Straight-6

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2007)

The straight-6 or inline-6 engine (often abbreviated I6 or L6) is a six cylinder internal combustion engine with all six cylinders mounted in a straight line along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft. Where it is inclined, it is sometimes called a slant-6. The straight-6 layout is the simplest engine layout which is in both primary and secondary mechanical engine balance, resulting in relatively low manufacturing cost combined with much less vibration than engines with fewer cylinders.^[1]

Contents 1 Displacement range 2 Modern trends 3 Balance and smoothness 4 Crankshaft design 5 History of the Straight 6 6 Straight-6 engines in Europe 7 Straight-6 engines in Britain 8 Straight-6 engines in the United States 9 Straight-6 engines in Asia 10 Straight-6 engines in Australia 11 Motorcycle use 12 Diesel straight-6 engines 13 Notes 14 See also

[edit] Displacement range

Usually a straight-6 is used for engine displacements between about 2.0 and 5.0 litres. It is also sometimes used for smaller engines but these, although very smooth running, tended to be rather expensive to manufacture and they are inevitably physically longer than alternative layouts. The smallest production straight-6 was found in the Benelli 750 Sei motorcycle, displacing 747.7 cubic centimetres (45.63 cu in) (0.75 L). However, because it is a fully balanced configuration, the straight-6 can be scaled up to very large sizes for industrial and marine use, such as the 11 litre Scania diesel engine used in heavy vehicles.^[2] The largest are used to power ships. They use diesel fuel and have displacements as high as 1820 litres per cylinder.^[3]

[edit] Modern trends

Historically, straight-6 engines were introduced much earlier than V6s, and while the first straight-6 was manufactured in 1904, it was 1950 before a production V6 was introduced. V6s (unlike crossplane V8s) had intrinsic vibration problems that were difficult to eliminate without modern computer aided design techniques. The length of the straight-6 was not a major concern in the older front-engine/rear-wheel drive vehicles, but the modern move to the more space-efficient front-engine/front-wheel drive and transverse engine ("east-west") configurations in smaller cars caused the much shorter length of the V6 to become a major advantage. As a result, in recent decades automobile manufacturers have replaced most of their straight-6 engines (and many of their V8s) with V6 engines.^[4]

Exceptions to the shift to V6 engines include BMW, which specializes in high-performance straight-6s, Volvo, which designed a compact straight-6 engine/transmission package to fit transversely in its larger cars, and the Australian Ford Falcon, which still uses a straight-6 configuration. Straight-6s also continue to be commonly used in medium to large trucks, and sport utility vehicles, where engine length is less of a concern. In 2002 General Motors introduced the Vortec 4200 as part of the modular straight-4, straight-5 and straight-6 GM Atlas engine line.

[edit] Balance and smoothness

Straight-6 four-stroke cycle engines are in perfect primary and secondary balance and require no balance shafts. They are in primary balance because the two ends of the engines are mirror images of each other and the cylinders move up and down in pairs, one on the compression stroke and the other on the exhaust stroke. Piston #1 balances #6, #2 balances #5, and #3 balances #4, canceling the end-to-end rocking motion that would otherwise result. (This does not apply to two-stroke cycle engines.) Secondary imbalance occurs in straight-4 engines because the two pistons on the upper 180 degrees of the crankshaft rotation move faster than the two pistons on the lower 180 degrees, creating an unequal motion. Straight-6 engines have cranks at 120 degrees to each other, so the differences in speed on different parts of the crankshaft rotation are offset by the changing number of pistons on each portion.

