V8 engine
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A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders.
[edit] Overview
The V8 is a very common configuration for large automobile engines. V8 engines are rarely less than 3 L in displacement and in automobile use have gone up to and beyond 9 liters.
The V8 is a common engine configuration in the highest echelons of motorsport, especially in the USA where it is required in IRL, ChampCar and NASCAR. Formula One began the 2006 season using naturally aspirated 2.4L V8 engines, which replaced the 3.0L V10's as a move to cut down power.
[edit] V angles
The most common V angle for a V8 by far is 90°. This configuration produces a wide, low engine with optimal firing and vibration characteristics. Since many V6 and V10 engines are derived from V8 designs, they often use the 90° angle as well, but sometimes with balance shafts or more complex cranks to even the firing cycle.
However, some V8s use different angles. One notable example is the Ford/Yamaha V8 used in the Ford Taurus SHO. It was based on Ford's Duratec V6 and shares that engine's 60° vee angle. A version of this engine is used by Volvo Cars as of 2005. In years past, Electro-Motive produced an 8 cylinder version of their model 567 Diesel locomotive engine, which has a 45 degree cylinder angle.
[edit] Cross-plane and flat-plane
There are two classic types of V8s which differ by crankshaft:
- The cross-plane V8 is the typical V8 configuration used in American road cars. Each crank pin (of four) is at a 90° angle from the previous, so that viewed from the end the crankshaft forms a cross. The cross-plane can achieve very good balance but requires heavy counterweights on the crankshaft. This makes the cross-plane V8 a slow-revving engine that cannot speed up or slow down very quickly compared to other designs, because of the greater rotating mass. While the firing of the cross-plane V8 is regular overall, the firing of each bank is LRLLRLRR; this leads to the need to connect exhaust pipes between the two banks to design an optimal exhaust system. This complex and encumbering exhaust system has been a major problem for single-seater racing car designers.
- The flat-plane V8 design has crank pins at 180°. They are imperfectly balanced and thus produce vibrations unless balance shafts are used, with a counter rotating pair flanking the crankshaft to counter 2nd order vibration transverse to the crankshaft centerline. As it does not require counterweights, the crankshaft has less mass and thus inertia, allowing higher rpm and quicker acceleration. The design was popularized in modern racing with the Coventry Climax 1.5 L V8 which evolved from a cross-plane to a flat-plane configuration. Flat-plane V8s on road cars come from Ferrari (the Dino), Lotus (the Esprit V8), and TVR (the Speed Eight). This design is popular in racing engines, the most famous example being the Cosworth DFV.
In 1992, Audi left the German DTM racing series after a controversy around the crankshaft design of their V8-powered race cars. After using the road car's cross-plane 90°-crankshaft for several years, they switched to a flat-plane 180° version which they claimed was made by "twisting" a stock part. The scrutineers decided that this would stretch the rules too far.
The cross-plane design was neither obvious nor simple to design. For this reason, most early V8 engines, including those from De Dion-Bouton, Peerless, and Cadillac, were flat-plane designs. In 1915, the cross-plane design was proposed at an automotive engineering conference in the United States, but it took another eight years to bring it to production. Cadillac and Peerless (who had hired an ex-Cadillac mathematician for the job) applied for a patent on the cross-plane design simultaneously, and the two agreed to share the idea. Cadillac introduced their "Compensated Crankshaft" V8 in 1923, with the "Equipoised Eight" from Peerless appearing in November of 1924.
More information is available here.
[edit] American V8 engines
The United States can be considered the "home of the V8" — it has always been more popular there than anywhere else, and it is certainly now the preferred arrangement for any large engine. With the recent exceptions of the Dodge Viper's V10, the similar Dodge Built Ram Tough V10, and the Ford Triton V10 engine of the same arrangement, there are practically no large engines in the US of post-World War II design that have not been of this type.
A full decade after Britain's 1904 Rolls-Royce Legalimit, Cadillac produced the first American V8 engine, 1914's L-Head. It was a complicated hand-built unit with cast iron paired closed-head cylinders bolted to an aluminum crankcase, and it used a flat-plane crankshaft. Peerless followed, introducing a V8 licensed from amusement park manufacturer, Herschell-Spillman, the next year. Chevrolet produced a crude overhead valve V8 in 1917, in which the valve gear was completely exposed. It only lasted through 1918 and then disappeared. They would not produce another V8 until the introduction of the famous small block in 1955.
Cadillac and Peerless were one year apart again (1923 and 1924, respectively) with the introduction of the cross-plane crankshaft. Lincoln also had V8 cars in those years.
