Of the various types of engines that your car can contain, three are well known to most people. The inline four cylinder engine, the V8, and the V6 are these commonly known types of engines. Second in popularity only to the four cylinder inline is the V6 engine. This article answers the question what is a V6 engine and offers some explanation for how it works.
V6 Engine Defined
V6 engines are V types of engines which possess six different cylinders that are mounted atop the crankcase. The configuration for these cylinders is commonly three cylinders in two banks. They are typically arrayed at either an acute angle to one another, or at a right angle. The six pistons work together to drive a common crankshaft.
Utility of the V6 Engine
Among the many helpful features of the V6 engine is the fact that it proves to be among the more compact such configurations of engines. It is typically narrower than is the V8 engine, as well as shorter than the typically straight four cylinder. V6 engines are ideally designed for the beloved front wheel drive transverse engine type of layout.
V6 engines are increasingly gaining in utility, since the allotted space for modern car engines is constantly being cut back all the while power demands are increasing. V6 engines have generally taken the place of the older inline six model of engine, as these former engines turn out to be of excess length to fit well in today’s engine compartments. While it is true that the V6 is less smooth and more complex than the old inline six cylinder engine is, the V6 does prove to be more rigid and compact, as well as less likely to suffer from torsional vibrations within the crankshaft.
Characteristics of the V6 Engine
Today’s V6 engines typically displace anywhere from 2.5 to 4.3 liters, although both smaller and larger versions have been made. As a result of the odd numbers of cylinder in the two banks, V6 designs are naturally unbalanced, despite their V angle. All types of engines that contain odd numbers of cylinders are victims of this dynamic imbalance that leads to end to end rocking motions. Because the two banks of cylinders contain similarly odd numbers of these pistons, the V6 engine struggles with this problem too. It is rectified in the flat V6 layout design by the two straight banks of cylinders actually offsetting the rocking motions of each other.
Uses of the V6 Engine
Medium sized cars are more commonly utilizing the V6 engine now, typically as an upgrade engine option when a four cylinder engine comes standard. Alternatively, they can be used as a more economical engine when a V8 is the higher costing upgrade. V6′s have gradually become high performing engines too, as a result of their great amounts of torque and power outputs, much like the classic V8 but with greater fuel efficiency. Among the examples of this type of use for the V6 is the Inifiniti G, Nissan Z-car, Hyundai Genesis Coupe, and the ever popular Chevrolet Camaro.
Additional Resource:
Wiki Cars: V6
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