Home - Piston.my

How Bose has been developing premium sound for Mazdas over 30 years

If you have taken a close look at Mazda models, you will have noticed that the audio systems in the vehicles are often from Bose, a company which has been producing premium audio systems for over 50 years. Bose makes systems for home as well as professional users, and also develops premium sound systems for automobile manufacturers to use as original equipment.

Mazda is one of the companies that Bose has had a long relationship with in this area, having first started working together with the third-generation Mazda RX-7 thirty years ago. While Mazda has long experience in making cars, it also understands that in some areas, it is better to work with specialists in the field to get the best solutions for customers.

In the case of the RX-7, the requirements of the team working on the sportscar were to provide powerful bass and impactful sound. In their search for exceptional audio performance that could meet these requirements, the development team came across the Acoustic Wave Cannon system by Bose. The bass reproduction system comprising a 3.6-metre-long tube with a high-power woofer inside provided exactly what Mazda was looking for, and the two companies set to work integrating the speaker technology into the car.

While the task seemed insurmountable at first, an ingenious system of folds and bends allowed the engineers from the two companies to package the long tube into the rear of the car without compromising space or sound quality. “The Acoustic Waveguide technology and the RX-7 made music effortless,” remembers Mike Rosen, Principal Engineer Bose Automotive Systems, who was involved in the project.

The success with the RX-7 led to a continuing relationship with Bose and its systems are offered as premium features in Mazda models. And Bose does more than just supply systems as it also helps to optimize speaker placement for the best sound reproduction in the cabin. While Mazda engineers care a lot about vehicle dynamics, they also know that how the system sounds and the listening experience adds to the driving experience.

One particularly challenging milestone was the MX-5. Providing great sound quality for convertible cars when the top is down is a challenge for manufacturers and sound designers the world over, but Mazda and Bose came up with an innovative solution for the fourth-generation MX-5.

An EQ switch automatically adjusts the sound setting when the top is down, and Ultra Nearfield speakers embedded directly into the seat headrests allow for an immersive listening experience, even when the roof is open. Furthermore, Bose’s AudioPilot noise compensation technology continuously monitors the noise environment and automatically adjusts the audio playback to any changed circumstances, such as road and wind noise. This way, the driver can focus their attention on the music and driving experience without the need to make manual adjustments.

The latest generation of Mazda cars saw another breakthrough in the 30-year collaboration. In almost all models since the 2019 Mazda3, the woofers were moved from the door panels to the cowl side above the kick panel. This new placement not only frees up space for bigger door pockets, but also contributes to a better sound experience, as the bass energy is reflected by the floor, firewall and kick panel area simultaneously. This corner-loading effect creates a remarkably impactful, rich bass reproduction that is neither overbearing nor prone to rattling.

An aluminium grille fitted over the midrange speakers contributes to both the interior’s premium look and sound quality. The grille protects the speaker, but it causes complex vibrations between the two and affects sound direction. To minimize this, the grille was made thinner and features more holes.

The cowl-side bass enclosures are complemented by an additional subwoofer in the rear to ‘match’ the low-frequency performance across the cabin. The new configuration – aptly called BassMatch – shows its full potential in the all-electric MX-30, because there is no engine sound, the driver and passengers can experience even more detail and a richer audio experience than ever before.

“The acoustics are a lot clearer than in previous models, and you can really feel the expansion of sound,” said Koji Wakamatsu, Assistant Manager in Mazda’s Electrical & Electronics Performance Development Department. “You can enjoy listening to music that sounds exactly as it was intended by its creators,” added Atsushi Hinokidani, an acoustic engineer at Bose.

To know more about Mazda vehicles with Bose sound systems, visit www.mazda.com.my

Mazda’s Kodo Design is 10 years old and continues to evolve

F1/Round 14: Highlights & Provisional Results For 2021 Italian Grand Prix

Although Valtteri Bottas had won the Sprint Qualifying race – which determines the starting order for the main race – he had to start from the back as he had a Power Unit replaced and regulations require that penalty. So starting from pole position was Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen who got a good start at first, but was then overtaken by McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo at Turn 1 who took the lead.

