What does a W-type engine in cars mean?
1 Answers
Automotive W-type engine is an exclusive engine technology of Volkswagen in Germany. By slightly offsetting each side of the cylinders in a V-type engine, it forms a W-type engine. The cylinder arrangement of a W-type engine consists of two small V-shapes forming a larger V-shape, with two sets of V-type engines sharing a single crankshaft. Strictly speaking, the W-type engine is a variant of the V-type engine. The issue with W-type engines is that the engine is divided into two parts, which can cause significant vibrations during operation. To address this problem, Volkswagen designed two counter-rotating balance shafts in the W-type engine, allowing the vibrations from the two parts to cancel each other out internally.