Why do motorcar engines stop at V12? why isn’t there a V 16 or V20?
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As a lot of people have pointed out there have been in the past, but there are a lot of reasons why we don’t see them anymore.
1. We have much more efficient means of producing power now. 4 cylinder turbo charged engines (~2L of displacement) can exceed many engines from the muscle car Era of the 60s where “no replacement for displacement” was the moto and 7L+ displacements where not uncommon
2. Specifically to V style engines with large numbers if cylinders packaging is an absolute nightmare. Today’s cars don’t have the massive engine bays of the past. The more cylinders the longer the engine. This is why you see Bugatti running a W16 instead of a V16.
3. In terms of efficiency the more friction surfaces you have (in this case the interaction between the cylinder walls and scrape rings on the pistons) the more energy loss you will have to friction.
4. Weight is a huge concern as well. More weight more power needed to move the weight. Again cutting efficiency and why power adders such as turbo chargers are a better option for getting bang for the buck of energy.
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