> But none of this constitutes a lack of natural
> balance that
> is present in the inline sixes.
>
> IOW, typical sales BS.
I disagree, Dave. The 'unbalance' is not in the firing order, but in the
vibration caused by the reciprocating components. The "balance shafts"
present in most modern engines not of the in-line 6 variety are witness to
the reality of this. VW has even gone so far as to create an "almost
in-line" 6 cylinder.
The referenced article was actually pretty good, although he completely
failed to mention my favorite curiosity engine, the John Deere "Johnny
Popper" in-line 2 cylinder. Because of the severe vibration caused by
having the pistons move in unison (to achieve even firing), JD engineers
opted to have the pistons move in opposite directions, and the cylinders
fire first 180 degrees apart and then 540 degrees apart. That's what
creates that unique exhaust note than can be heard miles away. They still
vibrate plenty, but not nearly as bad as an even-fire in-line 2.
Randall
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