Exploring Cool Feats of Engineering at SEMA

As I walk through the showroom floors of SEMA, I am surrounded by innovative engineering solutions that are worth highlighting. While many of these technologies may not be new, they are certainly interesting and not always discussed on my channel. Today, I want to share with you some of the coolest feats of engineering that caught my attention.

First up, we have what I'll call a variable twin scroll turbocharger. This is a fascinating solution that combines the benefits of both variable geometry turbochargers and twin scroll turbochargers. The latter are commonly used in diesel applications due to their efficiency, but they can be problematic for gasoline engines because of high exhaust temperatures that can damage the turbine. This new design could potentially overcome those limitations and make it more suitable for gasoline engines.

Another interesting find is a clever solution for storing gas tanks on a vehicle's exterior. Now, before I say anything, there are certainly good reasons why you might not want to store gas tanks on the outside of your car. However, this particular implementation has some impressive packaging and ease of use. Not only does it look cool with giant tires, but it also provides extra fuel storage. So, while it may seem counterintuitive at first, there's actually a practical benefit here.

Next up, we have dampers with external reservoirs. Dampers are a crucial component in suspension systems that help to smooth out the ride and reduce the impact of road irregularities. What makes these dampers particularly interesting is the addition of external reservoirs that allow for heat dissipation and better performance. These reservoirs can be finned to optimize their cooling efficiency, which means they can handle more complex driving conditions without overheating.

I also want to highlight an innovative suspension system from Aerial Atom. Their clever push rod suspension features springs and shocks mounted longitudinally on the car's frame, creating a pivoting center that transforms the motion of the push rod to compress the coil over. This design is not only functional but also visually striking, with levered light fixtures extending above the front suspension. The attention to detail here is impressive, making this a standout in terms of engineering and aesthetics.

Top-mounted radiators are another efficiency-enhancing solution that caught my eye at SEMA. Instead of traditional air-cooled systems where coolant flows through the engine compartment and is pumped through radiators, these top-mounted radiators allow for more efficient heat rejection. By dumping cooled air directly into the atmosphere rather than recirculating it back through the engine compartment, they reduce the risk of debris interfering with airflow.

Another issue that manufacturers often face is noise in the cabin. Artificial engine noises are becoming increasingly common as a way to simulate the sound of a real engine without the hassle of actually having one. However, I find this approach lacking. Instead, there's a better solution: rerouting exhaust gases so they bypass the muffler entirely. This not only reduces noise levels but also allows for more precise control over the sound signature. It's an innovative approach that could revolutionize the way we think about engine noise.

Finally, I want to mention electronically controlled dampers that are integrated directly into the shock absorber. These systems use electronic motors to adjust the number of holes in the piston that controls the flow of damping fluid. This allows for real-time adjustments to be made to the damping properties of the system, enabling more precise control over suspension behavior. It's a clever solution that not only improves performance but also reduces wear and tear on the suspension components.

Another innovative material I came across is 3M's crystalline window film, which can block up to 97% of infrared radiation. This means that the hot sun won't feel so intense when driving with this film installed in your car windows. It's a small but important detail that could make a big difference in comfort levels on long drives.

Last but not least, I want to share my disappointment at seeing an ice box barrel intercooler receive a first-place award for performance and racing. Now, before I sound too grumpy about it, let me say that this solution is actually quite impressive. It's simple, yet effective: just a metal box filled with ice and air flow channels that direct cooled air to the engine after compression by a supercharger or turbocharger. While it may seem like a basic concept, the execution here is superb, making it an ideal solution for high-performance applications.

