Among the manufacturers of gasoline engines, one of the leading places in the world market is occupied by the Chinese industrial group Lifan Industry Co. Ltd (Lifan Group). The Lifan engine is produced by the company in a wide range.

Lifan Group enterprises produce power units that are successfully installed on:

• cars of any carrying capacity;
• mopeds and motorcycles;
• pumps and presses;
• garden, snow removal and household appliances.

The technical characteristics of Lifan motors meet the requirements of world standards, and the optimal price / quality ratio enables the company to compete with the most famous manufacturers of power units.

Of particular interest are automobile gasoline engines developed in cooperation with the British engineering firm Ricardo. An example of effective cooperation is the Lifan LFB479Q engine installed on the Lifan X 60 crossover.

In addition, the company's engineers, using the developments of the world's leading manufacturers, independently design reliable car engines. So, the LF48Q3 gasoline engine, designed for the Lifan Solano model, was developed on the basis of the Toyota 4A-EF licensed agent, which has long been the standard of reliability and quality all over the world.

Lifan car engine specifications

The engine was installed on the following cars: Lifan X 60 and Lifan Solano.

Description

Chinese engines Lifan LFB479Q and LF481Q3 are structurally an in-line four-cylinder power unit with two overhead camshafts and a 16-valve cylinder head (DOHC 16V).

Their design has a lot in common, for example, the same type of lubrication and cooling systems. Fuel is supplied by the multipoint injection method with an electronically controlled throttle valve.

However, there are significant differences in the design of the motors. For example:

• the timing mechanism in the LF481Q3 motor is driven by a belt whose service life does not exceed 100 thousand km, and in the LFB479Q a metal chain with a large margin of safety is used for this purpose;
• the combustion chamber of the LF481Q3 engine, unlike the LFB479Q, has a wedge-shaped shape, which provides a high fuel combustion rate and reduces the loss of coolant;
• the piston stroke in the LF481Q3 motor is less than the cylinder bore (short-stroke engine), which requires higher rpm to achieve maximum power;
• motors and electronic control systems differ. The LFB479Q power unit is equipped with an efficient variable valve timing system VVT-i, which allows you to get maximum torque (168 Nm) already at 4200 rpm. min.

Tuning

Chinese engines LFB479Q and LF481Q3 in a specialized tuning studio can be subjected to CHIP tuning.

Engine tuning performed by specialists will allow:

1. Increase power.
2. Eliminate factory software flaws that lead to unpredictable jerks and jerks.
3. Increase the service life.
4. Improve the responsiveness of the electronic gas pedal.
5. Reduce fuel consumption.
6. Increase the torque value.

For firmware use the OBDII diagnostic connector, which is usually located in the pedal area.

Lifan low-power motors

One of the priorities in the work of the Lifan Group is the development and serial production of gasoline engines with a capacity of 2.5 to 15 hp.

Among them there are also models:

• with electric starter;
• with a reduction gear;
• with automatic clutch;
• with a coil of lighting.

These engines are installed on:

1. Motoblocks.
2. Electric generators.
3. Motorized towing vehicles, motor winches, etc.

A typical representative of this type of product is the Lifan190F-R single-cylinder engine, with a capacity of 15 hp, and is intended for installation on cultivators and other low-power equipment. It is distinguished by its durability and economy, and the presence of a reduction gear allows expanding the scope of its application.

In addition, the motor is equipped with a lighting coil, which makes it possible to connect the necessary equipment with a total power of no more than 40 W.

To start it, a transistor ignition system is used, which ensures reliable operation in all operating conditions.

A 1.8-liter gasoline engine with a capacity of 133 liters is installed on the Lifan X60. from. This is enough for a measured, calm ride. Those owners who want more from the car change the firmware. At the same time, one of the main advantages of the Lifan X60 engine is moderate consumption in the city, you can invest in 10 liters per 100 km. But it all depends on the driving style, the type of drive, the installed box: a five-speed manual transmission, a variator.

In general, the X60 resembles the Toyota RAV-4 CA30 crossover, which was produced until 2013. There is a similar radiator grille, side panels, outlines of the front optics. Lifan is inferior to its Japanese counterpart in reliability and technical characteristics. Although this is a decent car for the money. Consider the pros and cons.

