Originally posted by pmkls1
I've never took interest into the Russian bug to know anything about it so I can't comment. The Corvair, however, used a horizontally opposed 6 cylinder engine. The horizontally opposed, aka-boxer, aka-pancake cylinder layout has proven to be quite a successful engine configuration. Volkswagen, Porsche, Chevy Corvair, Subaru, and almost all modern piston-powered aircraft engines utilize the design to great success. The story of the Corvair is riddled with controversy thanks to the fame-whore Ralph Nader, but they weren't all that bad of a car honestly. The power output wasn't bad for the time and is characteristic of most air-cooled engines. The "flaws" that Ralph Nader condemned the Corvair for are characteristic of all rear engine rear drive layouts, and were no more pronounced. Don Yenko made his name in the early-to-mid '60's both racing and selling tuned Corvairs. His success with the Corvair is where he earned his reputation and wealth that enabled him to build the iconic machines that he is known for today.
I meant Ford Corsair V4

lil air cooled cute engine.
The Russian V4 is the Russian version of a bug, cheap car for the people. its quite similar, rear mounted air cooled, but they went with a V4 design over the boxer 4 so it would be easier to work on as more things can be done without dropping the engine like bugs. Nothing special its got funny ears for engine air vents lol
Originally posted by pmkls1
Cylinder layout isn't necessarily always directly relative to power output and is mainly a product of packaging requirements. A good example of which is the cylinder bank angle in engines with a V configuration. Most typical V8 engines all have a 90 degree bank angle and other variations are relatively rare often being utilized for a specific purpose. However, when it comes to V6 engines, both 90 degree and 60 degree banks are utilized often. There are 2 reasons for utilizing different bank angles with V6 engines. First, many early V6 designs were based on existing V8 engines and two cylinders were just removed. Since these are all 4-stroke designs, the 90 degree V8 utilizing a common crank journal for opposing cylinders has an even spacing between each cylinder firing event. This leads to a smooth feel when the engine is running. When you maintain the same layout while removing 2 cylinders you wind up with odd spacing between cylinder pulses that leads to a feel of a rough running engine. The rough feel doesn't affect power output at all, but it is undesirable to consumers. Several methods have been used to mitigate this issue such as offsetting the rod journals on opposing cylinders (commonly called a split-pin crank), installing balance shafts, and even using softer motor mounts to dampen the vibrations. The other solution is to simply place the bank angles at 60 degrees. Not only does this help the engine feel smoother it also makes the engine more compact. For this reason, these two positive attributes have lead to most modern V6 designs utilizing a 60 degree bank angle. In terms of sheer power output capability, though, there is no clear advantage of one layout over the other. Engines that utilize the W cylinder configuration, which is just a variation on the V layout, are primarily a result of attempting to produce a more compact overall package. Although they are a bit wider than a traditional V layout they are shorter in overall length. Again, there isn't any advantage in terms of potential power output. There is actually an inherent drawback in the W design in that the cylinder heads are large and heavy as well as the valvetrain being much more complex. V-twin engines come in a variety of varying bank angles and the main reason is again smoothness. The best example of this is a Harley engine which is famous for it's distinctive exhaust sound and the way they shake at idle. Both of which are a product of the specific bank angle and the use of a shared journal for the connecting rods. The combination of varying bank angles and/or rod journal configuration affects them in the same way that it does in a V6.
There are a few successful 4-stroke V4 motorcycle engines and they do produce good power, but an inline-4 is actually more simple and cheaper to produce. With an inline-4 you only need one timing chain, one cylinder head, one cylinder block, and 2 cams. When you go to a V4 you need twice as many of those parts and the cost for casting and machining them rises significantly. The V4 design works well and offers an excellent compromise between space requirements and power output, but the simplicity and cost-effectiveness are what make the inline-4 more popular. As far as power goes, there are just too few V4 designs out there to really make a comparison. But, the success of the existing V4 designs suggests that they are equally capable.
I see it capable next to another 4 banger, but thats just not enough to cut it up against the likes of a TT V6 already making 600ps. I see it as too much for no reason, a VGT is not bound by any packaging issues its not a VGT Motorcycle, a TT V4 VGT Bike Im all for

