Last time on our blog, we started off a short series that looked at different types of engines in some depth, and which weighed up some of the pros and cons that can be attached to each individual configuration. As we hinted last time, today we’re going to take a look at a couple of more ‘highly strung’ engines, such as those that you might find in a racing car. We may not all be in possession of a vehicle with such an engine, but we probably all wish that we were…
If you read our previous blog, you’ll remember that we talked a little about the straight six engine type. Well, if you slice that popular engine in two and do a little tinkering with the positions of the cylinder banks and the crank, you end up with an engine that is perfectly at home in a Formula 1 car; namely, the V6. Hugely powerful, rigid and surprisingly compact, the V6 – as you might expect – packs an awful lot of punch.
Obviously, the V6 is an engine for performance vehicles, and as a result of that it’s not necessarily too optimised for ‘everyday’ use. For one thing, it’s very heavy, and all of that power needs a complex and very costly set of mechanisms. The centre of gravity is high too, but at the end of the day, these things are F1 engines for a reason. That reason is power, and they do that very well.
If you’re a fan of Top Gear, you’ll doubtless have heard plenty of purring over the glories of a V8 engine, and this is definitely a configuration for the real ‘supercars’ out there. When you break things down, it’s pretty much just a V6 with additional cylinders on each bank, but this results in peerless power, balance, rigidity and displacement within a surprisingly trim form.
As an adaptation of the V6, the V8 has similar drawbacks when you start to look at the whole picture. It’s heavy, pricy, has a high centre of gravity and is complicated, and the preponderance of moving parts means that there is technically a lot to go wrong. When you consider the sort of cars that the V8 tends to power though, and take into account its iconic status, you have to ask yourself; do I care? If you can afford one, we’re guessing not!
Of course, your engine is just one part of your car that needs to be kept running smoothly, and when it comes to things like propshaft repairs, the team at DriveLine is always on hand to help. To find out more, feel free to contact us today by calling 01524 382262 or email info@propshaftrepairs.com.
