What are straight and V-type engines?
Most car internal combustion (IC) engines are multi-cylinder engines and typically have their cylinders arranged in one of two ways, an ‘in-line’, or a ‘V’, although other combinations exits.
In an in-line engine, as the name indicates, all the cylinders are in a row.
In a V-type engine the cylinders are arranged in two rows of cylinders set at an angle to each other that align to a common crankshaft. Each group of cylinders making up one side of the ‘V’ is referred to as a bank of cylinders.
There are many different types of engine, as can be seen below. Typically, an internal combustion engine used within a car will be of the in-line or V-type.
Types of Engine
Tip 1: If you see/hear the term 'its a V8' or, 'its a V12', the 'V' simply refers to the cylinder arrangement. The '8' or '12' refers to the number of cylinders (total, not on each bank).
Tip 2: If you see/hear the term 'its a straight 6' or, 'its a straight 8', the 'straight' simply refers to the cylinder arrangement. The '6' or '8' refers to the total number of cylinders.
Related Online Engineering Courses
Internal Combustion Engine Basics
Diesel Engine Fundamentals (Part 1)
Diesel Engine Fundamentals (Part 2)
Additional Resources
https://thenewswheel.com/what-is-the-difference-between-inline-vs-v-engines
https://www.carthrottle.com/post/engineering-explained-the-pros-and-cons-of-different-engine-types
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_engine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_engine