Another advantage to the inline six is that there's practically no end to the scaling up or down in size, that's why most truck and bus engines are sixes up to the size of ship engines.
@GrandThriftAuto
Жыл бұрын
Very good point, thanks 👍 I discovered that there are even inline sevens in ships, which got me thinking - but I had to draw the line somewhere for this video.
@davesclassicgaragetours
Жыл бұрын
Like a British Jason Camissa. Clear and informative to the core.
@richardfletcher2971
Жыл бұрын
Really good explanation, I remember looking at the points you covered in an old AA hard back reference book of the engine as a boy in the 80s. Interestingly I have just bought a new LR Defender with a 3 litre petrol straight 6 cylinder, ( JLR a have moved back to straight 6s in petrol and diesel in all their larger cars) and wow, I'd forgotten just how silky they are. Best wishes Richard.
@garypoulton7311
Жыл бұрын
Thanks, really good, clear explanation. Never known why, but always liked a 6, from my CBX1000 40 years ago, to my Aston's, it's not just the smoothness, it's the noise, they just sound busy and purposeful, not a banger 4, and not a lazy V8 rumble.
@GrandThriftAuto
Жыл бұрын
Thanks! Ooh, a CBX1000 - what a glorious thing that must have been (likewise Astons as well of course). You're right about the noise, too. I need to work out how to rig microphones to record engine sounds properly...
@mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm420
Жыл бұрын
Excellent video. I've never taken the time in the past to research why straight sixes are smooth. Thanks for doing this for me.
@gavhunt5389
9 ай бұрын
Couldn’t agree more, have recently acquired a 2008 BMW 125i 3litre straight six, my first Beemer after 40 years of driving and only my second straight six since a Triumph Vitesse. It’s a beautifully smooth, despite monster mileage.
@simonhodgetts6530
Жыл бұрын
By golly Sir - the graphics are getting very slick! Excellent job!
@GrandThriftAuto
Жыл бұрын
Thanks 😊
@fhwolthuis
Жыл бұрын
Well done, Martin. I have entered this rabbit hole before, but I got lost pretty quick back then 😅
@GrandThriftAuto
Жыл бұрын
It's an easy rabbit hole to get lost in!
@recherth.robert
Ай бұрын
It did not die out. Bmw keeps the good stuff alive
@kiwidiesel
Жыл бұрын
The inline six is alive and well in the heavy truck industry and an absolute beast at up to 1000hp. Under full load and pulled down to 1000rpm an inline six will thump so hard you feel it through the floor.
@GrandThriftAuto
Жыл бұрын
Very true - you’d get laughed out of the yard with a four cylinder truck, right? 😊
@alastairwatson3201
Жыл бұрын
Thanks, Martin. I sort of just got this before your video but now, with the benefit of your animation and commentary, the gaps in my understanding are replete. A very, very well put together presentation.
@GrandThriftAuto
Жыл бұрын
Thanks! Glad it helped - I had similar gaps so working through it for the video helped me too.
@danielrussell446
Жыл бұрын
Well done Martin a brilliant video and very interesting and well explained it’s amazing how the industry have moved away from straight six to v6 I remember when I worked at Mercedes how fabulous the old sixes were so smooth and turbine like they also could cover some amazing mileages not what can be said for later engines
@savagesam205
Жыл бұрын
Luckily Mazda has started producing straight 6’s again in their large SUV’s. Now I don’t like SUV’s in particular, it’s grand to see a manufacturer going their own way. BMW’s from the ‘golden era’ like the E39 and E46 with the straight 6 engines are becoming quite sought after and are fantastic cars to own nowadays. A relief to see them between all those SUV’s. My girlfriend and I both have Mazdas now. I drive a blue 2 from 2015 and she has the latest 3 Sedan in bright red. For weekends & good weather I have an old Peugeot 205 Automatic which is a joy to drive.
@craigmclean8260
Жыл бұрын
Great explanation on this subject; the graphics were very clear/easy to understand! There have been a few cross-plane four-cylinders; notably, the Yamaha R1M motorcycle; it has an almost V-8 sound, being a four-stroke...the other examples are two-strokers, such as outboard motors and the Detroit Diesel 4-53 and 4-71 models. And, as you noted below, there are seven cylinder in-line ship engines; they are two-stroke, and turn at very low RPMs; the ultimate ship engine of this type is the Wartsila/Sulzer RTA-96C 14 cylinder in-line engine, which produces around 80MW at 102 RPM. This mfg. makes the RTA-96-series in six to 14 cylinder configurations, all in-line, tho I don't think there's a 13 cylinder anywhere, but I did read that there were four container ships built w/ in-line 11 cylinder engines...
