"Lost a cylinder in the war" the 1cyl engine.

"Moose Kitty" (moosekitty)
05/13/2014 at 16:45 • Filed to: None

So as everyone knows there are engines of all oddities. The H, flat, V, etc. but what about the most unloved and normally unseen (car wise not motorcycles sorry) engine, the single cylinder.

The more the merrier is one of the most true sayings in all things horse power. With more cylinders though there is a loss at fuel economy. "Nobody but hippies and moms care about that stuff" you might say, but I'm here to tell you there is away to mash both of these concepts together with out using diesel or hybrid power (technically). THE SINGLE CYLINDER. A engine type that is full of potential.

What started me on this topic was the IOS game Motor World Car Factory. In the game there is a hillclimb racer that is the equivalent of a Smart Fortwo, but with only one piston power. The base model that the racer came from had about 70 hp the same amount that the Mirage makes (but with two less cylinders) and the KTM 690 abs duke makes. The hill climb version had 1,197 hp from the same engine. Now 1200 hp would be a lot to ask for, but it got me thinking...turbocharged 1cyl.

Lets say we start with a 1cyl engine that made about 80 hp. Then mate it with a very large electric supercharger running around 70psi of boost. A 1cyl engine already has a lot of torque this would add even more. The horsepower would be increased staggeringly also. For the supercharger would be carbon fiber with the inner lined with aluminum. It would be direct injected, air cooled, and six valves (three intake, three exhaust).

Well with such a small package a moderate amounts of torque and horse power the body it need to power also needs to be lightweight. Thus it would be tube framed, use carbon fiber and magnesium in its body. There would be only four removable panels similar to the AC Cobra or the HGK drift BMW kit car. Each panel would be hinged and stay down with pins. It would be a single seater and have the components of the car placed together like an F1 car. For example the driver sits in front of the fuel tank and the fuel tank sits in front of the engine. With this set up the car would be rear mid engined. The image that i see of the car is similar to this:

I have no reason other than I wouldn't want the car to look like a Prius. Plus CF so what do you think of the idea. I'm later going to post the history of the single cylinder engine, and some of the ones found in cars and bikes today.

DISCUSSION (22)

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Moose Kitty
05/13/2014 at 16:54

One cylinder... Wouldn't this run extremely unsmooth?

4age20vsilvertop > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
05/13/2014 at 16:59

No one cares because Racecar.

Brian Silvestro > Moose Kitty
05/13/2014 at 17:01

So a BAC Mono with one cylinder? Love it!

Moose Kitty > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
05/13/2014 at 17:02

Yes, but that is without any counter balancing done to it.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Moose Kitty
05/13/2014 at 17:03

Apart from power pulses hard enough to cause the trans to dissolve, and NVH such as the gods have never seen, what's not to like?

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Brian Silvestro
05/13/2014 at 17:09

I love the idea of building my own, but using a Ford 3-cylinder Ecoboost. I'm just itching for them to come out with a crate version of that engine.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Moose Kitty
05/13/2014 at 17:09

Yeah, I suppose that could be done, I bet it get's tricky with a 1 cylinder though.

Brian Silvestro > BaconSandwich is tasty.
05/13/2014 at 17:12

I take want them to start selling it as well. Literally endless possibilities.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Moose Kitty
05/13/2014 at 17:21

Gonna test this in Live for Speed, expect some interesting results.

lonestranger > Moose Kitty
05/13/2014 at 17:24

Kinja'd!!!

Uhh, this is

1: a motorcycle engine "(car wise not motorcycles sorry)",

2. a twin

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
05/13/2014 at 17:27

Is that even possible? How hard would it be to make your own car with a weird-ass engine like this?

Moose Kitty > lonestranger
05/13/2014 at 17:28

I know its a motorcycle engine is was saying its very uncommon in cars and that i'd be talking about them in a car aspect. I didn't know it was a twin though thanks for pointing that out.

Moose Kitty > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
05/13/2014 at 17:32

Your quite right, but you know fantasy engine that will most likely never be made.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > BaconSandwich is tasty.
05/13/2014 at 17:33

There's already a semi-terrible 3-cylinder "sports car" out there - the Melkus RS 1000 powered by the two-stroke 3-banger from a Trabant. They're probably not impossible to come by, either.

lonestranger > Moose Kitty
05/13/2014 at 17:36

You're welcome. For future reference, the two separated exhaust outlets and spark plug holes gave it away as a two-cylinder.

Moose Kitty > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
05/13/2014 at 17:36

Counter mesures would be taken to make sure the trans wouldn't liquify from the pure awesome.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
05/13/2014 at 17:36

Anything is possible with LFSTweak, or more recently, New Tweak Order.

Anyway, I just got a 645cc single cylinder engine producing 250 hp with about 75 PSI boost. Not looking too good to reach 1000 just yet, without exaggerating the boost a lot more. I'm using the MRT5 as a base, as it is the lightest, and fits the description of the BAC Mono best. It got 11.35 in the quarter mile, and acceleration is mind boggling.

Moose Kitty > lonestranger
05/13/2014 at 17:38

I didn't think to check when i found the pic.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
05/13/2014 at 17:39

I really need to get back into LFS. Are there any ways to add new cars (I want an El Camino dammit) or tracks like a rally stage (I want to rally an El Camino, dammit)?

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
05/13/2014 at 17:42

I'm afraid there aren't. Only way is to replace an existing car's body, and it'll cause a lot of collision issues online.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
05/13/2014 at 19:52

Interesting. I imagine coming by a Trabant engine in North America isn't the easiest thing to do, though. That, and it would appear that it made a total of 90~118 hp. That 3-cylinder ecoboost goes from 99-123 hp, but Formula Ford managed to get it upwards of 200 hp.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > BaconSandwich is tasty.
05/14/2014 at 08:52

I didn't actually mean Trabant - I meant Wartburg. Which actually was sold briefly in the USA and in England, FWIW, not that that makes it any easier to find per se.