If i may i'll through in my 2 cents ; )
As far as the friction issues that have been thrown in here they really dont much matter... Technically there isnt really added friction, yes there is 2 extra cylinders but the each cylinder has to overcome its own friction forces...(if that makes sense) so like in a 4 cylinder each cylinder overcomes its own friction forces as does the v6 so friction isnt really the issue. The issue is more rotating mass, which will lower the high end RPM Range. The more rotating mass the lower the peak RPM. Hense the reasons you want lightned flywheels and lightened cranks. Light = Fast : )
Next the talk about the torque increases. The V6 with the same displacement will make more torque. Think of it this way. The combustion event (explosion) that takes place in the combustion chamber forces the piston/rod assembly down, turning the crankshaft. The more Force you have from combustion events the more torque, I.E. 4cyl engines have more torque that 2 cyl engines do, as do 6cyl engines have more torque that 4 cyl engines. (very watered down explination) you can put more force on a wrench or ratched with 2 hands pulling on it vs. 1 hand, same thing with crankshafts and amount of pistions.
Balance is also a big issue in this situation, 4cyl engines are not the most balanced of engines. In the long run, the more cylinders you have the better naturally balanced engine you have. This is the reason Ferarri built the 3.0l V12. The engine is very balanced do to its 12 cylinders, also its stroke is very short, allowing the engine to make large amounts of HP in the HIGHER RPM range, VERY high rpm range. Now those V12's are not torque monsters on the low end rpm scale but the shine when the revs start crankin.
When building an engine, builders are usually trying to get as close to making the engine square as possible, meaning making the bore and stroke as equal as possible. The closer you can get to making the square ( I.E. bore 2.5 inch, stroke 2.5inch. ) the more efficient higher reving engine you will have. The engine will last a long time, be very well balanced and make good usuable power all around. Now it isnt always possible to get your engine squared, but the closer you can come to that the better engine you will have.... hope this put some light on the subject. if anyone has any questions about anything fire away!
Its really a simple issue. A 4 stroke engine has.. duh.. 4 strokes - intake, compression, power, exhaust..
A 4 cylinder at any one time can only have one cylinder on the power stoke - unless you want a really unbalanced engine. A 6 cylinder on the other hand has 1.5 cylinders on a power stroke at any one time. So the net effect is more torque.
Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.
the Honda (2.2 ) 4 cylinder makes 240 hp.
Fred Simmons Jr. wrote:If i may i'll through in my 2 cents ; )
As far as the friction issues that have been thrown in here they really dont much matter... Technically there isnt really added friction, yes there is 2 extra cylinders but the each cylinder has to overcome its own friction forces...(if that makes sense) so like in a 4 cylinder each cylinder overcomes its own friction forces as does the v6 so friction isnt really the issue. The issue is more rotating mass, which will lower the high end RPM Range. The more rotating mass the lower the peak RPM. Hense the reasons you want lightned flywheels and lightened cranks. Light = Fast : )
Next the talk about the torque increases. The V6 with the same displacement will make more torque. Think of it this way. The combustion event (explosion) that takes place in the combustion chamber forces the piston/rod assembly down, turning the crankshaft. The more Force you have from combustion events the more torque, I.E. 4cyl engines have more torque that 2 cyl engines do, as do 6cyl engines have more torque that 4 cyl engines. (very watered down explination) you can put more force on a wrench or ratched with 2 hands pulling on it vs. 1 hand, same thing with crankshafts and amount of pistions.
Balance is also a big issue in this situation, 4cyl engines are not the most balanced of engines. In the long run, the more cylinders you have the better naturally balanced engine you have. This is the reason Ferarri built the 3.0l V12. The engine is very balanced do to its 12 cylinders, also its stroke is very short, allowing the engine to make large amounts of HP in the HIGHER RPM range, VERY high rpm range. Now those V12's are not torque monsters on the low end rpm scale but the shine when the revs start crankin.
When building an engine, builders are usually trying to get as close to making the engine square as possible, meaning making the bore and stroke as equal as possible. The closer you can get to making the square ( I.E. bore 2.5 inch, stroke 2.5inch. ) the more efficient higher reving engine you will have. The engine will last a long time, be very well balanced and make good usuable power all around. Now it isnt always possible to get your engine squared, but the closer you can come to that the better engine you will have.... hope this put some light on the subject. if anyone has any questions about anything fire away!
sorry fred, but you arent quite correct on a few points.
square engines dont make the best revving engines. having a large bore and shorter stroke is the key for high revs. you can take a look at sportbikes and F1 and other high end forms of motorsport for the proof. the reason they use a short stroke is because it keeps pistons speeds down. if square engines were the way to go, then F1 and sport bikes wouldnt have the large bore and short stroke combos.
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