When Subaru Put a “Jet Engine” In Their Exhaust | Rocket Anti-Lag Explained!

[@darrenjames883]

I just stumbled across this video, and was extremely pleased to see you cover a system I worked on during my SWRT days. I was the designer on this system, that was invented, developed brought to competition by Roland Broadbent. All the drawings from the patent you used were done by me. Some additional points: 1. No ignition system was used because the rules didn’t allow for a secondary ignition source after the engine spark plugs. 2. The idea came from a diesel French tank in the 1960’s that had what’s called a hyper charger, but that had its own ignition system. 3. Combustion in the chamber was initiated by the plate on the end of probe in the centre of the chamber, that flowed cherry red due to the hot exhaust gases coming from the engine. This plate restricted flow and reduced the top power of the engine. This later evolved to annular ring that was less restrictive to the flow through the chamber. 4. The boost tank used by Ford was illegal, but passed scrutineering when discovered. SWRT went the next rally with a bear barrel doing the same job. After that boost chambers on all cars were outlawed. 5. Different ALS systems were used on customer WRC cars. 6. A road car version was developed for STi by Prodrive, but never went to production due to cost and long term durability.

[@themotorsportstory]

First off, what an amazing piece of engineering developed by you and your team! I'm absolutely honored that you would take the time to comment here and I hope I've done the system some justice! All of those additional points are much appreciated. I did my best to reason through the system's operation using the text in the patent, but I figured there would be some finer details that I may not have gotten 100% correct. A couple of questions for you: 1. Would you mind if I "pin" this comment to the top of the comments section so that others can easily find it? 2. Is there a good place I may be able to get in contact with you? Completely ok if not, but I thoroughly enjoy learning about motorsport engineering and would love to speak with you further on these kinds of subjects. If you don't want to share that info in a comment, my email is [e-mail] Again, thank you so much for the comment!

[@darrenjames883]

@@themotorsportstory you did a great job of explaining a complex system. Happy for you to pin my comment. I’ll email you later. Cheers Darren

[@boblabla4756]

This is the best of what can come the comment sections.

[@jonathanwright5550]

Did it draw inspiration from a pulse jet?

[@Skystrike1535]

Very curious what this hyper charger system you mentioned was like. Looking it up just kept giving me fast chargers for electronics or what is basically a ram air intake for motorcycles, no mention of cold war french tanks.

[@Ferrari255GTO]

It's dissapointong how many of theese cool racecar features get forgotten in time while people make up stuff about what's that thing they're seeing rather than investigating it. Thanks for bringing us such great and interesting content!

[@themotorsportstory]

Appreciate you watching! It can be hard to dig up information on systems like this, but I do my best to find what I can and hopefully make some sense out of it.

[@mattcintron6372]

And that is why we have extremely underrated channels like this one😭

[@crankybear1236]

I have even heard some of these cars having water cooled brake calipers😮!

[@phr3ui559]

yea

[@Ferrari255GTO]

@@crankybear1236 i think that the idea came from trucks or something like that, not sure though

[@effervescentrelief]

It's literally the combustion section of a jet engine. People build jet engines using junkyard turbos and this is very similar to the combustion section of those engines. Awesome concept.

[@MrLukas2411]

yep..that is right!

[@JohnKickboxing]

Hey, anyone here can tell we can replace the conventional anti-lag system with jet engine on a car or this idea is not practical?? ... Since the Subaru's rocket anti lag system is basically based on jet engine principle which supplies smooth and continuous turbulence for the spooling process.

[@MultiHunterOne]

For anyone who worked in any capacity with turbine engines the rocket closely resembles a combustion chamber, with the most notable difference being the lack of fuel injector and instead an intake of fuel rich exhaust, which serves pretty much the same purpose of delivering fuel for combustion. The inner and outer tube design with holes are almost identical to what a turbine engine combustion chamber would have, except for the tube which is routed to the middle. It's very cool to see they pretty much made a jet engine in the exhaust.

[@benjaminshropshire2900]

What I kinda wonder is why they didn't go all the way and put a fuel injector into the can? That should (in theory) allow keeping the turbo at full boost at any engine speed all the way down to zero. You might even be able to (once you get the turbo running) get enough boots to air start the engine! My guess is that either the rule book already bans that (boring) or that there is some non-obvious reason it don't work well (interesting).

[@ergoproxy-gx2cq]

​@@benjaminshropshire2900someone involved in making the device or at least the patent for it did confirm that the rules stopped them from doing that. (They're not allowed to have fuel injectors outside of the combustion chamber)

[@benjaminshropshire2900]

@@ergoproxy-gx2cq well that's a boring reason :-(

[@rhubarbpie2027]

This is nuts, the designers used what's called a can style combustion chamber on jet engines (albeit slightly changed) and fused the design with a resonator, and made an anti-lag system. Genius!

[@FnjordKnot]

can you elaborate on that last bit? what exactly is the resonator resonating, and resonating with? my best guess is the combustion rings.

