i was just thinking today, how come all the "important" things use inline engines, like forklifts,tractors, school buses, and my car. why not v things i don't understand how there can be a difference if the cylanders are inline instead of v-ed, or opposing. i hope someone smart can fill me in here, 'cause it's really bothering me. matt

I would say that the inline develops more low end torque right off idle, Thats why they are used in heavy applications like buses etc. As far as your car goes, well it was probably used as a base model engine to keep the cost down for low sticker price, and also better mileage.
"i hope someone smart can fill me " Are you filled or am I just another dumb guy:)

It's my guess that inline engines are cheaper to produce than v type and probably easier to fit into most heavy equipment,but there are still many v engines used in indutrial applications,lots of large tugs and ships use v12 and v16 cat or gm deisels,mack truck just discontinued making its big v8 deisel about 4 years ago,v8 jimmy's were all the rage in trucks years ago,the 892 silver series jimmy was a two stroke v8 deisel with two turbochargers feeding into a supercharger producing over 550 horse power,this was back in the early 70's.todays large truck engines are pretty much all inline six's,cat,cummins.gm,volvo,mercedes all produce inlines,some putting out 700 horsepower and up to 2400 foot lbs of torque and still getting around 8 miles to the gallon pulling huge loads on the highway,so they are vey cost efficient to produce and run as well as easier to maintain and rebuild.....jimm

"Industrial" engines need to run at fairly low, sustained RPM and develop torque only in that range - Inlines are well matched to these requirements. Also they are cheaper to produce - only one cylinder head, one exhaust manifold, etc.

inline engines are better balanced and since there are more cilinders to the crankshaft...by that i mean each cylinder has its own main rather than sharing a main like a v engine which has 2 pistons per main..there is a lot more strength....definitely a lot more torque...engines are cheaper to produce but thats not the real reason they are being used...thay have more use for heavy machines and can handel it better than any V engine...a deisel inline six would sure be something though..deisels are awesome engines which would be the only reason they are used instead of inlines.

actually jack,the new cat sixes have 2 heads,3 cylinders per head,cummins engines have 3 heads and deutz deisels have one head per cylinder,6 cyls=6 heads.....jim

For me there are 2 reasons why I love inlines, low-end torque & ease of maintenance. I've walked away from a number of vehicles with larger motors in my '63 falcon with the 'little' 170. I've also watched a stock 300 out pull a built 350 V8 (2 actually). As far as maintenance, it never seems to amaze me at how easy these things are to work on. I've worked on & helped friends work on the bent 8 & 6 motors & even in big engine compartments (like trucks) the v-things are just a nightmare in comparison. The big downside is getting speed parts, they're usually harder to find & more expensive. I do like the looks I get when people want to look under the hood. Always more compliments than if I was 'unique like everyone else' with a v8. Obviously, the inline thing isn't for everyone, but for there are a number of us who find these interesting motors worth the time & money.
Edwin