Lewis Hamilton, after the fumble at the start of the Sprint race, was determined not to make mistakes again and started off from fourth place very aggressively, He jostled with McLaren’s Lando Norris going into the first turn and was forced onto the grass. However, it was Alfa Romeo ORLEN’s Antononio GiovInazzi who provided the first incident of the race to bring out the Virtual Safety Car when he spun, hot another car and left some pieces of his front wing on the track.

It was a very bad day for the Scuderia AlphaTauri team. Not only was Yuki Tsunoda’s car taken off the grid before the start and pushed back to the pits but his team mate, Pierre Gasly also had to retire after lap 5,a disappointment for the winner of the 2020 race.

It was bad enough that Giovinazzi had spun at the start and had to rush back to the pits and in his haste to get back into the race, he was seen by the officials to rejoin the track in an unsafe manner and incurred a 5-second penalty.

Bottas had been working hard moving up the field and by the 10th lap, he was around 12th and tangling with Alpine F1’s Esteban Ocon. But it was still some way to go for the Mercedes-AMG driver as he was some 25 seconds behind Ricciardo, the leader. 3 laps later, he was up to 10th where he could start collecting points.

On lap 16, a duel between Aston Martin COGNIZANT’s Sebastian Vettel and Ocon resulting in wheel contact that forced the German driver off the track. The incident was investigated by the officials and would get a 5-second penalty for the incident.

Ricciardo didn’t make it to the halfway mark when he came in for new tyres on lap 23, stopping for 2.4 seconds and rejoining behind Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in 6th place.

Verstappen came in on lap 24 and it was a disastrous stop which took an agonising 11 seconds, resulting in him rejoining down in 10th place. Meanwhile, Hamilton had managed to get past Norris and take the lead. But Hamilton also needed to change tyres and he had to give up the lead on lap 25.

And then a crazy thing happened – Hamilton and Verstappen crashed at Turn 1! It appeared that while the Mercedes-AMG had rejoined ahead of the Red Bull, Verstappen attempted to get past at Turn 2 and bumped into Hamilton’s car and took off. When the dust settled, the Red Bull was on top of Hamilton’s car. The Safety Car raced out and the other drivers took the chance to come into the pits. The incredible incident meant that Ricciardo got to lead the race. 27 laps had been completed.

When the Safety Car withdrew, Ricciardo raced off as quickly as possible with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Norris on his tail. Then it was two McLarens in the lead as Norris managed to get past Leclerc. Meanwhile, Bottas was up to 4th on lap 34 so the Mercedes-AMG team still had a chance of a victory. Then again, another Red Bull too was positioned just ahead and also hoping for the same ending.

12 laps from the end, word from the McLaren team to the drivers was to play it safe and not have something sill happening like Norris knocking out his own team mate and losing the chance for a 1-2. Norris’ job would be to defend Ricciardo from Sergio Perez.

Haas F1’s Nikita Mazepin got a 5-second penalty for the spin he caused team mate Mick Schumacher, and then his own car came to a standstill on lap 44, bringing out the Virtual Safety Car to disrupt the race for short while as marshals for the car off the track.

With 5 laps remaining, the two McLarens had just a slight edge but both Perez and Bottas were still too close for them to feel confident of taking a 1-2. Until Ricciardo passed under the chequered flag, anything could happen. But nothing happened and the two orange cars raced across the finish line. Bottas put in a great effort, having started from the back to finish in third as Perez, though finishing in that position, had a 5-second penalty to drop him down.

Radford Type 62-2 revives iconic black and gold livery of the JPS racing cars

Racing fans and older readers will recall the era of racing cars in the 1970s with black and gold livery of John Player Special, the cigarette brand. While there were various teams (including one in Malaysia) that had JPS colours on their cars, the best known would be Team Lotus in Formula 1, which was run by Colin Chapman himself.