Ford was the first company to use V8s en masse. Instead of going to an inline six like its competitors when something larger than an inline four was needed, Ford designed a modern V8, the famous Flathead of 1932. This engine powered almost all larger Ford cars until 1953, and was produced until around 1970 by Ford licensees around the world, mostly powering commercial vehicles.
After World War II, the strong demand for larger status-symbol cars made the common straight-6 less marketable. A straight-8 engine would introduce problems with crankshaft-whip, and would require a longer engine space. In the new wider body styles, a V8 would fit in the same engine space as a straight-6. Manufacturers could simplify production and offer the bigger engines as optional upgrades to base models.
In 1949 General Motors responded to Ford's V8 success by introducing the Oldsmobile Rocket and Cadillac OHV. Chrysler introduced their FirePower 331 cubic inch hemi-head V8 in 1951. Sales were beyond all expectations, so Buick followed in 1953, and Chevrolet and Pontiac introduced V8s of their own in 1955.
A full history of each manufacturer's engines is out of scope in this article, but engine sizes on full-size cars grew throughout the 1950s, 1960s and into the early to mid 1970s. The increasing size of full-size cars meant that smaller models of car were introduced and became more popular, with the result that by the 1960s Chrysler, Ford, and Chevrolet had two V8 model ranges.
The larger engines, known as big-block V8s, were used in the full-size cars. Big-blocks generally had displacements in excess of 6 L (360 in³), but in stock form are often not all that efficient. Big-block displacement reached its zenith with the 1970 Cadillac Eldorado's 8.2 L (500 in³) 500. Once the 1970s oil crisis and pollution regulations hit, big-block V8s didn't last too much longer in cars; luxury cars lasted the longest, but by 1977 or so they were gone. In trucks and other larger vehicles, big-block V8s continue to be used today, though some manufacturers have replaced them with small-block-based V10s or more efficient Diesels.
Smaller engines, known as small-block V8s, were fitted in the mid-size car ranges and generally displaced between 4.4 L (270 in³) and 6.0 L (360 in³), though some grew as large as Ford's 6.7 L (408 in³) 400 Cleveland. As can be seen, there is overlap between big-block and small-block ranges, and an engine between 6.0 L and 6.6 L could belong to either class. Engines like this (much evolved, of course) are still in production.
During the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, every General Motors division had their own engines, whose merits varied. This enabled each division to have its own unique engine character, but made for much duplication of effort. Most, like the comparatively tiny Buick 215 and familiar Chevrolet 350, were confusingly shared across many divisions. Ford and Chrysler had fewer divisions, and division-specific engines were quickly abandoned in favor of a few shared designs. Today, there are fewer than a dozen different American V8 engines in production.
Lately, Chrysler and General Motors have designed larger displacement V8s out of existing modern small-block V8s for use in performance vehicles, such as Chrysler's 6.1L(370in³) and 6.4L(392in³) Hemis, and the LS7(7.0L/427in³) version of General Motors' LS engines.
[edit] See also (American V8s)
- Ford
- 1932-1953 Flathead V8
- 1954-1962 Y-block V8
- 1958-1967 MEL V8
- 1958-1976 FE V8
- 1962-1995 Windsor V8
- 1968-1997 385 V8
- 1970-1982 335/Cleveland V8
- 1991-present Modular V8/Triton V8
- 1996-present Jaguar AJ-V8
- 1996-present Yamaha V8
- Cosworth DFV
- General Motors
- 1914-1992 Cadillac V8
- 1949-1990 Oldsmobile Rocket V8
- 1954-1970s Pontiac V8
- 1950s-1970s Buick V8
- 1954-1968 Chevrolet small-block V8
- Chevrolet Big-Block engine
- 1992-present Northstar/Premium
- 1993-1997 Generation 2 small-block
- 1998-present Generation 3 small-block
- 2005-present Generation 4 small-block
- Duramax Diesel
- Chrysler
[edit] British V8 engines
The first British V8 was the 3.5 L Rolls-Royce V-8 (1905) , predating the first American (Cadillac) V8 by a full decade.
