Watch This Man Prove V4 Engines Are Best Using Soda Cans And Tape

Bore vs Coke.

Jacob Black

By: Jacob Black

Oct 30, 2019 at 10:11am ET

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I like big bores and I cannot lie, but the crankshaft soon might die. That’s a simplified version of this man’s argument in favor of a V4 engine configuration. Like the engine in Ducati’s Panigale V4 S, for example, or Honda’s VFR 800.

The video by YouTuber The Workshopuses tape rolls, coke cans, and Red Bull cans as visual aids to help demonstrate the benefits of a V4 architecture. Effectively, you can have a larger number of large-bore, short-stroke pistons in a narrow width, which improves the ability for the crankshaft to handle the twisting forces being applied to it.

Along with the benefits, our British hero does mention the various drawbacks of a V4 engine: Cost, weight, packaging issues, etc. He is also quick to point out that basic architecture is only one component of engine design, and that there are lots of reasons why, for example, inline fours work better in some instances.

Warning: If you get precious about four-letter words you might struggle with this video. Old mate is a bit of a bandit for the odd swear word, and you’re bound to get an earful in a short space of time. If you can handle some good-natured and benign cursing than you’ll find this 17 minute video utterly fascinating.

What do you think?

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The beauty of any good educational video is conveying a complex idea in a simple way, and this one is very effective. By carefully keeping the brief of his explanation tight, and hanging a lampshade on the obvious digressions he could have made as he went on, the narrator is able to cover off this one argument without a lot of room for bickering or confusion.

If you’ve been looking for a way to improve your knowledge of engine design, or a prop to help win an internet argument about V4 versus inline four, this video might just be the ticket.

Source: The Workshop