Inline vs V Engines

Inline and V engines are very popular configurations among cars and even in multiple cylinder motorcycles. The main difference between them is in how the cylinders are arranged. Inline engines have the cylinders in a straight line while a V engine has the cylinders grouped into two and arranged in a V at a certain angle; the arrangement leading to the name of the engine configuration.

The main benefit produced by the V engine is compactness. Cars with inline engines tend to have very long hoods due to the long engines. V engines with the same number of cylinders are almost half the size, allowing the hood to be much shorter; although it increases the width slightly, it is not significant to increase the width of a car. Another aspect of this advantage is that V engines can be made bigger, and thus more powerful, than inline engines. There is not really intrinsic to the design itself but creating an equivalent to a V8 or a V12 engine would be too long for practical use in cars.

The downside of a V engine is the resulting vibration that happens when you have an odd number of cylinders on each side. The odd number on each side means that the vibrations caused by each cylinder is not balanced and would start to rock the engine and the vehicle. A V6 and V10 would be susceptible to this excess vibration and vehicles that have these engines need to employ balance shafts in order to minimize the vibrations and provide a more comfortable ride for the passengers.

Inline and V engines are also used in aircrafts, boats, and other motorized vehicles. In cars, the use of inline engines has fallen to the wayside in favor of the more compact and lighter V engines. It provides car manufacturers to pack more horsepower into smaller cars.

Summary:

1.Inline engines have their pistons arranged in a straight line while V engines have them alternating in a V shape
2.Inline engines are longer while V engines are wider
3.V engines can have more cylinders than inline engine
4.V engines can be subject to more vibrations than inline engines

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