The Sky and Aura Official training Site

2061 Views 25 Replies 11 Participants Last post by 1994SC2, Mar 21, 2006

SkyMan 08

Discussion Starter · Mar 21, 2006

I was searching for some new Sky info this morning and found this site, I don;t know if anyone else has posted it, but it is good for anyone wanting to know some of the basic information on the Sky and some of it's features...

http://www.eplaytherapy.com/Sky/Design/Side.aspx

1 - 20 of 26 Posts

bubbacc

· #2 · Mar 21, 2006

A quote from this web-site ...

"The SKY's unique suspension tuning distinguishes it from the Pontiac Solstice and enhances the car's ride without sacrificing handling. "

Please interpret ... what is different? How will the difference "feel"?

SkyMan 08

Discussion Starter · #3 · Mar 21, 2006

bubbacc said:
"The SKY's unique suspension tuning distinguishes it from the Pontiac Solstice and enhances the car's ride without sacrificing handling. "

Please interpret ... what is different? How will the difference "feel"?

I think it means that it has a softer ride without giving up any handling...

Rick Tinley Park

· #4 · Mar 21, 2006

SkyMan 07 said:
I think it means that it has a softer ride without giving up any handling...

You have agreat turn of the phrase...:cheers:

usmc

· #5 · Mar 21, 2006

SkyMan 07 said:
I think it means that it has a softer ride without giving up any handling...

Is that possible? to have a softer ride and not give up any handling characteristics?

SkyMan 08

Discussion Starter · #6 · Mar 21, 2006

usmc said:
Is that possible? to have a softer ride and not give up any handling characteristics?

well they have done it with the Corvette over the years, the new ones handle better than they did 10 years ago and ride much better also.. I guess they can play with spring rates, shock valving and sway bar sizes. but that is just a guess on my part... I did not write it, i was just saying what I thought they were meaning by what was written on the site.

mglindo

· #7 · Mar 21, 2006

According to the site, "coil-on-plug ignition system eliminates spark plug wires for greater operating reliability and lower maintenance requirements. "

No spark plug wires?

How interesting is that!

CdnSkyGuy

· #8 · Mar 21, 2006

mglindo said:
According to the site, "coil-on-plug ignition system eliminates spark plug wires for greater operating reliability and lower maintenance requirements. "

No spark plug wires?

How interesting is that!

The current Ions have been that way since they came out in 2003

SkyMan 08

Discussion Starter · #9 · Mar 21, 2006

mglindo said:
According to the site, "coil-on-plug ignition system eliminates spark plug wires for greater operating reliability and lower maintenance requirements. "

No spark plug wires?

How interesting is that!

the 3.8 V6 GM has had been like that since the mid 90's

TexSon

· #10 · Mar 21, 2006 (Edited)

mglindo said:
According to the site, "coil-on-plug ignition system eliminates spark plug wires for greater operating reliability and lower maintenance requirements. "

No spark plug wires?

How interesting is that!

My BMW R1150RT had that and there are wires, but not the thick ones you are use to seeing. The upside is if a coil goes bad you are not totally dead, the downside is you now have 4 coils that can die.

Sunny Ragtop

· #11 · Mar 21, 2006

My RT

TexSon said:
My BMW R1150RT had that and there are wires, but no the thick ones you are use to seeing. The upside is if a coil goes bad you are not totally dead, the downside is you now have 4 coils that can die.

Hi TexSon,
Check out my Avitar...it's me on my R1100RT track day at VIR. YeeHaa. Not sure about the SKY's spark plugs, but it will give me a rush on non-bike days.

brentil

· #12 · Mar 21, 2006

bubbacc said:
"The SKY's unique suspension tuning distinguishes it from the Pontiac Solstice and enhances the car's ride without sacrificing handling. "

Please interpret ... what is different? How will the difference "feel"?

That's been mentioned by GM for a while be we have no clue what it exactly means yet.

brentil

· #13 · Mar 21, 2006

SkyMan 07 said:
I think it means that it has a softer ride without giving up any handling...