Lifan X60 engine: detailed acquaintance, resource assessment

The four-cylinder in-line engine Lifan X60 LFB479Q is presented by the Chinese company as its own unique development, which was made jointly with the British company Ricardo. In reality, this is a prototype of the Toyota ICE 1ZZ-FE. The Japanese engine was installed on Avensis, Corolla, Matrix, Celica. It is considered reliable, but with runs over 150 thousand km, it begins to eat oil: oil scraper rings, exhaust valves are coked, the gaps between the piston and the cylinder walls are broken. This is fraught with failure of the catalyst, which is often changed to a flame arrester. To avoid such a fate, you need to follow the maintenance schedule and refuel with high-quality gasoline.

If you have filled fuel of questionable quality, we recommend using a combustion catalyst. It will increase the octane number of gasoline, minimize carbon formation and consumption, save you from the Check Engine engine error, which often lights up when refueling with gasoline with an octane rating below 93. Such an error can lead to changes in the engine management program.

The RVS-Master tribotechnical composition will also help to extend the lifespan of the Lifan X60 engine. For processing LFB479Q you will need (the volume of oil in the system is 3.5 liters). Thanks to the processing of the Lifan X60 motor with a friction geomodifier, it will be possible to:

• Normalize compression by restoring working surfaces with a layer of cermets.
• Simplify cold start.
• Reduce noise and vibration.
• Stabilize idle speed.
• To achieve an increase in the resource - up to 120 thousand km.

With runs of more than 100 thousand km, it makes sense to use Lifan X60, which will improve the functioning of injectors and dynamics, eliminate dips during acceleration, and reduce gasoline consumption.

What is remarkable about the Lifan X60 box?

For the Lifan X60 crossover, a five-speed mechanics and a four-speed automatic are available. The manual gearbox is quite durable, although aggressive driving style, driving on rough terrain, and untimely oil change can reduce its resource. This will be manifested by a characteristic howl, difficulty with switching, extraneous sounds of a metallic nature. If the aforementioned problems are associated with natural mechanical wear, treatment with a compound will help. This will restore the geometry of the gears, increase the resource of parts, compensate for existing wear, and make gear shifting smoother.

The versions with automatic transmission use the popular Punch Powertrain CVT. The oil in it should be changed with a run of 60 thousand km. And for the restoration and prevention of breakdowns, it is advisable to combine it with the treatment of the Lifan X60 box with the composition.

Of course, the Lifanovites call the x60 their own development, but the genesis of the model is more prosaic - the second generation Toyota RAV4 model is taken as a design basis. Apparently, unofficially: Lifan has no legal relationship with the Japanese company and the Chinese are engaged in "imitation" at their own peril and risk. But it would be rash to call the x60 a copy of the RAV4. Rather, it is a "plot based on": the structural and layout scheme is similar to the RAV4, but the dimensions have changed, as well as the overall aesthetics of the car.

Lifan x60 is a car with a monocoque body and a transverse power unit. The engine is new, with a volume of 1.8 liters (133 hp), with a variable valve timing system. In the Chinese version, the phase shifter is denoted by the abbreviation VVT (Variable Valve Timing), which also contains echoes of Toyota's VVT-i (Variable Valve Timing with intelligence) development. The 1.8 VVT LFB479Q engine was made in cooperation with the English company RICARDO, which is even mentioned on the official website of the British. Many other design details are also taken from European manufacturers, in particular from Bosch and Valeo. The Chinese are even proud of this, emphasizing the "new level of quality".

The x60 design is quite typical for cars of this class: McPherson front suspension, rear - independent "multi-link", disc brakes on all wheels with 4-channel ABS. The steering is rack and pinion, with hydraulic booster. The supports of the power unit are selected correctly, no vibrations are transmitted to the body and controls. Even the air conditioner radiator is not rigidly fixed to the front beam, but through additional dampers and is separated from the engine radiator by foam rubber gaskets. A trifle - but nice.

