Total cross section area of four cylinder engine = Total cross section area of three cylinder engine 4 x pi x r x r = 3 x pi x r x r 12.56 = 3 x pi x r x r r = pi(12.56/ 3 x 3.14) = 1.154 unit Thus the radius of each piston should be 1.154 unit. Engines with 6, 8, 10, or more cylinders are similarly staggered. The Volkswagen Polo petrol is generally considered a high quality car. Then there is also the important question of mileage. Plenty of pep, and excellent fuel mileage. The 2.0L 4-cylinder gets 20 city/29 highway/24 combined, while the 3.5L V6 gets 17 city/26 highway/20 combined. Four-cylinder engines commonly come in "straight" or "inline" configurations while 6-cylinder engines are usually configured in the more compact "V" shape, and thus are referred to as V6 engines. V6 engines were the engine of choice for American automakers because they're powerful and quiet, but turbocharging technologies have made four-cylinder engines more powerful and attractive to buyers. From the manufacturer point of view - he can even price the car in much better range, (due to savings left in building a 3 cylinder engine as against 4 cylinder engine). But this is not always an accurate statement. In 4 Cylinder Engine > You can expect more smoothness with lesser NVH (Noise & Vibration levels) > Confidence of driving well on high speeds with better Engine response. The base Cooper with the turbo 3 cyl is a great engine. Total circumference of all three pistons = 3 x 2 x pi x r = 3 x 2 x 3.14 x 1.154 = 21.74units
In the US, almost any 3-cylinder is shoved into these categories. The 3-cylinder K series engine of the Maruti A-Star is also supposed to be quite smooth. the 4 cyl S models tend to have a few more issues it seems than the base Coopers. Take four cylinder engines, for example: you can see in this animation how there is always one cylinder during combustion stroke at any given time, so there's never a lax in power. So my question is how they achieve similar balancing with a 3 cylinder engine. In comparison to a four-cylinder engine which fires every 180 degrees, ... With the respective firing interval, this makes for a firing order of 1-2-4-5-3 in most five-cylinder engines. The common belief is that a 4-cylinder car is smoother than a 3-cylinder car.
That's a pretty big difference in fuel economy. This will generally translate into a faster hole shot. Re: 2 cylinder vs. 3 cylinder outboard of the same horse power. which is "better" ? A three cylinder engine of the same displacement will generally develop more torque at partial throttle and/or lower RPM. I spent 3 years with one and it was the best part of the car. As a small, weird guy, I've always had a special affinity for small and weird engines.