3-Cylinder, 4-Cylinder and 5-Cylinder engines explained. Why cylinder counts matter
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- Опубліковано 1 сер 2024
- Have you ever wondered why 3 and 5 cylinder engines exist? This video covers that and more!
5-cylinder engines have been used for some time in Volvo models like the C30, S40, V50, S60, V60, V70, S80, XC60, XC70 and XC90, but also by GM in vehicles like the baby HUMMER and Volkswagen and Audi in various models. This decade the new odd number is three. With the new 1.0L Ford Ecoboost in the 2015 Forst Fiesta SFE and the 2015 Ford Focus SFE 3-cylinders are coming back to the mainstream. You'll of course also find 3-pots in the Smart ForTwo, Mitsubishi Mirage and the MINI Cooper. If you've wondered what's going on under the hood this video is for you. I'll talk about exhaust gas scavenging, turbochargers, efficiency and combustion overlap.
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Very clear explanation on piston engines and cylinders. I've noticed that 4 cylinder engines always seem to make the most power per displacement over 6's, 8's, and 12's. and figured that was because of efficiency, even if the 4 is a much rougher, less balanced engine. The most successful American racing engine, the Offenhauser was a 4 cylinder that dominated Indy-type racing for 50 years ,until it was effectively legislated out of racing in the late 70's. During the turbo era in the 70's, I well remember the 159 cid Offy 4's, launching off turns and leaving the 162 cid Cosworth V8's behind. The 8's had to rev higher to make the same power as the 4's. I figured that was because the 4's with bigger pistons had a faster torque rise and longer power band than the 8's with smaller pistons.
good work! very informative and well explained.
Thank you Alex. I wish I had a professor like you in school. Keep up the good work.
When any engine has forced induction, the intake stroke provides torque as the pressure is acting on the piston while the inlet valve is open. This is a major contribution to the greater efficiency of forced induction engines.
what about back pressure from the turbo?
@@pranjalvishwakarma1243 Still a net gain.
Marginal in this effect, with average street car levels of boost.
Great video, we once had a 3cyl turbo tractor, and it sounded really nice, better that the 4cyl we have now
This was clearly explained. I learned something. Thanks
nice vid.. the animation works well and it is simplified well enough for anyone to understand...
woukd like to see more vid..
thumbs up
I enjoy all of your videos and found this one to be very informative. I am car shopping right now and this video is very helpful as I look at different cars and the engine options that come with them. Thanks!
I love this channel, I learn so much about cars via videos like this which is great. These videos are mad nice keep em up bro.
Excellent explanation!
Based on how informative this was. You should have at least a million subscribers.
however, many people haven't a clue what the video is about, this information is over their heads for understanding. One must have an analytical mind or interest and an understand of what and how to understand such a simple video. Great video! thank you for such a simple explaination.
Excellent explanation
Excellent explanations here, thanks!
Your videos are entertaining and educational. The graphics really help. Thanks for taking the time to explain the differences.
Hey Alex I like watching your videos. They are very informative to me I just wanted to say thank you.
Excellent video. I know how much time it takes to put something like that together, and I applaud you for doing it.
So informative, Subscribed!
excellent enjoyed the lecture!
Wow , first video I watched and I have already subscribed. I gained much knowledge yet in a simple and quick video that makes learning an easier and more favorable experience . I appreciate it very much and this content is very helpful. Keep up the great work.
very well explained ser thanx😊
great video!!!!
Alex I luv u for all the nice videos you make :)
Really nice video friend. Good Job.
Thanks for the excellent explanation!
nice explanation 👍👍
Excelent video...
great video
THank you that was awesome Alex! I finally understand!Great explanatory video animation. I loved my 5 cyl Audi 90 and Turbo Volvo 850R. Now I know why.
i also hope that i will be able to maintain my S60 T5 5 banger as long as possible =D
this taught me so much
Great work sir. Keep it up. Lots of love from India
This is much better than the old whiteboard videos (especially the gearbox one).
Thank U for this video
Very glad you highlighted the efficient scavenging on 3 cylinder engines. Excellent primer video.