Transmission - only a five-speed "mechanics", no variator, no automatic transmission is provided. Unfortunately, no four-wheel drive is envisaged either, they think about it, but there is no solution yet. It's expensive and goes beyond the concept of the x60 as an extremely cheap car. At the same time, the Chinese already have the design of the drive to the rear axle through a viscous coupling, it's only a matter of the economy of the project. Now the Lifan marketers think that the all-wheel drive version of the x60 may not stand up to competition.

From this it is easy to deduce the market framework of the model: an urban SUV or even just a station wagon with an increased ground clearance, in which there are more comfort, convenience and versatility than claims to conquer off-road. The salon is not made in Chinese with high quality, even, from good fabrics and plastics. There is a pungent smell in new cars, but this is not phenolic emissions, but the "aroma" of glue and sealants, which quickly evaporates. We got used to the smell after half an hour of getting to know the car.

The architecture of the front panel is simpler than "Toyota", for example, the Chinese did not begin to reproduce the spectacular "glove compartment" with a sliding lid, located in Toyota between the passenger airbag and the main glove compartment. The center console and dashboard are different here. The RAV4 is only reminiscent of a similar arrangement of deflectors and climate control "krutilok". The transformation of the cabin is beyond praise: the rear seat can be folded separately and completely, while the cushions are reclined forward, and the backs lie on the floor, forming an almost flat platform. For rear passengers there is a large folding armrest with two cup holders. More of the little things: a 12-volt socket in the armrest box for the front riders, cup holders in all side doors, a small folding niche to the left of the driver.

So far, the Lifan x60 is offered in two trim levels - LX and EX. The first - basic - includes two front airbags and ABS + EBD. The EX adds various niceties, such as a two-din DVD audio system with a large screen, navigation and visual parking sensors, a key with a remote trunk opener, a leather steering wheel, front seat belt pretensioners, climate control.

The Lifan Motors proving ground, where it was proposed to test new crossovers, is not very suitable for a full-fledged test drive, to put it mildly: it is extremely compact, representing only a road with three types of irregularities and one "driving" hairpin turn. Therefore, so far we can only speak approximately about what x60 is in motion.

The curb weight of the crossover is 1330 kg, which is comparable to a conventional C-class car. Therefore, the engine of 133 hp. "Lifan" is more or less enough. The Chinese have not yet shown the graph of the dependence of the torque on the rpm, but it is obvious that the motor reaches its maximum return at about 4500 rpm.

The first two gears are quite short and fast, and the third is long, with a claim to economy. With a sufficiently "sharp" steering wheel (slightly more than 3 turns from lock to lock), the steering wheel lacks sensitivity. The rudder position at "zero" is unclear and there is not enough feedback. This does not add confidence when speed maneuvering.

Third gear, revs of about 4000, "throttle to the floor" - and at the apex the engine starts to die down: it lacks traction. In general, the Lifan x60 has a weak handling character, unsuitable for active driving. But economical urban movement is his element. Hence the excellent fuel consumption indicator: 8.2 liters per 100 km (according to the passport). The 1.8 VVT engine is the only one in the Lifana range, controlled by an electronic gas pedal and complies with Euro-4 standards.

From April Lifan x60 will be produced in Russia at the Derways plant in Cherkessk. The scope of the project has not yet been determined, even the Chinese themselves do not know in what configurations the car will enter the Russian market and at what prices. The future name of the novelty is also unknown. Although the "Lifanovists" in Russia give their cars more poetic names than digital indices. The price will be more affordable than that of the main competitor - Vortex Tingo. The latter in a mono-drive version is now sold for 500 thousand rubles.

With all-wheel drive for x60, there is still no clarity, but the "automatic" for the car is not provided in principle. And this is a big marketing blunder of the Lifanovites. It will be very difficult to sell the planned 25 thousand cars without an “automatic machine”. It is this amount of x60, according to the Chinese, that the Derweiss conveyor can provide. In China itself, by the end of this year, only 10 thousand cars will be assembled, half of which will be exported.

The fact that the Chinese are copying the developments of eminent manufacturers with might and main is no secret to anyone. Lifan uses licensed copies of Toyota engines in his models, which he adjusts (most likely in order to reduce the cost of production) to his standards. For example, in a popular model, but with modifications.

