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Old 10-20-2008, 11:41 PM   #16 (permalink)
roflwaffle
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jamesqf View Post
I don't see why any engine designer would do that. You want to make the engine run smoothly, which means spacing the firings at equal intervals. 1 & 4 might be at TDC at the same time, but one should be on the compression stroke, the other on exhaust.
Straight fours fire in pairs every 180 degrees, but due to the difference in piston speed between the pairs most modern straight fours also use a balance shaft. Straight sixes fire in pairs too but don't have this problem because they can fire every 120 degrees, so the fastest pair speed, even though there is still a slowest pair, is offset by the third pair moving a some speed in between.
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