[@jamesdevereux3003]

Great video, as ALS control engineer and without breaching any NDA you are bang on track when describing the solenoid control. I had heard of the no ignition source pulse jet type system being used previously , fascinated by the pro drive rocket and Darren James further comments, Maybe electric turbos could be a subject for the future. Keep up the great content.

[@themotorsportstory]

Thank you! I've been impressed with how many people from the industry have been coming across this video and love that you have all been so kind and encouraging. Electric turbos are a great suggestion for a future video! I'll need to educate myself a bit more about them first :)

[@sepg5084]

​​@@Republican_Extremest electric motors on turbos are not really a new concept, they have been in use ever since the new V6 hybrid systems were introduced in F1. A motor/generator is placed on the turbo that can help spool it up and can also help recapture energy when fully spooled-up. Fully electric turbos on the other hand has not seen the light of day on professional race cars.

[@Clarence_13x]

Yes, I was thinking the same about the pulsejet not requiring an ignition source.

[@Official_Dee5iveTV]

I absolutely love the engineering that goes into sports cars, but I absolutely sit in awe and wonder when I realize how much further engineers have to push when it comes to race cars. That pursuit of performance is just something that I can't get enough of because the solutions they come up with are pure genius. This video is informative perfection. Definitely subbing

[@themotorsportstory]

Fascinating isn't it! Thanks for the sub!

[@Official_Dee5iveTV]

@@themotorsportstory Most definitely fascinating 🔥🔥. It truly is my pleasure. Keep up the good work! 👍👍

[@mikethecollector]

Just have to say it, every race team cheats, and all of it is in the name of engineering.

[@BigUriel]

They both push, just with different goals and constraints. You couldn't use this in a road car because the turbine doesn't last very long. Alternative systems exist like for example Porsche's which runs the engine at WOT but with no fuel under decceleration to keep air flowing through the turbine. Road cars have a lot more R&D spent on things like safety, efficiency, comfort equipment and of course cost optimization. In fact there's probably more R&D overall put into a Ford Focus than was every put into a Group B rally car.

[@hksp]

just a modified gas turbine combustion camber

[@dhrida5518]

Very interesting stuff, initially I thought it would be mounted after the turbo because of the temperatures, but it all seems very well thought out! Thanks for the content!

[@themotorsportstory]

Definitely a well-engineered system! Appreciate you watching!

[@themotorsportstory]

For anyone curious about the cooling system at the end of the video, here's a great article that explains pressurized cooling systems used in racing which is probably what these cars have: appliedspeed.com/blogs/tech/purpose-built-race-car-pressurized-water-systems I'm still learning about them myself, but the reason offered for adding pressure to the system is to check for trapped air in the system. From the article: "The tank comes with a Pressure Relief Valve (PRV). The PRV is adjustable, so it eliminates the pressurized radiator cap. The accumulator is also accompanied by a quick disconnect fitting for the operator to add some pressure to check for any air trapped in the heads." So minor correction on my part if that is what he was doing instead. Thanks for watching!

[@farmerbailey2542]

within the team , it was actually nicknamed rolands rocket, as it was designed by prodrive engineer roland broadbent

[@mk1cortinatony395]

@@farmerbailey2542 True :)

[@themotorsportstory]

@@farmerbailey2542 Interesting, thanks for the comment!

[@needmoreboost6369]

The main reason isn’t to bleed the system but to increase the pressure and prevent boiling of the coolant! In particular the most at risk area’s such as the coolant galleries in the heads above the chambers and exhaust ports as increased pressure raises the boiling point of the coolant and bleeding is a secondary benefit! Also just about every cooling system is pressurised but this is roughly twice a normal car’s pressure and with an additional accumulator it’s a practical and well thought out system! Edit should have watched before comments! You got the accumulation covered lol

[@themotorsportstory]

@@needmoreboost6369 Interesting, so I was on the right track I guess! Thanks for the comment and for watching!

[@HRM.H]

Thanks for making a video on this. A very unique piece of motorsport engineering history

[@themotorsportstory]

Thank you for watching it! It's really interesting, Prodrive's patent cites some older patents from the 1950s that also related to combustion chambers for turbochargers. But as far as I can tell Prodrive and Subaru were some of the first to use the technology in a major motorsport.

[@HRM.H]

​​@@themotorsportstory WW2 and post war engineering was next level. So much innovations from that period.

[@themotorsportstory]

For sure! Crazy what people could think of before computers even existed to help with design.

[@PrayItForwardAGAPE]

Man Synchronicity is weird I've been studying this exact system for the last week. There was also one on a pretty "famous" S2000 based off the Pro-Drive design. You did a great job explaining.

[@themotorsportstory]

Thank you! I came across that during my research, super impressive! Just found the link for anyone interested: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6GtioRve96XqdE

[@PrayItForwardAGAPE]

@@themotorsportstory Im going to utilize something very similar to the Air-box they used on the pro dive setup on my WRX Wagon build..

[@themotorsportstory]

@@PrayItForwardAGAPE Awesome!

