How many 2valve per cylinder cars can you actually buy now?

[morgrp]

Just been playing forza 4 driving my modified Suzuki liana in top gear blue (glamorous I know) with it's fiesty 1.6 16v engine and it dawned on me that even your most basic stbox saloon tends to be a 4 valve per cylinder and have twin cams ( I realise quite few 4valve per cylinder cars are SOHC) but basically I remember when to have a 4 valve per cylinder engine was seriously de rigueur.

So, excluding American v8's, how many cars can you still buy with 2 valve per cylinder engines? Only the fiat panda and possibly some nasty bottom spec Clio springs to mind

[hardcorehobbit]

A lot of small, cheap engines like the PSA 1.4 can be had in 8v format. Also a couple of Fiat ones I think.


Can you still buy the VAG 1.9 TDi PD lump?

[Toaster Pilot]

My Picanto is a 3 valve per cylinder 4-pot, I believe

[collateral]

I've never gotten my head around 16v sohc

[The Black Flash]

morgrp said:

Just been playing forza 4 driving my modified Suzuki liana in top gear blue (glamorous I know) with it's fiesty 1.6 16v engine and it dawned on me that even your most basic stbox saloon tends to be a 4 valve per cylinder and have twin cams ( I realise quite few 4valve per cylinder cars are SOHC) but basically I remember when to have a 4 valve per cylinder engine was seriously de rigueur.

I don't think you mean that. De rigeur means "is expected/required", not "is unusual"

I guess now that everyone's trying to get the best performance and economy, the extra costs are worth it these days. And now you don't have to adjust tappets every service and what have you, it's more practical to do. Technology moves on and the once complicated and expensive becomes standard.

[Pentoman]

Fiat 500 1.2 8v
All new and old Mercedes A class petrols are 8v.

[AlexS]

The Corvette LS series engines all use 2 valve heads.

[Life Saab Itch]

collateral said:

I've never gotten my head around 16v sohc

One cam.
16 or 8 lobes.
Rockers moving the valves just like on an old pushrod engine.

[davepoth]

The Citroen Picasso is too I think. Nothing wrong with it - you trade high RPM power for low end torque. In fact it's possible we may see a move back to 8 valve engines as the trend for downsizing and "downspeeding" for economy reasons takes hold - for an engine being used in a range extended hybrid it would probably be superior.

[collateral]

Life Saab Itch said:

collateral said:

I've never gotten my head around 16v sohc

One cam.
16 or 8 lobes.
Rockers moving the valves just like on an old pushrod engine.

Aha. With the added benefit of simplicity, although I guess variable timing isn't going to happen.

The way the first Golf 16v is set up out surprised me, with that second chain

eta pretty sure the US is still chucking out a fair few motors with 2 valves/cylinder

Edited by collateral on Saturday 10th December 12:25