What's the best engine config?

**jjmd3_787** · September 30th, 2009 09:41 PM

What's the best engine configuration?

flat/horizontally-opposed/boxer engines (used by Subaru and Volkswagen);

straight/inline engines (most common among 4-cylinder engines);

or V-type engines (most common among 6 & 8-cylinder engines)?

[SIZE=1]Note: the H, X, and W engines[/SIZE] [SIZE=1]were not included because they are not commonly used in our country.[/SIZE]

**roberto_minosa** · September 30th, 2009 09:58 PM

Boxer FTW. Even F1s have 'em.

**badkuk** · September 30th, 2009 10:08 PM

i think all these configs have their own pros and cons.

the flat results in a more balanced engine, and results in an engine with a lower profile compared to inlines -- resulting in a lower center of gravity for the car

the inline seems the most efficient in terms of space, and probably the easiest to build

you forgot the rotary, c/o mazda/ford.

**ramledi** · October 1st, 2009 08:46 AM

for me i'd go for v-type because as far as i know it gives better torque. correct me if i'm wrong

the more torque you have the more load/weight you can put in the vehicle

**Walter** · October 1st, 2009 09:20 AM

Originally Posted by ramledi

for me i'd go for v-type because as far as i know it gives better torque. correct me if i'm wrong

the more torque you have the more load/weight you can put in the vehicle

Inline provides more torque than V. V design minimizes vibration.

**simplicity** · October 1st, 2009 09:46 AM

formula 1 cars have V8's... i've never read nor heard that they ran on flats..

**rusem** · October 1st, 2009 09:56 AM

Originally Posted by ramledi

for me i'd go for v-type because as far as i know it gives better torque. correct me if i'm wrong

the more torque you have the more load/weight you can put in the vehicle

power and torque is dependent on the engine's displacement and over-all power to weight ratio... not configuration. i also thought f1 cars have V8's.

**niky** · October 1st, 2009 10:37 AM

Torque is inherent in the stroke and number of cylinders... not the configuration.

Boxer engines are the smoothest engines there are, as the pistons are opposed. Having the strokes cancel each other out at both extremes of the powerstroke gives an engine that has less vibration... though boxers are known for their warbly exhausts, due to their unique firing order.

And by being flat, they give a lower center of gravity than regular engines, which does good things for the handling.

The big issue with boxers is maintenance. It's a pain in the butt to change anything on a boxer... and simple jobs that would take a few minutes on a conventional engine sometimes require you to unbolt the boxer and remove it.

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V-engines give some of the smoothness advantages of a boxer, but match it with better packaging ability and modularity. Where a boxer's intake is long, complicated and convoluted, a V-engine allows you to use a single intake manifold, much like an inline engine. A V-engine is still shorter than an inline engine of the same number of cylinders, and is easier to package for longitudinal (front-back) installations. A 90-degree V is desirable for racing engines, but many street engines have a narrower V angle for easier packaging. Unlike a boxer, a V-engine is easy to mount transversely (side-to-side, as in front-wheel drive cars), and it has benefits for front-drive cars, as well.

V-engines are still more complicated and more costly to build than inline-engines... though... and with some transverse-mounted V-engines, the intake manifold has to be removed before you can reach the spark plugs.

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The inline engine is the simplest one you can build. One casting for the block, one casting for the head... one set of camshafts... one intake manifold. An inline engine is easy to bolt turbos onto (only need one turbo... single turbo Vs and boxers require more complicated exhaust designs)... easy to package and quite robust.

The big problem with inline engines is vibration. Inline 3's are bad... inline 4's pretty so-so... Inline 6's... well... they're actually pretty good... I love BMW's inline-6 series... some of the best driving and sounding engines... ever. And anything more than 5-6 cylinders on an inline engine make it pretty long and hard to package into a car. That's why you never see straight-8s, anymore...

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The best? It's not the layout, per se... but the engine itself. Lots of engines come to mind as possibly the best for their size and number of cylinders... Subaru's boxer-four... BMW's inline 6... Audi's RS4 V8... andaming pagpipilian.