My MG ZS 180
X-Power Grey
Powertrain KV6 engine
The KV6 is an all-alloy 24-valve 6-cylinder quad cam unit, of 2.0- and 2.5-litre capacities, developed from the award-winning K Series 4-cylinder engine. Major brand customers include Rover, where it powers the award-winning 75 and 45, MG in the new ZT and ZS and Land Rover for their all-terrain Freelander. This year Powertrain Ltd engineers have developed new performance derivatives for the engine range with maximum power output reaching 190Ps, with 245Nm of torque.
The K Series lightweight modular construction has recognised motorsport credentials, and made the KV6 the natural choice to power the MG ZS EX259 Touring Cars. The engine was developed for the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) by racing specialists Advanced Engine Research (AER) helping the MG ZS to victory at Brands Hatch earlier this month, in only its third outing.
The recent successful launches of the KV6 engine into the new MG cars range and Rover 75 Tourer plus increased third party sales, has resulted in KV6 production being increased from 900 to 1400 units per week. The next milestone for K Series and Powertrain Ltd will be total output exceeding 2.5 million later in 2002.
Variable Intake System (VIS)
When you jam your foot to the floor you open the main throttle body butterfly valve wide open. This creates a large aperature for the air to flow through, to meet the engines demands. Problem being that a large opening allows the air to move slowly, this is supposed to be bad for producing good torque. The solution in the KV6 is a VIS valve (Variable intake System, I think). This remains relatively closed when at low revs, to make the air move faster through the small opening, after the main butterfly valve.
When the engine picks up speed, the VIS valve opens quite quickly, allowing in more of the air from the wide open butterfly valve, as the engine (now running faster) can operate more efficiently and demand/use more air. Therefore the surge is felt.
Delay in the surge can indicate a faulty VIS valve or valve motor.