@gt40mk1
Жыл бұрын
Another excellent video Martin. Brilliantly explained.
@GrandThriftAuto
Жыл бұрын
Thanks a lot Alastair!
@davidfowler729
Жыл бұрын
I've always loved a straight 6. And as you mention for biglyness under the bonnet... you'll need to get a look under the bonnet of my V70 with it's transverse 3.0 turbo 24valve VVT big six. You can't get a manual gearbox with that engine in a Volvo because they physically don't fit and it's even so tight with the short, 38cm long automatic that they even had to move the timing belt to the bell housing end of the engine. The alternator is also half way along the block driven by a jackshaft from the aux belt pulley... which is also on the bell housing end.
@GrandThriftAuto
Жыл бұрын
Wow! That sounds like a very tight squeeze and some serious head-scratching by the design team.
@JackSmith-x8s
3 ай бұрын
Inline sixes have a large bearing area and are very long lived and torquey engines, although getting them to pass newer emissions regulations has proven problematic for some manufacturers.
@agenturawubekistanie
Жыл бұрын
Wow, thats a great topic, thanks for an explanation :) And I am sure it will push up the channel stats :)
@GrandThriftAuto
Жыл бұрын
Thanks! It's probably a bit off-topic to help the channel stats but that's ok, I'm just glad you found it interesting like I did :)
@ajay-xjs
Жыл бұрын
One of the best explanations I've seen on KZitem. The only thing I love more than a straight six is my Jaguar V12 double six 😁
@GrandThriftAuto
Жыл бұрын
Oohh - as an XJ-S HE owner I agree entirely about the V12! At some point that’ll probably get its own graphic, when I’m feeling brave and patient 😊
@ajay-xjs
Жыл бұрын
@@GrandThriftAuto I'll look forward to that, mine is a white 1990 XJ-S HE coupe 👍🏻
@e28forever30
Жыл бұрын
There are only straight six engines on my driveway. A 1987 BMW E28 525i and a 2003 BMW E39 525i touring. Both are an absolute joy to drive. I wouldn’t say the straight six is becoming extinct . If anything, there is a revival for this glorious engine. BMW always stayed with the concept, Mercedes took a side road to V6 engines, and then reverted to straight sixes again. Jaguar and Mazda are also producing L6 engines again. And I’m probably forgetting some other manufacturers.
@GrandThriftAuto
Жыл бұрын
A renaissance would be pleasing to see before combustion engines disappear from cars altogether. I hadn’t picked up on Mazda - thanks for adding that - but BMW, Mercedes and JLR are the only other makers I know of. (Disclaimer - I’m not fully up to date with the current new car scene, especially outside Europe.)
@GrandThriftAuto
Жыл бұрын
…oh and well played on the E28 and E39, such excellent cars!
@kevinbray9550
Жыл бұрын
Fun fact: Suck, squeeze,bang & blow were the original suggested names for The Teletubbies. Only kidding obvs. Another excellent video Martin. Well Done.
@michaelbacon561
Жыл бұрын
I thought the inline six was being pensioned off when Mercedes ditched them for V6s ostensibly for packaging reasons with the front crash structure. Then it reintroduced the inline Six again for packaging reasons; this time to fit all the turbo hybrid gubbins (!). You just don't know what to believe. I remember the 2.8 twin cam in a Mercedes W114 back in the 80s. Happy memories! From road test reports it always seemed that V6s were rather thirsty - something to do with the breathing.
@Yorkshiremadmick
Жыл бұрын
Love my R129 SL320 straight 6 The only smoother was two straight 6’s bolted together to make the V12 Mercedes engine.
@GrandThriftAuto
Жыл бұрын
Mmm, love R129s. I agree about the V12 too - my XJ-S ran pretty smoothly even on 11 when it split a fuel hose.
@genegoodwin8925
Жыл бұрын
I'm from the states and I've owned over 1400 cars. The best engines I've owned have all been striaght six cylinders. My favorite was a Ford Granada with a 250 straight six. I also owned a Chevrolet pick up with a 292 straight six and several Ford pick ups with 300 straight sixes. I never had any trouble with any of these and the straight six pick ups and they would out pull any V-8 I ever owned. I contribute this to the centrifical force of that long heavy crankshaft required in a straight six.I guess if I want a straight six today I'll have to by a BMW.
@ingvarhallstrom2306
Жыл бұрын
Of 1400 cars you pick the Granada with the 250? There's a story in that, and you should write it.