From an engineering standpoint that's technicaly impossible. You can't change one without altering the other. Now if the Sky used different hardware that might be possible, but from everything I've heard it's the same. So in order to provide a softer ride you have to sacrifice handling in some manner.

SkyMan 08

Discussion Starter · #14 · Mar 21, 2006

brentil said:
From an engineering standpoint that's technicaly impossible. You can't change one without altering the other. Now if the Sky used different hardware that might be possible, but from everything I've heard it's the same. So in order to provide a softer ride you have to sacrifice handling in some manner.

so what do YOU think it means? Is it all Hype?

brentil

· #15 · Mar 21, 2006

SkyMan 07 said:
so what do YOU think it means? Is it all Hype?

If they did make the Sky a softer ride but maintain the same hardware then they could have made adjustments to the alignment, shocks, or any other number of suspension parts to make a smoother ride. As I said though doing so would in essence sacrifice handling performance in some way. I don't think it would be very drastic but someone who has maybe spent some decent time in both would notice a difference in various situations.

KappaMan

· #16 · Mar 21, 2006

Reading between the lines:

In no place does it say "softer". It says "enhanced". Let us use this as a clue and ask ourselves a question:

Is it possible to "enhance" the ride without sacrificing handling? This is a different question than "is it possible to make a car ride softer without sacrificing handling?".

What does "enhanced" mean, really? Many times it can mean that if you can get a car to ride with a more "solid" feel, it will actually feel better, but ride harder - yet the handling is untouched, if not improved. It doesn't automatically mean "smoother" or "softer".

There are occasions where, if you are TOO hard, softening the ride will actually help grip, thereby softening ride = improved handling.

There are many other parts to this as well - changing the compression and rebound damping, or the low or hi-speed damping to a different balance will change how the ride is percieved, while, again, not really affecting handling. Again, sometimes, the handling can be made better.

Tuning shocks at first blush seems easy, but remember:

there are three basic parts to a shock curve (low speed, high speed, and the transitional point) for digressive shocks (most monotube shocks are this type). These zones exist for compression and rebound independently. The damping must be balanced for the spring rate and the weight of the car at that end/corner, so you have specific dampers for the front and rear of the car. Also, altering springs and/or helper/secondary rate springs and bump stops (aka jounce bumpers) require more tuning to make sure the damping matches the changes in rate for most ride events.

WHEW! I guess that's why they pay engineers to do this stuff :lol:

Seldom are things like this black and white. You can even get changes by altering the non-linear parts of the ride curve - by using a different helper spring, or adding rebound springs in the shocks, or if you don't have a helper spring (which I don't believe the SKY has) a different jounce bumper - either longer or shorter or with a different contour or density (assuming it's made of urethane) can also affect ride.

I haven't even mentioned bushing changes, which can cause noticeable changes in ride (either harder or softer) while improving or degrading handling - depending on what you make hard or soft.

Just some food for thought.

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bubbacc

· #17 · Mar 21, 2006

Thank you KappaMan ...

but ...

what is 'different' between the Sol and the Sky? Is there a hardware difference? How can "inquiring minds" find out?

KappaMan

· #18 · Mar 21, 2006

bubbacc said:
Thank you KappaMan ...

but ...

what is 'different' between to Sol and the Sky? Is there a hardware difference? How can "inquiring minds" find out?

Look under your car, then look under a solstice, I guess.

SkyMan 08

Discussion Starter · #19 · Mar 21, 2006

I remember one of the first notes that GM sent out when the Sky was announced was that the Sky would have a more compliant ride than the Solstice without sacrificing handling, to me that means a better ride, maybe softer was not the right word for it but not as harsh I guess is a better term...

KappaMan

· #20 · Mar 21, 2006

SkyMan 07 said:
I remember one of the first notes that GM sent out when the Sky was announced was that the Sky would have a more compliant ride than the Solstice without sacrificing handling, to me that means a better ride, maybe softer was not the right word for it but not as harsh I guess is a better term...

In other words: "enhanced", right?

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