Straight-4 or V6 engines without balance shafts suffer from intrinsic secondary dynamic imbalances which can cause engine vibration and noise. As a general rule, the forces arising from any dynamic imbalance increase as the square of the engine speed - that is, if the speed doubles, the vibrations will become four times worse - and as a result, they will produce much more noise and vibration at extremely high rpm. By contrast, straight-6 engines have no primary or secondary imbalances, and with carefully designed crankshaft vibration dampers to absorb their torsional vibrations, they will seem to rev quietly and effortlessly to their rpm limits. Historically, this has made them popular in European sports-luxury cars where smooth high-speed performance combined with good fuel economy is desirable. In addition, engine imbalance forces increase as the cube of piston mass - meaning that if the size of the engine doubles, the vibrations will become eight times worse - which has made the fully balanced straight-6 a preferred configuration for large truck engines as well.^[5]

The straight-6 is smoother than engines with a fewer number of cylinders because the power strokes of pistons partially overlap. Since each power stroke lasts 180 degrees of crankshaft rotation, while a new piston starts its power stroke every 120 degrees, there are 60 degrees of overlap on each stroke in which one piston is finishing while the next is starting. This results in a smooth delivery of power, unlike a four cylinder engine in which each piston must come to a complete stop before the next piston commences its power stroke. This makes the straight-6 engine's delivery of power much smoother than a four-cylinder engine. The fact that they are basically two straight sixes on the same crankshaft is the reason why 60°, 120°, and 180° V12 engines are considered optimal for smooth power delivery; they allow for triple overlap of the power stroke between three cylinders at all times due to the overlap from their two component straight-6 banks. Eight cylinder engines have even more power stroke overlap than six cylinder ones, but the improvement in smoothness is not as pronounced as that of sixes over fours. Eights have been preferred over sixes for sports/luxury cars in the United States due to the lower fuel costs there.

[edit] Crankshaft design

Crankshafts on 6 cylinder engines generally have either 4 main bearings or 7 main bearings. Larger engines and diesels tend to use the latter because of high loadings and to avoid crankshaft flex. Because of the 6 cylinder engine's smooth characteristic, there is a tendency for a driver to load the engine at low rpm. This can produce crankshaft flex in 4 main bearing designs where the crank spans the distance of 2 cylinders between main bearings. This distance is longer than the distance between two adjacent main bearings on a V6 with 4 mains because the V6 has cylinder bores on opposite banks which overlap significantly. In addition, modern high-compression engines subject the crankshaft to greater bending loads from higher peak gas pressures, requiring the crankthrows to have greater support from adjacent bearings, so it is now customary to design straight-6s with 7 main bearings.^[6]

However many of the more sporty high performance engines use the 4 bearing design because of better torsional stiffness (eg BMW small straight 6's, Ford's Zephyr 6). In a 7 main bearing design the crank has two throws between each cylinder. The accumulated length of main bearing journals and 12 crank throws, gives a relatively torsionally flexible crankshaft. The 4 main bearing design has only 6 crank throws and 4 main journals so is much stiffer in the torsional domain. At high rpm the lack of torsional stiffness can make the 7 main bearing design susceptible to torsional flex and potential breakage. Note that a V12 engine can be made with the same number of crank throws as the 7 main bearing straight 6. Another factor affecting large straight 6 engines is the front mounted timing chain which connects the camshaft(s) to the crank. The camshafts are also quite long and subject to torsional flex as they in turn operate valves alternately near the front of the engine and near the rear. At high rpm the camshaft(s) can flex torsionally while the crank is doing likewise. This results in valve timing for the rear most cylinders becoming inaccurate and erratic, losing power and in extreme cases resulting in mechanical interference between valve and piston with catastrophic results. Some designers have experimented with installing the timing chain/gears in the middle of the engine (between cylinders 3 and 4) or adding a second timing chain at the rear of the engine. Either method can solve the problem.

Another factor affecting the ability of the large 6 cylinder engines to achieve high rpm is the simple geometric reality of a relatively long stroke (undersquare) design. A straight 6 is a long engine and the designer is usually encouraged to make it as short as possible while height is not usually a problem. Hence the tendency to use a longer stroke and smaller bore than in a V engine to achieve a given capacity. By contrast, a long-stroke V engine tends to become too wide, which encourages increasing the bore rather than the stroke to increase displacement.^[7] The typically longer stroke of the straight-6 increases crank throw and piston speed and so tends to reduce the rpm rating of the engine.