[@santouchesantouche2873]

does based off mean based on now?

[@bennyb.1742]

@GangBalls69_Estonia kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6GtioRve96XqdE&ab_channel=RobertThorne The builder explains all. Other videos of his show it in operation.

[@johnsmith7676]

Strikes me as a design spinoff of the old, tried-and-true pulsejet engine. This is a rather interesting implementation of it, I must say. Well-presented, also, sir. Straightforward, no-nonsense approach; no "hollywood" nonsense or obnoxious music, etc.. Very well done. Thank you!

[@themotorsportstory]

Glad you enjoyed, thank you!

[@DarkSwordsman]

Well it's funny, because I remember watching a youtuber make a pulsejet out of a car turbo, lol. That's why I see this as a jet engine and why they call it that, because it technically is.

[@ChimeraActual]

I was about to say it reminded me of a Ram Jet.

[@danhard8440]

was thinking the exact same

[@spidergoose891]

Cut out the piston engine and this is just a normal jet engine.

[@RadDadisRad]

Super interesting fact is a lot of race teams install an intake to exhaust bypass valve and then plumb in an injector or if it’s a DI engine they use a fuel delivery during the exhaust stroke. It basically works as an afterburner.

[@malinkiireed6287]

This is a really technical and genius solution. Race engineers never cease to amaze

[@themotorsportstory]

Agreed!

[@kelly00000111111]

thanks for breaking down this system and putting it in (relative) layman's terms. this era of rallying was when i really gained an appreciation for the sport beyond the simple thought process of "woah, cool car go fast!" and your video has brought things full circle. subscribing after watching this video was a no brainer !

[@themotorsportstory]

Thank you, and welcome!

[@ScorpioIsland]

I dearly appreciate how clear you make complex issues for people who are totally ignorant(me) and the effort you put into busting myths. Very great

[@Cryptilian]

SUBSCRIBED! Remarkable video dumbed down just enough but yet still providing PLENTY of details. Everything was damn near perfect In my opinion. Nothing annoyed me or felt like a waste of time. And I especially like how you didn't spend an excessive amount of time talking about the basics. Why on earth would anybody try so hard to explain something so basic then proceed to explain a really really really complicated subject. Thank you for the content! It's greatly appreciated :)

[@themotorsportstory]

Thanks so much! I was having trouble deciding on how long to make the video and how much of the basics to cover, so I'm happy to hear that it sounds like I struck the proper balance.

[@sudathrohana8931]

Even after a decade or so, Subaru is something special to talk about! Amazing !

[@TheDrAkira]

Man! This was just sooooo well made and narrated! For a mechanic nerd like me this was amazing! Thanks man! Hope you'll grow your channel strong and continue making excellent content like this!

[@themotorsportstory]

Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed it!

[@MostlyPennyCat]

Two things. 1) This reminds me of the cyclone generated inside a Dyson vacuum cleaner or an afterburner. 2) I wonder if it would just be simpler to have a solenoid controlled canister of compressed air connected to the hot side of the turbine. As exhaust gas pressure reduces, open up the air valve to keep it spinning, just hook that valve up to the ECU.

[@NonEuclideanTacoCannon]

They might call it the Rocket because the idea is very similar to how a a part of a liquid fuel rocket engine works. A gas generator burns some fuel and oxidizer to power a turbopump, which is extremely similar to an automotive turbocharger. There are even engine cycles that run fuel-rich, then tap off some of the exhaust into the gas generator.

[@themotorsportstory]

Good theory!

[@bull_shannon_fpv]

Neeto! I'm a old 2stroke cowboy specializing in Pre 2000 2cycle Vespa. You're video was clear and precise. I understood it all. I sold my Harley when I was in the navy back in 1992. Bought my 1980Vespa p200. She's up . To +25 horses and ove 95mph ( speedometer pegged!) Stainless expansion chamber, mmmmmm

[@themotorsportstory]

Awesome! 25 HP on one of those is no joke!

[@240rsmaxi8]

Great rocket explanation! I was fortunate enough to have an inside look at this during the first few years it was used on the S10. It was inspired by a design in a trash truck that was used to keep the DPF working with frequent start/stop, as well as Nick Mann's hillclimb car which used an actual turbine to keep the turbo exhaust pressure separate from the piston engine.

[@themotorsportstory]

Thank you! I've heard about the Nick Mann car and would love to learn more about that! Any good links or videos you'd recommend?

[@240rsmaxi8]

@@themotorsportstory just search Nick Mann hillclimb and it should bring up some great videos. It's really a crazy car.

[@TheDrAkira]

This is the best comment section I've ever seen! Lots of insights and productive discussions, even from people that actually worked on the thing!? MAN this is pure gold! Amazing!

[@themotorsportstory]

Agreed! People have been very civil for the most part, which is great.