I'm glad he touched on the 2-cyl enginee (NSU Prinz, anyone?) and explained why twin-scroll turbos exist.
ok ,,, the real order of explosion for a 4 cilinder engine is 1 - 3 - 4 - 2 ..
for 5 or 6 and so on is more complicated, good video
i thought the same thing when he showed them firing in a line, but im sure he's well aware of that. Conceptually, it's still correct, the cylinders still fire in an order, just not in a straight line.
This is a quality,non preachy explanation
Great video. Really good. Rotary engines and why they never caught on. And how they can be fixed.
The biggest problem a rotary engine has is its not as fuel efficient as modern piston engines.
I liked the part about exhaust flow of the in turbo applications, I had no idea.
this makes me think there should be more i6 twin scroll or twin turbo engines :)
Check out the UA-cam video of the fellow balancing a nickel on edge on a running Packard straight eight. He then shuts the engine down and restarts it without the coin falling over. The pinnacle of engine smoothness, and the low-end torque is incredible!
Try out a first-generation Buick 225 V6 sometime. The angles between power strokes alternated between 90 and 150 degrees, resulting in an engine that felt and sounded like aV8 missing on two cylinders.
Well done Mr. Alex, Great Infos ,Man you just nailed it,also Vast Improvement over the White board!!!!,One more thing To be one of your Kind is Just add some colors to the Drawings then you'll go Pro.
Love my Volvo T5!
I think your overlap graphics lack the last cylinder overlapping with the first one concerning the number of degrees given on the x-axis.
Bigalinjapan This was intended as a very simplistic overview
Good explanation, thank you.... btw a turban is a different thing from a turbine (tuurbyne) ;-)
it was posted 8 yrs ago. Today, a lot of 3-cylinder turbocharge engines emerges in our market. Including high-performance cars like the Gr yaris and corolla.
And we now know well that there is no problem with turbo and gas pulse otherwise anything above 3 cylinders wouldn’t be made. Benefits of a 4th cylinder outweigh this very little to no cons. They sound better, have less vibration due to perfect first order balance.
you should be a teacher that was very clear and simple to understand.
in wikipedia it says 3 cylinder engines have crank angle of 120 degree what does it mean?
Is it theoretically possible to get over 100 mpg if a diesel engine were a 3 cylinder bi-turbo with very narrow but long stroke pistons? about as circumference width as a half-dollar rather than a tennis ball..idk how large pistons bores are but I learned in an article it may be more efficient to get more torque by shortening the circumference and getting a longer stroke than normal.
Alex, what is your background? too smart
beat, he has a BA in Engineering.
#awesomesauce
what about noise ?
i noticed that 3cyl. in BMW 1-Series is loud at `2000 RPM
Adrian Fidi the noise occurs because at low rpm in a 3 cylinder engine. That '60 degree of no power stroke gap' is longer in time . For eg. at 2000 rpm it takes 2 seconds for the engine to rotate 60 degrees when compared to 1 second at 4000 rpm therefore meaning it runs rougher and louder.
Erm... 2000 rpm is 33.33... rev/sec, so each revolution takes 0.03 of a second. 60 degrees is 0.005 of a second!
My understanding of the video is that the 3 cylinders will more noisy, due to the part that it's a three-cylinder, for there not enough smoothness to cause the engine to be smooth. For the three cylinders don't have space in-between the cylinders for the pistons to cause the explosion to cause the engine to be smooth.
A turbo charger will work just fine on a 2 cylinder engine. Despite delays between the exhaust events, There is still pressure in the exhaust system and the turbine is still receiving energy. It won't slow down between pulses as you suggest.
If this were true, you could put a pressure gauge on the exhaust collector and watch the needle pulse. If the engine ran at like 50 rpm than maybe, so your'e right, it's a bad idea to turbo charge your 1886 20,000 cubic inch 2-cylinder pump motor with an 800lb flywheel.
Now I know how engines work. Thanks when im older im gonna make a baddass sleep car
The turbine in a turbocharger is connected to a compressor, not another turbine. Turbines are driven by gasses, compressors compress gasses.
Yes the turbine on the back of the turbo which is spun by the exhaust gases is connected to the turbine on the front of the turbo which compresses the air. The front turbine is the compressor.
Tristan Rios Again: Turbines are driven by gasses, compressors compress gasses.
The compressor is a turbine.
Tristan Rios Negative. Look up the definition of turbine.