As I continue exploring the world of cool feats of engineering at SEMA, I'm excited to see what other innovative solutions will be showcased in the days ahead.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhello everyone and welcome in this video I am at SEMA as you can see behind me and so what we're going to be checking out here is just cool Feats of engineering so I'm just going to be walking the showroom floors looking for anything that seems interesting clever Innovative as far as engineering goes and I'll let you guys know what I find now very few of these are actually new technologies but many of them are things I haven't discussed on my channel so I thought they were worth checking out number one is what I'll be calling a variable twin scroll turbocharger now I'll likely be creating a separate video on this because it's fascinating but essentially It's a combination of a variable geometry turbocharger mixed with a twin scroll turbocharger and is a solution that could work better in gasoline applications where variable geometry turbochargers are very rarely used due to high exhaust temperatures damaging the veins number two is something that's both a bit stupid but also incredibly clever there are some very good reasons why you may not want the exterior of your vehicle covered in gas tanks but I have to admire the packaging employed here as well as the ease of use it looks cool and a lift the jeep with giant tires can certainly use the extra fuel so it gets a win in my book number three is a set of dampers with external reservoirs as you may or may not know dampers transform kinetic energy into heat smoothening out the oscillations of the Springs of your car allowing for a level ride by creating heat in the background if you're into some seriously bumpy Trails this can be a lot of heat so adding fins to the reservoir helps keep the system working within ideal temperatures another cool feature is that they include electronic adjustments for both both rebound and compression number four goes to the aerial atoms clever push rod suspension with the springs and shocks mounted longitudinally with the car a pivoting center transforms the motion of the push rod to compress the coil over also cool is the atoms Canal levered light fixtures stretching out and above the front suspension number five goes to top mounted radiators this is one of the most efficient ways of rejecting Heat by dumping it out directly into the atmosphere rather than what you'll see traditionally with the air pumping into the engine compartment of course having the radiators here is also critical so that they're not damaged by debris as is commonly in the air on the courses that this vehicle will be racing on number six goes to real car sounds it's becoming so common to pump artificial engine noises into the cabin rather than creating something artificial I find Solutions like rerouting the exhaust gases so they skip the muffler a much more exciting solution the noise is real it's loud and if you want it to be quiet you can do so with the flick of a switch number seven goes to electronically controlled dampers completely inside the shock an electronic motor can rotate a mechanism changing the number or size of the holes in the piston for the damping fluid to pass through altering the amount of damping it provides it's a clever solution and it's interesting to see how the packaging is laid out number eight goes to 3m's crystalline window film which can block up to 97% of infrared what this means is it's challenging for heat to pass through in the form of radiation so the hot sun doesn't feel so hot it was remarkable holding my hand hand in front of it where barely no heat was felt versus in front of an untreated window where there was an obvious amount of warmth from the bulbs number nine goes to the rear suspension of a burning man vehicle with crisscrossing shocks and even more surprisingly inboard brakes there are many reasons why you may not want inboard brakes but from a packaging standpoint it freed up space here and it also looks cool especially with the excess material shaved off as you can see from the spike design of the rotors and finally number 10 best in show for the performance and racing category is an ice box Barrel intercooler it's literally just a metal box that you put ice in with a separate channel that air can flow through to be cooled after being compressed by a supercharger or turbocharger I know I'm just as disappointed as you are that a metal box that you put ice in want a first place award as useful as it may behello everyone and welcome in this video I am at SEMA as you can see behind me and so what we're going to be checking out here is just cool Feats of engineering so I'm just going to be walking the showroom floors looking for anything that seems interesting clever Innovative as far as engineering goes and I'll let you guys know what I find now very few of these are actually new technologies but many of them are things I haven't discussed on my channel so I thought they were worth checking out number one is what I'll be calling a variable twin scroll turbocharger now I'll likely be creating a separate video on this because it's fascinating but essentially It's a combination of a variable geometry turbocharger mixed with a twin scroll turbocharger and is a solution that could work better in gasoline applications where variable geometry turbochargers are very rarely used due to high exhaust temperatures damaging the veins number two is something that's both a bit stupid but also incredibly clever there are some very good reasons why you may not want the exterior of your vehicle covered in gas tanks but I have to admire the packaging employed here as well as the ease of use it looks cool and a lift the jeep with giant tires can certainly use the extra fuel so it gets a win in my book number three is a set of dampers with external reservoirs as you may or may not know dampers transform kinetic energy into heat smoothening out the oscillations of the Springs of your car allowing for a level ride by creating heat in the background if you're into some seriously bumpy Trails this can be a lot of heat so adding fins to the reservoir helps keep the system working within ideal temperatures another cool feature is that they include electronic adjustments for both both rebound and compression number four goes to the aerial atoms clever push rod suspension with the springs and shocks mounted longitudinally with the car a pivoting center transforms the motion of the push rod to compress the coil over also cool is the atoms Canal levered light fixtures stretching out and above the front suspension number five goes to top mounted radiators this is one of the most efficient ways of rejecting Heat by dumping it out directly into the atmosphere rather than what you'll see traditionally with the air pumping into the engine compartment of course having the radiators here is also critical so that they're not damaged by debris as is commonly in the air on the courses that this vehicle will be racing on number six goes to real car sounds it's becoming so common to pump artificial engine noises into the cabin rather than creating something artificial I find Solutions like rerouting the exhaust gases so they skip the muffler a much more exciting solution the noise is real it's loud and if you want it to be quiet you can do so with the flick of a switch number seven goes to electronically controlled dampers completely inside the shock an electronic motor can rotate a mechanism changing the number or size of the holes in the piston for the damping fluid to pass through altering the amount of damping it provides it's a clever solution and it's interesting to see how the packaging is laid out number eight goes to 3m's crystalline window film which can block up to 97% of infrared what this means is it's challenging for heat to pass through in the form of radiation so the hot sun doesn't feel so hot it was remarkable holding my hand hand in front of it where barely no heat was felt versus in front of an untreated window where there was an obvious amount of warmth from the bulbs number nine goes to the rear suspension of a burning man vehicle with crisscrossing shocks and even more surprisingly inboard brakes there are many reasons why you may not want inboard brakes but from a packaging standpoint it freed up space here and it also looks cool especially with the excess material shaved off as you can see from the spike design of the rotors and finally number 10 best in show for the performance and racing category is an ice box Barrel intercooler it's literally just a metal box that you put ice in with a separate channel that air can flow through to be cooled after being compressed by a supercharger or turbocharger I know I'm just as disappointed as you are that a metal box that you put ice in want a first place award as useful as it may be\n"