Is a modern 4 cylinder engine any less durable than any other make?

Question

Four cylinder automotive engines are in cars and trucks, what do you feel is the best use of this type of motor design and why? If a company's budget is not a factor, is a four cylinder the best engine a manufacturer can build?

Answer 1

They are good for vehicles that need small light motors. They get good mileage but have narrow power bands. A 4 cylinder has a power stroke every 180 degrees of crankshaft rotation, a six has one every 120 degs and an 8 cyl has one every 90 degrees. As you can guess the 8 cylinder has a lot more torque, a much broader power band and runs much smoother.

Four cylinders are built to be durable because they have a lot more stress on them than engines with more cylinders. All 4 cylinders have forged steel cranks, where as very few 8 cylinder motors need a forged steel crank because the twisting forces are more balanced by having move power strokes.

From a design and manufacturing standpoint it is cheaper to build a V8 because the tolerances do not need to be as good because it is inherently better balanced. That is why American car companies stuck with them for so long. The tolerances were not good, but the engines still ran good and made lots of power. The Japanese spent a lot of money on machining and designing 4 cylinder engines that were durable and they ended up being longer lasting engines than most American V8s of the 60s-70s. The Japanese cars were very cheap, all the money was in the engine and they ran forever and built a repuation for reliability. Fast foward a decade or two and the cars got better and the engines remained reliable.

If budget is not a factor then the 8 cylinder is the best due to torque and smoothness. That is why all cars had V8s when gasoline cost was not a concern. In todays world a 4 cylinder is adequate for all but the largest cars, but it is still a compromise compared to a V8.

Answer 2

Well the company also has to take into consideration the type of car the engine is to be used for. Of course it wouldnt be very best use in a truck or a sports car. Also, it has to match the platform of the vehicle as well as the transmission for the engine to meet its true potential. Any other congiguration of V engines is just as good of a use if not better because you can run two pistons off of one turn of the crankshaft.

Answer 3

It all depends on the use. I wouldn't want one in my 1 ton truck. I don't think it could handle the load. 4's are great for small light cars and basic transportation. I have had Triumph's with a 4 banger in it. It did a good job, but the car was light and small. The smaller the engine the harder it has to work to get the power out. The harder it works, the more it will wear, the more it wears, the quicker it goes bad. good luck.

Answer 4

Fours typically get better milage - usually. The number of cylinders in an engine does not affect the reliability at all. Four bangers are a good thing.

Answer 5

P-51; i attempted to fly one as quickly as in Florida - in spite of if it grow to be an concept killed with the aid of the museum that owned it. To this present day i think it grow to be a pity on condition that they had spent years rebuildind it and it grow to be immaculate. It had an analogous engine through fact the supermarine spitfire - it grow to be this way of mind-blowing plane. The 0 (Mitsubishi) grow to be late with the aid of 1941 - no armour to guard the pilot; The FW190 - staggering weapons (dare I say cannon); yet no tournament. do i flow on for yet another 500 words or greater. Of the plane I lusted to fly, first on the checklist grow to be the P-51; after that each and absolutely everyone jets different than the plane I first flew which grow to be a biplane

Answer 6

A car engine is light duty.A marine or generator application is heavier duty.