"A turbine is a turbomachine with at least one moving part called a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached"
That's exactly what is inside the compressor side of the turbo.
1:50 but why are no or close to no sequential 4 cylinder engines on the road? wouldn´t that make the engine run smoother, having one powerstroke in each stroke-chain?
6:51 the only factory turbo 2 i can think of is the Polaris RZR turbo and the Maverick Turbo.
i wonder how they got past this problem
i think that fiat punto has a 2cyl. Turbo aswell
rudkacka pretty sure it's a 3 cyl
boboprime2000 i am not going to argue, i maybe misunderstood something
So are there 3-cylinder engines that complete the 3 power strokes within the 360-degree region? Or is that fundamentally impossible to achieve due the time it takes for 4 strokes?
So does having a 4 cylinder benefit you in gas saving regardless of it gives you less power or speed
The link to the 2015 Fiesta review doesn't work! I can't find it on your channel!
You caught me! That video isn't live yet. I am still editing it and *hopefully* it should be up around Wednesday.
Haha alright! Its just that I am in the market for that exact car, and was interested to see what you had to say! Thank you!
Wouldn't shorter stroke and wider bore allow more flowing cylinder head, that would give more power and rpm, that would give better turbo efficiency and again more power for same friction losses?
Very nice, can you accommodate Motorcycle cylinders in your next video, which doesn't have turbo charged (from manufacturer) yet.
Question: around 2:38, when explaining about 4 cyl, you mentioned 4-cyl are not well-balanced, can you please elaborate that point.
Hope to see another video with V- and L- shaped desmo engines for motorcycles without turbo.
Thanks in advance.
This description from BOSCH is probably the best " Rotational vibration on the X axis, which is often felt during idling, tend to be large because, in addition to the non-overlapping power stroke inherent in engines with 4 or fewer cylinders, the height imbalance from connecting rods centre of gravity swinging left and right[note 2] is amplified due to two connecting rods moving together."
This video is good 👌 but the only problem is that your always talking about three cylinders.
Fiat 500S has a 900cc 2-cylinder turbocharged engine.
It's an oddity, yeah. But it sounds great!
But in an i4 with cylinders in this order:
[1][2][3][4] the firing order is 1342 not 1234.
how would a crossplane / big bang firing order on such a 720° scale look like??
Wouldn't it be 0°-180° first explosion, 180°-270° pause, 270°-450° second explosion, 450°-630° third explosion, 540°-630° overlap (third and fourth), 540°-720° fourth explosion??? is that right??
Nice video, but you could consider talking about firing order, as this video could make some people think that the firing order is simply: 1-2-3-4-and so on…
Gets me wondering why they gotta make 3 cylinder engines so small i.e. 1,0 1,2 and 1,4 cm3
Wouldn't it be more efficient but incredibly strong to make one at the larger 2,0 cm3? I only see 4-cyl 2,0 liters
Most manufacturers agree that .5 litres per cylinder is the most efficient displacement
A 3.0 inline three? I'd like to see that. There's a 4.0 inline four been made as a racing engine and given the fitting name of Thor.
Boris, that would not be possible as it takes 720 degrees to complete one power stroke.
What a great video, thanks Alex. To your point above - I wonder if there have been any 4-stroke engine designs that haven't obeyed the 720 degrees of rotation. I guess they'd have a rotating "Spirograph" if the cycle wasn't a factor of 2*pi, so perhaps not feasible w/ fixed injectors, etc.
David Cuccia
Not that I am aware of, I assume with some sort of eccentric cam and a secondary link it might be possible, but I can't imagine it would be more efficient.
Skoda130 This was not meant to represent true firing order but be simplified so it was easier to understand.
Alex on Autos atkinson and 2 stroke complete a power stroke every 360 degrees of the crank shaft, many other engines do too. Wankel does more than 1 power stroke per 360 degree rotation.
Otto/Diesel cylinder works with 4 stages (Intake/compression/power/exhaust) and each stage needs half turn (180 degrees) to complete.
If this "law" is why it is a 4 stroke engine.
Other engines like Rotary (Wankel) can do these 4 strokes three times with 180 degrees.
IT IS NOT POSSIBLE in this type o engine.
Talk about B38 and B37 BMW engines!