[edit] History of the Straight 6

The first inline six was produced by Napier & Son in 1904, at the urging of S.F. Edge. By 1909, there were some eighty manufacturers using it, 62 in Britain alone, including Darracq, Delaunay-Bellville, Vertex, MMC, White, Poppe, Mutel, and Ford.^[8]

[edit] Straight-6 engines in Europe

BMW introduced its first straight 6-cylinder engine in 1933. It developed its I6 engines of the post-World War II era by adding two cylinders to its four cylinder design. In 1968 it introduced a straight-6 design that had the same 30 degree slant, overhead camshaft layout, and 100 mm bore spacing as the four. It originally intended to follow up with a V8 engine line in the early 1970s, but when the 1973 oil crisis hit, BMW canceled its V8 plans and concentrated on refining and enlarging its straight-6 lineup.^[9] These included a smaller straight-6 in 2.0 L and 2.3 L displacements (the "small six"), versions of the larger "big six" (as it became known) up to 3.5 L, and beginning in 1983 a series of straight-6 diesels. In 1986 BMW introduced a V12 which was essentially two 2.5 L straight-6s on the same crankshaft. Nowadays, a straight-six is used in the BMW 1 Series, BMW 3 Series, and among the engines offered in the BMW 5 Series.

Mercedes-Benz has used straight-6 engines in its cars for around 100 years, starting in the 1900s with a monstrous 10 L engine producing 75 hp (56 kW). Before and after the merger of Daimler and Benz in 1926, the combined company produced a variety of powerful straight-6 engines, culminating in a 7 L supercharged unit producing up to 300 hp (224 kW). Mercedes-Benz began the post-war era by producing straight-4s, but resumed making straight-6s in 1951 with 2.2 L and 3.0 L engines, which were the beginning of the modern era of MB straight-6s. Following that introduction, the company produced two lines of gasoline (petrol) straight-6s at any one time, a small six and a larger six, in addition to its straight-4s, straight-5s, and later V8s. Although the company has used diesel engines in its cars since 1934, it introduced its first straight-6 3.0 L diesel in 1985. In 1996 the company replaced its gasoline straight-6s with a series of 90 degree V6 engines, although it continued to produce diesel straight-6s.

Volvo produced straight-6 engines like the Volvo B30 engine for the Volvo 164 (1969-1975) and the B6304 engine for the 960/S90 (RWD). All vehicles in the Volvo lineup are front-wheel (or all wheel) driven thereafter, and yet, Volvo made it possible to mount their inline-6 engine transversely by using a very short transaxle package and relocated engine-driven accessories. In 2006, Volvo announced a new 3.2 L straight-6 for the Volvo S80 that was only slightly longer than its straight-5, achieved by moving the camshaft drive to the back of the engine and sharing the same gear train with ancillaries mounted in otherwise unused space over top of the transmission. This was not only short for a straight-6, but also very narrow. Volvo says a transversely mounted inline engine leaves more crush space to protect against frontal impacts than a (shorter) transverse V6 or a longitudinally mounted inline-6.^[10] In 2007 Volvo introduced a new a new six-cylinder T6 petrol engine which is based on the compact 3.2-liter in-line aluminum engine. The turbo version has a displacement of 3.0 liters, producing 285 bhp and 295 lb/ft of torque available from 1,500 rpm. AWD system is fitted as standard to all the models it powers such as Volvo S80, Volvo V70 and the all new Volvo XC60.

Opel has also used a straight-6 engine since 1930s until the early 1990s, ranging between 2.5 and 4.0 L (153–242 cu in). They powered Opel's top of the line models, including the Admiral, Kapitän, Monza,the Senator, the Omega and the Commodore.

In 1959, Saab had an experimental car with two transverse straight-3 engines bolted together — the Saab Monster.