The Rolls-Royce and Bentley V8 still used in modern Bentleys was designed from 1952 and entered production in 1959 in the Rolls Royce Silver Cloud and Bentley S2. Following then current design practice it featured overhead valves (OHV), a central camshaft and wedge-shaped combustion chambers. Sometime rumoured to be a US-license built (possibly a confusion with the 4-speed automatic gearbox), it is indeed an original British design by the Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motors engineering team led by Jack Phillips. This is obvious in advanced design-features like aluminium block with wet liners, gear-driven camshaft, (initially) outboard spark-plugs or porting inspired by the Rolls-Royce Merlin aircraft engine. Early version were 6.25 liters of displacement, growing to 6.75 liters in the 1970s. Turbocharging in various Bentley models beginning in the 1980s led the resurgence of Bentley Motors and increased power in several steps to currently 500bhp and 1000Nm in the 2007 model-year Bentley Arnage while meeting all emission standards. The Bentley V8 has thus increased power and torque by more than 150% in its life. It is the highest torque V8 used in a production car.
The most common British V8 is the Rover V8, used in countless British performance cars. This is not actually a British design at all but was imported from America, its roots being in General Motors' Oldsmobile/Buick cast-aluminum 215 V8 in 1960. It was of the small (for the US market) size of 3.5 L (215 in³) and very light for a V8. It appeared in production in 1961 on some of that year's Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac models, but was soon dropped in favor of more conventional iron-blocked units.
As the aluminium block made this engine one of the lightest stock V8s built there were some attempts to use it in racing at Indianapolis. The Australian firm Repco converted this engine for Formula One by reducing it to 3 L and fitting a single overhead camshaft per bank rather than the shared pushrod arrangement. Repco-powered Brabhams won the F1 championship twice, in 1966 and 1967.
Rover was in need of a new, more powerful engine in the mid 1960s, and became aware of this small, lightweight V8. After some negotiation they acquired rights to it and have produced it ever since. After extensive redesign, which left few parts interchangeable with the original Buick engine, it first appeared in Rover saloons in the late 1960s.
As well as appearing in Rover cars, the engine was widely sold to small car builders, and has appeared in all kinds of vehicles. Rover V8s feature in some models from Morgan, TVR, Triumph, Marcos, and MG, among many others. Land Rover also used the V8 frequently, appearing in the Range Rover in various guises, from 3.5 litres in the earlier models to the 4.6 litre used in the 1994-2002 model.The Rover V8 is also the standard British engine in hot rods, much like the Chevrolet 350 small-block is to American builders.
The last mass-produced car to use the Rover V8 was the Land Rover Discovery, which was replaced by an all-new model in 2005. Many independent sports cars manufacturers still use it in hand-built applications.
Triumph used the Triumph Slant-4 engine as a base of a V8 engine. The Triumph V8 was used in the Triumph Stag and in a limited number of Saab 99s.
Edward Turner designed the 2.5 litre and 4.5 litre hemi-head Daimler V8 engines announced in 1959. The 2.5 saw service in the Daimler SP250 (1959 - 1964), and, after the Jaguar takeover, in the "Daimler 2.5 Litre V8"/"Daimler 240" (1962 - 1969) versions of the Mk2 Jaguar bodyshell. The 4.5 was used in the Daimler Majestic Major, (1959-1968) a heavy car with advanced mechanical specification for the time.
The Jaguar company introduced the new AJ26 V8 engine in 1996. It has been developed and updated since, and appears in the S-Type Jaguar and later vehicles from Jaguar. The current V8 used in The Ford Motor Group's British Luxury Division appears in Jaguar and Land Rover, in a 4.2 (Jaguar XJ, XK and S-Type), 4.2 supercharged (Jaguar XJR, XKR, S-Type-R, Land Rover Range Rover and Range Rover Sport)and a 4.4 (Range Rover and Range Rover Sport) Note: The 4.4 is not the same 4.4 as used in the Volvo XC90 and forthcoming S80, that is a Yamaha V8.
[edit] French V8 engines
The French De Dion-Bouton firm was first to produce a V8 engine for sale in 1910. Later examples came from Citroën, with the never produced 1934 22CV Traction Avant, and Simca. Peugeot's upcoming 608 and its Citroën C6 stablemate may have a new HDi 3.6 and 4.4 V8 as well as a possible petrol 4.0-5.0 V8.
[edit] Czech V8 engines
Tatra used air-cooled V8 engines. These culminated in the 2.5 litre unit used in the Tatra T603 range of cars. The most powerful of these was fitted to the racing variant - known as the B-5. This was a higher compression version of the standard engine which replaced a standard single 2BBL carburettor with two 4BBL downdraft units on a new induction manifold.
In the case of the 2.5L Tatra V8 more power can be liberated from the standard version by disconnecting the engine driven fans and running the fans electrically controlled by thermostat.
After the T603 was superseded the Tatra company have generally used liquid cooled V8 engines for their passenger cars, culminating in the T700.
