scootz
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| posted on 26/6/10 at 10:57 AM |
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Using V-Twin Engines...
I quite like the idea of using a V-twin engine in a reverse-trike purely because of the power-delivery, but I'm a little conscious that with one
(large!) cylinder sitting almost vertically, then I could be compromising the all-important centre-of-gravity issue.
I'm thinking that an in-line four will have more of it's weight sitting forward in the car (and possibly lower).
Has anyone ever weighed a V-twin? I'm following a train of logic that says the V-twin engine must be heavier as the bikes they populate tend to
be heavier machines than their litre 4-cylinder competitors.
Any opinions?
It's Evolution Baby!
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StevieB
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| posted on 26/6/10 at 11:02 AM |
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I thought of using a v-twin in my midget race car build.
My main concern wasn't so much the vertical height, as I think that's not too much different to a normal 4cyl motor, and you only have one
rather than 4 cylinders, so probably actually a better CoG. My main concern was more to do with the front cylinder sticking through the area where my
suspension would need to be.
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smart51
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| posted on 26/6/10 at 11:02 AM |
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boxer engines are good for low C of G. I guess that's why Grinnall use them. Scooter engines are the same. V twins are nice and narrow, which
is good for a single seater. How tall is the engine you're looking at? How high is the crank from the sump. An individual engine will have a
low C of G if the crank height and overall height are low.
On mine, I'm moving the battery and cooling right to the front to help improve weight distribution a little.
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BenB
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| posted on 26/6/10 at 11:25 AM |
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Go the whole hog and fit a V4 
There a ST1100 "trike" on youtube.
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ali f27
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| posted on 26/6/10 at 12:07 PM |
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I fancy puting v max in my car anbody looked at it
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scootz
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| posted on 26/6/10 at 01:05 PM |
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It will be going into a single-seater, but there is plenty room at the back for a 4-cyl.
Re. the Boxer engines. Are they not super-heavy?
It's Evolution Baby!
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BenB
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| posted on 26/6/10 at 06:37 PM |
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I know STM put a twin engine car in one of the locosts. It was certainly a Honda lump perhaps the SP1 if I recall correctly.
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phelpsa
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| posted on 26/6/10 at 07:24 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by scootz
It will be going into a single-seater, but there is plenty room at the back for a 4-cyl.
Re. the Boxer engines. Are they not super-heavy?
The newer generation of BMW engines are lighter (the 1200 range), but still not great on the power to weight front. You also have to run a silly low
diff ratio (around 2:1) or massive wheels to get a reasonable top speed....
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smart51
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| posted on 26/6/10 at 07:53 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by phelpsa
The newer generation of BMW engines ... have to run a silly low diff ratio (around 2:1) or massive wheels to get a reasonable top speed....
Except with a single rear wheel, you can use the same wheel and final drive as the donor bike
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