Are twenty cylinders enough?

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I'm tired of having trouble getting to work or worried about being stranded because of car trouble. I'm driving a Hyundai Accent 2003, but I've been having to research fixes and improvements since I bought it mid-January. Seems like I've been doing enough modification that I ought to understand what the performance is that I'm aiming for. I figure I ought to start with available fuel, since it's a limiter to travel. Diesel is the most common fuel globally, pretty sure, but usually have to have gigantic engines to match the performance of gas engines; the street legal standards are harder to hit. Top Fuel cars aren't going to be easy to fill up on the road. I'd rather go with a Premium fuel engine and have gas always available and design it around Premium. Most 20 cyl engines are for planes or heavy equipment. I'm trying to think of one that would be the most powerful street legal engine, then hook it up to a regular car. I figure V6 is better than I4, and V8 is better than V6...therefore the most powerful car in the world at W16 must be surpassed by a 20-cyl. Then add one of those engines to each corner for AWD. Build that engine or engines (the car would probably need more than four wheels to support the engines) as big as road width and turning at right angles onto side streets will allow for. Pack in as many turbos as space will allow, with a minimum of four turbos for each engine. Scale appropriately to RV size (enough to hold a dishwasher, fridge, washer/dryer, an actual home to live in). Make sure everything is street legal and has enough sway bars to travel across rough terrain (at least what treaded vehicles can surmount; if not, build the car with extendable treads).

Either make it waterborne or build a water carrier that the RV can be ferried across rivers; the water carrier must fit within the car and or able to be towed with it at all times. Now include an aircraft carrier (helicopter or fixed wing) that can tow the car/boat or add props to the existing engines; any outboard equipment must be able to be included with the car at all times. The RV/boat/plane has to be approved by the FAA, NTSB, and the strictest county DMVs. Submersible capability is preferred in the event of storms during international trips, but not mandatory. That way I won't have to worry about getting to work, I can move anywhere and work anywhere, never have to worry about driving home if I'm already in it.
 
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Just burning rubber my friend.
laugh.gif
 
Originally Posted By: turtlevette
I suggest you dial 911 right away. I believe you're having a stroke.

Lol! I laughed a little too hard at that one.
 
hahaha it sounds like a daydream i would have had when i was 5 lol. quite the plan you've conjured up in your mind there. I suppose all the snow in Louisville has kept you in the house too long?? lol
 
I love very high performance cars. I'm a HP junkie. I've driven some of the worlds best and fastest cars (no, not the Veyron, yet... )

One thing I know, 650HP is about the limit for a rear wheel drive performance car on sticky street tires. Sure, traction control can be used to tame those 600HP prior to reaching speeds where traction is not a problem. Which seem to be about 60-80MPH depending on conditions.

And 1000HP is a practical limit for AWD cars. At which point, even 4 very sticky tires simply can't put the power down very effectively.

Yes, I'm fully aware that some setups can change these numbers somewhat. But, traction problems will "crop up" at high HP levels.

So, your proposed 20 cylinder engine might be configured somewhat differently. Possibly a 20 cylinder 2 stroke?
 
Jay Leno has a "car" that is made with a V-16 cylinder Ford GAF-500 engine from an M-48 Patton tank. Probably on YT. Start there. I had worked on a 5-Ton gasoline tractor with a 600 Cu.In. gas inline 6. Got about 2-3 MPG, and had (like the Ford engine) two spark plugs to ensure ignition of the fuel/air mixture.
Two reasons super large displacement gas engines went out of style are the flammability of carrying large amounts of gasoline. Gas engines are not capable of producing large amounts of torque due to the lower energy density of gasoline vs. diesel and the lower average cylinder pressure vs. a diesel.
 
joel96, you gotts it all wrong. The trend is for fewer cylinders and gettin a larger amount of HP from it.

Think something like a 10 liter single cylinder that produces 800 HP, with straight pipe exhaust.
 
Actually this reminds me of stories concerning how the Bradley Fighting Vehicle was designed.

It was supposed to be the next generation of troop mover, and it turned into a swiss army knife with the silhouette of a huge tank and none of the capacities/capabilities of either vehicles. I think the grand total was something like 2 billion spent in R & D, and then much of what the Bradley does/did is easily replaced by a more purpose built vehicle, the Stryker (which in many cases is still a better designed swiss army knife).
 
I've been driving the same Honda Civic wagon for 30 years and it's never failed to start and get me where I'm going. I has only 74 horsepower and 4 cylinders and 5 speeds and 5 doors. Should I be considering packing a bicycle? Maybe it's been reliable because it's simple. New cars are not simple, anymore and I'm too old to know that I need all these new gadgets just to drive around.
 
I was in the Army for 26 years.
I would recommend you go out and get the Abrams tank. It is already designed and in production. Has been for 35 years or so.
It will almost fit your requirements. Not quite. It can do many water crossings but not the really deep ones. And if small trees and the Honda Civic gets in your way, oh well, you can forget about them being a problem.
And it will travel at about 60 mph wide open. She does suck a lot of fuel. Right about 2 gallons per mile. So please limit the distance of your travels.
It is the most reliable tank on earth so far.
Getting your hands on main gun rounds might be hard. And expensive. Try the black market. So don't shoot all your rounds up too quickly.
And if you have a track problem, oh well, that is a problem. You might need a crew to help with that fix.
But I hope I have helped you consider an already available form of transport that you can pick up without all your design problems. I forget the cost. Probably in the 7 figure range. Depends on fire control systems, electronics, paint and what not.
Good luck
 
No, 20 cylinders are not enough.
You should try for 24, or maybe even 42.
You won't set the world record for number of cylinders in an engine until you get over 42.
How about a 4-bank radial with 11 cylinders each?
 
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