Well, now that we know what makes up the mechanics of the vehicle, now we have to brainstorm about what the exterior will look like, yet once more.
I like this idea. I'd say keep the DNA pure Pigeon based and resist the temptation to creep into the Jeep/Suzuki realm too much.
That's the problem I've been having. The more I look at what I've made, the more I think it looks like a Suzuki. When I was making the second generation, the first thing I did was try slapping four wheels and an SUV body directly onto the Pigeon and it looked awful, but in the end I think I went too far the other way.
http://www.beamng.com/threads/pigeon-4-wheel-edition-v2-now-with-custom-engine-sounds.8569/ ^ Small SUV.
no promises here, just thought i would try out the drawing @Googlefluff drew on page 1. this one still pretty rough, but it looks decent imo EDIT just thought i would post a couple more renders
Yes, this thread seems to less about suggestions and more about my sketches now. Probably could be moved into off-topic at this point.
Well, the looks of the vehicle are of mass speculation at this moment in time. I personally like your sketches very much so. With so many people's opinions and ideas now, its all a wash of cool looking designs that I can mentally picture. All I know for sure is that I'll be so excited to see what it looks like as a finished product!
The original jimny kei truck idea, uses a 2 stroke Short lifespan of 2 strokes and expensive upkeep? THat depends on the engine, its possible to make a 2 stroke with same lifespan and upkeep as a regular automotive 4 stroke, very very possible. Its the cheap ringless fit crankcase scavenged 2 strokes used in weed whackers that have expensive upkeep due to premixed oil/fuel and wear rapidly due to using a perfect fit of piston to cylinder rather than rings. Even as far back as WW2 there were alternatives which delivered very normal lifespans, though nobody ever put one in a car (they did in trucks, trains and boats, still do in trains and boats, renault are about to put one in a car)
I don't know a whole lot about 2-stroke engines, but what you have said makes sense to me. Engines can be reliable and efficient when you properly engineer them and also if you maintain them. I know that some cheap-o lawn mowers use 2-strokes still. They are quite loud.
they also used them in tractors a friends grandpa had one for 50 years and it still works today! also he never restored it.
its essentially the difference between whether they use crankcase scavenging to provide supercharging or not, which then dictates whether you add oil to the fuel or not. 2 strokes *must* be supercharged. They cannot run naturally aspirated because their intake and exhaust ports are open at the same time. Way of working around this in a lawn mower is cheat, a piston moving downwards into an engine block builds up pressure behind it, this pressure can be used as a supercharger type effect, and so the crankcase is effectively turned into a supercharger, because of this, the air/fuel mix flows through the crankcase, because of this you cant lubricate the crankcase properly and so the solution is add lube to the fuel Properly engineered 2 strokes use a normal external roots or twin screw supercharger. They can then have a normal oil sump under the crankcase and a pump to supply oil to parts of the engine which need it. The main cause of wear in a 2 stroke? Simply not having piston rings, solution: add rings. The jimny was crankcase scavenged. It was ringed.
If this car is being made in the 70's to 80's during tight emissions regulations, then it is unlikely that it will have a 2-stroke, as the engine style pollutes as if they were vaping especially with the previously mentioned crankcase-scavenged design. There is also a lack of torque being produced by the 2-stroke since it produces power in a higher range of RPM's. Honestly, if you make a 2-stroke so that it's almost as good as a 4-stroke, it'd end up being more expensive, heavy, and complex as a 4-stroke engine. A 2-stroke has to do what a 4-stroke does in half the amount of rotation, which logically means that it won't have as much time to "breathe" as well. Oil allows for lubrication, yes, but it also allows for polluting far more than a regular 4-stroke car. And they suck on fuel, too, so that's a problem.
The Japanese pretty well mastered the automotive two stroke back in the '60s and '70s. I'm not sure how they did it but they were cheap and reliable enough for a fair number of them to still be around today. Old two-stroke Hondas, Suzukis, and Subarus still show up surprisingly often in the Japanese export market. Gabe has already said the vehicle he's working on will be essentially a Wrangler mechanically, meaning it likely wouldn't be a two stroke, but if he was going for the original Japanese concept talked about in this thread, a two stroke would genuinely be the only realistic option.
It's a small possibility that it would be a realistic option, but I assure you that it's not the only viable option.