Alex, guys, got a question:
Is an inline 2 stroke 3 banger just as well balanced as a 4 stroke straight 6? I just wonder if the 3 cylinder needs balancing shafts..
Ronald van Kemenade Yes it would still need balancing shafts to smooth out the vibration.
Alex on Autos
Thanks Alex, you're the best.
Ronald van Kemenade a balance shaft is not for balancing the combustion events, it's for balancing the inertia of the pistons moving. any 3 cylinder will bounce or rock depending on crank shaft geometry. The only configuration that I'm aware of that won't vibrate without a balance shaft is a radial design with offset crank pins for each cylinder. It would have to be a very strong crank to eat that much inertia.
A balance shaft is not a necessity depending on the expectations for the engine. You could allow it to vibrate and isolate the vibration from other components like a Harley.
Why didn't you mention the Mitsubishi Mirage? It's a 3-cylinder as well...
I skipped over the Mirage and the Smart largely because they are not turbocharged engines.
Hi Alex, I’m considering to purchase 2015 Honda Accord V6, 2015 Toyota Camry XSE V6, or 2015 Subaru Legacy 3.6R. I would like my next car to have very quiet interior at speeds and to have a sporty and confident driving dynamics for the winding roads on the weekend. Do you have plans to do the review the cars I mentioned above? And any thoughts?
I have a review of the Accord without the V6 and should have a 2015 Camry review by the end of December. Your best bet among these would be the Accord, it is the quieter and more confidant option as long as you don't need AWD.
Alex on Autos Thank you for replying to my question, Alex! I test drove both Camry V6 and Legacy V6 (will test drive Accord later), and I liked the legacy in terms of driving dynamics more than the Camry because of AWD. Also, I live in Vancouver where I find AWD is welcoming option. I want to hear your opinion on the Legacy through your thorough review! Can you please do the review on 2015 Subaru Legacy?
Ted K.
I'll see what I can do :-)
damn, Alex should be a professor
👌
Where the hell is the V12??? :)
hum, good question, but I believe the video was only regarding 3 - 8 cylinders
I still prefer a 3 cylinder natural aspirated engine. Less power without the turbo (yes!) but will be more reliable in the long run.
*"I still prefer a 3 cylinder natural aspirated engine. "*
Are 3-cyls good for ANYTHING? Goofy, unbalanced, odd-count cylinders. Odd numbered engines have no place in any configuration other than radial.
@bcubed72: Ever heard of motorcycles? Maybe you should teach some mecanichs to Yamaha's, Triumph's and MV Agusta's engineers...
So a pair of turbocharged three cylinder engines joined at the hip would be perfect, right?
It would be efficient for a 6-cylinder engine, which is why Volvo and BMW do this for their 6-cylinder engines.
***** You mean twin turbo V6s? I think this video inadvertently answered why twin turbo V6s are becoming more popular. Like that Cadillac V sport with the 420hp turbo V6.
Ali Ahadi While what I described would technically be a twin turbo V6, I meant a pair of turbo charged three cylinder engines working together: since they were engineered for a certain level of performance individually, their pairing would be substantially different than a typical twin turbo V6 (and it would be able to fit in smaller cars).
Don't forget Audi 5 cyl in the 1970's and 80's. Were Pike's Peak winners in '86 and'87
my accord is a three cylinder.. and a 6 cylinder when i need it to be.
Intersting... but starts badly since most 4 cylinders have 2&3 rising together to avoid longitual rocking, firing 1342 not 1234
the video is meant to help explain to us ignorant people, who need to be taught in how the cylinders were being used while the pistons slam down to cause the explosion to keep the engine moving.
@Barbara Swanson the video is talking about power stroke overlap & going into enough detail to warrant getting the firing order right IMO
The number of power pulses per revolution does contribute to
the feel of the power delivery. But is a really really small part of the smoothness.
Vibration caused by the reciprocating mass of the engine causes almost all the
felt vibration or "smoothness". A 5 cylinder engine is inherently unbalanced.
They are vibration monsters without big counter balancers. A flat 4 engine is
one of the smoothest running engines there are because they are inherently balanced.