Alfa Romeo used straight-6 engine in G1 and G2 models (1921-1923), RL model (1922–1927) and between 1925–1954 in Alfa Romeo 6C series road and racing cars, the 1500 version had one of the smallest straight-6 engines (1487 cc). The last Alfa Romeo model using straight-6 was Alfa Romeo 2600 (1961–1969).

[edit] Straight-6 engines in Britain

The straight-6 was the archetypal British engine for sports and luxury cars for many years. Rolls-Royce used straight-6 engines until changes in their design made the shorter V8 layout more suitable. Jaguar and other manufacturers built straight-6 engines from 1935 until the 1990s.

The most prominent of these was the Jaguar XK6 engine, which reportedly was developed during long nights during World War II when Jaguar founder William Lyons and his staff were on fire watch duty in the Jaguar factory in Coventry and had nothing better to do than design a new engine.^[11] The result was displayed in the Jaguar XK120 at the London Motor Show in 1948. The 3.4 L twin overhead camshaft XK6 engine engine was highly advanced compared to previous British engines, most of which were side-valve units. The Jaguar XK120 and the XK-powered Jaguar C-Type and Jaguar D-type, went on to score victories in races and rallies in the UK, Europe and North America. They dominated the 24 Hours of Le Mans during the 1950s, where Jaguar C-Types won in 1951 and 1953, and the D-Types had three more wins in 1955, 1956 and 1957. The engine design, enlarged to 3.8 L, reached its apogee in the Jaguar E-type introduced in 1961, which was capable of 150 miles per hour (240 km/h). In 1964, the XK engine was again enlarged to 4.2 L, which was considered the most powerful and refined of the series. The last XK-engined Jaguar went out of production in 1986, but some XK engined cars such as the Daimler DS420 limousine were still available into 1990s.^[11] The XK6 engine was followed by the AJ6 and AJ16 engines. After Jaguar was acquired by Ford, these engines were replaced these engines with the Ford Duratec-derived Jaguar AJ-V6 engine.

Aston Martin used a straight-6 for many years, as did Austin-Healey in their Austin-Healey 3000. MG also used a straight-6 in their MGC.

Bristol produced a straight-6 until 1961, based on a BMW design, that was also used by many small automakers.

The compact Triumph straight-6 powered their high-end saloon and sports cars from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s. It was available in 1.6, 2.0, and 2.5 L capacities. Triumph claimed that their TR5 model was the first car in the UK to come with fuel injection as standard; the TR5 has a 2.5 L Triumph straight-6. Other Triumph vehicles that use the Triumph straight-6 are:

• GT6 1966-73
• Vitesse 1962–71
• The 2000 Range 1963-77
• TR6 1969-76

The Rover SD1 saloon used a Triumph designed straight-6 of 2.3 and 2.6 L capacities.

British sports car company TVR designed its own straight-6, known as the Speed Six, which powers its current range of cars.

Land Rover used a 2.6 L, straight-6 from 1967 in certain series Land Rover models.

Ford UK produced a straight 6 engine for the Zephyr and Zodiac range of passenger cars from the Mk 1 of 1951 (2262 cc) through the Mk 2 (2553 cc) and Mk 3 until 1966. The straight-6 was a 4 main bearing 12 overhead valve design with a short stroke. Rated output grew from just 65 hp (48 kW) in the Mk 1 to 110 hp (82 kW) in the Mk 3 Zodaic.

[edit] Straight-6 engines in the United States

Engines of this type were popular before World War II in mid-range cars. Most manufacturers started building straight-6 engines when cars grew too large for the straight-4.

After World War II, larger cars required larger engines, and buyers of larger cars tended to prefer V8s; performance sixes such as the Hudson Hornet 308 CID (5 L) engine were exceptions to the rule, and were not often top sellers although it became one of the hottest cars on the road and dominated stock car racing (NASCAR) in the early Fifties.^[12].