@genegoodwin8925
Жыл бұрын
@@ingvarhallstrom2306 I was a Chevy fan most my life, but I bought this green metalic 1979 two door Ford Granada in 1990 for $300. It was a great car to drive, very comfortable and gave me 22 mpg. I like it more than any Chevy I ever owned and that includes a long list, like '55, 57, 58, two 63's .72, 70, 79, even a '51. I still regret selling the Granada. After the Granada I have owned many Fords, Escorts, Taurus, seven F150 pick ups. I wish now I would smarten up back un the 1960's and switched to Fords.
@ingvarhallstrom2306
Жыл бұрын
@@genegoodwin8925 That's a fantastic story, and coming from a Chevy man no less. Considering all the tribalism in the car world, that's great. It really hits home...
@genegoodwin8925
Жыл бұрын
@@ingvarhallstrom2306 My best friend always drove Fords because his dad was a mechanic at a Ford dealership. He never had any trouble with his Fords, My chevys were always breaking down with blown engines, transmission trouble, clutches, spider gears. I should have learn from my best friend back in the 1960's but I must be pretty slow because it took me years before I made the switch to Fords.
@howardkerr8174
Жыл бұрын
Not sure I would pronounce the inline 6 as " EXTINCT " BMW still uses them, and I think Mercedes has brought them back. Mazda, of all companies has an inline 6 powering their biggest SUV. I don't really follow auto news like I used to, but if anything, the inline 6 is making a comeback.
@GrandThriftAuto
Жыл бұрын
I did say ‘almost’ - and I admit I didn’t know about the new Mazda engine until people told me in the comments. Good to see it getting a little blaze of glory before electric takes over completely.
@stuffthatmoves7085
Жыл бұрын
I really wish this video was longer
@GrandThriftAuto
Жыл бұрын
Interesting...anything in particular you'd like to see more about? (I'm assuming you aren't being sarcastic here 🙂)
@stuffthatmoves7085
Жыл бұрын
@@GrandThriftAuto ha! No honestly it was very good. Just felt the build up was long and the actual title of the video was handled in about 2 mins. Straight 6 is my favourite format. Would like to learn more about it. What are the differences in application between Jaguar and BMW, TVR, Toyota and Nissan etc. Are they making a comeback (I believe they have recently) etc etc
@GrandThriftAuto
Жыл бұрын
@@stuffthatmoves7085 Good questions, noted for the future - thanks very much for the feedback!
@bimble7240
Жыл бұрын
@@GrandThriftAuto I would like you to talk about straight 5 and 3 cylinder engines. 5s always seem to sound like truck engines but are smooth when revved. What are the advantages of these two types?
@GrandThriftAuto
Жыл бұрын
@@bimble7240 Yes, the five is an interesting one. I did consider including it here but decided I’ll do a separate video on it, ideally if/when I can negotiate access to a 5-pot car.
@sfavill
Жыл бұрын
Fans of the straight six engine might be encouraged by the fact that Mazda, in their quirky wisdom, have just introduced a turbocharged inline six cylinder engine, displacing three litres, in their all new CX90 SUV for the US market. Rumour has it that it may find its way into the Mazda6 together with all-wheel drive in their efforts to take the brand up-market.
@GrandThriftAuto
Жыл бұрын
Thanks - yes, so I learned today! Good to see Mazda’s apparently last new engine will be a straight six 😊
@rachelbarron5642
8 ай бұрын
Why not just make it em small displacement so they fit better like a 2.1 or 2.4
@GrandThriftAuto
8 ай бұрын
Some do just that - my BMW E30 is a 2.0; early Triumph Vitesses had a 1.6 litre six; and Honda even raced a 250cc straight six motorbike in the 1960s. I'm not sure it makes a huge amount of difference to the overall size of the unit though.
@rachelbarron5642
8 ай бұрын
@@GrandThriftAuto I mean is a 2L i6 that much bigger than say like the 2.7 i4(Toyota) or 2.9 i4(gm)
@scottthornton9403
Ай бұрын
Efficiency is part of the problem, I think. My BMW K1600 is small enough to fit in any automobile and has more than enough power (162hp) for small cars, but it doesn't get any better MPGs than my MINI.
@danr1920
Жыл бұрын
Straight eights were some what common the first half of the last century. Even smoother? or twice as bad a four?
@GrandThriftAuto
Жыл бұрын
Great question! You should be able to make the 90 degree crank offsets from the 'impossible engine' scenario work with an extra four cylinders, so you'd get a 90 degree overlap between successive power strokes - so yes, a straight eight should be very smooth. Tough on crankshafts though, with a long way and hence a lot of torsion between the resistance end (flywheel, gearbox) and the furthest cylinder.
@timcollins5552
Жыл бұрын
Ah what about vw 5 pot
@GrandThriftAuto
Жыл бұрын
Good question…my plan is to do a 5-pot video when I can get my hands on a 5-pot car 😊
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