Most piston engines feature 1-12 cylinders but some special units may even have as many as 14-36 cylinders. Small engines typically have 1-2 cylinders, while larger ones usually have 3-12. You can find the most cylinders in the largest marine, industrial, and piston airplane engines.
If you want to find out more about the architecture of piston engines, this post is for you.
We at PowerSportsGuide have compiled all you need to know under one roof!
How Many Cylinders are in an Engine?
Is There a Single-Cylinder Engine?
As the name suggests, a single-cylinder engine is a piston engine featuring just one cylinder. This engine configuration is known for its simplicity and easy maintenance.
The average displacement of single engines start at 25cc and go up to 700cc, but a custom 1000cc single-cylinder motorcycle engine was also built.
What vehicles and machnies have a single-cylinder engine?
- Motorcycles
- Motor scooters
- Kid-size snowmobiles
- ATVs
- Go-karts
- Portable outboard motors
- Portable tools
- Garden machinery (such as chainsaws, lawnmowers, or cultivators)
Is There a 2-Cylinder Engine?
2-cylinder or “twin” engines feature two pistons and two cylinders with a capacity of 200-2000cc.
In terms of cylinder arrangement, twin engines can feature both inline, V, or flat (boxer) architecture.
Which vehicles and machnies have a twin-cylinder engine?
- Motorcycles
- Trikes
- ATVs
- UTVs
- Snowmobiles
- Go-karts
- Vintage 2-stroke jet skis
- Portable outboard motors
- Portable tools
- Garden machinery (such as lawnmowers, or cultivators)
Is There a 3-Cylinder Engine?
3-cylinder or “triple” engines feature three pistons and three cylinders, most often in an inline arrangement.
The displacement in this class ranges from 300cc up to 2500cc.
Which vehicles have a 3-cylinder engine?
- Cars
- Motorcycles
- UTVs
- Go-Karts
- Snowmobiles
- Outboard motors
- Jet skis
- Aircrafts
- Tools
- Garden tractors
Is There a 4-Cylinder Engine?
As one can expect, 4-cylinder engines feature four pistons and four cylinders. These power sources typically utilize an inline configuration, but V4 and flat-four engines do exist.
The displacements of mass-produced 4-cylinder engines average between 350cc and 3200cc.
However, the largest 4-cylinder car engine ever built was a 28353cc (yes, it’s 28.4L) powerhouse planted in the little-known Fiat S76.
Which vehicles have a 4-cylinder engine?
- Cars
- Motorcycles
- UTVs
- Outboard motors
- Inboard boat motors
- Jet skis
- Aircrafts
- Tools
- Garden tractors
Is There a 5-Cylinder Engine?
Compared to their siblings, 5-cylinder engines are much less common. They can feature both a V5 and inline-5 configurations.
These special power sources combine many advantages of 4- and 6-cylinder engines. They provide more power and torque than 4-cylinder engines along with a great throttle response and fuel efficiency.
Which vehicles have a 5-cylinder engine?
Only a few vehicles use a 5-cylinder engine, including some cars and special V5 racing motorcycles.
Is There a 6-Cylinder Engine?
6-cylinder engines are commonly used in cars and trucks, but they are also used for powering some high-performance motorcycles and even airplanes.
You can expect the capacity of these engines to be 2000-7000cc, while their arrangement could be V6, inline-6, or flat-6.
Which vehicles have a 6-cylinder engine?
- Cars
- Trucks
- Motorcycles
- Outboard motors
- Inboard boat motors
- Aircrafts
- Heavy vehicles
- Industrial engines
Is There a 7-Cylinder Engine?
Contrary to popular belief, 7-cylinder engines do exist. These power mills are typically air-cooled radial aero engines with a displacement of 3000-10000cc.
Aside from the radial configuration, 7-inline engines are also used in marine applications. The key advantage of these power mills is their modular design, meaning that they often feature separate heads on each cylinder.
Since they would cause too much noise and vibration, 7-cylinder engines are not used in cars and trucks.
