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Advanced Engine Material - Weight Reduction: 1. Aluminium Head and Block

All-aluminium engines (head and block made of aluminium alloy) are increasingly popular. Mass production all-alloy engines such as Rover K-series, BMW M52 straight-six, Nissan VQ-6, Jaguar AJ-V8, Mercedes V6 / V8, GM LS1and Northstar V8, Peugeot's 2-litre four and GM's new four-cylinder family proved that aluminium block will spread to nearly all cars in the near future.
Aluminium head has been popular much earlier and most engines now employ it. Car makers favour it not really for weight reduction, but for its better cooling property. As 4-valve head generates more heat than 2-valver, aluminium cylinder head seems to be a good solution.

Block went to aluminium much later, mostly because of cost reason. Block is the heaviest part of the engine, thus using aluminium can save dozens of kilogram and benefit a lot to weight distribution of the car. On the other hand, it is also much more expensive, simply because aluminium is pricier than cast iron.
2. Plastic or Magnesium Intake Manifolds

Intake manifolds is another heavy component, especially today's variable length manifolds. Using aluminium alloy instead of cast-iron was just the first step. Many car makers now switched to thermoplastic manifolds made of Nylon 66 or other heat-resisting reinforced plastics. It's cheap, light and free-flowing, nearly a dream for car makers.

However, plastic manifold's biggest flaw is noise, which is considered to be too much for luxurious cars. Therefore Mercedes-Benz chose to use Magnesium manifolds. This material is even lighter than aluminium, although a bit dearer and less resistant to heat. No problem, intake manifold is not too hot. Like any metal, air flow in Magnesium pipes generates less noise than plastic one.

TVR's and Ferrari's V8 even employ Kevlar for intake manifolds.
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