I have a habit of skipping 3rd in mine on occasion because it sounds like a straight 6 if you use your imagination.
3 cylinder engines dont do meny miles?
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I have a habit of skipping 3rd in mine on occasion because it sounds like a straight 6 if you use your imagination.
The 2 legged dog concept in the Fiat 500 must be quite problematic then
My previous Honda spontaneously converted itself to a 3 cylinder engine at about 140k miles. It's evolution I think.
Unfortunately, 3cyl engines have a few hindrances.
Often, they are bolted to a crappy rust bucket that will be worth so little that any minor engine issue would warrant a trip to the scrap yard.
Because they are usually small they need to be thrashed to get any sort of performance.
They are often found in the type off car that is driven by someone who doesn't see the value in regular servicing.
Often, they are bolted to a crappy rust bucket that will be worth so little that any minor engine issue would warrant a trip to the scrap yard.
Because they are usually small they need to be thrashed to get any sort of performance.
They are often found in the type off car that is driven by someone who doesn't see the value in regular servicing.
Often but not always, some retain their value quite well.
that rather depends on how fast you want to get where you are going. My 1.2 3cyl Polo is fine for main road driving, it sits at 70MPH as smooth and quiet as anything and it gives me great fuel economy (for a car of that period) while doing so. I personally have no issue changing gear at reletively low RPM's, I don't find myself getting left behind anywhen other than pulling out of a slip road onto a dual carriageway, in which case yes, you do need to give it a bit of a boot full. I suppose in something like a Corsa B you might need to clod it a bit more often, but that isnt as good of an engine. But then again, was the 4cyl engine in the same car any good either? It's down to the quality of the unit, not how many cylinders it has. I would rather have a 3cyl engine designed by VW than a 4cyl engine designed by Vauxhall.
Sounds a bit strange but I suppose it is true, young drivers looking for lower insurance premiums, elderly drivers who just need to get about, people looking for a cheap to run car as a stop-gap who may not be able to afford proper servicing, fair point. When I got my car it was in quite a state, but every little issue has been righted now, and I feel that it still has a lot of life in it even with 120,000 on the clock. The same could be said of a 4cyl car which has been owned by the same sorts of people. It isn't down to the engine itself, rather the people that own/drive the car.
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Of course. But the crap boxes bring down he reputation of 3cylinder engines.
I addition, comparatively, a 3 cylinder is likely to be revving higher to achieve the same speed. Ie at 70, I bet you are doing a higher rpm than - say a 2 litre diesel would be for the same speed.
This means that some components in the engine are working more, for the same distance. Piston rings, bearings, valves and springs.
Two examples I have driven :
Audi A2 - 100k on the clock, 2000rpm @70mph, no rust :-@ , 120 bhp/tonne, 70mpg best mpg (over tank)
Honda Beat - 60k on the clock, 9000rpm @70mph), rust ,soundtrack, 88 bhp/tonne, 56 mpg (over tank)
3 cyl's are the way forward - coming to a formula 1 circuit near you (next year maybe
)
Audi A2 - 100k on the clock, 2000rpm @70mph, no rust :-@ , 120 bhp/tonne, 70mpg best mpg (over tank)
Honda Beat - 60k on the clock, 9000rpm @70mph
), rust ,soundtrack, 88 bhp/tonne, 56 mpg (over tank)3 cyl's are the way forward - coming to a formula 1 circuit near you (next year maybe
)Two examples I have driven :
Audi A2 - 100k on the clock, 2000rpm @70mph, no rust :-@ , 120 bhp/tonne, 70mpg best mpg (over tank)
Honda Beat - 60k on the clock, 9000rpm @70mph
3 cyl's are the way forward - coming to a formula 1 circuit near you (next year maybe
What was the A2 like. I'm considering one for when 2 seats isn't enough.
That doesn't even mean anything.
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Well mines the same as the NSX. Far more impressive but equally as irrelevant 
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And Ricardo who developed the 1.2 3cyl polo engine also build the Mclaren MP12-4C engine. Although the heads and blocks are machined by Cosworth
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My car is 11 years old and has 120,000 miles on the clock. It has a 1.2L counterbalanced short-stroke tri-cylinder VW engine developed by Ricardo's in Shoreham.
No sign that it is going to fail any time soon. I'm sure that it will easily last another 120,000 miles, or another 11 years easily if I take good care of it.
I'm not sure where you would hear such rumours...
Of the engines available in that car, the 1.2 does have the highest failure rate, then again that isn't to do with it being a 3 cylinder, its just a poorly designed chain tensioners. The 3 cylinder 1.4TDi is however very reliable.