After Chevrolet introduced its V8 in 1955, the straight-6 became almost exclusively a base engine model pitched to economy-minded customers. Trucks (both light and heavy duty) also incorporated the straight-6 until the mid-1950s, and they are still used in light trucks available today. The new wave of compact cars that started in the late 1950s provided a suitable home for straight-6 designs.

The Chrysler Corporation had noteworthy slant-6 engines, used in the Plymouth Valiant and Dodge Dart A-body models of the 1960s and 1970s. This engine was reliable and achieved some success in racing after engineers discovered that the 30-degree slant of the engine allowed them to use very long intake runners to boost horsepower by tuning the intake system. Part of the reason for its reliability was that it was originally designed to be built of aluminum, but after Chrysler had problems with manufacturing the engines in aluminum, the rest were built in cast iron without changing the design to compensate for the stronger metal. Although it only had four crankshaft main bearings instead of the seven used by its competitors, they were the same size as those on the 426 CID (7 L) Hemi V8. In production for 30 years, it was discontinued in favor of V6 engines because it was too long to mount transversely in front wheel drive cars.

Another noteworthy straight-6 engine family was introduced by American Motors (AMC) in 1964. These engines were used in a variety of AMC passenger and Jeep utility vehicles. AMC also sold their straight-6's to International Harvester to be used in International's "Light Line" vehicles: Scouts, pickups, and Travelalls. These engines were also assembled and marketed internationally. Some markets (such as Mexico - by VAM) built their own specialized versions. This engine is considered to be one of the best ever made and it received modifications and upgrades as engine control technology improved.^[13] It is noteworthy that this "modern era" I-6 was produced continuously for 42 years (even after Chrysler's buyout of AMC in 1987) all the way through 2006. It featured a durable design with a cast iron block and cylinder head, hydraulic lifters (with non-adjustable rockers), and seven main bearings. Since the cars were designed to take the weight of an optional V8, AMC was able to make their straight-sixes much stronger and heavier than they needed to be. As a result, the engine blocks were so sturdy that some were used in race cars in the Indianapolis 500. In the 1978 race, an AMC 199 CID (3.3 L) engine produced 875 hp (652 kW) at 8,500 RPM with 80-inches of manifold pressure.^[14]

A significant step was taken by Kaiser Jeep with the 1963 Tornado straight-6, the first U.S. designed mass-produced overhead cam (OHC) automobile engine. However, it was complex (by 1960s standards) for civilian vehicles in the U.S., but continued to be installed in military Jeeps and was also produced through 1982 by IKA in Argentina.

Ford and General Motors straight-6s of the 1960s and 1970s were generally nondescript, except for the overhead cam Pontiac six of the late-1960s. Although the Pontiac six was one of the few straight-6s of its era to be advertised as exceeding 100 hp (75 kW), it wooed few performance buyers away from V8s in the muscle car era and was eventually discontinued in favor of a less costly design.

American automakers found it more profitable to sell slow-speed straight-6s as "economy" engines and V8s as "performance" engines regardless of their horsepower potential, since big, unsophisticated, overhead valve engines were relatively cheap to manufacture, and fuel economy was not a concern prior to the 1973 oil crisis.

The trend after the fuel crises in the 1970s was towards smaller cars with better fuel economy. Despite this, straight-6 engines became rare in American cars although they continued to be used in trucks and vans. The decline of the straight-6 was in response to the more compact size of the V6 layout. The straight-6 required a longer engine compartment that was more appropriate to a larger car. The shorter V6 could be used in a shorter engine compartment and therefore fit better in a more compact car. It was also relatively easy to cut two cylinders off a V8 design to produce a V6 that could be manufactured on the same assembly line as the V8, which was convenient for American manufacturers.