The colour scheme first appeared on the Lotus Type 72D which Emerson Fittipaldi raced to 5 victories and championship victory during the 1972 Formula 1 season. It was used on Lotus Formula 1 cars until 1986 and the Lotus 98T driven by the legendary Ayrton Senna.

Besides the Team Lotus Formula 1 cars (above) which had the iconic black and gold livery of the JPS cigarette brand during the 1970s, other teams around the world also used the JPS colours. The picture below shows the BMW team in Malaysia which raced a M1 (driven by Hans Stuck) at the Batu Tiga circuit in the 1980s.

For those who want that iconic black and gold livery as well as an exclusive car, British coachbuilder Radford is producing a sportcar in those JPS colours. The company has a history going back to 1948 but disappeared after 1966. It was revived in recent years and among the new investors is former F1 champion, Jenson Button.

Radford’s sportscar is designated the Type 62-2 and is the most extreme version of the world’s first modern Radford. It is also the third and final version of the car to be announced, positioned alongside the ‘Classic’ version with subtle design cues to the original Type 62 Lotus car. The JPS Type 62-2 wears a modern twist on the iconic John Player Special livery.

“The Radford Type 62-2 in John Player Special guise is a very unique proposition. From a design perspective, the JPS car really stands out as being more extreme than its Classic and Gold Leaf siblings, with larger diffusers, air intakes and wheels. Sporting what is certainly the most iconic racing livery ever to grace a Formula 1 car, gives the car a real presence and sense of occasion,” said Mark Stubbs, one of the owners of Radford.

“The John Player Special Type 62-2 is the most extreme Type 62-2 that money can buy. It is low, sleek and powerful and sports one of the most iconic racing liveries ever created – one of the liveries that the heroes of Formula 1 such as Emerson Fittipaldi and Ayrton Senna used to race with, in the cars that made me want to be a driver,” added Jenson Button. Needless to say, the former F1 driver has been responsible for chassis tuning.

Radford’s first model of the modern era is built in a partnership with Lotus. While the mid-engine two-seater coupe takes inspiration from the revered 1960’s Lotus Type 62, it has the marque’s latest technologies. Only 62 cars will be available worldwide, with each units built precisely to its individual owner’s desired specification. Of those 62 cars, only 12 will have the JPS colours. Production of the Radford Type 62-2 begins in late 2021, with first deliveries being made in 2022.

The JPS Type 62-2 offers owners several key enhancements over the other Radford models. It is lighter, faster and more focussed than the Gold Leaf car (another version) – and is closer to a racing car than a roadcar. It produces up to 600 bhp from a 3.5-litre supercharged V6 engine with a DCT.

There are AP Monobloc calipers and fully carbon ceramic brake rotors, which are 360 mm in diameter. These are housed within larger 18-inch front and 19-inch Dymag carbon composite wheels – which lower the unsprung mass, and improve the nimble handling characteristics of the car, yet further. The composite wheels are shod with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres.

The design of the JPS is another area where the car differentiates itself from the rest of the range. In every area of the bodywork the car is more extreme than its stablemates. At the front of the car, the splitter is more pronounced, providing a racing car stance. At the side of the car, the air intakes are larger to cool the more powerful combustion engine, while at the rear, the diffuser is again more extreme, extending further out for increased aerodynamic downforce.

The paintwork is another area worthy of mention. An exquisitely conceptualised and constructed finish has resulted from many hours of formulation and research. The layer of bespoke gold paint glints through 10 layers of rich, dark Candy Black. In certain lighting and at certain angles, the paint provides a subtle nod to the original JPS colour scheme, but with a modern and exciting twist. Cars sold to customers will include a gold pinstripe meticulously hand-painted underneath the clearcoat.

Lotus offers classic heritage editions of the Elise

Honda Malaysia prepares for the New Normal at dealerships

COVID-19 isn’t going to disappear from our lives so quickly. Like many other diseases, it may have diminished presence but it will still be around and still infect people. In fact, few known diseases have been completely eradicated, smallpox being one of them in 1980. Thanks to medical advances and vaccines, we are better protected against diseases, even if we may not be totally immune to them.

