![]() ![]() ![]() This problem becomes worse with increased engine size and power so inline-4s larger than 2.0 L usually have balance shafts and ones over 3.0 L are seldom used in passenger cars. The more common inline-4 configuration suffers from an engine balance problem caused by the fact that the pistons travel faster on the top half of the crankshaft rotation than the bottom half, which causes the engine to vibrate up and down twice per crankshaft revolution. The open and exposed design of the engine allows air cooling as well as water cooling, and in air-cooled applications fins are often cast into the external cylinder block walls to improve the engine cooling.īoxer engines are better balanced than other engine types in 4-cylinder configurations. The latter problem has not stopped Subaru from using it in its all-wheel drive cars, where the difficulty of fitting the short engine between the front wheels ahead of the front axle is compensated for by the ease of locating the transmission and four-wheel drive mechanisms behind it, between the front and rear axles. With a rear engine layout it allows a low-tail body while in front engine designs the width of the engine interferes with the ability of the front wheels to steer. The shape of the engine suits it better for mid engine or rear engine designs. The low centre of gravity of the engine is an advantage. Although they are somewhat superior to straight-4s in terms of vibrations, they have largely fallen out of favor because they have two cylinder banks thus requiring twice as many camshafts as a straight-4 (if an OHC rather than OHV or F-head configuration is used) while the crankshaft is as complex to manufacture. This is no longer a common configuration, but some brands of automobile use such engines and it is a common configuration for smaller aircraft engines such as made by Lycoming or Continental. However, it is an expensive design to manufacture, and somewhat too wide for compact automobile engine compartments, which makes it more suitable for cruising motorcycles and aircraft than ordinary passenger cars. The layout also lends itself to efficient air cooling. The configuration results in inherently good balance of the reciprocating parts, a low centre of gravity, and a very short engine length. ![]() The pistons are usually mounted on the crankshaft such that opposing pistons move back and forth in opposite directions at the same time, somewhat like boxing competitors punching their gloves together before a fight, which has led to it being referred to as a boxer engine. VW Beetle engine, one of the most prominent flat foursĪ flat-4 or horizontally opposed-4 is a flat engine with four cylinders arranged horizontally in two banks of two cylinders on each side of a central crankcase. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification. ![]()
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