[@moose6790]

you deserve way more subs, really informative and well made video. Interesting topic as well, I had never heard of the rocket anti lag system before this

[@themotorsportstory]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@davidcerven5072]

Finally someone who made a proper video about such a cool piece of technology ! I knew it existed and how it worked, but in your video, I´ve learned couple of new things. Great job

[@themotorsportstory]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@KristoffHemet]

Subbed. This is the best description of this system I’ve seen in video or any form. I’ve tried to explain this to people but I know it’s typically lost in translation. But you’ve done a great job

[@themotorsportstory]

I appreciate that a lot, thank you!

[@powerbuilder0510]

this would be super cool adapted to use on diesel engines, not only would it help with power/performance but it would also help with dirty old diesel soot since it easily gets hot and oxygenated enough to vaporize anything that comes out of the engine, no dpf, no egr, no adblue. happy days for everyone.

[@alexrivera8047]

IM CUMBUSTING!!!

[@coleBlap]

You🔥

[@adamfrbs9259]

Damn that's a solid joke, you didn't get the likes and comments that deserved.

[@covrtdesign5279]

I lived behind the shop when they were in Colchester, VT, and the sounds coming from the garage was insane!!! (In a very good way). Even just visiting that small shop back in the early 2000's was so much fun. What a great era of rally.

[@MPGymkhana]

Great video!! I've done a lot of research on the rocket myself and seen all of those technical drawings and patents you showed. Excellent work!!

[@themotorsportstory]

Thank you!

[@OfCorse76]

I've seen a lot of turbo system explainer videos. This is the first one I've seen where everything makes sense. I can't believe how many people get basic stuff very wrong in videos like this. Nice work and great job keeping it simple enough for the average person to understand.

[@themotorsportstory]

Thank you! I put a lot of time in to the diagrams and explanations, so I'm glad to hear it paid off.

[@nigmane]

@@themotorsportstory good video

[@theislandsc]

This system seems like it would be better suited for diesel applications. A less volatile fuel with more energy. Some diesel SCR systems run at these temperatures already.

[@themotorsportstory]

That's an interesting point. I wonder if any diesel vehicles use something similar? I don't know much about diesel technology so I wouldn't know. Although I suppose reducing turbo lag isn't as much of a concern for heavy machinery.

[@Jani.Ranta-Knuuttila]

@@themotorsportstory search hyberbar system at leclerc tank

[@CliffB5A4]

Diesel works by compression though not heat or spark, I'm not sure it would work properly.

[@wizard_of_poz4413]

@@themotorsportstory it is a concern but it's mostly solved with vgts. Though this does sound like a good method for regen cycles

[@theislandsc]

Diesel has a flashpoint of 100*c and a auto ignition temperature around 210*c so it will burn without compression. VGTs aren’t the most reliable and won’t give you full boost at idle just partial. They will limit the pressure range of the turbo as well.

[@pippy4658]

Awesome video dude. Really glad I came across your video. The way you've described everything is easy to understand. Love things like that system, true engineering.

[@themotorsportstory]

Glad you enjoyed it! I love learning and talking about systems like these!

[@Chris.Davies]

Almost no turbo lag on my '97 Tommy kaira M20b wagon, with the EJ20 and the tiny Mitsubishi TD04 turbo fitted and close-ratio RA gearbox. With the TK tune. Phew. Full 1-bar boost from 3,000rpm. Huge surges of boost whenever I stab the throttle. Brilliant vehicle. One of the best ever.

[@RichLion]

Sounds awesome, too. I'm not sure if other WRC teams 'copied' this design, but many cars get the 'squirrel' type antilag sound which I assume comes, or is helped along to make that sound by this system.

[@themotorsportstory]

Yeah I'm not too sure. I've heard that some British Touring Cars have used a system like this but I can't seem to find any info on it anywhere. Thanks for the comment!

[@ClosestNearUtopia]

It works almost like a pulse yet, and therefore its name.. the three inlets creating a swirls cancels out the pulse working and extents it into a continuous burst of speedy air. The coned shape also help the leftover pulse effect to be smoothened out for guaranteeing smoothest af working

[@karliszauers1]

I would classify it as a mix between pulse jet and afterburner

[@ClosestNearUtopia]

@@karliszauers1 yesh

[@jaedanb]

Awesome video. Because of hybrid systems I doubt we're gonna see any more cool innovative anti-lag systems, bc the electric motors can compensate for the turbo lag without the wear on the engine.

[@themotorsportstory]

Thank you! I think you're right. Unfortunately sometimes the innovations become less interesting as technology shifts and we can find simpler ways to do the same thing.

[@toyotagaz]

​@@themotorsportstory correction: there's alot of underated innovation and cool tech happening in the EV space. Batteries, wiring, magnets etc. It's just a different field of physics that alot of car guys aren't used to

[@CharlieSolis]

Battery weight kills this idea though. Until that’s solved liquid fuels have such a higher mass energy density that it’s not always the best way tho go. This is why the big boy drones all have liquid fuel powered electric generators (auxiliary power units) that then output the electrical currents to drive the prop motors. And it still comes out much lighter and more effective than having a battery pack.