If manufacturers can develop much smoother 6- and 8-cylinder engines, why would they bother with a 7-cylinder unit?
Is There an 8-Cylinder Engine?
8-cylinder engines come with both inline-8 and V8 configurations while their displacement typically varies between 4000 and 10000cc.
Which vehicles have an 8-cylinder engine?
- Cars
- Trucks
- Outboard motors
- Boats
- Aircrafts
- Heavy vehicles
- Industrial engines
Is There a 9-Cylinder Engine?
9-cylinder engines are the larger brothers of 7-cylinder air-cooled radial aircraft engines. The marine industry also uses 9-cylinder diesel engines, which are often turbocharged.
In contrast, 9-cylinder engines are not used in cars, trucks, or other street vehicles.
Is There a 10-Cylinder Engine?
The majority of 10-cylinder engines displace between 4000 and 16000cc and feature inline-10 or V10 architecture. The latter is commonly used in vehicles since the V configuration ensures a more compact size.
Some high-performance cars feature flat-10 engines, but the V10 configuration is far more prevalent.
In contrast, industrial power mills in this class can be either V10 or modular inline-10 engines.
Which vehicles have a 10-cylinder engine?
- Cars
- Trucks
- Outboard motors
- Boats and ships
- Aircrafts
- Heavy vehicles
- Industrial engines
Is There an 11-Cylinder Engine?
Although 11-cylinder engines do exist, they are quite rare. These air-cooled, radial 11-cylinder power mills were used on aircraft in the last century.
One of these rare engines was the Clerget 11Eb (200 HP), built by E. Clerget-Bin and Co. in 1918.
Is There a 12-Cylinder Engine?
12-cylinder engines are typically used in high-end cars, trucks, heavy vehicles, boats, and airplanes. They most often feature a V12 arrangement and displace anywhere from 4000-25000cc.
However, diesel V12 marine engines stand out in the crowd with their sizeable cylinders.
For example, the Wärtsilä 46F is an incredible V12, 1157000cc (1,157 L) power mill rated at 19,300 HP (14,400 kW).
Interestingly, some V12 engines are built by combining two V6 engines.
Which vehicles have a 12-cylinder engine?
- Cars
- Trucks
- Outboard motors
- Ships and marine applications
- Aircrafts
- Heavy vehicles
- Industrial engines
Is There a 14-Cylinder Engine?
V14 engines are quite rare, and are typically large diesel engines used for marine propulsion, heavy vehicles, and power generation.
As an example, the MAN B&W produces V14 engines with the engine power of 9,400-24,400 HP.
Wärtsilä is another well-known manufacturer that offers V14 diesel engines.
Is There a 16-Cylinder Engine?
16-cylinder engines are typically a combination of two 8-cylinder engines. The base engines can be either inline-8 or V8 engines, but the latter is much more prevalent.
The first V16 engine was an aircraft engine designed in 1910.
Which vehicles have a 16-cylinder engine?
- Ships and marine applications
- Aircrafts
- Heavy vehicles (locomotives, etc.)
- Industrial engines
Is there a car with 16 cylinders?
Although cars with 16-cylinder engines are no longer produced, there were some iconic cars with V16 engines in the 1930s.
The very first V16 car was the 1930 Cadillac V-16, featuring a 7.4L, V16, OHV engine.
Is There an 18-Cylinder Engine?
When it comes to 18-cylinder engines, we can distinguish three fundamentally different designs.
One rarely-used configuration was the W18 engine featuring three banks of six cylinders in a W layout.
This configuration was used in some concept cars and aircraft manufactured in the ‘20s and ‘30s.
Another lesser-known layout was the twin-row 18-cylinder radial arrangement. These engines were virtually two rotary 9-cylinder engines built behind each other.
These air-cooled radial engines appeared in aircraft from the late ‘30s.
In contrast, a much more common 18-cylinder engine is the standard V18 power mills, which are typically low-speed diesel engines.
