Inlines vs. V's

[jc71corvette]

Whats the performance differnce between I's and V's?

 

[Nanan]

Ah, this is a little um... to.... fug it... http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question366.htm

Inline engines tend to have more low end torque and V engines tend to have more high end power.

 

[nightspeed87]

inline engines are more reputable because they are much easier to work on because they allow more space to work on them i.e. ( supras, skyline engine, etc. ) and the V style is a little more hard to work on ( namely in cars ) because of less space and more to have to work on. For instance why do you think 300zx's and 3000gts arent that popular in the sport compact scene despite such powerful potent engines they have... Because you basically have to pull out the whol friggin engine to do even minor jobs because of the engine style and lack of space. ( Im not so much talking about trucks here, but that even applies for some applications also. )

 

[Ultimatedsm]

The V design is superior. The inlines, there is a lot of pressure on the crankshaft because its longer which means more twisting. The weak part of the supra and skyline engine is there cranks, ask the people that own them.

 

[nightspeed87]

i agree but most ppl wont have the money to pay 500 plus to put a water pump, or change out the exhaust manifolds on their 300zx's because of the lack of space from the v design. So my point is that there less popular because of that, most ppl dont have the time or money to truely modify these cars without pulling the whole motor out for most things.

 

[MyBeatGSX]

If you ever want to know what's best, look to F1. There's a reason F1 cars use V configuration engines. What that reason is completely escapes me, but I'm sure it has something to do with the crankshaft issue Ultimate mentioned and also equal weight distribution side to side on the car. There are also block coolant passage issues, ease (or lack there of) of head cooling, intake manifold requirements and physically possible designs.

Honestly I think this quesition is well beyond anyone here. You should ask an automotive engineer.

 

[nightspeed87]

If you ever want to know what's best, look to F1. There's a reason F1 cars use V configuration engines. What that reason is completely escapes me, but I'm sure it has something to do with the crankshaft issue Ultimate mentioned and also equal weight distribution side to side on the car. There are also block coolant passage issues, ease (or lack there of) of head cooling, intake manifold requirements and physically possible designs.

Honestly I think this quesition is well beyond anyone here. You should ask an automotive engineer.

yea i agree Vs are more durable and have better balance , but these f1 guys get a ridiculous budget to build up these cars to that point. Im speaking of a regualar average joe, with average joe money hes not going to want to spend a fortune of money everytime he wants to do something new to his car. Unless you got the money to build up something thats that time consuming because of space issues all I was saying is inline would be your choice if you cant afford a V's cost issue that pertains to most sport compacts cars who use that set up. ( Thats why i used the 300zx as an example of that problem. You have to like take out motor mounts and stuff just to even get to the turbos. )

 

[Ultimatedsm]

F1 engines use the V design becaues of the overall balance of the motor. If you rev an inline 6 to lets say 20,000 RPM, that crankshaft will snap to pieces because its just too long. On the V-shape design, the crankshaft is much shorter which means less twisting action and more durability. A crankshaft from a V8 is shorter then a inline 6.

 

[MyBeatGSX]

yea i agree Vs are more durable and have better balance , but these f1 guys get a ridiculous budget to build up these cars to that point. Im speaking of a regualar average joe, with average joe money hes not going to want to spend a fortune of money everytime he wants to do something new to his car. Unless you got the money to build up something thats that time consuming because of space issues all I was saying is inline would be your choice if you cant afford a V's cost issue that pertains to most sport compacts cars who use that set up. ( Thats why i used the 300zx as an example of that problem. You have to like take out motor mounts and stuff just to even get to the turbos. )

He asked about the performace differences between the two. That's what we're all trying to answer.

He didn't ask which was harder to work on. V engines can be VERY easy to work on. Ever worked on old man muscle crap? I could stand inside those engine bays there's so much room. None of that matters though, that's not what he asked.

 

[nightspeed87]

theres skylines and supras that can easily rev to 10,000 to 11,000 rpms though. But yea i understand what your saying as long as you understand what im saying. But seems you kno your stuff.

 

[nightspeed87]

But working on them can pertain to performance because you can do more on something easier to work on unless your pulling the engine out all together like I was saying. And i was talking about in sport compacts thats why i said not really talking about trucks or muscles because there so big anyways. Performance wise I def agree with a V though, thats what is most frequently used in high horse power 6's at proffesional level.

 

[MyBeatGSX]

Those are race cars, they don't rev that high easily. They rev that high with much modification and money. They also don't rev that high many times before they either blow up or need a rebuild. High revs are EXTREMELY stressful on engine internals, FAR FAR more stressful than high boost. F1 engines turning 20,000rpm for hours at a time without issue is mind blowing. And V's are the configuration of choice.

 

[Ultimatedsm]

Well in the import scene, yes the inlines are easier to work on because they are not nearly as wide as a V-design. The 3000GT, and the 300ZX I have to admit that they are a pain in the ass to work on compared to, Supra or Skyline (Never worked on a skyline, I would say pretty close to what a supra is like).

Performance wise, I would say an inline 6 will make a little more power than a V6 because there is less moving parts which means less friction which frees up horsepower. Thats why the Supra out runs both the 3000GT and 300ZX. The skyline just out runs all of them. The skyline is a Supra with AWD like the new EVO's .

But for a pure race engine, I would go with a V-config in the long run.

 

[nightspeed87]

agreed

 

[MyBeatGSX]

The skyline is a Supra with AWD like the new EVO's .

Hope and pray there are no Nissan fans here.

The Skylines AWD is nothing like an Evo's. The Skyline uses the ATTESA-ETS system also used by the new AWD G35. Its 100% RWD until wheel slip occures, then power is distributed. Nothing like the Evo. The RB engine is also higher reving and much lighter than the 2JZ, there is no comparison between the two.

 

[Ultimatedsm]

Yeah lighter higher reving, but same engine configuration. They are one of a kind in the muscle import scene .

They both make over 800WHP before they break properly tuned, one just revs a little higher. Same configuration. I was comparing inline to V's not the engineering behind the Skyline motor compared to the Supra motor.