V-SIX AND V-EIGHT

To allow a six-cylinder engine to power a front-wheel drive car, it needs to be configured into a vee layout. The V6 is a more common layout than an inline-six. This is due to the compact packaging and ease for both front wheel and rear wheel drive vehicles. The rigid engine block allows more displacement to be used, thus more power. So rigid is a V6 that Formula 1 teams use the engine as a stressed member of the chassis, even mounting suspension arms directly to the engine block.

The only disadvantage of V6 engines is the added complexity and cost of two cylinder heads. If the V6 is of a small capacity, added rotational inertia will sap a little bit of power. A slightly higher centre of gravity (compared to a boxer) is a small disadvantage as well. Anything other than a 90-degree vee angle means that the secondary imbalance requires additional weight on the crankshaft.

The logical extension to the V6 is an additional two cylinders to make a V8, which results in a much larger engine but a smoother one. The sound from a large-capacity V8 is also a contributing factor of its ongoing development, especially in the American market. Add another four cylinders and you get the darling of the Italian manufacturers, the V12. Minus two cylinders and well, you get the point.

There are, of course, the other, less common configurations, such as the rotary engine, inline-five and W-eight, but that’s another article in itself.