Re: Flat 4's

[Thomas E Muccino <tmuccino@domain.elided>]

One important advantage of a flat 4 (aka "boxer") design is that it drops
the center of gravity (CG) of the engine (and the entire vehicle) closer
to the road. All other factors being equal, the lower the CG of the
vehicle, the better the lateral stability. If you look under the hood of
a Subaru and then an Alfa (or any car with an inline four or V6), the
difference should be immediately apparent. In most Subarus, the CG of the
engine is actually pretty close to the plane of the front axles.

The boxer design also tends to have more efficient lubrication and
cooling systems simply because the fluids don't need to be pumped as far
or against gravity as much. They also typically have fewer main bearings
and one less source of harmonics.

Tom Muccino
Amherst, NH
603.672.0763
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