Medical experts now suggest that we prepare to ‘live with COVID-19’ and that means continuing with most of the precautions that we have been practicing over the past year. You should know them by now – temperature scanning, social distancing, frequent washing of hands, and using facemasks in crowded areas.

In the business world, companies will also have to adjust to the New Normal and Honda Malaysia is taking a proactive step with a campaign to provide customers and associates with added confidence and safety assurance at its authorized nationwide. The campaign, known as ‘I’m Vaccinated’ ensures that only those who have completed their vaccination doses will be allowed to be on duty at the dealerships.

The company and its dealers are committed to ensuring that all the associates are getting their vaccination in a timely manner. To date, 80% of dealer associates in the country have been fully vaccinated and by October 2021, all of them should be vaccinated.

“We are thankful that our car production has resumed operations and Honda dealerships can carry out sales and aftersales services to serve our customers. Under the “I’m Vaccinated” campaign which kicks off this month at all our dealerships nationwide, our dealer associates who are fully vaccinated and have passed 14 days from the date of their second dose will be provided with a badge and facemask that have a specially-designed ‘I Am Fully Vaccinated’ logo for easy identification,” said Honda Malaysia’s Managing Director & CEO, Madoka Chujo

“We will not take the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) lightly and will continue to strictly follow all the necessary preventive and precautionary measures that we have been practicing since the emergence of COVID-19 in Malaysia,” she assured.

*Dealership premises will be sanitised and disinfected on a routine and frequent basis.*

“We believe this initiative can help to boost customer confidence during interactions with Honda dealer associates by showing that we are ready to meet and serve the customers in a safe environment as well as providing them peace of mind while being present at the dealerships. We also hope to encourage more people to get vaccinated, in addition to adhering to the SOPs at all times. Through this effort, it will not only protect themselves, but also to help the country to achieve its herd immunity as soon as possible,” Ms. Chujo added.

In addition to safeguarding the safety of the customers and Honda dealer associates, the company will continue to ensure that the sanitisation and disinfection of all premises are undertaken on a routine and frequent basis at all its dealerships.

In connection with the resumption of sales activities, Honda Malaysia has initiated the ‘Government Staff Program’, an exclusive programme for government employees (including those in government-linked companies) and their spouses. The program, which is on until October 31, 2021, offers special discounts worth up to RM1,000 on top of the monthly promotion for the 7-Seater BR-V model.

*Government employees and those in GLCs can purchase a new BR-V with a special discount.*

For all customers, there is also a ‘September Special Benefits’ promotion throughout this month in conjunction with the Malaysia Day celebration. This promotion offers rewards worth up to RM6,000 and, of course, there is still the exemption of sales tax until the end of the year as well.

To know more about Honda products and services or to locate an authorized Honda dealer in Malaysia, visit www.honda.com.my.

New Honda models to be launched in Malaysia before year-end

Vaccination does not make you immune to COVID-19 infection. You can still get infected but may not show symptoms and can spread the coronavirus to others. Do not stop taking protective measures such as wearing a facemask, washing hands frequently and social distancing.

F1/Round 14: Preview & Starting Grid For 2021 Italian Grand Prix

Race starts at 3 pm in Italy | 9 pm in Malaysia

Round 14 of the 2021 Formula 1 World Championship is the Italian Grand Prix, which takes place at the Monza Circuit north of Milan. This is the most frequented track in Formula 1 and Monza is running a round for the 71^st time. The only time Monza did not host a round was in 1980, when the Italian GP was held at Imola.

The 5.739-km circuit is therefore familiar to the teams who know how different it is from the tight, maximum downforce Zandvoort Circuit last weekend. Nicknamed ‘The Temple of Speed’ and in existence for 99 years, Monza is all about pace, and some of the highest speeds of each season are reached on the long straights. In fact, 85% of the lap distance will be taken at full throttle, the highest of any F1 track.

