Leave it to the Brits to "engineer" a luxury car with an engine full of thimble-sized cylinders capable of setting fire to itself via a fuel leak OR inside the cabin via an airborne cigarette lighter!
On 12/22/06, LarryT <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
peter wrote:<<The cigarette lighter doesn't shoot into the rear seat and burn holes in the upholstery>> That must take a ot of the fun out of using the cig lighter! ALso, Peter wrote:<<V12 and V16 engine usually have small cylinders >> This always amazed me - picture a V12 of 2 liters - very small, with pistons verging on thimbles - not really but you get the picture. As an extension to that thought - the 2L turbo charged engines of the 80s (?) made almost 1200hp (for a little while) with a displacement the size of a 2L Coke Bottle! Anyway, I found i interesting - Take care -- Larry T (67 MGB, 74 911, 78 240D, 91 300D) www.youroil.net for Oil Analysis and Weber Parts Test Results http://members.rennlist.com/oil PORSCHE POSTERS! youroil.net Weber Carb Info http://members.rennlist.com/webercarbs Porsche Road Test http://members.rennlist.com/roadtest/ . ----- Original Message ----- From: "Peter Frederick" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Mercedes Discussion List" <mercedes@okiebenz.com> Sent: Friday, December 22, 2006 2:21 PM Subject: Re: [MBZ] 16 cylinders? > There are practical limits -- epitomized by the 32 cylinder 4-row > radial P&W 4360, the Wright 18 cylinder with three shaft coupled > turbine Turbocompound on the Super Connie, and the Napier Nomad > tubo-compounded diesel -- 12 cylinder horizontally opposed diesel with > 8 atmospheres (110 psi) boost from a coupled axial turbocharger. > > Turboprop engines and jets replaced these monsters pretty fast in the > 50s -- way too hard to maintain and too expensive to operate (Pan Am > never did find props that held up to the 4360, crashed at least two > Boeing 377s due to prop failures, for instance). > > Rolls Royce bought Napier, and turned the turbocharger off the Nomad > into the Rolls Avon/Conway jet engine, discarding the diesel (which > should give you a hint of what the Nomad looked like!) > > There isn't any real reason except perhaps marketing to make anything > with more than 8 cylinders. V8's are easy to machine, quite reliable, > reasonably smooth (12s are much better in the smoothness department, > but see following), and easy to cool and fit into an engine > compartment. I cannot imagine what anyone would do with more than 250 > hp anyway -- none of the driving I do would make it worth the excess > fuel consumption for better acceleration! > > V12 and V16 engine usually have small cylinders (otherwise the engine > become enormous) and the close spacing, lack of space in the engine > compartment, and some notable failures to appreciate the cooling > requirements have produced several recent V12 engines that produce LESS > hp that the equivalent displacement V8 or L6 by the same manufacturer > (Benz and Jaguar, specifically). The extra hp from the 12 is so small > compared to the weight that there is little improvement in performance, > and they are both front heavy. The Jag in particular has a nasty habit > of running so hot that the fuel system develops leaks, causing a total > loss fire more often than not. > > A late 80's 560 SEC will spank a late 80's Jag V12 with no trouble at > all. The cigarette lighter doesn't shoot into the rear seat and burn > holes in the upholstery, either. > > Peter > > > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ > For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.409 / Virus Database: 268.15.26/597 - Release Date: > 12/21/2006 > > _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
