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VIDEO: Porsche Engine Test Rig Simulates Nürburgring Nordschleife

  
June 27, 2008 5:00 PM by Brian Potter
Filed Under: Technology Porsche

Porsche has created a engine dyno test rig which simulates driving the Nürburgring Nordschleife without a car. By swinging the engine around, the test rig simulates the g-forces involved with a “stroll” around the Ring. As a result, engineers can evaluate all engines systems as well as the new dry-sump oil system, which utilizes a variable-flow pressure pump, under the rigorous driving conditions of the Ring without actually going to the Ring. The big advantages of such a setup include the associated cost and time savings with track time and logistic requirements - not to mention dependence on favorable weather conditions.

In a trip to Porsche's technical center at Weissach during the introduction of the 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera. the folks at InsideLine.com were good enough to capture the rig in action. Check out the
the G-meter and the Nürburgring Nordschleife map locator at the bottom of the screen.

tootall
June 27, 2008 5:07:54 PM

Good instrument. Though I thought it was something the people at Porsche had posessed for quite a while.

AG4
June 27, 2008 5:35:46 PM

Wow!

discodaddy
June 27, 2008 5:39:10 PM

I watched this a few days ago...pretty cool. Maybe they will make a robot that can simulate the same thing as a stripper...how cool would that be? lol

davegt
June 27, 2008 6:29:29 PM

nice... but scary just seeing how that flat 6 moves to simulate the g-forces...

...nevertheless they should never replace going to the Ring to test the car in the real world, suspension settings, brakes, aerodynamics, and so on...

radmeister
June 28, 2008 2:59:36 AM

Oh this is for before the Ring, you can run the engine 7 days a week 24/7 without a driver or ring rental fees, so that when you hit the actual track you know you have a decent engine that can take it.

kimbo
June 27, 2008 9:47:24 PM

Very cool. And clearly shows how demanding for a car components the racing is. Nurburgring Norschleife especially.

joe_limon
June 28, 2008 3:39:36 AM

very good, but tis only good if you car car only pull up to 1g

kengoh
June 30, 2008 11:28:10 PM

True that you can only test up to 1g in any particular direction, but it is the dynamic sloshing motion of the oil which is more of interest to the engineers. A rolling rig can never really simulate the g-forces even if they were below 1g since the rig can only simulate 1g in one direction at a time. In real life you will have 1g towards the ground most of the time, even if you are cornering or braking hard. One of the big problems for the oil systems is the oil pickup under high vertical g-forces such as those experienced at the bottom or of a hill. I don't think this rig can simulate that.

pzigly
June 29, 2008 10:52:54 AM

Why dont they just shake the crap out of it every few seconds in each direction to see if it has a weakness anywhere? Why waste money to see how a track will beat it up?

pzigly
June 29, 2008 11:05:55 AM

a track simulation^^^^

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