An engine is installed on the Lifan X60, which was copied from the legendary 1ZZ-FE series, which is legendary throughout the Far East.

The index of the 1.8-liter Lifanovsky engine has the abbreviation LFB479Q.

Chain or belt

Let's immediately answer the question that worries many lifanovodov, belt or chain? Rejoice ...

Although the chain also has its drawbacks, most domestic motorists are very afraid of breaking the belt, probably this is a fear from the domestic auto industry.

Engine features

The location of the power unit at Lifan X60 is transverse. Engine with variable valve timing system. By the way, the LFB479Q version is called VVT, in which the connection with the Toyota development of VVT-i clearly slips. The Chinese removed the -i (with intelegence) prefix. An interesting fact is that the British (Ricardo engineering company) took part in the development of the Chinese engine.

Toyota's engine was very reliable, it was put on the most popular models, including the Corolla (the world's best-selling car in the C class), Avensis and even Celica. The most common problem was oil consumption - this is a disease of all engines with VVT-i technology, which is caused by a design feature and manifests itself after 150 thousand km.

A photo where the rings are stuck on the 1ZZ-FE engine, resulting in increased oil consumption.

In the Far East, they solved the problem in a not very beautiful way. Most owners just put up with it. They switched to semi-synthetics (while the specification should be 5w-30 synthetics) - it's cheaper. But it is worth remembering that in the Far East such engines do not capitalize, they simply order contract spare parts - these are spare parts with a mileage of no more than 50-70 thousand. Japan is an island, you can't hit it anymore. But the Japanese do not have contract Chinese engines of the LFB479Q series, and cannot be. Swap capability is unknown.

If the Lifan X60 engine starts to eat oil, then the catalyst may soon fail. In this case, it is changed to a flame arrester, the company has worked out the technology, but the cost is not cheap.

The shocking truth about the Lifan X60!

I will try to help with this in order to avoid fatalities when buying a new combat friend.

When buying a new car, you need to answer 5 key questions:
1. Will I pay extra for the brand?
2. How reliable is the apparatus?
3. Will I be happy to drive the car?
4. Is it expensive to maintain?
5. What are her CONS?

Let's start in order.
1. The cost of my maximum speed, taking into account gifts from the New - Era and my additional wishes, was not much more than 680,000, which, in comparison with the "hyped" crossovers, was a direct benefit in a round sum, which was enough for a week with my wife in a 5 * hotel in Tunisia )
2. Driving a car every day for 8 months now, the only thing I did with him was to come to the office. Dealer. Unlike many high-budget crossovers, which are born with crickets, squeaks, and visits to the seller under warranty become more common than watching football on weekends, the X60 has grown even more in my eyes as a REAL RELIABLE car.
3. With my height of 190 cm, and the fact that I like to eat a lot, I freely and comfortably fit in the driver's seat. A beloved and dear mother-in-law, who does not have the same height, but loves to eat even more than me, FINALLY, without grunting, gets out from behind and the trip to the dacha takes place only to the music (I cannot but note the quality of the mafon in the car), and not to her eternal grumble ))
4. Since I did not do anything other than scheduled maintenance, and apparently in the next 3 years I will definitely not come across an oil change, then I have no experience with repairs .. BUT!
Have you wondered how much it costs those services on Lifan's analogues ?! My answer is - 2 TO \u003d good winter tires !! The cost for X 60 is, as I analyzed, 30%! Percentages BELOW! Also, do not forget that fuel consumption by car is 4 liters. lower than classmates.
5. I will be critical. Without nuances, any car cannot be released from the assembly line. The question is who has more minuses? what did not like - the handbrake is close to the gearshift lever. The hand will not go through. The steering wheel is adjustable only for departure. At the moment the engine spins up to 5.5-6000 rpm, it makes noise. True, this only happens during sharp overtakes.

Total: with the exception of those three points that I described in the line above, the Lifan X60 crossover complies with the price-quality rule. A truly reliable car. I get real pleasure from driving it. I SAVE on maintenance of the car both on MOT and on gasoline.

My advice: indulge yourself! YOU Worthy of this machine!