[@thediddly]

This "jet" is basically a preturbo exhaust venturi system, albeit one very well made. Good job explaining it!

[@oliverscorsim]

Wonder if one could incorporate the simple 2step with an air injection valve to lower egts. Wouldn't be as good as this but might be a simple solution with more conventional systems

[@SethPowers-mt2vz]

Absolutely possible, I actually have had this completed within the last week. The EGT can be seen lowering substantially via installed gauge.

[@oliverscorsim]

@@SethPowers-mt2vz details please

[@malcolmfletcher7295]

There are many superficial 'experts' out there. Congratulations on producing something that is dense (i.e. not too many words) and informative.👍

[@themotorsportstory]

I appreciate that, thank you! I enjoy speculating how things work, but if I don't know something, I won't pretend that I do just to look good.

[@cheythompson740]

Skip to 4:20 for the "rocket part"

[@themotorsportstory]

Unless you already know how turbos and anti-lag work, don't skip! :) Figured I needed to include a summary of turbos and anti-lag because I know some people don't understand it and without the background knowledge, you can't appreciate the rocket. Thanks for watching!

[@mrbeans2425]

These cars were absolute perfection! The rocket was an absolutely GENIUS invention!

[@randallshelton1630]

Wow this is the first video I’ve seen from this channel but it was very informative and in a way almost anyone could understand I’m about to binge

[@themotorsportstory]

Glad you enjoyed it and welcome!

[@Andrecio64]

The rocket could be 3d printed in today's metal 3D printers

[@Steavethefish3]

They’re coming to get you 😂😂😂

[@g-nice_pimp]

There is already a product called fresh air anti-lag from turbo smart. Works like toyota's anti lag system.

[@ericalbers4867]

Let us all know when you have one of those 🤣 I mean they only start at $100k for a cheap on that's mediocre. For a really good one it'll cost you over $1 million.

[@dualtrondreamteam6811]

I 100% agree on the water pressure increase at the end of the video

[@NeurodivergentSuperiority]

After seeing Drivetribes heavily dissapointing video on the Mazda Furai, it's sweet seeing someone who actually cares about cars enough to go as far as to debunk myths, thank you so much!

[@adrianmurdoch6353]

well thought out. I agree with your 'boost tank' theory (as well as the pump). A turbo need VAST amounts of air to operate, a tiny tank and a bike pump would do nothing.

[@themotorsportstory]

Glad to hear it. And that was my exact train of thought. Ford's boost tank in the bumper was something like 45 liters, so a tank that tiny for that purpose didn't make sense to me.

[@G-force_Motorsport]

As a non-American i do struggle hearing antilag pronounced Ant-eye-lag, not Anti-lag as it should be.😂But seriously great content, well done mate. Defo enjoyed it!

[@themotorsportstory]

Haha fair enough, but glad you enjoyed the video! You'd probably die if you heard how we Lancia over here 🤣

[@G-force_Motorsport]

@@themotorsportstory Yep, you're probably right! All the best mate, good stuff!

[@Strider1Wilco]

honestly one of the coolest videos i've ever watched

[@GinolasVideos]

I remember coming across the patent for this when researching mods for my own car, really great breakdown of the history of it :)

[@Republican_Extremest]

WRX will forever hold a spot of my heart. The first time I heard a full 3in exhaust and downpipe set up I was at home and my buddy pulled up. The front of my house just shook and vibrated and it growled like a train in the distance. It was at that point I decided on Subaru for life. Are they nightmares yes, they have major design flaws maybe. But when they run right it's pure joy. Remove the top mount for a front mount.

[@themotorsportstory]

I've always been a Subaru fan! Have to say that I have a preference for the older WRXs as opposed to what they're selling now though.

[@longtailgt]

I hope this video reaches 1 million views and beyond! Because this is fascinating stuff that I absolutely love (though I understand little of it), and as a long time WRC fan, and race car fan in general, I am so glad I get to learn all this on KZbin!

[@themotorsportstory]

Thanks so much!

[@Ragna___]

That was an insanely detailed and thought out analysis. Thank you!!

[@pprb123]

You found a great balance between introductory material and advanced /new concepts!

[@themotorsportstory]

Thank you! That was the aim, so I'm glad I delivered.

[@cynicalrabbit915]

When you mentioned the Combustion Can from a jet engine, I was immediately reminded of what one looked like. Internally the rocket looks like a misshaped Combustion Can with some extra pieces.

[@arnoldkwiatkowski2692]

I designed a very similar system in the summer of 2000 for my Unlimited Heavy Super Stock Pulling Tractor which had 3 HC5A Holset Turbochargers with The first stage using two with 3.9" wheels feeding a single HC5A with a G flow Exhaust wheel and a big back 4.250" inducer compressor wheel and then onto my Water to Air Intercooler I made that used .625 O.D internally enhanced copper tubing, which increased the efficiency by almost double compared to plane wall tubing. I was using a combustor from a gas turbine to help drive the chargers in a situation where I needed to throttle the engine quickly and needed help keeping the turbo's at an optimal speed, so the compressors wouldn't stall as I reapplied full throttle quickly, It is really cool how closely related are systems where. I was running 85lbs of boost and the engine was an inline 6 cylinder with a 4.875 bore and 5.350 stroke, which equals 598 cubic inches. 3500HP @ 6000rpm

[@themotorsportstory]

That sounds awesome, thanks for sharing! If you have any pictures or videos, I'd love to see them!

