What are the benefits of having more displacement vs more cylinders and the configuration of the cylinders.
For example:
3 litre inline 4 cylinder vs 3 litre inline 6 cylinder vs 3 litre V6.
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If you have very few cylinders, but they are huge, you will have occasional problems with proper filling of the cylinder with an even mix of fuel and air. If you have the same displacement but its a lot of small cylinders (V16), then it is more expensive to make.
An inline six can have a longer stroke than a V6, but a V6 of the same displacement is lighter and of course, shorter.
Enzo Ferrari raced in the 1.5L class as a young man. There were 4-cyl and 6-cyl engines. These are small engines, 92 cubic inches. He decided to special order a 1.5L V12. It was expensive, but since each piston was smaller, it could rev to a higher RPM. In order to go to a higher RPM, you needed big valves that breathed well, so his engine wad a big bore and a short stroke.
When the Porsche 924 came out, they wanted to make it more affordable, so instead of a 3.0L six (which would be common), they made a 3.0L four cylinder, with four valves per cylinder to breathe better. Big pistons, but…not quite as smooth as a 3.0L six.
At the other end of the scale, Mazda made a tiny 1.8L V6 six cylinder, when 2.4L-3.0L would be more common. The world has millions of 1.8L 4-cylinder engines, so why make a more expensive engine if you need 1.8L of displacement? I don’t have an answer, but it was a real gem of a motor.
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