Car Engines?

Question

When somebody says it has a V12 6 cylinder 3 litre engine, what does the V12 mean and stand for?

Answer 1

Your question is a perfectly reasonable question, but I get so mad when people who haven't got a clue answer it and basicaly confuse you.

A 6 cylinder engine has exactly that. 6 cylinders. They can be in a straight line (All BMW 6 cylinder engines are straight 6's) or in a V formation (very common) which is 2 banks of 3 cylinders.

You can also get W formation engines. VW (Audi) use W8 and W12 engines and most notably, the Bugatti Veyron uses a W16 engine. A W16 engine is basically 4 banks of 4 cylinders, or 2 V8s. Its a bit more technical than that, but that's the basics.

So a V12 engine has 2 banks of 6 cylinders. BMW used this engine in their 8 series in the 90s. Mercedes also uses V12 engines for their larger/faster cars.

3 litres is the capacity of the engine. Generally, the larger the capacity the faster the car will go. Most 3 litre engines will be 6 cylinders in either a straight 6 or a V6 formation. A V12 engine is likely to be over 5 litres.

12V - or more commonly 16V is the number of valves that the engine has. The valves open and close to allow air into the cylinders to ignite the petrol and also to allow the exhaust gasses out. The more valves you have the better the performance you get. VW use 5 valves per cylinder on some engines hence the 20v badge you will see on some cars.

Someone stated that it was also possible to get an inline 5 engine. This is true and a lot more common than many would think. Late 80's and early 90's Audis had inline 5 cylinder engines. The original Audi Quattro uses a 2.2 litre inline 5. Most Volvos use 5 cylinders and the current Ford Focus RS uses an inline 5 engine.

VW also made a 2.3 litre V5 engine that was used in Golfs and Passats. It has 3 cylinders on one side and 2 on the other.

Answer 2

You can't have a V12 6-cylinder engine. A V12 is a 12-cylinder engine.

The V12 refers to the cylinder layout - 12 cylinders in a V-formation (two banks of 6 cylinders each, joined at the bottom, usually with a 60° angle between them).

A V8 has two banks of 4-cylinders each (usually 90° between the banks) and a V6 has two banks of three cylinders each (usually 60° between the banks).


However, a 6-cylinder 12v engine is different.
This is a 6-cylinder engine, with 12 valves - one intake valve and one exhaust valve for each cylinder.

Answer 3

no such thing as a V12 6 cylinder...v 12 has 12 cylinders,,, 3 liter is displacement [size]

Answer 4

Its a 12 cylinder not six? V12 is 6 cylinders on each side of the V, e.g. 6V6,,,,

Answer 5

V is for Valves - so it has 12 valves, 6 cylinders and is a 3 Litre engine.

Answer 6

there is such thing as a inline 5 too. 5 cylinders in a straight line-pretty cool but who wants to drive a 5 cylinder!

Answer 7

6 cylinders with 3 litre of capacity and 12 valves in those cylinders.

Answer 8

V 12 and 6 cylinder are the same term.
It's the no. and configuration of the cylinders.
usually 4, 6, 8 or 12, tho 10 & 16 also appear.
Usually they are in a line (referred to as 'in line') The 'V' means they are in a V shape not in a line.

Answer 9

it means there are 12 cylinders, in a `V` formation.. as opposed to in a line( as in "straight 6 e.g)

Answer 10

12 valves with 6 cylinders in the shape of a V when you look at the engine in cross section.