Straight engine

Usually found in 4 and 6 cylinder configurations, the straight engine (often designed as inline engine) is an internal-combustion engine with all cylinders aligned in one row, with no or only minimal offset.

A straight engine is considerably easier to build than an otherwise equivalent horizontally opposed or V engine because the cylinder bank can be milled from a single metal casting and it requires fewer cylinder heads and camshafts. Inline engines are also much smaller in volume than designs like the radial, and can be mounted in any direction. Straight configurations are simpler than their V-shaped counterparts and usually provide smoother running, but at the cost of greater engine length.


Automobile use

The straight-4 is by far the most common 4 cylinder configuration, whereas the straight-6 has largely given way to the V6, which although not as naturally smooth-running is smaller in both length and height and easier to fit into the engine bay of smaller modern cars. Some manufacturers, notably Acura, Audi, Toyota, VW and Volvo, have also used straight-5 configurations. The General Motors Atlas family includes straight-4, straight-5, and straight-6 engines.

Many manufacturers mount straight engines at an angle from the vertical, referring to them as slant engines. Chrysler's famous Slant 6 was used in many models in the 1960s and 1970s. Honda also often mounts their straight-4 and straight-5 engines at a slant, as on the Honda S2000 and Acura Vigor. SAAB first used an inline-4 tilted at 45 degrees for the Saab 99, but later versions of the engine were less tilted.

Two main factors have led to the recent decline of the straight-6 in automotive applications. Lanchester balance shafts, an old idea reintroduced by Mitsubishi in the 1980s to overcome the natural harshness of the straight-4 engine and rapidly adopted by many other manufacturers, have made both straight-4 and V-6 engines much more refined than used to be the case. The inherent smoothness of the straight-6 is no longer as great an advantage as it used to be. Secondly, at around the same time, fuel consumption became a much more important factor. Cars became smaller and much more space-efficient. The engine bay of a modern small or medium car, typically designed for a straight-4, often does not have room for a straight-6, but can fit a V-6 with only minor modifications. Conversely, if the car is designed to have enough room for a straight-6, the 4-cylinder version of the same car will have wasted space and, all else being equal, cost a little more to manufacture and use more fuel.

Some manufacturers (originally Lancia, and more recently Volkswagen with the VR6) have attempted to combine advantages of the straight and V configurations by producing a narrow-angle V; this is more compact than either configuration, but is less smooth (without balancing) than either.

Straight-6 engines can still be found in passenger vehicles like the Australian Ford Falcon, some entry-level Lexus models, the Toyota Land Cruiser, and BMW 6-cylinder models.


Aviation, bus and rail use

Renault produced an inverted air-cooled Straight-6 for airplanes, this was used on the Stampe. A similar design was the de Havilland Gipsy series of engines, used on the Tiger Moth and other aircraft. Advantages include improved visibility for the pilot in single engined craft, and lower center of gravity.

Engines of this type in some buses and trains have been built in a horizontal form. This differs from a flat engine because it is essentially an inline engine laid on its side. Underfloor engines for buses and DMUs are commonly seen in this design. Such engines may be based on a conventional upright engine with alterations to make it suitable for horizontal mounting.


Automotive, aircraft and marine use

* Straight-twin
* Straight-3
* Straight-4
* Straight-5
* Straight-6
* Straight-8
* Straight-9
* Straight-10
* Straight-12
* Straight-14
* Straight-24