You can also find some unusual V-type configurations like the Audi R8’s V10 and Bugatti Veyron’s (and Chiron) W16. The upside to this type of layout is that they are compact when compared to other types of configurations, especially with an increase in the number of cylinders. However, neither is perfect as they require balancing shafts and harmonisers to balance the engine’s movements. V8 engines usually have an angle of 90 degrees between the banks while V6 engines have 60 degree angles to minimize the vibration. V12s (essentially two inline-six engines mated to a single crankshaft) are said to be perfectly balanced as each cylinder bank negates the movement of the other. With its iconic exhaust note and characterful performance, the inline six-cylinder engine in the BMW M2 is brilliant. Recently Jaguar (thanks to their new Ingenium modular engines) and Mercedes-Benz have announced that they will phase out their V6 engines in favour of inline-sixes. BMW has championed the inline-six engine for a while now in its smaller M cars that boast brilliant performance with a unique sound track. The engine notes on inline engine cars aren’t all that exciting, but five-cylinder and six-cylinder inline engines do have a distinct sound. Inline engines require just one cylinder head and a single set of camshafts (that move the valves during the suck and blow stages). The inline engine is relatively cheaper to build yet tend to be inherently unbalanced and create vibrations, except for inline-six engines. This is why each engine layout has its pros and cons: The number of cylinders and their configurations help to minimize (or worsen) these vibrations. Today’s engines use a four-stroke cycle, colloquially: suck, squeeze, bang, and blow, which causes all sorts of motion and vibrations. We don’t really think about this when talking about cars (or bikes for that matter), but internal combustion engines create miniature explosions that are harnessed to provide propulsion. (Image source: BMW & Rolls-Royce press sites, & Wikipedia Commons) Clockwise from the top: The BMW M2’s inline 6-cylinder engine, The Rolls-Royce Ghost’s V12 motor, an old Porsche 911’s air-cooled, flat-six engine, & Mazda’s old rotary engine. It will feature in its own article coming soon. The rotary engine is somewhat in a league of its own since it doesn’t feature cylinders and pistons in the conventional sense. As the names imply, inlines have their cylinder in a single line (and are usually vertically mounted), Vs have two banks of cylinders in a V layout (the angle between the cylinders are variable 45 degrees and 180 degrees), while flat engines are horizontally opposed. ![]() These layouts of the engine are based on how the cylinders are placed. The advent of the internal combustion engine in the late 1800s saw the launch of many different types of engine configurations from the inexpensive inline variety, to exotic rotary type, including V-type configurations and the flat-type as well.
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