adminShe went on and on and some of the things I couldn’t answer so I figured why not do a bit of research and educate one or two auto fanatics in this issue.
In this edition I feature the V engine, as you read on, you will understand that what you thought it was might not be it. A V engine, or Vee engine is a common configuration for an internal combustion engine.
The cylinders and pistons are aligned, in two separate planes or “banks’”, so that they appear to be in a “V” when viewed along the axis of the crankshaft. The Vee configuration generally reduces the overall engine length, height and weight compared to an equivalent inline configuration.
In 1896, Karl Benz patented his design for the first internal combustion engine with horizontally opposed pistons. Usually, each pair of corresponding pistons from each bank of cylinders share one crank pin on the crankshaft, either by master/slave rods or by two ordinary connecting rods side by side.
Some authorities even regard this as a distinguishing feature of a true Vee engine, and for example divide flat engines into boxer engines which do not share crank pins in this way, and 180° engines which do. On the other hand, some important V-twin engine designs have two-pin cranks. However, in Germany, these engines are all identified as boxermotors.
Various cylinder bank angles of Vee are used in different engines; depending on the number of cylinders, there may be angles that work better than others for stability. Very narrow angles of Vee combine some of the advantages of the Vee engine and the straight engine (primarily in the form of compactness) as well as disadvantages; the concept is an old one pioneered by Lancia, but recently reworked by Volkswagen Group.
Some Vee configurations are well-balanced and smooth, while others are less smoothly running than their equivalent straight counterparts.
It is common practice for Vee engines to be described with “V#” notation, where # is how many cylinders it has. When we look at our vehicles on the road right now, we mostly have the V6,8,10 and 12. And I will quickly breeze through how they are.
A V6 engine is a V engine with six cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of three cylinders, usually set at either a right angle or an acute angle to each other, with all six pistons driving a common crankshaft. It is the second most common engine configuration in modern cars after the inline four.
It is one of the most compact engine configurations, shorter than the inline-4 and in many designs narrower than the V8. Owing to its compact length, the V6 lends itself well to the widely-used transverse engine front-wheel drive layout.
It is becoming more common as the space allowed for engines in modern cars is reduced at the same time as power requirements increase, and has largely replaced the inline-6, which is too long to fit in many modern engine compartments. The V6 engine has become widely adopted for medium-sized cars, often as an optional engine where an inline-4 is standard, or as a base engine where a V8 is a higher-cost performance option.
Recent forced induction V6 engines have delivered horsepower and torque output comparable to contemporary larger displacement, naturally aspirated V8 engines, while reducing fuel consumption and emissions, such as the Volkswagen Group’s 3.0 TFSI which is supercharged and directly injected, and Ford Motor Company and directly injected EcoBoost V6, both of which have been compared to Volkswagen’s 4.2 V8 engine.
Modern V6 engines commonly range in displacement from 2.5 to 4.0 L (150 to 240 cu in), though larger and smaller examples have been produced.
A V8 engine has eight cylinders in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft. Most racing V8s continue to use the single plane crankshaft because it allows faster acceleration and more efficient exhaust system designs.
Then onto the V10 engine with 10 cylinders in two banks of five, which produces a distinct exhaust note. It is essentially the result of mating two even-firing straight-5 engines together. The straight-5 engine shows first and second order rocking motion. Here it should be assumed that the crankshaft with low second-order vibration is used and the first order is balanced by a balance shaft.
By mating the straight-5 banks at 90 degrees and using five throws the balance shafts balance each other and become null. The firing sequence is odd (BMW S85, Dodge Viper, Ford 6.8 and 6.4 V10, Volkswagen Touareg. Using an 18° split journal crankshaft the firing order can be made even, and the two balanced shaft do not balance each other completely, but are combined into a single very small balance shaft.
Then finally the V12 engine with 12 cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of six cylinders, usually but not always at a 60° angle to each other, with all 12 pistons driving a common crankshaft.
Since each cylinder bank is essentially a straight-6, this configuration has perfect primary and secondary balance no matter which V angle is used and therefore needs no balance shafts. A V12 with two banks of six cylinders angled at 60°, 120° or 180° (with the latter configuration usually referred to as a flat-12 from each other has even firing with power pulses delivered twice as often per revolution as a straight-6. This allows for great refinement in a luxury car.
In a racing car, the rotating parts can be made much lighter and thus more responsive, since there is no need to use counterweights on the crankshaft as is needed in a 90° V8 and less need for the inertial mass in a flywheel to smooth out the power delivery. In a large displacement, heavy-duty engine, a V12 can run slower than smaller engines, prolonging engine life.
Be warned, the larger the engine the more fuel it guzzles so the next time you are shopping around for a car if you are on a budget then anything with a V is not advisable.
Till next week, be safe and stay blessed.
Fact Jeke is an auto enthusiast with over a decade experience. She has written for several regional publications, attended many auto trade shows around the globe. You can contact her on email: [email protected] or via Facebook: Torque with Fact Jeke.
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