3 Cylinder Engines, 3 Cylinder VS 4 Cylinder Engine, BMW 3 Cylinder Engine, 3 Cylinder cars in India

Image source- Google | Image by- www.cars24.com

Hello Guys,

In this blog we are going to talk on 3 cylinder engines. So, before starting the topic firstly let us clear what is car cylinder. A car cylinder is a cylinderical shaped space in a car engine which has pistons located in it. In lay men language it's a chamber where the gasoline is burned and turned into power. That's why it is also known as powerhouse of the engine. 

In India till now more than 90% of the engines are 4 cylinder engines. But these days Indian as well as various other car manufacturers also are focusing on 3 cylinder engines. Earlier 3 cylinder engines were only seen in entry level cars like Maruti's 800cc, Cheverolet beat ,Tata tiago etc. But today the scenario is quite different , After testing 3 cylinder engines on some mid-range cars like Ecosport, Baleno RS etc. now brands are adopting this concept to luxury cars too. BMW B38 , VOLVO XC40 are some luxury cars which are performing very well in the market from last 5-6 years with 3 cylinder engines on offer. Volvo XC40 is Volvo's first 3 cylinder car in its 91 year's history.

3 CYLINDER VS 4 CYLINDER -

The major and the obvious difference between the two, is the number of cylinders that the both engines are offering, whereas the other difference comes in the firing order or the power generation of both the engines. Incase of 3 cylinder engine power is generated at every 240-degree of the crankshaft however incase of 4 cylinder engines its power is generated at every 180-degree. Finding the firing interval is very simple and practical only what we have to do is to divide 720 by the number of cylinders whose firing interval we are finding out. Due to this delayed firing interval we feel power lag in 3 cylinder cars at initial rpm's and have noticable vibrations.The difference will be felt only at lower speeds & as the car gains the momentum we cannot figure out whether the engine is 3 cylinder or 4.

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Image source- Google| Image by- www.mycarhelpline.com

But it is not completely right to say that 3 cylinder engines are less powerful than 4 cylinders. Suppose, we are having 1lt. 3 cylinder engine on one side and 1lt. 4 cylinder engine on the other. While testing these we'll feel 4 cylinder engine to be more powerful & responsive, despite the fact that both are having same power configurations. The difference is not in power output, the difference comes in power delivery because of one less cylinder it has power lag. Lets take an example, suppose you are a boxer and you are punching someone/something continously from your both hands with all your power. And in 2nd case you are punching the samething with same power but with only one hand. In 2nd case the time when your hand is coming back & it has nothing to substitue with , it is know as power lag, where as in 1st case when one hand is coming back it is being substituted by the other one. Same is the case with engines. More the number of cylinders, more refined , responsive and powerful the engine is. That's why all the luxury car brands mostly use 6 and 8 cylinder engines.

3 Cylinder Engine

WHY 3 CYLINDER??

But then the question arises, why brands are adopting 3 cylinder engines. Basically the thing is 3 cylinder are better in terms of fuel efficiency, space and low maintenance. Because of one less cylinder,weight of engines is also reduced & fuel intake process is also slow which enhances the efficiency of the engine and cost of manufacturing as well as cost of maintenance is also low because of less parts which also helps in space management. That's why today brands are preffering 3 cylinder engines along with turbocharger technology inorder to Minimize the power lag. Turbocharger is such a great thing that, a 1lt. turbocharged 3 cylinder engine can easily beat a 1500 or 1600 cc normal 4cylinder engine in performance.  That's why more and more brands are using turbocharged technology not only in diesel as well as in petrol cars also.

Turbocharger

CONCLUSION

Both type of engines are developed and designed to cater to different needs and have different consumers which they have to serve. If you are in a market for refined and powerful car then without a doubt go for 4 cylinder, as it is a perfect balance of power and refinememt. But if you are concerned about efficiency and maintenance then you should go for 3 cylinder car without having a myth that it will be less powerful than the 4 cylinder. 

So, guys that's all from my side. Do Check out my this article too on - BS6 Engines . If you like it, do comment and share and Stay tuned to g-autoblogs for more four wheeler updates and personal reviews.