Jeeps were an exception to the trend to V6s, and began offering AMC's 258 CID (4.2 L), known as "High Torque," straight-6s as a common engine option in 1972. These engines continued to receive upgrades with an advanced for its time, high-performance 4 L (244 cu in) option in 1987. Usage of the AMC 4.0 declined in Jeep vehicles after the Jeep Cherokee (in North America) was replaced by the Liberty in 2002, which featured Chrysler's 3.7 L V6 instead. It declined further after the 2005 introduction of the third generation Jeep Grand Cherokee, which also used the 3.7 L V6. The last application of the 4.0 was in the 2006 Jeep Wrangler; for 2007 the engine has been replaced with a 3.8 L V6.

Ford used a straight-6 in baseline Mustangs and in its other models for many decades. They were also found in F150 pickups (most notably the 300 CID (4.9 L) inline six) until 1997 when they were replaced with a V6.

In 1989 Chrysler introduced the 5.9 L Cummins B Series engine as an option on its pickup trucks. Displacing nearly 1 litre per cylinder, this straight-6 turbocharged diesel engine was an attractive alternative to the big gasoline V8s normally used on full-sized pickups because its better fuel economy and nearly twice as much low-speed torque. The usual marketing cachet of competing V8s from GM and Ford was offset by the "real" truck origin of the Cummins engine because earlier diesel V8s derived from gasoline engines had reliability problems.^[15] The current 6.7 L version is the largest straight-6 engine ever produced for a passenger vehicle.

In 2001 General Motors introduced a new family of straight engines, the Atlas, for use in the Chevrolet TrailBlazer/GMC Envoy. The straight-6 was chosen for development because of the desirable operating characteristics of its self-balanced design.^[16]

[edit] Straight-6 engines in Asia

The Japanese automakers have used the straight-6 since the 1960s in a wide range of vehicles. More recently, Nissan and Toyota have changed to V6s because the straight-6s were too long for the engine compartments in their newer vehicles.

Toyota started with their F-series engine and later the M, FZ, G, and JZ engines, and Nissan started with their H-series and later the L of the early Fairlady Zs as well as the RB series engines (in the R31-R34 Skyline). Honda built the Honda CBX 1000 motorcycle from 1978 to 1981. In the 1990s Toyota offered straight-6s in all their lines: the G in the Altezza (and others); the M and its replacement, the JZ, in the Toyota Supra (and others); and the F and its replacement, the FZ, in the Land Cruiser. In the 2000s, Toyota still offers the FZ-series, G-series, and the JZ-series engines.

In Korea, GM Daewoo's FWD Magnus (sold abroad as the Chevrolet Evanda, Chevrolet Epica, Holden Epica or Suzuki Verona) comes with a Daewoo-designed straight-6. The Daewoo engine is one of the few straight-6s designed to be installed transversely in front wheel drive cars and it is an extremely short engine in its configuration.

[edit] Straight-6 engines in Australia

Historically, all major manufacturers in Australia used straight-6s.

BMC developed a straight six cylinder engine based on the B-series engine in the late 1950s. It appeared in the Austin Freeway and Wolseley 24/80. Although successful in Australia and tried successfully in the prototype MGC the cost of retooling meant that the engine remained indigenous to Australia. In the early 1970s a six-cylinder engine derived from the E-series was used in the Australian market for the P76 and Marina.

Chrysler had built the Slant 6 in Australia and the unique to Australia Hemi straight-6. These engines, made in 215, 245, and 265 CID capacity, were used in the Chrysler Valiant and the Valiant Charger producing up to 320 hp (239 kW). Chrysler no longer owns any factories in Australia.

Holden up until 1986 built their own straight-6s, adapted from a Chevrolet design. A 2.2 L unit (known as the 'grey' motor) was used until 1963, replaced by a newer Chevrolet based design (known as the 'red' engine) which was offered in different capacities. Holden engine sizes included the '173' (2.85 L - 1971-1984), '186' (3.0 L - 1968-1971) and '202' (3.3 L - 1971-1986) - the largest and most popular of the series. This motor was firstly replaced by an imported Nissan straight-6, offered in 2.0L (in New Zealand) and 3.0L forms, until Holden's Buick designed 3.8L V6 replaced it outright in 1988.