These are commonly used in ships, locomotives, trucks, and electricity generators.
Which vehicles have an 18-cylinder engine?
- Hypercar concepts
- Ships and marine applications
- Aircrafts
- Heavy vehicles (locomotives, trucks, etc.)
- Industrial engines
Is there a car with 18 cylinders?
W18 car engines were used in the concept cars of the Bugatti Veyron in the ‘90s.
In the late ‘60s, Ferrari also designed a 3.0L, W18 engine as a prototype Formula One engine.
Is There a 20-Cylinder Engine?
20-cylinder engines typically have a V architecture where two banks of V10 cylinders are connected to the same crankshaft.
Labeled as V20 engines, these power sources are commonly used in ships, heavy vehicles, and in industrial applications.
Besides vessels and vehicles, aircraft also used to use 20-cylinder engines.
One of the most iconic 20-cylinder aircraft engines was built by Anzani in 1913. This tow-row air-cooled radial aircraft engine featured two merged 10-cylinder radial engines.
Which vehicles have a 20-cylinder engine?
- Aircrafts
- Ships and marine applications
- Heavy vehicles (locomotives, trucks, etc.)
- Industrial engines
Is There a 22-Cylinder Engine?
22-cylinder radial engines were used in aircraft in the early ‘40s. One of the most well-known was the Pratt & Whitney R-4360 engine, featuring two rows of 11 cylinders each.
Engines with 22 cylinders are typically not used in automotive and marine industries.
Is There a 24-Cylinder Engine?
24-cylinder engines are much more common than their 22- and 26-cylinder counterparts.
The most well-known engine configuration in this class is the V24, where two banks of 12 cylinders are mounted around the same crankshaft in a V layout.
However, most V24 engines consist of two V12 engines geared together.
This type of engine is used in marine applications, generators, and in heavy machines.
In contrast, aero V24 engines are typically two 12-cylinder rotary engines geared together.
An exciting exception was the Allison X-4520 24-Cylinder Aircraft Engine that utilized a unique X layout.
Other famous V24 engines were as follows:
- Fiat AS.6 aircraft engine (for the Macchi M.C.72 airplane)
- Detroit Diesel Series 71 24V71 engine
- Duesenberg W-24 Marine Engine
- Allison X-4520 24-Cylinder Aircraft Engine
- Napier H-24 Sabre Aircraft Engine
- Junkers Jumo 223 (2-stroke)
Which vehicles have a 24-cylinder engine?
- Aircrafts
- Ships and marine applications
- Heavy vehicles (locomotives, trucks, etc.)
- Industrial engines
Is There a 28-Cylinder Engine?
The rare 28-cylinder power mills were air-cooled radial aero engines featuring 7 cylinders in four rows or 14 cylinders in two rows. These incredible power mills were rated at 1,000-4,300 HP depending on the make and model.
The most well-known 28-cylinder engines include:
- Alfa Romeo 1101 28-Cylinder Aircraft Engine
- Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major
- Mitsubishi Ha-26 Aircraft Engine
Is There a 36-Cylinder Engine?
The largest radial aircraft engine built in the US was the 36-cylinder Lycoming XR-7755.
This unit was designed for the Convair B-36 aircraft, but only two prototypes were built before the project was canceled.
In terms of specifications, the Lycoming XR-7755 was a liquid-cooled, 127 L, 36-cylinder, four-row radial engine.
Conclusion
While most internal combustion engines feature 1-12 cylinders, the largest units house 14-36 cylinders.
The smallest single- and twin-cylinder power mills are used in tools, garden equipment, portable outboards, and motorcycles.
Cars typically utilize inline-3, 4, or 6, as well as V6, V8, or V12 engines.
The largest engines with 14-24 cylinders are typically used in aircraft, electric generators, ships, and heavy vehicles like locomotives and haul trucks.
Some vintage aircraft was also designed with impressive 26-36-cylinder radial engines, which are no longer in production.
References:
Thedrive.com, Airandspace.si.edu, Oldmachinepress.com
