SideXSide Action - March 2008 - (Page 72) IS FUEL INJECTION THE WAY TO GO? MANY OF THE NEW MACHINES ON THE MARKET ARE FUEL INJECTED, SO WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL? TEXT BY CHARLENE BOWER Side X Sides seem to be headed toward fuel injection. Cars and trucks have been switched over from carburetors to fuel injection. Where the garage mechanic used to be able to work on his car, now he has to take his car to the shop to get the codes read and have the computer do the adjustments for him. But what the powersports industry is using is different than what a car uses. So how does fuel injection affect us? injection has become a standard in the industry as it decreases emissions, increases power, and increases fuel efficiency. TECH FUEL INJECTION What It Is: A Little History First: Frederick William Lanchester carried out what were possibly the earliest experiments with fuel injection in 1889. It was first commonly used commercially in diesel engines in the mid-1920s. Then, because of fuel injection’s immunity to changing g-forces on the engine, the concept was adapted for use in gas-powered aircraft during World War II. One of the first commercial gas injection systems was a mechanical system developed by Bosch and introduced in 1955 on the MercedesBenz 300SL. Since then, fuel Fuel Injection system for the John Deere Gator XUV The electronic fuel injector is normally closed; it opens to inject pressurized fuel as long as electricity is applied to the injector's solenoid coil. Since the injector dispenses fuel in set amounts and since the nature of the 4-strokecycle engine has an air intake system, the electronic control unit (ECU) calculates the amount of It [fuel injection] allows for better fuel that throttle response throughout the needs to be powerband, which means clean released. power delivery and improved fuel The primary funceconomy in any riding situation. tional difference between carburetors and fuel injection is way to measure the amount of air that fuel injection forcibly pumps that is actually taken in by the fuel through a engine. small nozzle under high presAdding fuel injection to these units sure, while a caris certainly an added benefit. It buretor relies on allows for better throttle response the vacuum creatthroughout the powerband, which ed by intake air means clean power delivery and rushing through it improved fuel economy in any ridto add the fuel to ing situation. It also offers the air stream. unmatched performance at high { though all current high-performance designs have switched to electronic fuel injection (EFI), as we are watching happen with the new Side X Sides hitting the market. Fuel injection in these systems are equipped with several sensors that measure coolant temperature, air intake temperature, air intake pressure, engine speed, and throttle position. But unlike automotive applications, a fuel-injected Side X Side does not have a mass airflow meter. Therefore, there is no } Many motorcycles still utilize carbueretted engines, elevation as the system is able to detect and compensate for changes in altitude. In addition, it 72 SIDE X SIDE ACTION MAGAZINE
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