The teams will therefore be giving attention to downforce and use packages designed for the high-speed straights. Monza has the lowest downforce level of the year, requiring a special rear wing for the event. This is a talking point every year at the Italian Grand Prix, but there would still be enough downforce to – in theory – drive a car upside down.

The lower downforce levels at Monza, combined with the long straights, decreases the temperature of the tyres, resulting in more frequent wheel lock-ups than at other tracks. This also impacts brake stability as it makes the car more nervous and unpredictable under braking, increasing the possibility of a lock-up. A lot of time can be found in these slow-speed chicanes and big braking zones, but the run-off areas can be unforgiving if you make a mistake.

According to the technicians at Brembo, which supplies the brake systems for the F1 cars, the Monza Circuit is a very demanding circuit for brakes. On a scale of 1 to 5, it is rated 4 on the difficulty index, the same as Sochi where the GP will be held at the end of the month. The low aerodynamic load used to take advantage of the really long straights means highly violent throttle-off moments on the three chicanes. making them particularly demanding for the driver.

Each team can choose from 6 different Brembo front discs, depending on the temperatures expected during the race and the specific race strategy. There is the medium cooling option with 800 holes, high cooling with 1,250 holes and very high cooling with 1,480 holes. Each of these then offers a sub-option with a process on the outer diameter – the so-called groove.

In the case of very high cooling, the holes are arranged in 7 different rows, in the intermediate case in 6 rows and the other case in 4 rows. They measure 2.5 mm in diameter each and are precision-machined individually. It takes 12 – 14 hours to punch all the holes on a single disc. The mechanical component tolerance is only four hundredths.

As for the tyres, Pirelli is providing 3 compounds in the middle of the range: the most popular selection of the season. The P Zero White hard is the C2, P Zero Yellow medium is C3, and P Zero Red is the C4. The same compounds were selected for the last 2 years, offering a good balance for all the different demands of the circuit.

The Italian GP is the second race this year that will have the new Sprint qualifying format. First run at the British Grand Prix in July, it proved to be popular with the drivers as well as the spectators. The Sprint Qualifying Race is 100 kms long which is 18 laps of Monza. No pit stops are required so the drivers will be going flat out from start to finish.

The start of the Sprint race saw Hamilton fumble and while his team mater got off well, Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo also got past the Mercedes-AMG driver and Land Norris as well! But collisions further back, starting with Pierre Gasly and a McLaren brought out the Safety Car. But it was only our till the third lap and racing resumed – by which time, Hamilton had dropped to fifth place.

The Scuderia AlphaTauri team had a bad day as Gasly (last year’s Italian GP winner) was out and Yuki Tusnoda had also sustained damage. Gasly’s retirement enabled Charles Leclerc to move up, while Lance Stroll had to work hard to prevent Sergio Perez from taking over his position.

Verstappen tailed Bottas who was about 2 seconds in the lead. The Dutchman didn’t have to try too hard and just keep his second position since the Finn would have to start from the back even if he won the race. The only thing that Verstappen would miss out on was just 1 point.

For Hamilton, things were just not working out, even with DRS and Norris remained in his sights ahead. The thing is, it was just an 18-lap race so there was not a lot of time and every second counted. In the end, he had to settle for fifth place, while Bottas took the chequered flag. The additional points don’t do anything to the rankings as they were on 3-2-1, so tomorrow will see the reigning World Champion having to work very hard to regain the lead.

2022 Subaru WRX starts fifth generation of rally-bred icon

After nearly 20 years, the rally-bred Subaru WRX starts its fifth generation. As expected, many elements of its new looks are derived from the Viviz Performance Concept which was displayed at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show. It’s a familiar form that evolved from the Impreza, with differentiating features like the prominent bonnet scoop and wider bodywork.

