Autocar UK – 28 August 2019

NEWS

28 AUGUST 2019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 15

Mountune cranks

Focus RS to 513bhp

MOUNTUNE HAS TAKEN

the Ford Focus RS to a

whole new performance

level with two new packages

• and the most powerful

boosts the hot hatchback’s

output to 513bhp.

Each new package

replaces the 2.3-litre

Ecoboost unit’s existing

turbocharger with a bespoke

BorgWarner item.

In the lesser-powered

M450 package – priced

from £2950 – the new

turbocharger boosts

output to 444bhp and

428lb ft of torque. That’s

considerably more than the

416bhp of the Mercedes-

AMG A45, currently the

most powerful production

hot hatchback on sale.

Mountune’s next step for

the Focus RS is the M520,

using a more advanced

BorgWarner turbo alongside

an uprated fuel pump,

camshafts and valvetrain,

p l u s a r e c a l i b ra te d ECU, fo r

513bhp and 516lb ft. That kit

costs a minimum of £5975.

Both packages also get

a high-flow cat and exhaust

downpipe alongside other

ancillary upgrades.

It should be noted,

however, that both kits

demand substantial internal

engine modifications to

achieve the output levels

reliably. They are designed

as upgrades to the existing

M400R or M400x packs.

Both invalidate the Focus

RS’s manufacturer warranty.

Mountune’s 513bhp

upgrade costs at

least £

SINCE THE MILLENNIUM and rapidly

developing emissions legislation, automatic

transmission technology has moved on at

a pace. To perform economically, engines

need to run in the most effi cient part of

their operating cycle, the ‘sweet spot’, as

often as possible. To do that, they need a

transmission with enough gear ratios. Autos

increased from three to four gears in the

1980s and from four to fi ve in the 1990s, but

to make the jump to six took some fi guring

out due to the extra space needed. Epicyclic

(aka planetary) gearsets are the building

blocks of traditional automatic gearboxes

and consist of a sun gear surrounded by

three or more planet gears inside a ring

gear. German transmission manufacturer

ZF was one of those which succeeded in

making a huge leap in automatic gearbox

design in 2002 by incorporating the

compact Lepelletier gearset concept with

its planetary gearsets. This made it possible

to fi t more gear ratios into the same, or

smaller space.

The new gearbox was the ZF 6HP, which

(no surprise) replaced the 5HP and fi rst

appeared in the fourth-generation BMW

7 Series. It moved the game on a long way,

with torque-converter lock-up to prevent

‘slip’ in the fl uid coupling, not just in top

gear but also on all forward speeds. It could

disconnect the engine from the torque

converter to save fuel, too, and had a new

‘ASIS’ adaptive shift strategy. It contained

only 470 components instead of the 5HP’s

660, was shorter (thanks to new compact

gearsets), weighed 13% less, accelerated

faster and used 7% less fuel. It also had

an integrated brain called a mechatronic

module, marking the departure from the

engine and gearbox working independently

to the new philosophy of ‘integrated

powertrain’, where the engine and gearbox

talk to one another. Now, the two could work

together to achieve the best fuel effi ciency

and emissions. The 6HP later gave way to

the 8HP, adding two more ratios and further

refi nements to make it even more effi cient.

Another major step, also from ZF, was the

HYBRID ABILITY INCLUDED

introduction of the 9HP in 2013. Designed

for transverse engines, the 9HP was quite

different from other automatic gearboxes.

It supported stop/start systems, which

others hadn’t, used a new design of internal

‘dog engagement’ clutches rather than

conventional clutch packs to save space,

fe at u r e d ne s t e d ge a r s e t s t h at a l s o he lp e d

to make it shorter and, as a consequence,

was also lighter than its predecessors.

The shift response was claimed to be

“below the threshold of perception,” the

torque converter locked up at lower speeds,

it had ‘curve mode’ to stop it shifting in

corners and other features making it better

to drive and as effi cient as possible.

Some of the latest transmissions have

off-the-shelf functions to work with hybrid

drivetrains, such as integrated electric

pumps to generate the hydraulic pressure

needed to keep them working even when

the engine has been shut down. Torque-

converter-based automatics continue to

evolve with new refi nements and features

and today they play almost as big a part in

achieving fuel economy as the engine.

In the latest hybrid automatic

transmissions, electric motors do the job of

a fluid-based torque converter and provide

the basis for a bolt-on hybrid solution for

car makers. This neat, eight-speed ZF

transmission can produce up to 160bhp and

has the power electronics to control it built

into the casing for the first time.

HOW ADDING GEARS TO AN AUTO

MADE IT LIGHTER AND SMALLER

Automatic

gearboxes like the

ZF 9HP have evolved

far beyond a box for

swapping cogs. They now

form part of a super-

efficient integrated

powertrain.

UNDER

THE SKIN

JESSE CROSSE

HYUNDAI i3 0 N GOES HARDCORE FOR LIMITED RUN

Hyundai will bring a limited-run special-edition i30 N to the

Frankfurt motor show next month. Called the Project C,

just 600 will be built and it’s not expected to be offered in

right-hand drive. Performance-enhancing revisions include

carbonfibre-reinforced plastic materials, lighter race-spec

alloy wheels and lower suspension. “Dedicated aerodynamic

touches” are also mentioned.