What does the V in an engine specification stand for?

[rookie1010]

Hi,

I was wondering what the V in the engine specification

1.6 litre, 4 cylinder/16V stands for?

my knowledge of cars is minimum, my understanding is that 4 cylinders is equal to 4 pistons. which means 4 times the amount of power in one cylinder (provided the piston displacement is the same)

 

[PottedMeat]

valves

how do you get fuel + air and exhaust in and out of the cylinders - valves

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: rookie1010
Hi,

I was wondering what the V in the engine specification

1.6 litre, 4 cylinder/16V stands for?

my knowledge of cars is minimum, my understanding is that 4 cylinders is equal to 4 pistons. which means 4 times the amount of power in one cylinder (provided the piston displacement is the same)

16V means it has 16 valves. 4 valves per cylinder on a 4 cylinder car, two intake and two exhaust. 4 valves will move fuel/air mixture into and out of the combustion chamber more efficiently than 2 valves will. This configuration is a little more complex but it will yield more power than a comparable 2 valve engine will.

If referring to a V8 engine though that means you have two banks of cylinders in a V shape (4 on each side above the crankshaft).

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Usually when people say something like "16v" or "24v" they're talking about valves to either differentiate it from a lesser configuration of a similar engine or to break out big numbers in some way or another. The Ford 4.6L V8 comes in 16v, 24v, and 32v configurations depending on the heads and cams that it has equipped. Don't confuse that for "V8" where the "V" is describing the fact that the banks of cylinders come together in a shape of a V.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
Usually when people say something like "16v" or "24v" they're talking about valves to either differentiate it from a lesser configuration of a similar engine or to break out big numbers in some way or another. The Ford 4.6L V8 comes in 16v, 24v, and 32v configurations depending on the heads and cams that it has equipped. Don't confuse that for "V8" where the "V" is describing the fact that the banks of cylinders come together in a shape of a V.

and jettas VR6 come in slight 15 degree angle, hence the vR in it

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
and jettas VR6 come in slight 15 degree angle, hence the vR in it

Yes, the VR6 is a kind of hybrid V6 and I6. There is a single head like the I6 with all the intake and exhaust ports on the same sides. But they're at an angle like a V6 and staggered in a way that's not quite like many other engines. Kind of a neat idea really.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
and jettas VR6 come in slight 15 degree angle, hence the vR in it

Yes, the VR6 is a kind of hybrid V6 and I6. There is a single head like the I6 with all the intake and exhaust ports on the same sides. But they're at an angle like a V6 and staggered in a way that's not quite like many other engines. Kind of a neat idea really.

That's interesting. I'd been curious, but not curious enough to look it up. I thought maybe it was just a high output V6 or something.

 

[spidey07]

And just to point out, more valves does not automatically mean better. Normally, yes, not always. But if you want to learn more about valves (air/fuel in, exhaust out) think about surface area.

 

[imported_Truenofan]

you can always get an engine that doesnt have valves, and a valve train and thus less weight. but how demon put it is correct.
\/ sig (no pistons, no crank shaft, no valves, no cylinders)

 

[Wolfie]

Originally posted by: Truenofan

\/ sig (no pistons, no crank shaft, no valves, no cylinders)

You have a crank shaft. It's just called a eccentric shaft. And it spins under a different process. Wankel Wankel... I like the way that sounds.

 

[imported_Truenofan]

rofl, funny wolfie. but its not a crank shaft like a piston engine is what I'm saying, its similar to a crank, but it isn't a crank. it has two lobes, but no counterweight nor places where the rotors connect to the shaft itself like a crank. rookie, go to howstuffworks.com and look up rotary engine, you'll know.(I'm not getting all serious bout this, its funny....Wankel Wankel lol.)

 

[rookie1010]

thanks for the replies,

got some more basic questions

how do i know if it is referring to a V8 engine?

i guess if it is a V8 engine, since there are 8 cylinders, that would mean 2 valves per cylinder?

i guess the norm is 2 valves per cylinder, correct?

