third outing.
The recent successful launches of the KV6 engine into the new MG cars range and
Rover 75 Tourer plus increased third party sales, has resulted in KV6
production being increased from 900 to 1400 units per week. The next milestone
for K Series and Powertrain Ltd will be total output exceeding 2.5 million
later in 2002.
Variable Intake System
When you jam your foot to the floor you open the main throttle body butterfly
valve wide open. This creates a large aperature for the air to flow through, to
meet the engines demands. Problem being that a large opening allows the air to
move slowly, this is supposed to be bad for producing good torque. The solution
in the KV6 is a VIS valve (Variable intake System, I think). This remains
relatively closed when at low revs, to make the air move faster through the
small opening, after the main butterfly valve.
When the engine picks up speed, the VIS valve opens quite quickly, allowing in
more of the air from the wide open butterfly valve, as the engine (now running
faster) can operate more efficiently and demand/use more air. Therefore the
surge is felt.
Delay in the surge can indicate a faulty VIS valve or valve motor.
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