Direct injection, supercharging and variable cam timing are examples of the thousands of innovations that have taken place in the petrol engine over the past 150 years. But one thing has actually remained almost the same over the years: the engine is made of metal. And now that the combustion engine seems to be coming to an end for many brands, Nissan comes with one latest innovation.
Nissan filed a patent for an engine made almost entirely of carbon fiber. So no more bottom block made of cast iron or aluminum. Only the pistons are in metal bushings. There is space between the carbon fiber and the metal bushes through which, for example, coolant can run. The use of carbon fiber could make the block extremely light – and pricey.
Besides the weight, there is another advantage. Because much less mass now has to come up to temperature, the engine warms up faster. The oil is therefore faster at the optimum temperature, so there is less chance of wear if the driver is provoked too early in the drive. A disadvantage of new technology (in general) are reliability problems.
Will there be a carbon fiber petrol engine?
Nissan already filed the patent in 2021, but the invention was only published on the internet this year. It is not known what plans Nissan has come up with with the special technology, but it is also possible that the carbon fiber engine will never go into production. It would be a wonderful technique for the next GT-R. By the way, the photo above is just of the GT-R50.
Even more advantages with carbon fiber parts
The American Carbuzz discovered the patent and also points out that Lamborghini has been experimenting with carbon fiber connecting rods for a while. The less heavy the internal parts of the engine are, the faster it will be able to rev. So the throttle response will increase. You can even buy carbon fiber pistons at AWA Forged Composites.
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