Various cars come with different engine configurations which have their specific purposes, and these engines are built based on the arrangement of their cylinders. There are different types of cylinder arrangements in vehicles: straight engines, flat engines, W engines, U engines, V engines e.t.c. As mentioned earlier, the configuration of these engines serves different purposes in cars.

The V engines are so-called due to the arrangement of their cylinders on two separate opposite planes with an angle in-between, which usually varies between 60 to 90 degrees or even more in some engines. V configurations are commonly used in new generation engines because they help save space and can fit into most cars.

V engines are usually written with a V# notation, with the # representing the number of cylinders in the engine. For example, V8 would mean eight (8) cylinders arranged in a V shape. A "V" engine can have a varying number of cylinders. V2 engines are commonly used in motorbikes, V4 engines are also widely used in motorbikes and were used in early automobiles while, V6 and V8 can be seen in sports cars, pick-up trucks, and SUVs.

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The Advantage Of The V8 Engine

via Engine Swap Depot

These are engines with eight (8) cylinders, four (4) on opposite sides, in a V shape, with all sharing a common crankshaft. The advantages of a V8 engine include

Low vibration: this is due to the usage of the cross-plane crankshaft in most V8 engines, which provides balance.

Torque: great advantage of a V8 engine is its towing ability. This is why the V8 engine is used in many pick-up trucks and SUVs.

Horsepower: cars with more engines have more horsepower and so have more speed and acceleration.

The Top Five Japanese Engines Of All Time

Via: YouTube

American and European nations are widely known for producing V8 engines, but the Japanese also in no way come short in the production of V8 engines. They are known to produce the most efficient V8 engines of all.

Some of the best Japanese engines that the automotive world has ever witnessed include:

  1. Nissan R390 GT1: originally built in Japan, this car was designed to participate in the 24 hours of Le Mans. It had a 3.5litre twin-turbo V8 and produced 550Hp and 470lb-ft, respectively. Its result at the 24hours of Le Mans was moderately okay. This car was changed when the rules for the Le Mans were changed and were replaced by the R39 prototype. If you've noticed McLauren's V8 engine, you'll see that they were built based on the engine of the Nissan R390. Just one road version of this car was later built, but it was never intended to be sold.
  2. The 2UR GSE: it's is a 5liter, naturally aspirated V8 engine. In its production, Toyota worked closely with Yamaha. This engine has Yamaha-designed high flow heads, titanium intake valves, high lift cams, and dual light intake. This series started production in 2006, replacing the UZ series. When it was first built, it had a power of 310KW but was later increased to 351kw. This engine is still in use in the present Lexus RC F and the LC 500.
  3. The Toyota 1UZ FE: this is an all-aluminum, quad-cam Toyota engine with a 4.0liter gasoline piston, produced from 1989 to 2013. It was first used in the Lexus LS400. It has been said to be one of the most reliable products Toyota ever made. When the LS400 hit the market, it was faster, quieter, and cheaper than its competitors. It also had a better fuel economy. It was later given the approval to be tested in an airplane and used in some Toyota boats. Its production was stopped in 2013. However, some car enthusiasts use it as swaps in other cars because it is lightweight and compact. It has been proven to be very strong and reliable. It produced a power of 276Hp and a torque of 412Nm.
  4. The Toyota 1UR FE: It is a 4.6liter V8 engine; this engine succeeded the 2UZ FE. It had a weaker but lighter Aluminium engine block than its predecessor. The camshafts were also made hollow to minimize weight. Its crankshaft had six balance weights that were less smooth in its operations than its predecessor, the 2UZ FE, eight balance weights. This engine lacks the D4-S direct injection found in its predecessor and has a power of 385Hp. It is still in use in the Toyota Land cruiser.
  5. The R36V V8 Engine: this engine was built by Toyota in Japan, mainly to participate in the 24 hours of Le Man's and the All Japan sports prototype championship, but didn't win due to rather, unfortunate circumstances. It was developed as a 3.2liter V8 engine and had a 5-speed manual transmission. It also had an all rear-wheel drive and power of a whopping 630Hp.

The best V8 engine for me would be the Toyota 1UZ FE. However, some others were built to do better when it comes to speed, and acceleration. The Toyota 1UZ FE wasn't just built to have only an enormous horsepower, but also to be reliable, resilient and surprisingly cheap.

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