T77 - 2.97 Litre Air-Cooled V8
T77a - 3.4 Litre Air-Cooled V8 - 75HP
T87 - 2.97 Litre Air-Cooled V8 - 75HP
T607 Monopost - 2.35 Litre V8 - 161HP (later 181HP in 607-2)
T603 - 2.5 Litre Air Cooled V8 - 95HP
T603B5 - 2.5 Litre Air Cooled V8 - 143HP
[edit] German V8 engines
- Daimler-Benz
- 1965-1979 M100
- 6.3 L
- 6.9 L
- 1971-1991 M117
- 4.5 L SOHC 2v
- 5.0 L SOHC 2v
- 5.6 L SOHC 2v
- 1981-1991 M116
- 3.5 L
- 3.8 L
- 4.2 L
- 1990-1999 M119
- 4.2 L (4196 cc) DOHC
- 5.0 L (4973 cc) DOHC
- 1999-present M113
- 4.3 L (4266 cc) E43
- 5.0 L (4966 cc) E50
- 5.4 L (5439 cc) E55 AMG
- 5.4 L (5439 cc) E55 ML AMG
- 2004-present M155
- 5.4 L (5439 cc) SOHC 3v 302 hp
- 2006-present M273
- 4.7 L (4663 cc) 325 hp DOHC 4v
- 5.5 L (5461 cc) 380 hp DOHC 4v
- 2006-present M156
- 6.2 L (6208 cc) "6.3-liter" AMG only engine DOHC 4v 450-510 hp
- Diesel
- 1965-1979 M100
- Porsche
- Porsche 928 1978–1995
- 928 4.5 L (16v)
- 928S 4.7 L (16v)
- 928S2 4.7/5.0 L (16/32v) - Dependant on whether American or ROW model
- 928S4 5 L (32v)
- 928GT 5 L (32v)
- 928GTS 5.4 L (32v)
- 928GTR ?? L (32v - probably) - MaxMoritz semi works 928 GTR
- Porsche 928 1978–1995
-
- Porsche Cayenne 2002 - present
- Cayenne 4.5 L (16v)
- Porsche Cayenne 2002 - present
[edit] Italian V8 engines
[edit] Alfa Romeo
The Alfa Romeo Montreal was powered by a 2593 cm³ (158 in³) 90-degree quad-cam V8 derived from the Tipo 33 race car, also 18 Tipo33 Stradale cars were built with a detuned 2liter 260hp Tipo33/2 Flat crank-engine. The Montreal cross-crank engine was also used in a very limited production Alfetta GTV2.6i (22 cars were made). The Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione sports car has a 450 bhp V8 and a similar engine is likely to be used in the upcoming Alfa Romeo 169.
[edit] Ferrari
Arguably, Ferrari had their first contact with V8 power with the "inherited" Lancia D50s in 1955. Ferrari adopted the V8 configuration for themselves for racing in 1962 with the 268 SP. The first V8-powered Ferrari road car was 1974's 308 GT4, with the familiar 308 GTB following closely behind. The company continued to use this Dino V8 engine ever since with the 328, 348, and successors. Ferrari's smallest V8 (and indeed, the smallest ever) was the 2.0 L (1990 cc) unit found in the 1975 208 GT4. The company produced a slightly-larger 2.0 L V8 in the 208 GTB of the 1980s. Five-valve versions of Ferrari's 3.5 L and 3.6 L V8s were found in the Ferrari F355 and Ferrari 360. The old Dino V8 was retired for 2005 with the introduction of a shared Ferrari/Maserati V8 4.3 L in the F430.
[edit] Fiat
The only Fiat to have a V8 was the Fiat 8V. The engine was a very compact OHV 1996 cm³ (122 in³) V8 with a 70° V angle and 2 valves per cylinder. The Fiat 8V was designed to partake in the Italian two-litre racing class.
[edit] Lamborghini
Lamborghini have always fitted V12s in their top-of-the-line cars, but have built many V8s for their lower models, including the Urraco and Jalpa.
[edit] Maserati
Maserati have used V8s for many of their models, including the Maserati Bora. This engine was initially designed as a racing engine for the Maserati 450S. The company's latest V8, found in the Quattroporte, Coupe, and Spyder, is a new design shared with Ferrari.
[edit] Japanese V8 engines
Japanese manufacturers are traditionally not known for V8 engines in their roadcars, however they have built a few V8 engines to meet the needs of consumers, as well as for their own racing programs.
