Who possesses more technology?

[lfb666]

Who possesses more technology?
The companies of cars European, American or Japanese?


Look this List:

. Fuel injection was first used on the 1954 Mercedes Benz 300SL Gullwing.
.1908 Henry Ford begins mass production of the Model T
.1908 Henry Ford adds conveyor belt to improve mass production system for Model T.
.1915 Cadillac introduces the first mass produced V-8 engine.
.1919 Dussenberg demonstrates first use of hydraulic brake fluid as a link between pedal and mechanism.
.1934 Chrysler Airflow becomes the first mass-produced streamlined car.
.1934 Chrysler adds fifth gear (overdrive).
.1948 Disc brakes are introduced by Chrysler.
.1967 Pontiac develops safer car bumpers that absorb some of the energy of an impact or collision.
. 90% of wins in LeMans are European cars
. Air Conditioning in Cars The first car with an actual refrigeration system was the 1940 model year Packard.
. Electric Windows Daimler introduced electric windows in cars in 1948.
. Volvo had the first safety belts in 1849.
. Supercharger Ferdinand Porsche invented the first supercharged Mercedes-Benz SS & SSK sports cars in Stuttgart, Germany in 1923.
. Carburetor, gasoline: Maybach in 1893

[2002GTI]

BMW is working on electronicly controlled valve technology (no camshafts). Now this is advanced. I would guess that other companies are working on it too, but... haven't heard about anyone else.

This alone puts the Europeans ahed in my book.

[Matra et Alpine]

Who possesses more technology?
The companies of cars European, American or Japanese?

. Fuel injection was first used on the 1954 Mercedes Benz 300SL Gullwing.

But invented for diesels long before that and patented for petrol engines by Henry FORD decades before !

.1934 Chrysler Airflow becomes the first mass-produced streamlined car.

erm, 1921 Rumpler Wagon !
Course what it WAS, was the start of an era in American Auto design where if it LOOKED aerodynamic, then it had to be

.1948 Disc brakes are introduced by Chrysler.

In 1901, British inventor Frederick William Lanchester patented disc brakes

1967 Pontiac develops safer car bumpers that absorb some of the energy of an impact or collision.

While the rest of the world designed safer cars that didn't way tons and smash each other on impact

. 90% of wins in LeMans are European cars

Most reliable is Maxda with the rotary engine !

. Air Conditioning in Cars The first car with an actual refrigeration system was the 1940 model year Packard.

British cars had built in air conditiong for years..... When the floors rusted through you got a nice cooling breeze
and then their was the Scottish "4-70" air conditioning .....
....
open 4 windows and drive at 70mph

Good list.

[Matra et Alpine]

BMW is working on electronicly controlled valve technology (no camshafts). Now this is advanced. I would guess that other companies are working on it too, but... haven't heard about anyone else.

This alone puts the Europeans ahed in my book.

Tried in F1 long time ago with no benefit. After playing with pressure operated and the nightmare of plumbing they looked at electronic. To make the valves move fast enough it required solenoids the size of coke cans. not ideal for a 40 valve engine

Briefly played with in bikes but the weight penalty is too much.

In a big lumbering BMW the extra weight and size won't be noticed

I believe the "valve train" is from Siemens.

It's the ultimate as us computer jocks can play with valve opening, closing overlap to our hearts content. A lot easier than profiling a cam !!!

[Batmobile_Turbo]

they are all equal, japan has had the most developement on rotarys, america has had a lot of large engine developement (V8s mostly), and europe has had some of the best quality of cars, also the best luxury.

[GT500]

mm....America has big engines (throaty V8 hehe), but it doesn't posess(sp?) as many techonological advancements as either of the other two. When Japan was upgrading, America should have too, and Europe did so with the Japanese. Right now I'd say Europe has the best technology, but it seems Japan isn't far behind and America is starting to move up in my books.


Cars in the Middle East rule.

[crisis]

Most Japanese technological work is done to develope something that someone else invented. They variously develope some things to a better level than the original but original is rarely a word you can use to describe the Japanese auto industry. The true breakthroughs were in the US and UK but were mostly many years ago. In truth there is very little genuinely new technology these days, mostly developements made spossibly by the microchip and variations on a theme.

[crisis]

But invented for diesels long before that and patented for petrol engines by Henry FORD decades before !
erm, 1921 Rumpler Wagon !
Course what it WAS, was the start of an era in American Auto design where if it LOOKED aerodynamic, then it had to be
In 1901, British inventor Frederick William Lanchester patented disc brakes
While the rest of the world designed safer cars that didn't way tons and smash each other on impact
Most reliable is Maxda with the rotary engine !
British cars had built in air conditiong for years..... When the floors rusted through you got a nice cooling breeze
and then their was the Scottish "4-70" air conditioning .....
....
open 4 windows and drive at 70mph

Good list.