[@michael.lecompte]

Bro you hit gold with this video. More just like this! Fascinating engineering

[@themotorsportstory]

Appreciate that, thank you! I'm always looking for fascinating stuff like this, but it can be hard to find systems that are as thoroughly documented as this one. But believe me that once I do, there will be more 🙂

[@spence_the_buffet_slayer]

I built development engines at Prodrive during 2003. We did have a means of storage for compressed air. On the Dyno, it was a aluminium canister of approximately one litre volume. I am sure we had one on the cars too, but I am also aware that the system produced such an excess of air that we couldn’t use it all. We looked at using air shifters and various other ways of using this “free power”, but none made it to competition. For reference, we had 3 bar of boost and 11.25:1 compression ratio, which was pretty high at that time. The solenoids that you are seeing were referred to as the “boost pack”, and controlled air flow to and from the exhaust, inlet, and air storage. We were legally allowed to inject air into the inlet manifold because it had already been through the inlet air restrictor. When a certain engineer left Prodrive bound for Ford, they tried to have the system banned. The FIA declared it legal, so they had to develop their own. I still have my documentation on how the system works somewhere around here.

[@themotorsportstory]

Fascinating stuff, thanks so much for sharing! It can be hard to speculate how a system worked just from looking at photos, so I really appreciate that yourself and others with experience at Prodrive have been dropping by with some clarifications and missing details. I'd pin your comment as well, but unfortunately KZbin only seems to allow me to pin one comment to the top and Darren got here first :)

[@FureyinHD]

On some watercooled aircraft engines you have to use an air pump to pressurise the coolant system. This is for finding leaks, usually done after refitting hoses. Perhaps this is what the technician is doing at the end.

[@loluakindele1146]

Man! You can't help but think, what kind of mind designed this thing.

[@dean5565]

youre the real deal man. this took me back to my thermodynamics courses. I wish i had a prof like you!

[@themotorsportstory]

Appreciate that! Makes those subjects much more interesting when there's cool stuff like this to apply them to!

[@frostyl4269]

i love the mindset of the people that create these kinds of motorsport innovations. they didn’t know if it’d work, they didn’t know whether it’d work well either, and they didn’t care about the complexity or cost. they just thought some mental idea up and were like “yep, alright let’s try it”

[@themotorsportstory]

That's what's awesome about big-budget teams at the top levels of motorsport! Seems there's a lot more rules these days that rule out some of the crazier ideas, but now and again somebody comes up with one. Thanks for watching!

[@reskaill9684]

Proud day to be a hawkeye sti owner. Subaru did some INSANE STUFF

[@beuman0]

this channel will go up over the next months

[@themotorsportstory]

Thanks for being here!🙂

[@godzillaboy1037]

that explanation was so easy to understand and so short that is hard to do that was awesome

[@caseycrosby9535]

It’s a can type jet engine combustion chamber, love it.

[@georgiostheodorou2584]

That's what I love about motorsports, engineers thinking outside the box to get around regulations. Great research from you and great work from subaru engineers 👍👌

[@themotorsportstory]

Couldn't agree more! People complain about rules, but without them, I don't think we'd have as much creativity. Thanks for the comment!

[@michaelwilliams8297]

So, the engineers plumbed a fully throttle controlled pulse jet into the exhaust system...... brilliant.

[@LF-Productions]

This channel is about to blow up

[@capegold8890]

Very cool breakdown. Technical yet understandable wording, good build up to the main points! Kudos and subscribed 🔥

[@jasonmccoy6293]

Thanks for the content! I’ve been looking at antilag options for my 2017 Subaru STI and found the rocket! You explained it beautifully ..nicely done Brother!🤙🏾🤙🏾

[@kristoferpahklepa5374]

This channel will blow up! Amazing content!

[@themotorsportstory]

Thanks so much!

[@lorriecarrel9962]

I invented this tech in my mind one day and I'm glad to see someone else has also and actually put it to use

[@ValladolidArde]

Worked on these cars approx 15 years ago, the system is wild. It can kill the turbo if you are off throttle for too long. I think there used to be three settings. The wildest only allowed 1sec of off throttle before damage killed the turbo and system as a whole. Engine in its wildest spec would be lifed for max of 1500km, sometimes less, It would by then, have destroyed the valves, warped the valve seats, softened the alumunium cylinder head, cooked pistons and rings, plugs... Its a wild wild system and works best with oxygenated race control fuels. Some extremely talented men worked at prodrive those years, such a shame David Richards was so ruthless to them. Just imagine what could be done today using the advent of CFD, supercomputers and 3d metal printing, it must be mind blowing. LONG LIVE THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE!! Kind regards from a motorsport engineer.

