A V5 engine is a five-cylinder piston engine where the cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration.

Honda V5 Moto GP Engine

Even compared to the fairly rare straight-five engine, V5 engine designs are very uncommon. The first production V5 was the 1997–2007 Volkswagen Group VR5 engine. It is arguably not a true V5 engine, as all the cylinders share a single cylinder head. However, Honda produced a true V5 motorcycle racing engine, used in the RC211V.

Automobiles

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General Motors

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In the early 1980s, Oldsmobile developed a prototype 2.5 L (153 cu in) V5 diesel engine, however it never reached production stages and the project was subsequently abandoned.[1] The engine is based on the Oldsmobile V6 diesel engine with the fuel injection pump in the location of the "missing" sixth cylinder.[2] A prototype engine is on display at the RE Olds Museum in Lansing, Michigan.

Volkswagen Group

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The only V5 automobile engine to reach production was the 2.3 L (140 cu in) "VR5" engine manufactured by Volkswagen from 1997 to 2006. Based on Volkswagen's VR6 engine, the VR5 was a narrow-angle engine with staggered cylinders (three cylinders on one bank and two on the other) sharing a single cylinder head.[3] As per the VR6 engine, the angle between the banks was 15 degrees. Initial versions used 2 valves per cylinder, however, an update in 2000 resulted in a total of 4 valves per cylinder and the addition of variable valve timing.

Motorcycles

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Honda

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The Honda RC211V, a MotoGP racing motorcycle which competed in the 2002–2006 seasons, used a V5 engine.[4] The transversely-mounted 990 cc (60 cu in) engine had three cylinders at the front, two cylinders at the rear and a V-angle of 75.5 degrees. The engine used 4 valves per cylinder.

In the last days of the BSA motorcycle manufacturer, the factory design team produced plans for a modular range of four engines, all using a 200cc cylinder. (It was planned to increase the cylinder capacity to up to 250cc in due course). The range, which never went further than the drawing board, comprised:

(The company avoided the perhaps obvious 800cc straight-four option, to avoid direct competition with the major Japanese factories that already dominated the market with such machines).[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "CC Weird Engines Outtake: Oldsmobile V5 Diesel–Grasping at Straws". www.curbsideclassic.com. January 20, 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  2. ^ "Oldsmobile 2.5 Litre V5 Diesel". www.a350diesel.tripod.com. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  3. ^ Volkswagen Self-Study Programme. "The 2.3-ltr. V5 Engine – Design and Function" (PDF). www.volkspage.net. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 May 2018.
  4. ^ "Exclusive – We Ride Honda's RC211V GP bike". www.motorcyclistonline.com. February 24, 2009. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  5. ^ "Bike" magazine (issue date to follow)