Typically informative post. I tried to give you a point but big bro wouldnt let me for some reason . I have to spread around the joy first.

[Matra et Alpine]

Most Japanese technological work is done to develope something that someone else invented. They variously develope some things to a better level than the original but original is rarely a word you can use to describe the Japanese auto industry. The true breakthroughs were in the US and UK but were mostly many years ago. In truth there is very little genuinely new technology these days, mostly developements made spossibly by the microchip and variations on a theme.

Sorry to burst a few bubbles, but this sterotypical image of the Japenese car industry isn't the case.
Japanese bike manufacturesr have played with things in engines only now being tried in cars. Honda had a ceramic engine they raced nearly 20 years ago !
Power/weight ratios the Japanese engines are hard to match even now.
Yamaha played with things in the F1 engine that are STILL kept confidential !
Yep, they copied - it's no secret that Maxda bought lots of Lotus Elans before the designed the MX-5. But, be honest every designer does that. It's just that the end product is often better from Japan that makes it so obvious.
What is often misunderstood is the way Japanese companies co-operate. Yamaha are beleived to have passed on all the F1 results to Toyota.
There is a level of co-operation and sharing which is natural for their industry and UNnatural for capitalism as grown in the US of A.
At the end of the day I don't care if somethings is 'copied' to give us a better car or whether it's oriiginal. The best will win

[crisis]

Sorry to burst a few bubbles, but this sterotypical image of the Japenese car industry isn't the case.
Japanese bike manufacturesr have played with things in engines only now being tried in cars. Honda had a ceramic engine they raced nearly 20 years ago !
Power/weight ratios the Japanese engines are hard to match even now.
Yamaha played with things in the F1 engine that are STILL kept confidential !
Yep, they copied - it's no secret that Maxda bought lots of Lotus Elans before the designed the MX-5. But, be honest every designer does that. It's just that the end product is often better from Japan that makes it so obvious.
What is often misunderstood is the way Japanese companies co-operate. Yamaha are beleived to have passed on all the F1 results to Toyota.
There is a level of co-operation and sharing which is natural for their industry and UNnatural for capitalism as grown in the US of A.
At the end of the day I don't care if somethings is 'copied' to give us a better car or whether it's oriiginal. The best will win

Ceramic engines aside, power to weight ratios are again only a developement thing. I dont know what the F! engine thing is so I'll leave that. If you attribute technology to any thing that is done to exixsting technology you have a point but it probably leaves you with more time to develope the already invented when you leave the real inventions to someone else.

[Matra et Alpine]

leaves you with more time to develope the already invented when you leave the real inventions to someone else.

There hasn't been an invention in engines in the last 50 years that wasn't already proposed or described !
Besides what is 'smarter' - to stand on the shuolders of the giants who came before or thier toes ??

[Batmobile_Turbo]

There hasn't been an invention in engines in the last 50 years that wasn't already proposed or described !
Besides what is 'smarter' - to stand on the shuolders of the giants who came before or thier toes ??

Japan is more of an innovative country when it comes to cars. they didn't invent the rotary but they made the first successful rotary cars, they didn't invent hybrid technology but they made the first comercial hybrid cars. they turned a futuristic novelty into a present innovation. so who cares who "invented" it, an invention means nothing if it isn't put into good use, and that's what Japan does, innovates and refines.
Besides improving other technologys Japan has also been an economic innovater of the car industry. they make some of the cheapest but reliable cars you can buy, from sports car to luxury car.

[Matra et Alpine]

Japan is more of an innovative country when it comes to cars. they didn't invent the rotary but they made the first successful rotary cars, they didn't invent hybrid technology but they made the first comercial hybrid cars. they turned a futuristic novelty into a present innovation. so who cares who "invented" it, an invention means nothing if it isn't put into good use, and that's what Japan does, innovates and refines.
Besides improving other technologys Japan has also been an economic innovater of the car industry. they make some of the cheapest but reliable cars you can buy, from sports car to luxury car.

Agreed would have conveyed the same message

[crisis]

Japan is more of an innovative country when it comes to cars.

I'll stand down. Revisting the question as put "Who posseses the most technology" is actually hard to quantify. No point in arguing really.

[Egg Nog]

With the development of valves opened by solenoids and other technologies, I really begin to question the idea of the internal combustion engine itself. The thing is, engines used to day still operate on the same principles as Nick Otto's original 4-stroke. Sure, there have been improvements, but everything else in the world sure has come a lot farther over the past 100+ years...

It kinda makes you wonder what a car would be if it were conceived and produced for the first time nowadays. I certainly don't think it would use an archaic ol' internal combustion engine.

Anyway, applicable hydrogen fuel cells are just around the corner...