Straight-six advantages

First of all, like every in-line engine, the straight-six cylinder engine is a nice and simple layout. Having no cylinder offset, the costs for manufacture are low and without the need for any separate cylinder heads or valvetrains like in the V-configuration. Rather than using twice as much smaller camshafts, a DOHC I6 engine simply uses two longer camshafts which open and close the valves.

The simple design of these engines is also pointed out when you work on them, with the straight configuration giving you enough access to every spark plug, ancillaries and leads for general maintenance, making the I6 engine the beloved friend of an amateur mechanic.

The greatest advantage of a straight-six engine however comes through its balancing. Thanks to the normal firing order of the straight-six engine, every piston moves simultaneously with its mirror image on the other side of the engine block. This means that the first and six piston reciprocate, followed by the second and the fifth and finally finishing with the third and the fourth. When the first pair of pistons reach top dead Centre, the other four are evenly spaced around the engine cycle at an angle of 120 and 240 degrees respectively, so the reciprocating forces are balanced with each other. Such working order of the pistons gives you an engine that revs smoothly, thanks to which engines such as the BMW S50 and Nissan’s RB26 became known for.

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