phatmax95

iTrader: (29)

whats the difference in an inline 6 and a v-6. i know the configuration is different but what kind of power differences are there? also, anbody heard that an auto puts on 1 sec to your quarter mile time vs a stick?

Daniel B. Martin

There are no inherent power-generating advantages to either cylinder configuration. Nissan (among others) makes powerful V6 engines. BMW makes powerful inline 6 engines. Porsche makes powerful horizontally opposed 6 cylinder engines.

TarHeelMax

Inline engines tend to be very smooth, and this is inherent in their design. V-configuration engines can be smooth if well engineered; however, they are inherently more subject to oscillative forces. Vibration in an engine is undesirable because it expends energy that could have been used to turn the flywheel.

Everything you ever wanted to know, and more:

Technical School

carnal_c30

iTrader: (38)

inlines are inherently smoother than V-6s... the balance on an I-6 is perfect... comparable only to a V-12 in autos... buuut these days theres so many things... liquid filled engine mounts, balancing shafts... this and that... a V-6 can almost be as smooth as an I-6
and autos do usually add time to acceleration because they are programmed for smoother shifts instead of high rpm quick shifts.... but these days the gap is narrowing... except with maximas

phatmax95

iTrader: (29)

tarheel.. does that by any chance have anythin to do with north carolina?

so you guys are sayin that the inline and v are basically just a different design, and that neither one posess's a noticeable performance difference?

TarHeelMax

Yes Kinda. Smoothness is the more noticeable quality.

AgtXmas

Try this site: http://www.howstuffworks.com/question366.htm
It gives some of the differences between inline, v, and flat engine configurations, along with some really cool animations. Hope it helps.

deezo

iTrader: (3)

From what I understand, the inline configuration is supposed to put out way higher RPM's than the V configuration. Most F1 racers with the inline config redline at around 10,000RPM if I am not mistaken.

I had an inline 4 in my Toyota Truck and it felt like it handled high RPM power than the V6. The same is true for VW's Inline 4 Turbo opposed to their V6.

Micah95GLE

All current F1 cars have 3.0L V10s, some of which rev to 18,500RPM.

Inline engines are an ancient design. All of the early engines were inlines (I4s, I6s, I8s, I12s). These days, engine technology has improved to the point that V engines can be made to be as smooth as an inline, and the packaging is much more efficient with V engines (obviously, an I6 is longer than a V6, so an I6 can't be used for FWD applications, and better weight distribution is possible with a more compact V6 that can be pushed further back in the engine bay). For the '98 model year, Mercedes Benz discontinued all of its I6s and replaced them with V6s. I think Nissan is abandoning the RB26 motor. BMW is probably the only car maker that still uses I6s, and only because they are able to continue to improve on the current design and still fit them into the engine bays. That might come to an end for them one day, as it has for many other car makers.

krismax

iTrader: (15)

A inline engine is stronger , it is perfect for high boost. Supra ,Skyline,Lancer,Eclipes have inline engines. I have a mag that shows whey,i cant find it right now .But i remember somthing about crank berrings.ill find it later.

carnal_c30

iTrader: (38)

well the design is old... but i've never driven a car with a smoother engine than a BMW M3 or 528... they're beautiful... i think they still are the best... from 2.5-4.0L they are great engines

vmok

Micah95GLE ---> inline 6 can't be used for front wheel drive? What about the Volvo S80, I believe that's a transverse mount inline 6 cylinder front wheel drive car... Also, Lexus uses an inline 6 in the GS300 and IS300. The Jeep Cherokee uses an 4.0L inline 6 as well. All those are RWD applications.

kirsmax---> inline engines are stronger? it seems to me that after a certain point, a long engine would be more difficult to make strong. infact, honda's early experiment with inline 5 cylinder engines resulted in cracked manifolds on the vigors because they were so long. i don't see too many inline 8 engines nowadays. can you imagine how long a crank would have to be for a inline 8cyl engine! just wondering...

-V

deezo

iTrader: (3)

Damn!!! Well I am old then. I haven't followed F1 Racing in about 10 years. I didn't think the engines have changed so dramatically.

Oh yeah, the Volvo S80 has an Inline 6.

Micah95GLE

Right. I forgot that Toyota was still using its old I6. I bet they replace it with a high-tech V6 soon. Something that carmakers are doing these days (MB and Ford, to name a couple) is making modular engine designs. This means that they take the same basic block and make any of their engines from that same basic block (through boring and stroking and even adding cylinders to create V8s and V12s from the basic V6 block). This is supposed to be a huge savings in money for the makers, so I see Toyota and BMW going to modular V engines the next time they have to squeeze more power with less emissions and better fuel economy out of their current "old" designs.