TWIN INDEPENDENT VARIABLE CAMSHAFT TIMING (TI-VCT) HELPS MAKE 2011 FORD MUSTANG V-6 A TRUE THOROUGHBRED

• Ti-VCT technology key to Mustang’s new 3.7-liter V-6 engine’s flexibility, delivering 305 horsepower and a projected 30 mpg highway with six-speed automatic transmission – no other vehicle in the industry can beat that combination
• Variable camshaft timing uses oil pressure to adjust valve opening and closing events, providing improved off-the-line acceleration over non-VCT equipped engines
• Variable valve overlap from Ti-VCT provides better fuel economy and emissions, along with optimized cold-start operation vs. conventional engines

The heart of every Mustang is its engine, and beneath the hood of the new 2011 Ford Mustang V-6 beats a technological tour de force. Displacing 3.7 liters, the dual-overhead-camshaft (DOHC) 24-valve V-6 uses Ford’s Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) to produce 305 horsepower and 280 ft.-lb. of torque and is projected to deliver up to 30 mpg highway – a combination unbeaten by any other vehicle in the industry.

Customer benefits of Ti-VCT include extremely precise variable control of “valve overlap,” or the window of time in which both the intake and exhaust valves in the engine are open simultaneously.

“This overlap control via Ti-VCT helps us eliminate compromises in the induction and exhaust systems,” said Jim Mazuchowski, Ford manager of V-6 powertrain operations. “Drivers are going to notice improved low-speed torque and increased fuel economy and peak horsepower. Plus, there are benefits they won’t notice, too, such as reduced emissions overall, especially at part-throttle.”

The flexibility allowed by Ti-VCT means Mustang V-6 customers will experience:

• Better off-the-line launch feel, with plenty of the low-end “grunt” for which Mustang is famous. Ti-VCT can deliver up to a 5 percent improvement in low-end torque and a 7 percent improvement in peak power versus non-Ti-VCT-equipped engines.
• Improved fuel economy at all engine speeds resulting in projected 19 mpg city/30 highway with six-speed automatic transmission; 18 mpg city/29 highway with six-speed manual transmission. Ti-VCT alone can account for up to a 4.5 percent fuel economy improvement over non-VCT-equipped engines.
• Lower emissions, with better control of NOx and HC throughout the range of engine operating speeds, reducing atmospheric pollution.

How the technology works
As a DOHC design, the 3.7-liter V-6 uses two camshafts per cylinder bank – one to open the intake valves and one to open the exhaust valves. Traditionally, camshafts only have been able to open the valves at a fixed point defined during engine design and manufacturing. But with modern variable cam timing systems, the camshafts can be rotated slightly relative to their initial position, allowing the cam timing to be “advanced” or “retarded.”

Ti-VCT takes this technology and applies it to both the intake and exhaust camshafts of its DOHC design, using electronic solenoid valves to direct high-pressure oil to control vanes in each of the camshaft sprocket housings. By using one valve per camshaft, controlled by the Electronic Control Module (ECM), each intake and exhaust cam can be advanced or retarded independently of the other as engine operating conditions change, providing an exceptional degree of valve timing control.

The new 3.7-liter engine for the 2011 Mustang V-6 will be built at Ford’s recently retooled Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1.

 

I would have liked to see this technology applied to a 289 mod motor, but alas, 'twas not to be.

 

Don't forget everyone, the MPG numbers are projected, not actual EPA numbers.
That may sound negative at first, but my point is that the last few new releases have ALL surpassed what Ford has projected too!
Hopefully Ford will continue to under-promise and over-deliver!!

 

I have a feeling that we'll be seeing Ti-VCT on another Mustang model, too, in the not-too-distant future...

 

That system works quite well in my M3 (called VANOS by BMW), really plumping out the power band of what might otherwise be a peaky 333hp @ 7,900rpm 3.2 liter and giving it good mileage (30mpg highway driving like a grandmother) and clean air (LEV rating) as bonuses. Presumably Ford's Ti-VCT will do likewise in what's looking to be an excellent new V6 motor for the Stang and, perhaps, some other soon-to-be-announced Stang motor ;-)

 

Me too...

 

I was eyeballing a couple of the 5.0 spy shots, front of valve covers, and it too seems to have the same dual selenoid connections as does the 3.7, which would indicate, if unsurprisingly, that it too will have Ti-VCT. My guess is that the 5.0 will use very similar engineering and thus, have similar specific performance, i.e., a bit over 400hp (412 if its the same specific output as the 3.7).

 

That's what I thought when I first saw the spy shots, too.