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Show ' ! 'I I' NHb what ,s the umit of the number of !?J i tt5 CYLINDERS? ! ' yffw The Horseless Age of recent issue says: '))M mi Since the Introduction of the four-cylinder vertical motor the size and horse power of au- 1 '1 ! 'K 1 tomobile engines have gradually been increased. ' 11 is conceded that tliere is a limlt t0 the slze of the bore of a fm'-cylinder engine if smooth ; ' ' '! '! i'V' running is desired and unnecessary strains on the ; HtBjj.i,? driving mechanism are to be avoided. As the de- ; fffl4fP mand for these qualities, together with a desire i ! iV' for Btill more power, Increased the six-cylinder IS M car made its appearance on the market. In the ' "l$m Wm minds of many the uniformity of torque and the ' ' y ijjjt MI exceptionally good pulling qualities of those ; ' jM Wt,$c motors when throttled are sufficient to offset any ' ' 1 ;Pr I fflk trouble due to their added complications. 1 '''W-llil Recently the eight-cyliiuler touring car has ' I ' 'i'wLn Iff madQ its nl)0aranco and tUG Question naturally ' ' Mt 1 fwi arises: "What Is the limit of the number of ' ' ' 'lliffl flS cylinders that will be accepted for touring car ' ' 1 S Ifl purposes?" We believe that a good four-cylinder if'lw il engine without excessively large bore will de- ' 1 1 fiw Tl' velop sufficient power to carry five people over ' , I" w any road whore tourists would care to travel, ' ' 'Hffll i HP- and at aB lllgh lf not hlguer rates o sped tnan - ' 1 i'i K . tliey are ever allowert to travel- Nevertheless ' 'llw lif tllis wIU not Prevent tue uao of a few sIx or eight-cylinder motors by those who desire either f 'PB'lifP' cylinder motors by those who desire either to 1 ' irR I Pi' be somewhat different from the ordinary motorist, ' I I' wK'Iff or wno wisn an exceptionally high powered ve- i hlcle. It is also certain that some motor enthu- ! t: J m siasts will drive six-cylinder engines of small i ; f W'plW bore whid- do not develop any more power than ; ! ' -i jakflllf is obtained from the majority of the four-cylinder I ' ' ! ft 11 engines in use, simply because of the running i i I'i' H il 'M qualities which this type of engine possesses. 1 1 ' N SfSwll? Tne (luestlon now arises: Is nut the uniformity ' : HBB of torQ.ue of tuis type of motor sufficient? Is HflfflSl there any necessity for building the even more folr complicated eight-cylinder engine, even though it 'jw!fi does give a more uniform turning moment? Cer- Rt; tainly the appearance of this eight-cylinder en- ' ' wfip1 gine was n0 due an neec urtier ncrease in power. However, if more than four cylinders are to be used, the eight-cylinder shows several advantages over the six, as the V arrangement can be carried practically under the same hood that would bo required for a four-cylinder engine, while the six-cylinder is considerably longer. From this it will be seen that again the question of added complication is to be weighed against some advantages possessed by this type of motor. Eight would seem to be the rational limit of cylinder numbers, as any further Increase would simply add unnecessary complication, make a much larger and heavier engine and would not show advantages sufficient to make it popular Such a motor would have no reason whatever for its existence ori account of any necessity for more power, as even a four-cylinder engine properly prop-erly constructed is capable of developing all that is required. Although six and eight-cylinder engines en-gines will doubtless be used to a small extent by a certain class of people, It is not believed that they will ever become prevailing types, the four-cylinder engine eventual . holding the field against all comers. |