V4 engine

For other uses, see V4.

File:Saab Sonett III Ford V4 engine.jpg

Ford Taunus V4 engine in Saab Sonett III.

A V4 engine is a type of four-cylinder engine, a Vee-form engine with four cylinders. A V4 engine typically has three main bearings. Usually one bank of cylinders will comprise cylinders # 1&3, and the other bank # 2&4. For reasons of packaging, the Honda VFR1200 has a 1&4, and 2&3 layout, meaning one bank is longer than the other.

Advantages and disadvantages of the V4 engine

Compared to an inline-four, the advantages of the V4 engine include compactness, short length along the crankshaft, and, with a 90° V-angle, perfect primary balance giving a smooth and nearly vibration-free operation.

A disadvantage is that, as with a V-twin, it is more difficult to locate ancillaries, inlet systems, and exhaust systems. A V4 is usually more expensive to produce than an equivalent in-line four, having double the number of cylinder blocks, cylinder heads, and inlet and exhaust systems. Also, while a V-4 is essentially two V-twins side-by-side, a V4 can have a rocking couple that is not present in a V-twin. The compact 60° V4 is not perfectly smooth and needs a balance shaft.

In modern times, the V4's advantages have made it particularly suitable for motorcycles and outboard motors; but the advantages in a car have been found not to be worth the expense, especially as access for maintenance can become more difficult.

Automobile use

One of the earliest V4 internal combustion engines was that designed by Émile Mors of Paris to power his motor-car of 1897. The 90 degree V-angle with central camshaft and spark ignition meant its layout is much like more modern engines, though in this case the inlet valves were operated by suction alone. At the time the lack of vibration from this layout was a key selling point.

The V4 engine has not been widely used in cars, with Lancia, Ford and ZAZ the only companies to manufacture such an engine.

Lancia produced several narrow-angle V4 engines from the 1920s through 1960s for cars like the Lambda, Augusta, Artena, Aprilia, Ardea, Appia, and Fulvia.

Ford of Europe produced two totally different V4 engines with a balance shaft, one in the UK and one in Germany:

• The British Ford Essex V4 engine, mainly used in the Ford Transit and the Corsair.
• The German Ford Taunus V4 engine (also used by Saab, the Matra 530 and in the 1962 Ford Mustang I rear-engine concept roadster)

The Ukrainian manufacturer ZAZ used an air-cooled V4 with a balance shaft, produced by MeMZ and used in Zaporozhets and LuAZ cars.

In 2014, Porsche announced that their 919 Hybrid Le Mans Prototype would use a small-capacity, turbocharged V4 engine.

Motorcycle use

File:VMAX day 2009. Engine cutaway, side.jpg

Cutaway view of the V4 engine of a Yamaha V-Max

File:Honda ST1100 engine closeup.jpg

Longitudinal V4 engine in a Honda ST1100 with its fairing removed

In the 1930 Matchless Silver Hawk used a narrow-angle V4, while Puch used a very wide-angle V4. V4 engines are more recently found in motorcycles, typically transversely mounted. This engine design enjoyed particular popularity during the mid-to-late 1980s, especially in Honda motorcycles. Models with V4 engines include:

• Aprilia RSV4
• Aprilia Tuono V4
• Ducati Apollo
• Ducati Desmosedici
• Honda Sabre V4
• Honda Magna
• Honda Interceptor VF500F
• Honda Interceptor VF750F
• Honda Interceptor VF1000F
• Honda VF1000R
• Honda VFR750R RC30
• Honda VFR800 Interceptor
• Honda RVF750 RC45
• Honda NR
• Honda RC212V
• Honda ST1100 and ST1300 (Pan-European) with longitudinal engines.
• Honda VFR400R
• Honda VFR750F
• Honda VFR1200F
• Motus MST with a longitudinal engine.
• Suzuki GV1400 Cavalcade
• Suzuki Madura
• Suzuki GSV-R
• Suzuki RGV500
• Yamaha Venture and Venture Royale
• Yamaha Royal Star and Royal Star Venture
• Yamaha V-Max and VMAX
• Yamaha YZR500

Other uses

Wisconsin Motors produced an air-cooled V4 petrol (gasoline) engine that is used in various industrial, agricultural, and stationary applications. Farm equipment Manufacturers liked to use the Wisconsin V4s due to their compact size and power output.

Turner Manufacturing Co (Wolverhampton, England) developed a V4 water-cooled diesel engine in the mid-1940s for a variety of industrial and marine uses, and used it in their own "Yeoman of England" agricultural tractor from 1949 to 1957.

Another use of the V4 engine is in outboard motors. They are two-stroke cycle and generally carbureted. Some of the largest manufacturers are Johnson, Evinrude and Yamaha. This type of engine is popular because of its small size, while still producing 140 hp (104 kW), or more.