This type of V8 engine is typically associated with exotic/supercars. There are piston throws every 180° of the crankshaft, so there are four pistons at 0°, and four pistons at 180° (for a total of eight pistons). In a Flat-Plane crankshaft engine, if you look down the end of the crankshaft the image of the crankshaft is flat.

The “standard” American V8 engine utilized a Cross-Plane crankshaft and this type of engine accounts for most American cars and trucks with V8 engines. There are piston throws every 90° of the crankshaft, so there are two pistons at 0°, two at 90°, two at 180°, and two at 270° (for a total of eight pistons). In a Cross-Plane crank engine if you look down the end of the crankshaft the image of the crankshaft makes a cross. The two basic designs are the Cross-Plane crankshaft and the Flat-Plane crankshaft. In general, there are two types of V8 engines, and the difference lies in the crankshaft design and the dynamic changes that makes to the engine. In modern times V8 engines are becoming more and more of a rare breed, with turbo-charged four-cylinder engines making more power than the V8s of yore But this blog is not about the pros and cons of the modern small, high-power engines.

There is almost something primal about the deep throaty sound of a V8. Most, if not all, of us know that deep rumbling sound of a V8-powered muscle car or even your garden variety V8-powered daily driver.

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