 

[imported_Truenofan]

for larger engines yes usually. some v6's have 4 valves. usually 8's only have 2 valves.

ie: the corvette's engine is a very large v8, only has 2 valves per cylinder.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: rookie1010
thanks for the replies,

got some more basic questions

how do i know if it is referring to a V8 engine?

i guess if it is a V8 engine, since there are 8 cylinders, that would mean 2 valves per cylinder?

i guess the norm is 2 valves per cylinder, correct?

If the "V" is preceding the number, it's a configuration...V6, V8, V12.

If the "V" is following, it's the number of valves...8V, 16V, 20V, 24V, 32V.

With modern engines I'd say the "norm" has crept up slightly...you'll find a LOT of 4-valve-per-cylinder engines now. I don't know the percentages, though. Pretty much any modern 4-cylinder is 16 valves, a number of v6s, and a few larger engines. Exotics are more likely to have more valves. The Northstar V8 engine has 4 valves per cylinder.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Originally posted by: rookie1010
thanks for the replies,

got some more basic questions

how do i know if it is referring to a V8 engine?

i guess if it is a V8 engine, since there are 8 cylinders, that would mean 2 valves per cylinder?

i guess the norm is 2 valves per cylinder, correct?

Many V8s have 32, and even 40 valves.

 

[cardiac]

Originally posted by: Truenofan
for larger engines yes usually. some v6's have 4 valves. usually 8's only have 2 valves.

ie: the corvette's engine is a very large v8, only has 2 valves per cylinder.

An oddball is the Ford 6.8 liter V-10 found in the F-250/F-350 truck line. It has 3 valves per cylinder....

And as Spidey07 said, surface area is king. The big-block Chevys from the late 60's/early 70's have a 2.19" intake valve and 1.60" exhaust valve. They are huge......

Bob

 

[imported_Truenofan]

yeah and there also v6/v8's(Ferrari, lambo's) that have 5 valves.

 

[fstime]

Audi S4's and I assume the rest of the S line but i'm not sure have 5 valves per cylinder.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Truenofan
yeah and there also v6/v8's(Ferrari, lambo's) that have 5 valves.

I thought volvo was big on 5 valves per cylinder?

Or maybe they use a lot of 5 cylinder engines. Can't recall.

My engine has 3 valves per cylinder with variable valve timing. This allows a strong/flat torque curve, with just a small HP increase once the vtec kicks in yo.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

3 valves is a compromise between complexity and cost. Since it's easier to get air out than in.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
3 valves is a compromise between complexity and cost. Since it's easier to get air out than in.

Dammit!

Let me believe what I want to believe!

 

[imported_Truenofan]

spidey, volvo's have 5 cylinders, its really weird, and they dont seem to be an inline or a v. im not sure on it though.

 

[natto fire]

Originally posted by: Truenofan
spidey, volvo's have 5 cylinders, its really weird, and they dont seem to be an inline or a v. im not sure on it though.

Umm, they are all inline, and Volvo is not the only one to do it. GM, Audi, Acura, and M-B all have 5 cylinder engines.

To answer the OP's question, yeah in the context you are using it, it refers to the number of valves. It used to be emblazoned on cars when a 4-valve per cylinder car was considered exotic. Now it is really no big deal, as mentioned above, you can still make a badass motor without having 4 valves per cylinder. (LS7, anyone?)

 

[imported_Truenofan]

ah, i just remember volvo making them for awhile.(02ish mabye?)

 

[natto fire]

No problem, I was just trying to correct some info. Volvo developed their I-5 engine back in '91 with the help of Porsche. In '98 it was amongst their first designs of modular engines.

It is by no means an archaic engine design with GM showing recent support of it. A trade off between the balance of an I-6 and the efficiency of an I-4, it is actually a great design if done properly.