Why are V formation engines (V6/8/12) considered better than having the cylinders in a different formation, such as in a straight 6. Bonus points if you can explain why more cylinders is better.
In: Engineering
A straight six is typically considered more balanced than a V-6, but there’s a physical limitation to how long an engine can be. A straight six engine has all the cylinders aligned in a row, and is a physically large engine.
A straight eight is an even more powerful engine and this design was quite popular in the early 20th century.
As you might imagine, these engines are massively long and the much more compact V-8 design became popular to get similar power numbers out of a much smaller unit.
Straight 10 and 12 engines are absolute monstrosities reserved for WWII heavy bombers.
More cylinders are usually better because it provides a larger volume for compression, and thus more power without the need to run the engine faster.
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