What is better about a V8 engine than a V12 engine? Or is it just the opposite? I’ve been looking for the answer to this question online, but I haven’t been able to find anything. So, I decided to look into it myself and tell you what I found.
A V8 engine is an engine with 8 cylinders in a V shape, while a V12 engine is 12 cylinders engine arranged in a V shape. Since V12 has more cylinders than V8, it has more power strokes in a given time period.
Which Is Better, V8 Or V12?
Both the V8 engine and the V12 engine have pros and cons, so it would be unfair to say that one is better than the other. For example, a typical V8 engine uses less gas than a typical V12 engine. A V12 engine, on the other hand, will be able to make more power than a V8 engine. With the technology we have now, engineers are making a lot of new engines that make the most of their strengths and minimize their weaknesses.
What’s a V8 Engine?
A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder engine in the shape of a V. The cylinders are mounted on the crankcase in two sets of four, and they all turn the same crankshaft. A crankcase is a place for a crankshaft to live.
The crankshaft is a piece of machinery that helps the engine turn and moves the cylinders. I found a great video that shows exactly how a V8 engine works so I could learn more about how it works. If all the bad advice out there has made you confused in the past, this short video will help clear up a lot of your questions.
Most often used V8 Engine.
The most common V8 engine on the market today is the V8 crossplane engine. This engine rarely have a displacement of less than 3.0 L, and some commercial cars have had more than 8.2 L. Now, there are a lot of differences between cars from different brands. I could probably spend days just analyzing and talking about the different pros and cons of each V8 engine.
So, I just gave you a general idea of what the average V8 engine on the market is like. This will help you get a better idea of how strong and powerful V8 engines are.
Cross Plane Crank v8 vs. Flat Plane Crank v8 (Types of V8)
A secondary engine balance in a cross-plane crank makes the engine run more smoothly. Because of this, this engine needs a heavy crank and a heavy crankcase to keep the primary forces in balance. This will make the engine of your car harder to control because the center of gravity will be higher. Because of how the cranks are set up, a cross plane crank also has an uneven firing.
A flat plane crank is lighter, which makes it easier to move. This means that your engine will be easier to rev up than a v8 engine with a cross-plane crank. But this flat plane crank will have a secondary engine imbalance that will cause more vibration than the cross plane crank.
Most of the time, these cars are used for racing since the secondary imbalances caused by the flat plane crank don’t really matter. All you really need is a strong engine that turns quickly. Most of the time, this type of engine was used in very expensive cars. The vibrations were reduced by using lighter materials and shorter strokes in the engine. This, of course, depends on how much money you have to design and build your engine.
What are the advantages of a V8 engine?
The V8 engine is considered compact in size.
Compared to V12, and even smaller in length than an inline 6-cylinder engine.
It doesn’t take up much room. When engineers make cool engines, they have to think about how big they are. Usually, an eight-cylinder engine is very long and takes up a lot of space along its length.
When it comes to making an engine, every inch counts. If engineers decide to make engines bigger, they have to give up some of the engine’s other good points.
Sleek Design
This goes along with the first point: if the size of your engine is efficient, then your design will follow the same rules.
Great Balance Between Size and Power
Depending on what type of V8 engine you get (yes, there are different kinds of V8 engines), the power output and how well it works may be different.
What are the disadvantages of a V8 engine?
These engines weigh a lot.
Most V8 engines weigh between 400 and 600 pounds, with many engines in the 600-pound range.
More moving parts
There are more moving parts than in a V6 or V4 engine with fewer cylinders because there are two sets of cylinders on the crankcase. More parts mean more mechanical faults, more required service, and, most important, more costs.
More Expensive
Since the V8 engine has more parts and is more complicated, it will cost a lot more to buy and maintain.
Large packages and many restrictions
Even though the engine is quite small in size, its capacity can still be pretty large. Because of this, these engines are normally only available for rear-wheel drive (RWD)e or all-wheel drive (AWD) automobiles. But this hasn’t stopped people from making changes to the V8 engine’s size and how it’s used.
How does a V12 engine work?
A V12 engine is a twelve-cylinder engine in the shape of a V. There are two sets of six cylinders on the crankcase, and all twelve cylinders work the same crankshaft. The V12 engine has a natural primary and secondary balance, so balance shafts are unnecessary (extra weight to offset any imbalances due to the cranks).
What is the advantage of a V12 engine over a V8 engine?
Most of the time, more cylinders mean more power.
Why pick a V12 engine to begin with? Well, you get more displacement with more cylinders. When your engine makes more displacement, it makes more power. If you build a V8 engine with the same specs as a V12 engine, the cylinders will be very big and long. This will reduce the engine’s capacity and make it more powerful as a whole.
Most race cars have lighter engines.
With the help of the primary engine and the secondary engine, the rotating parts are lighter, smaller, and have a shorter stroke. Putting these three things together is the best way to make a fast and powerful car.
Fewer Vibrations
The exhaust systems of V8 engines are complicated and go all the way around the car. This could be the cause of vibrations in your car. If the crank is a flat plane, the engine is more likely to make vibrations that aren’t good.
What are the disadvantages of a V12?
More Complexity
Engine complexity comes from the high volume of moving parts (12 pistons and, typically, 48 valves).
larger Size
The engine compartment must be large enough to accommodate a V12 powerplant.
weight
It’s a massive, hefty engine, so be warned. There’s always the option to shell out extra cash for flimsier materials.
Let’s put an end to this.
Both the V8 engine and the V12 engine are great works of engineering. In a strange way, both can be changed and tweaked to make up for their flaws. Because of this, there are a lot of hybrid engines that make up for the flaws of a traditional V8 or V12 engine.
Depending on your money, you can get an engine that makes up for most of the problems with the typical V8 or V12 engine. Everyone who likes cars, works on them, or is interested in them will have an opinion on which engine is better. You really can’t go wrong with your choice, but only if you did your research.
