FUTURE OF V ENGINES

Northern Advocate, 5 February 1936, Page 3

FUTURE OF V ENGINES

It is predicted in some quarters that a few years many producers will adopt eight and 12-cylinder engines of “V” pattern. The principal grounds for that statement are that an increase of wheel-base is undesirable, that modern cars are already extremely fast and that competition will centre in efforts to attain the ultimate of good balance and smooth power from compact engines, which will enable still more space to be devoted to the accommodation of passengers. The “V” engine, it is claimed, provides a ready solution of the problem of procuring the silky, even operation of an “eight” or a “twelve” without encroaching on the passenger space. It is not suggested that the *V” design is necessarily superior to “eight in line” engines, but it is thought that on the score of compactness and rigidity of build the “V” engine is destined to find still more supporters. It is said that for a given capacity it has smaller reciprocating parts and that “the number of impulses per revolution of the crankshaft are increased, so that a ‘peak’ turning effort is provided more rapidly, giving correspondingly improved getaway.” Vibration, owing to lack of balance of moving parts, can be eliminated by accurate machining and counter-bal-ancing, but vibration can also arise from the natural flexing or distortion of the whole unit, and the possibility Of that fault presents some complications in the design of large “in line” engines. It is not always easy to make the adjustable parts of the “V” engine accessible, but there is evidence that ■‘VB” and “Vl2” units, which are used today in some of the most renowned models, are likely to excite greater interest during the next few years. i