xt6wagon
Well-Known Member
H6 is completely balanced naturally. H4 has 3rd order issues, which is why Subaru motors "wobble", most noticeable when starting or shutting off the motor.The Inline 6, from an engineering standpoint, is superior to the V6 and H6 due to harmonics. With the appropriate firing order, an I6 eliminates both primary and secondary mechanical vibrations, resulting in a significantly smoother engine. This comes with the downside, of course, of a much longer engine, making for packaging issues. V6s often require balance shafts or mass dampers attached to the crankshaft to dampen some of the intrinsic vibrations they produce.
I6 is prefered in industrial applications because its cheap and easy. When you are machining a large engine block, having everything in single line, and a single plain means far less cost. Cheaper and easier to deal with the exhaust and intake too.
I6's dont work in most cars as engine length is a problem, and engine width is less so. The cost issues between inline and V are clear though when you look at 4 cylinder engines. How many V4's have been used vs I4.
H engines are a bit of a special case as you can pull some money back out by way of needing little block strength compared to other configurations. A high power H4 doesn't need a heavy reinforced block with strong main caps to keep the crank from leaving. It has only 2 cylinders a side and its pushing into a whole other engine block. Still more expensive than a I4, but there is places to claw back the difference. Low power ones also need less cooling, as tons of surface area is there assisting.
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