[edit] Nissan
Nissan built its first V8, the Y40 in 1965 for its President limousine. The Y engine has been succeeded by two families of V8, the VH series during the 80's and 90's and the new VK series.
[edit] Honda
Honda, despite being known as an engine company, have never built a V8 for their roadcars. However they have built V8s for racing, most notably for Formula One. Honda is also the sole engine builder for Indy Racing. The Honda Indy V-8 has a 10,300 rpm redline. Also, their affiliate Mugen Motorsports has also built racing V8s that have eventually found their way into limited production road cars as well as concept cars. Their MF408S engine, which powers cars in the ALMS is also found in a few limited production road cars such as the Mooncraft Shiden, it is more known however for being the enigne in the Honda Legend based Mugen Max concept.
[edit] Toyota
Toyota's first V8 engine family was the V series used in the prestigious Toyota Century ultra luxury car. This engine, unique from other Toyota engines in that it had a hemisperical combustion chamber, remained in use in the Century until it was replaced by a V12 in 1997. Other Toyota V8 families are the UZ engines and the new UR engines.
[edit] Yamaha
While better known as a manufacturer of bikes, Yamaha also makes engines under contract from auto-manufacturers. They currently produce a V8 engine in conjunction with Volvo Cars for vehicles such as the Volvo XC90 and the Volvo S80.
[edit] Swedish V8 engines
The most well-known swedish V8 engine is probably the Scania 14 litre diesel, which was released in 1969 for use in the 140 model heavy trucks. At this point, the 350 hp turbo-charged engine was the most powerful diesel in Europe.
Volvo's 1950's concept car Philip also had a gasoline V8 engine. The car never went into production, but the engine evolved into a 120 hp 3,6 litre V8 (in many aspects a "double B18" engine) for use in the light trucks Snabbe and Trygge from the late 1950's on.
Supercar manufacturer Koenigsegg has developed a 4.7 litre twin-supercharged V8 based on the Ford Modular engine. This engine is unique in that it is a flexible fuel engine and actually produces more power while running on biofuel than on regular unleaded.
[edit] Russian V8 engines
The GAZ-53 was powered by a 4254 cc ZMZ-53 engine. ZIL-41047 is powered by a ZIL-4104 engine, a 7680 cc carburetted V8 giving 315 hp (232 kW). ZIL-114 was powered by a 7000 cc V8 giving almost 300 hp.
[edit] Spanish V8 engines
Spanish truck company Pegaso made around 100 cars in the 1950s and 1960s. These cars were powered by a DOHC 32 valve V8, with up to 360 hp (270 kW).
[edit] Australian V8 engines
Holden, including its performance vehicle operations being: Holden Dealer Team and Holden Special Vehicles have been manufacturing V8 performance vehicles since the late 1960's, as has Ford Australia. The performance arm of Ford Australia, Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV), have recently resurged in the market with the new Falcon BA based models.
The Australian V8 is typically an American manufactured block from either Ford, Chrysler or General Motors yet often use local heads and auxiliary systems (pistons, exhaust etc.). However, there are a couple of exceptions to this - the Holden small block V8, and the British Leyland alloy small block V8.
The Holden small block V8 was an all Australian designed and manufactured cast-iron 90 degree pushrod OHV engine, manufactured in the capacities of 4.2 L (253 in³), 5.0 L (308 in³), later destroked to 304 in³), and 5.7 L (348 in³). First introduced in 1969, finally ceasing production in 1999, it powered a variety of Holden vehicles including the Kingswood, Monaro, Torana and Commodore, and proved to be a popular and successful powerplant in Australian motorsport (especially Touring cars).
The British Leyland small block V8 was also a pushrod OHV engine, however it was an all alloy block like the British Rover V8 it was based on. The stroke was increased to give it a capacity of 4.4L. The motor was originally designed and fitted to the Leyland P76 sedan.
[edit] V8s in aviation
- 45° Liberty engine V8.
- Hispano-Suiza WW1 V8.
[edit] V8s in motorcycles
Moto Guzzi built a 148 kg 82 bhp water cooled DOHC V8 4-stroke motorcycle for Grand Prix racing between 1955 and 1957, referred to as the Moto Guzzi Grand Prix 500 cc V8. Morbidelli produced an 848cc V8 in 1998.
[edit] External links
| Piston engine configurations | |
|---|---|
| Straight | Single, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14 |
| V | 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 24 |
| Flat | 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16 |
| W | 8, 9, 12, 16, 18 |
| Other inline | H, VR, Opposed, U (Square), X |
| Other | Radial, Rotary, Pistonless (Wankel) |
