The Differences Between V6 and Straight-Six Engines

Six-cylinder engines have nestled within some of the greatest cars of all time, so how does the V-format compare to the in-line alternative?

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Engine Bay by Grant.C

"Mazda MX-6 2.5i V6 vs Honda Prelude 2.3i 4WS Dragrace" by Erwin Lindsen

[henris]

Inline sixes are light, simple, balanced, and have the best sound. Inline six is the best engine for sure

[ErwinSchrodinger]

There's another plus to an I-6, the long beautiful front end they give cars.

[E_tiBEAMERBOY]

Straight 6 is the best because Rb26, 2JZ & S54

[deanjohnson]

"I6 engines are making a comeback"
BMW: Am I a joke to you?

[AustinLWMoore-ihsi]

The first engine I built with my dad was an inline 6 so it has a soft spot in my heart. Such a wonderful piece of machinery! I'm glad it is making a comeback!

[jacplac]

Here's the main difference.
I6 will make you stand out in the Inline community
V6 will make you a laughing stock in the V community.

[anthonydeluca]

You should do this with a v12 and w12 also.

[MrStephen]

"Advantages" ; "Front wheel Who the hell wants a front wheel drive.

[crigger]

It isn't a V8, my red blooded north American rage is intense.

[mklinger]

From an engineering standpoint, I think the "balance" part of inline 6's are misunderstood. As he said, the forces balance each other out. This is mainly important for bearing life. This was much more important in the early days of cars but now, we've figured out how to balance forces in almost any engine configuration and also how to make better bearings. The inline 6 configuration does still make balancing a lot simpler. There's no need for balance shafts or counterweights which makes them much less complicated and lighter. Because if this, you can squeeze a few more horses out of an inline 6 because there's less mass to rotate. This also makes them lighter along with the fact that the block design requires less material and you only need one head. So from a driving standpoint, you aren't going to notice much of a difference between a v6 or an i6. The i6 may seem to rev a little easier due to the lessened oscillating masses but that's about it. The smoothness from an engine is only dependant on number of cylinders and firing order and not really the configuration.

[TheObiwantoby]

Times have changed in 2019. BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar, and Mazda are all developing or have modern straight 6 engines.

[okwarrior]

Hey guys I watched this youtube video and am now an expert mechanic. Catch me arguing in your nearest comment section

[OneDudeRocks]

BMW still sticks to the inline 6 cylinder engines and I love the 3.0 I6 motor of my M2. Great sound, much torque and a smooth ride.

[Personlpp]

Inline 6's are why you got to eat today. Everything in your home was towed by an inline 6. They move the entire world.

[TheIrishPhantom]

Radial-6 vs Flat-6 vs 6-Rotor-Wankle vs V-6 vs Straight-6 vs Slant-6 vs W-6.
Woah...

[twobeer]

I always liked the I6 engines. Smooth, simple, made the engine compartment look so clean. Seems like they would be perfect for pick up trucks...

[RSkyline]

I would love to see the Inline 6 make a come back

[ehmjauhh]

Bmw owner here, inline 6 are the bomb, the have a beautiful sound are easy to work on, and one of the most important, you have a cold side and a hot side in your engine bay

[repawnd]

I had a Jeep 4L I6, now I have a Mercedes 2.8L I6. Once you have a straight 6 it's hard to change to anything else.

[brunobegic]

Inline six is the most reliable engine configuration by a mile...
Almost all million mile cars you see are inline sixes and for good reasons: balance, simplicity, power delivery etc
And the reason mercedes is going back to inline six is they want their old glory of making reliable machinery and I'm pretty sure they will succeed