[@themotorsportstory]

Thanks for the comment! The top setting sounds crazy!

[@timecowx]

All of this made me happy! That was well explained and illustrated, nice work sir!

[@themotorsportstory]

Thank you!

[@sebmakowicki3422]

This is really great. Just keep up the great work man. Reading the patent, thats amazing

[@joebloggs9719]

I think I understood about 80% but I enjoyed all of it. Great video !

[@themotorsportstory]

Thank you! And don't worry, this video was as much as I could understand of it. I'm sure there's much deeper engineering to it that would melt my brain haha

[@lonethefreak8849]

You learn new things everyday and today I learn new

[@SpectreFleet]

The attempted explaination of the turboencabulator, and it's vertically oppsed toridial compressor streams, was quite entertaining.

[@automobilistic]

Excellent video! A complex topic explained simply, thoroughly and with great pace. + I learned something new!

[@themotorsportstory]

Thank you! Love your videos!

[@camoanonymous9494]

Oh, this video definitely earned my subscription! Absolutely phenomenal content right here. This is actually the second video I've seen from the channel, which is funny because the first video was the mentioned Ford Boost Tank video. I probably would've subscribed then, but if memory serves I watched it on a lunch break and lost was this channel to the infinite algorithm of KZbin. Not to worry, as 80% of my views go to car channels I was sure to find you again.

[@themotorsportstory]

Haha, thanks so much and welcome back!

[@802Garage]

Fantastic video. Despite loving Subaru rally, I was completely unfamiliar with this system. Great use of diagrams and sources. Thanks!

[@themotorsportstory]

Thank you! I've actually been watching your stuff since way before starting this channel! Really looking forward to the long-form series with the V10!

[@802Garage]

@@themotorsportstory Wow thank you that is so surprising and kind! The whole V10 Impreza build is coming to KZbin this year in long form along with the entire Rotaru build. If you haven't seen Rotaru, it's as far as we know the world's first rotary swapped BRZ. 13B-REW from a 1994 Mazda RX-7 in a 2013 Subaru BRZ. I built it with Monster Motoring in about 10-15 days of work and it's an absolute riot to drive! I subbed with my last comment BTW. :D

[@themotorsportstory]

@@802Garage Can't wait man! I actually hadn't seen Rotaru so now I've got two build series to look forward to!

[@802Garage]

@@themotorsportstory Much appreciated keep up the great work! You can be the next Driving 4 Answers or something. I see success in your future hahaha.

[@themotorsportstory]

@@802Garage I appreciate that a lot, thank you! Still struggling to figure out what kind of content I like to make, between more technical vs. more story-driven stuff but I definitely plan to keep going. Maybe I'll catch you IRL someday as a fellow New Englander🙂

[@dakdewolf]

Cool video! I clapped for myself at the end too! This tech reminds me of a force fed pulse jet engine.

[@themotorsportstory]

I actually wasn't familiar with those until I read up on them just now from your comment, so thanks for teaching me something! Glad you liked the video!

[@jongonegone1262]

should have a oem dealer version with a 2nd source ignition built in the exhaust for the real rocket engine feel !!!! very interesting video.

[@themotorsportstory]

Glad you liked the video!

[@martinb2262]

He could also be pumping up an anti oil starvation device. They use a bladder and reservoir to keep the oil pressure constant.

[@kamiljereczek8427]

30k subs yet so good quality and informative content, hope the chanell grows fast!

[@kari53]

Wow. Flash back from the past. You did a lot of good research. I thought it would be very inaccurate. However, this turned out to be very accurate. During the Prodrive days, there were many different anti-lag mothods tested. It must be noted that some methods worked better than others, each having their own drawback. However, they all consumed mass amounts of fuel. Well done mate.

[@themotorsportstory]

Thanks so much! I knew I had to be a little "click-baity" with the thumbnail in order to get people to watch a video from a small channel, and I figured that would give the impression of inaccuracy, but as I'm learning, that's just how KZbin works. So I'm glad you found it accurate and enjoyable to watch!

[@Sigrafix]

This is so cool. Thank you for taking the time to put this together and laying it all out so plainly so that it is easily understood, appreciate the effort my guy, awesome video!

[@themotorsportstory]

Thanks so much!

[@merkel_user]

Rocket Subaru goes brrrr

[@themotorsportstory]

Wow haha, almost 13 minutes of video precisely summarized in 4 words!

[@merkel_user]

@@themotorsportstory thats how you know you understood what you just watched

[@scullyvisionofficial]

I actually kept up with that after working on my Imp over the last couple years. Thank you for the video.

[@themotorsportstory]

Awesome, thanks for watching!