that actually gets me excited.
VGT Sport Bike with a TT V4 (4 stroke) and ERS that gets the blood flowing. I like it a lot.
Originally posted by pmkls1
I have yet to see an example of a forced induction 2-stroke gasoline engine. There are centrifugal superchargers available for nitro-powered RC engines, but they are really more like a diesel than a gas engine. The 2-stroke diesel has been around since the early 20th century although it is only commonly seen in heavy equipment. When it comes to the 2-stroke diesel many actually cannot aspirate naturally and require forced induction. This is how the roots-style blower originally found itself on an engine to begin with. The roots-style blower actually dates back to the 1800's with it's origins as a literal blower used in factories. The roots-style blower is perfect for a 2-stroke diesel because it has a positive displacement so it can force air into the engine during cranking and idling. A turbocharger or a centrifugal supercharger are not capable of doing this so they cannot be used as the sole form of aspiration. Early 2-stroke diesels of this design only had the supercharger and it was solely used for aspiration and thus wasn't actually a power-adder. Some later models added a turbocharger turning them into a dual-boost setup and added a significant increase in power. The manner in which these engines operated didn't really create any issues of forcing intake gasses out of the exhaust. Of course, since the fuel is only injected just prior to TDC, if any intake gasses were forced out of the exhaust it wouldn't be of any significance. Oddly enough, I just recently read a news article stating that Renault was working on a new 2-stroke diesel for use in automobiles that they feel is promising for future applications. Now, since the 2-stroke diesels that I am familiar with and speaking of differ mechanically from 2-stroke gas engines, the effect that forced induction would have on them would also differ.
That why the concept should be ditched for a 4 stroke if they plan on using boost. Ive never seen a boosted 2 stroke with a piston port making power off boost. The intake and exhaust scavenging is happening at the same time. Theoretically you can pressurize the crank case but that wont pressurize the cylinder. Talking it doesn't work even in theory to provide boost, not aspiration.
Maybe you missed I was poking fun at the idea of boosting a 2 stroke piston port
Originally posted by pmkls1
Regarding your suggestion for a concept, I'll give you something to consider. Sometimes simpler is actually better. Consider the Gen III and Gen IV Chevy V8 for example. If you compare power figures as well as fuel economy figures with comparable vehicles on the market they are quite impressive. When comparing a late model Mustang and Camaro you have relatively comparable horsepower and fuel economy numbers despite the fact that the engine in the Camaro is a whopping 1.2 liters larger in displacement. Obviously that means that the hp per liter ratio is higher for the Ford, but there aren't any advantages in fuel economy, weight, or external dimensions. In that respect, the far simpler Chevy begins to have many advantages. The cost to produce a complex DOHC 32-valve V8 will always be higher than a traditional pushrod V8 not to mention that there are far more moving parts that can fail. Mechanical repairs are also significantly easier with a pushrod V8. Now, I realize that for a concept-car that fuel economy and production costs aren't really a big concern, but my point is that you don't have to overcomplicate things to achieve stellar performance. The new Z06 is a perfect example of what I'm getting at. I've spent way too long on this post so I'm sorry but I've got to cut it short there. I'll share my idea for a future concept once I've got the kid put to bed.
I like W8's and feel it packages better than a W16 I also am very fond of VCR and feel the combination with the W16's quad turbo and continuously variable valve timing providing massive power from low rpms flat will pair up well for even more performance out of the same displacement. Add in quad MGU-H units to replace the waste gates and insta spool the turbos I see a whole lot of potential

the rest is just tu put it all down and get around a track. I also am going to steal the GTR split tranny with DCT but put it up front because my W8 VCR QT ERS is mid ship