Odd number of cylinders?
- Dan_Ellsworth
- dancooper
- Dan_Ellsworth
- dancooper
- Dan_Ellsworth
This archived discussion is "read only".
» Dan_Ellsworth - Why (almost) never?
Maybe only once in my life (details forgotten) did I even hear of an odd number of cylinders in an internal-combustion engine, other than one cylinder. I think maybe somebody made a five.Is there any technical reason for this, or is it a case of "Because We've ALways Done It This Way"?
I'm not talking about V-engines; I think a right-left balance is entirely in order. I'm talking about straight engines, or more oddly, rotary.
Comment on this situation: That's ODD -- or is it?
-- posted by Dan_Ellsworth
» dancooper - Re: Why (almost) never?
In response to Why (almost) never? posted by Dan_Ellsworth:Hi Dan,
Thanks, this is a pretty good idea for a short article. I started to look into it this past week, but a quick power blip seems to have cost me what little I found. I can retrace all that without much effort, but I do remember a couple of points I discovered.
It seems there have been a lot of odd-numbered cylinder arrangements, especially (as you mentioned) the one-cylinder cars that started it all. But there have been a lot of five-cylinder engines, as well. And some recent additions to that list include what may be a trend toward that kind of thing. Chevy even had a truck engine that was a five-banger. Volvo may still have one, and Mercedes and Audi had one each, in the 1990’s. I’ll continue to research this in the hope that there is an article in it for me. Thanks for the idea!
Dan
-- posted by dancooper
» Dan_Ellsworth - Re: Re: Why (almost) never?
In response to Re: Why (almost) never? posted by dancooper:Thanks for considering the topic -- and making a first pass at it. I have a hazy, hazy memory of one, maybe Mazda, years ago. I also have a hazy memory of some "explanation" for even cylinders having to do with balance. I would be interested in 5 cylinders, and more by three.
Within even numbers, I drove several John Deere two-bangers, enjoyably and to good effect, on the farm in my teens.
-- posted by Dan_Ellsworth
» dancooper - Re: Re: Re: Why (almost) never?
In response to Re: Re: Why (almost) never? posted by Dan_Ellsworth:As I indicated at the conclusion of my article, I owe the idea for this one entirely to you. Thanks again!
See Dan Ellsworth’s Randoms by Greybeard.
Dan Cooper
Guest author, Fake News
-- posted by dancooper
» Dan_Ellsworth - Re4: Why (almost) never?
In response to Re: Re: Re: Why (almost) never? posted by dancooper:You're welcome. Your handling of the idea was a triumph. Was there a car of that name? And did it have ... oh, never mind. Anyway, I hope I can furnish you another comparable idea, because I enjoy your work.
-- posted by Dan_Ellsworth
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