![]() ![]() In a full frontal or even an offset accident a severe impact will cause the front of the vehicle to crumple and subsequently cause the engine to be driven backwards towards the passenger compartment with potential penetration and severe trauma to the front occupants. This not only contributes to the over lightness of the engine but also means a freer revving more responsive engine, both attributes bringing improvements in vehicle active safety through improved driveability.Īnother key benefit of the Subaru 'Boxer' engine design is that it could save your life! This is the result of its low height when positioned in the front engine bay. Good rotational balance means lower levels of vibration and harshness, which translates into less wear and tear and therefore higher levels of durability meaning a more reliable and lower cost of ownership.īecause the crankshaft is sandwiched between two very rigid crankcase halves it is very well supported and therefore its durability is significantly enhanced and because it absorbs less vibration its design can be of a much lighter construction. This not only improves the power to weight ratio and therefore driving and environmental performance but also again helps handling and stability.īecause the pistons move in opposite directions the natural rotational balance of the engine is very good due to the cancellation of the piston inertia forces that move in opposite directions. Subaru 'Boxer' engines also feature all aluminium construction of the crankcase and cylinder heads that also significantly contributes to weight reduction. The result is more responsive and precise steering, again a key safety attribute.Īs mentioned previously because the cylinders lay on their sides positioned in opposite directions with a common crankshaft, the size and therefore the weight of the Boxer engine is relatively lightweight. ![]() If a vehicle's weight is more centrally positioned the forces required to change direction are less due to a lower level of weight positioned in front of the steering axle. This contributes to an improvement in vehicle front-rear weight distribution that again is a significant factor in vehicle handling, stability and also steering response. The overall length of the Subaru Boxer engine is comparatively short compared to a conventional 'in line' or 'V' engine layout as a result of the degree of cylinder overlap that is possible due to the opposed piston configuration. This also makes a very significant contribution to vehicle balance, stability and handling particularly when cornering or making rapid changes of direction. This results in a low centre of gravity that has very significant advantages in terms of the vehicle's handling and stability, by helping to keep the tyres more firmly planted on the road surface as a result of a lower level of weight transfer from the inside wheel to the outside wheel when cornering.įurthermore, because half of the total number of cylinders is on one side and the other half on the opposite side with a common crankshaft sandwiched in the middle the left-right weight distribution with the engine positioned on the centre line of the vehicle is equal. The key benefit of the Subaru 'Boxer' engine's horizontally-opposed layout is not about its power output or environmental performance but its contribution to the vehicle's handling, stability and as a result, safety.įirstly, because the cylinders in the Boxer engine lay on their sides the overall height of the engine is significantly lower especially when compared to the more normal 'inline' engine where all the pistons move in the same direction in a north-south configuration. This very important difference provides the key benefits of the horizontally-opposed (Boxer) engine layout where half of the total number of cylinders and therefore pistons lay on their sides in an east-west configuration moving in opposite directions.Ĭontribution to Vehicle Handling and Stability ![]() However, unlike the boxer's fists that both move in the same direction, half of the 'Boxer' engine's pistons move in the opposite direction. The 'Boxer' engine is so called because the movement of the engine's pistons resemble the movement of a boxer's fists in the horizontal plane.
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