[@MrSaturn7085]

You have a better understanding of these systems than 99.9% of people out there, and I'll share a few things to fill in a few blanks: Re: Myth 1 - the boost pack (cylinder on the top of the engine) is a boost accumulator, but you are spot-on for what it is used for - turbo speed control (i.e. wastegate control). In that sense, people saying that it stores boost aren't wrong, but their assumptions that it feeds the rocket system are misguided. It is one critical piece of a very complex system that controls turbo speed and boost. FIA homologation document A-5695 sheds a little light (very little) on how the solenoids are used in engine controls if you ever want any further information. From what little technical information the homologation provides, the three solenoids are used rather than a single large solenoid to maintain a very precise control over the pressure in the accumulator - simply put, the more variables you can fix in a control system of this complexity, the easier of a time you will have 'programming' it to do what you want. Your section on turbo lag is the only section lacking detail of 'why' anti-lag is so important in rally competition. To complete this, you need to consider the intake air restrictor the mandated distance of the sonic nozzle choke point (plane) to the leading edge of the compressor blade - usually 3-5 mm depending on the competition rules. This effectively does two things - limits maximum airflow by mandating a maximum orifice dia. *AND* forces the turbo to operate as if it were at a much, much greater altitude by creating a relative vacuum immediately before the compressor blade. Obviously the builder still wants the same power out of the motor, so the turbo is forced very close to the surge line to make the same gage pressure. Understanding of sonic nozzles and sonic flow also helps make sense of why turbo rally motors tend to have no torque until they hit a specific RPM, where they get a MASSIVE spike in torque which tapers as engine speed increases.

[@MrSaturn7085]

The turbo restrictor challenges are something seen at lower levels of competition, such as GpN or North American rally equivalents. Many people would assume that rally homologated special editions of Mitsubishi, Subaru, and other makes use more exotic materials in the OEM turbos to save weight (Titanium in compressor blades, shafts, etc.), but often these are actually there to provide longevity to restricted turbos as the internal forces they see are far greater to achieve the same amount of power. Aggressive anti-lag and over-speeding of the compressor are almost guaranteed at these levels of motorsport given the budgets and rule-sets.

[@themotorsportstory]

Thanks for the additional info! I'll have to read up on that FIA doc, sounds interesting. And those are certainly good points regarding the intake restrictors. I love learning from my audience just as much as I enjoy sharing this stuff with others!

[@MrSaturn7085]

@@themotorsportstory the FIA homologations do a very good job of hiding the rocket assembly overall, but having a complete library of Subaru GpA documents would be nice if they didn't cost 300USD each. Since it was entirely passive piping, the functional diagrams just show it as such - simple pipe with a fresh air valve attached.

[@themotorsportstory]

@@MrSaturn7085 Just makes me wonder how much more cool tech is out there in racing that we don't know about!

[@mikkihintikka7273]

they did it what i thought was possible! im so happy to see my shover ideas has actually been used in history

[@themotorsportstory]

Shower ideas are the best ideas!

[@halrichard1969]

Good job on the man splaning. Completely understandable. Very clever engineering for those rally cars.

[@themotorsportstory]

Glad to hear it! Very clever for sure!

[@Flashbang_Photo]

Amazing video! Did get it endlessly recommended by youtube and i wasn't too interested, but i finally caved in and i'm glad i did, as i never had seen this explained so well. Congrats! You get a new sub!

[@themotorsportstory]

Thanks and welcome!

[@jackburton7062]

As a racing fan I found this to be very informative. The commentary is nothing without a good presentation... and you sir, you nailed the whole packaged. Ill sub ya.

[@themotorsportstory]

Thanks! Very much appreciated!

[@howardsimpson489]

Great video, I like the idea of pre-presurising the coolant, no steam bubbles to cause pump cavitation.

[@themotorsportstory]

Thank you!

[@g45h96]

This is a lot closer to a jet engine than you would think. In fact, really the only thing seperating it is that it does not provide thrust for movement, and that's not a specific criteria to be a jet engine at all. This is what would be called an annular combustion chamber, and has some really neat things going on for efficiency, but I digress. While all combustion chambers will have a source of ignition, what most people don't realize is that that source is only used during startup. Jet engines otherwise have a constant combustion going on at all times as new fuel and air is introduced and combusting air is exhausted. One of the challenges of designing these systems is making sure that the combustion doesn't get "blown out" by the high entry speeds of intake air. Not only that, but in pretty much every sense, this is a jet engine system. It's just more like you would see on a centrifugal compressor turboshaft or turboprop, and so not as common or recognizable (axial compressor engines are the 'normal' jet engines). You could also like it to an APU since there's no real 'work' being done by the system. But they key things are, a combustion chamber where combustion is constantly taking place, whose exhaust gases feed a turbine, who spins a compressor, who feeds the combustion chamber more air. But in every sense, it's a jet.

[@originalsungkim]

Very entertaining and informative! I do have some basic knowledge of how turbo and superchargers work but didn’t know how anti lag works for the Subaru rally car. Very cool!

[@doodskie999]

With today's metal 3d printing technology, this is 100% possible to recreate and improve upon