*Viviz Performance Concept shown at 2017 Tokyo Motor Show.*

At the front, Subaru’s signature hexagonal grille is flanked by more compact LED, while prominent character lines across the front, sides, rear of the car express the dynamic character. The front fenders are now made of aluminium which reduces the overall vehicle weight by about 2.3 kgs. The bootlid has an integrated low-profile rear spoiler in matching body colour, with the taillights designed to glow like volcanic magma.

Apart from enhancing the looks, several functional aerodynamic improvements also enhance the new WRX’s performance and stability. An air outlet at the trailing edge of the front wheel opening allows air to exit from the wheel well more freely, contributing to reduced lift on the front tyres and improved driving stability. Another air outlet added at each side of rear bumper reduces body sway due to air trapped behind the bumper.

Molded wheel arches and lower trim feature an aerodynamic texture that reduces air resistance. Beneath the front end, the engine undercover also features this same aerodynamic texture, and augments it with a geometry that channels airflow to increase downforce at the front of the vehicle.

For the all-new model, the WRX gets a new 2.4-litre turbocharged boxer engine with an output of 271 bhp/350 Nm, with tuning to broaden the torque curve starting from 2,000 and continuing up to 5,200 rpm. The increased displacement, along with a turbocharger equipped with electronically controlled wastegate and air bypass valves, is said to provide improved responsiveness and acceleration.

It goes without saying that there is Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive and customers can choose either a 6-speed manual transmission the new Subaru Performance Transmission which is an 8-speed CVT. While the manual transmission has quicker shifting, the CVT incorporates adaptive shift control that can quickly respond to perform rev-matching downshifts under braking, maintain the ideal ratio through corners, and respond faster on corner exit.

Besides, Active Torque Vectoring, the new WRX GT offers new electronically-controlled dampers, a first-ever for the model. These can tailor the dynamic performance to the driver’s preferences with Comfort, Normal, and Sport settings. The Drive Mode Select also offers additional options to configure steering feel, damper settings, SI-Drive settings, and more, with up to 430 different customization options.

Engine and automatic transmission operation can be tailored to driver preferences with three different settings for the SI-Drive Performance Management System. For additional driver involvement, an 8-speed manual mode can be accessed using steering wheel paddle shifters. An available external transmission fluid cooler improves durability and capability under demanding conditions.

The Subaru Global Platform on which the new WRX sits is a substantial upgrade in ride and handling performance. It has increased chassis stiffness and a lower centre of gravity. The platform has full inner frame construction and increased use of structural adhesives, delivering 28% increase in overall torsional rigidity and a 75% increase in suspension mounting point rigidity. A longer suspension stroke increases stability and lateral grip on uneven surfaces. The rear stabilizer bar, now mounted directly to the body (vs. the subframe), operates more efficiently and contributes to a roll rate reduction when cornering.

The track-tuned suspension has optimized geometry and reduced mass offset of the front suspension. A new dual-pinion electric power steering system separates the driver’s input shaft from the motor assist shaft. Together, these enhancements are said to deliver a quicker response to driver inputs, improved accuracy, and a more natural steering feel.

The interior of the WRX has typically been a functional driver-oriented space, given the performance orientation of the model. However, buyers also expect a more premium feel these days and for the new generation, the interior designers have revamped the approach to meet that expectation.

The interior uses a black theme with contrast red stitching and carbonfibre pattern accents. The driver gets a flat-bottomed, leather-wrapped steering wheel with integrated switches for audio, voice recognition, and Subaru’s EyeSight control (driver assistance technologies).

A new and prominent feature is the tablet-style high-definition Subaru STARLINK 11.6-inch centre information display. This allows the driver to manage entertainment and vehicle settings, and also interface with a smartphone using Apple CarPlay, Android Auto or Bluetooth.

The navigation system, which uses TomTom in America, has a split-screen display, a first for Subaru. The display can simultaneously show two types of information, such as navigation and audio, for improved user interaction. The 11.6-inch multimedia systems retain physical buttons and knobs for frequently used functions like volume and temperature, which is a more sensible approach than touchscreens.

Subaru has not indicated the pricing for the new WRX, but first deliveries won’t be starting till early next year anyway.