Engines come in all different shapes and sizes, but when referring to them, you often only hear about the capacity and the cylinder layout. While anybody who works on engines understands the differences, most normal car owners are completely unaware of the differences and why they exist.
The Layouts
There is a shockingly large amount of engine layouts around, with some being a lot rarer than others. Radial engines, W engines, narrow banked V and a lot of other styles have fallen into relative obscurity, for the most part in today’s auto market, the styles are limited to straight, v and flat.
- Straight – The straight layout is the most common layout of engines on the market today. The word “straight” refers to all the cylinders being in a straight line with each other.
- V – V engines are still relatively common in the higher capacity engines, V6 and V8 being the most notable of the lot. The V indicates that there are two banks of cylinders in a V pattern. A v8 would have two banks of four cylinders each. While the angle of the v can change, most v engines subscribe to a 72° or a 90° arch. Whenever there is a space which is less than 180° between the banks, we refer to the motor as a V
- Flat – Flat engines are on the less common side, today only being produced by Subaru and Porsche, they are still very relevant motors. The “flat” refers to the
Have your computerized windows stopped rolling down all the way in which? Or have the lights inside your automotive gone haywire? Contact Simpsonville Automotive LLC right now to run diagnostics on your electrical issues in your automotive vehicle. We are happy with the long standing relationship we have earned with our prospects over time.
Complete auto care is our specialty. From maintenance to restore we do it all. Things like advances in spark plug expertise, and the improved efficiency of the combustion system, have increased the time between basic engine maintenance services drastically.