Ford Australia has been producing straight-6s since 1960 and is the only manufacturer in Australia to still build straight sixes, however, production is expected to be discontinued in 2010 due to difficulty in meeting Euro-IV standards with the current configuration.^{[citation needed]} Ford has built 144, 170, 188, 200, 221, 240 and 250 cu in engines, with the 240 being called the 3.9 L or 4.0 L and the 200 being called the 3.3 L. They have been used since 1960 in the Falcon, 1972-1981 in the Cortina and from 2004 in the Ford Territory. The current straight-6 engines in the Falcon and Territory are called the Barra and have a 4.0 L displacement.

The high-performance division of Ford Australia, Ford Performance Vehicles, produce vehicles equipped with the 4.0 L DOHC 24-valve turbocharged straight-6 with variable cam timing, which produces 362 hp (270 kW) at 5250 rpm and 550 N·m (406 ft·lbf) at 2000 - 4250 rpm — the highest level of torque in any Australian production car to date (along with the HSV E Series).

[edit] Motorcycle use

Honda raced a number of straight-6 motors in the Honda RC series bikes, starting with the 249cc 3RC164 in 1964. Bore x stroke were 39 mm x 34.8 mm. This became the RC165 in 1965. For 1966, bore and stroke became 41mm x 31mm in the RC166, continuing with the RC167 in 1967. Also in 1967, Honda raced the straight-6 297 cc RC174 in the 350 class, with bore and stroke of 41 mm x 37.5 mm.^[17]

For road use, Honda introduced the Honda CBX 1000 in 1978. Kawasaki introduced the 1300cc Kz1300 in 1979. Benelli introduced the 750 Sei in 1976, which was later enlarged to 900cc to become the 900 Sei.

[edit] Diesel straight-6 engines

The straight-6 in diesel form with a much larger displacement is commonly used for industrial applications. These include various types of heavy equipment, power generation, as well as transit buses or coaches. Virtually every medium-duty to large over-the-road truck employs an inline six diesel engine. Its virtues are superior low-end torque, very long service life, smooth operation and dependability. On-highway vehicle operators look for straight-6 diesels, which are smooth-operating and quiet. Off-highway applications such as tractors, marine engines, and electric generators need a motor that is rugged and powerful. In these applications, compactness is not as big a factor as in passenger cars, and reliability and maintainability are much more important concerns.

As with everyday passenger vehicles, the smooth running characteristics of the straight-6 engine are what make it desirable for industrial use. The fact that the straight-6 is the simplest engine that is in both primary and secondary balance means it can be scaled up to very large sizes without causing excessive vibration, and the fact that most of the engine components and accessories can be conveniently located along both sides, rather than on top of or underneath the cylinder banks, means that access and maintenance is easier than on a V-type engine in a truck or industrial configuration. In addition, a straight-6 engine is mechanically simpler than a V6 or V8 since it has only one cylinder head and in the overhead camshaft configuration has only half as many camshafts.

Notable versions include the 5.9 and 6.7 liter I-6 Cummins found in the Dodge Ram, the 3.2 liter straight-6 used in the Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI sold in America from 2004 through 2006 and the "DT" series Navistar DT Engine of inline 6-cylinder medium-duty diesel engines by International Truck and Engine Corporation, which are widely held as the gold standard engines for the medium-duty market.

[edit] Notes

[edit] See also

Straight engine

v • d • e Reciprocating engines and engine configurations Straight Single · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 12 · 14 Flat 2 · 4 · 6 · 8 · 10 · 12 · 16 · H V 2 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 8 · 10 · 12 · 16 · 18 · 20 · 24 W 8 · 12 · 16 · 18 Other inline U · Square four · VR · Opposed · X Other Hemi · Radial · Rotary · Deltic · Pistonless (Wankel)