This is why Volvos eat motor mounts. Think of it this way you have a 3
cylinders going up and 2 coming down at the same time the 3 cylinders going up
have more mass so they what to push the engine in the opposite direction. With
a 4 you have 2 up and 2 down so the net force is zero. Now let’s say you grind
the crankshaft to time the motor so that all the pistons are equally spaced. Let’s
take the center for mass for the engine at its center and balances each side
out. Well now we have a problem you can’t split the center cylinder down its
center so now you have one cylinder that will always be unbalanced causing
vibration. Because there will always balance issues because the center or mass
of the engine and the reciprocation parts are not equal. You can’t divide 5 by
2 and get an equal number.
So in short you kind of have an idea of what is going on but
are missing the biggest part of the equation.
RIP Volvo D5 /:
Yes, now the communists are pulling the strings thinking outside the box died
I dont really get how the number of exhaust-gas-pulses depends on the number of cylinders - why does 2 cylinder engine have 3 pulses shown? And 4 cylinder 5 pulses? I thought there should be as many pulses as there are cylinders...
the graph shows 3 pulses so you can see the gap twice and get the idea
I didn't know turbos had turbans
According to Dictionary.com, turbin is the preferred pronunciation, with turbyn is the second one. Which I never knew! I never heard it until those GE ads with the big turnbine plant.
4cyl - "must" have twinscroll turbo.
lets talk about an older jeep. 1,3,2,4.
“4-cylinder engine with no gaps between power strokes” ? Seriously!?
Have you heard between what angles of power stroke gasoline and diesel engines are efficient?
Emitted power while one power stroke looks similar to sinusoide (0° - 180°).
So, the power of 4-cylinder engine is more like jigsaw with rounded pikes P= |sin(t)|
LOL, "turban" = headcloth for Middle-easterners.
*"TurbINE"* ("tur *BIN*" -- *long-i* sound, as in the i-sound from "brine" or "buy") = set of spinning blades driven by a fluid, as in a turbo.
2nd set of spinning blades is not a turbine, but an *impeller* or *pump* or *fan*.
Thanks for the video, though. Wrong pronunciation aside, it does explain well.
+Maxx Fordham!
Is "pronounciation Nazi" a subset of the "grammar Nazi" movement, or do you count as your own group?
Neither one, idiot bcubed72, because I'm not a member of either group, stupid.
If it were up to me, everything would have 8 cylinders, even lawnmowers, ha-ha, I have been into engines since I was a kid, built many, there is just something about v8, 90° v8 at that, the kind made by Chevrolet, it just seems the most efficient design,
Why do 56 cylinder radial engine exist and how did he worck ?
I don't see how 2cylinders are firing in a v8, maybe with a flat plane crank, you kinda got me lost on that one, I know 2cylindes are not firing at once, something isn't right!
I think 4-cylinder engines fire 3-4-2-1 not 1-2-3-4!
6:06 Claims a turbo engine is more efficient than a comparable NA engine...yet FI engines generally have WORSE BSFC maps than NA!
I'd say a turbo engine is only "more efficient" than a NA engine if you spend most of your duty cycle OUT of boost. If you're going "flat out" (underpowered engine and/or towing), the NA should beat the FI.
it's turbine isn't it
turban is a headwear in india and neaby countries.
your explain of the reason why 3 cylinder is efficient is misleading.
How so? Are you saying that you don't understand his explanation, or that it's wrong? He does say that his explanation is a simplified one and that the situation is more complex. I'm not an engine designer, but it makes sense to me that the primary efficiency gain is from reduced friction losses.
I think his explanation gives an excellent overview. BTW, I've owned a three-cylinder SAAB, but that was a two-stroke, so the power stroke overlap was similar to a six-cylinder four-stroke. I've also owned a five-cylinder Audi.
I'm anxiously awaiting the Fiesta three-cylinder review. I'm actually seriously considering a three-cylinder Focus when they become available.
so according to his explanation, single cylinder is most efficient?
That is actually correct from a friction and thermodynamic perspective it would be. However, drivability and smoothness are at issue below 3 cylinders.
Jay Kim Single-cylinder engine works quite well on my riding mower, rototiller, chain saw, etc. The Citroen 2CV had two cylinders.
+Alex on Autos 3 cylinders are good when we multiply them by 2 ;) V6 biturbo is great. Great explanation of smoothness in engine work though ;)
Turban 😂