Honda V12 transverse engine

[Dani Filth]

i know that the Honda RA272 that raced in 1965 has an V12 engine trasversal mounted .... this car won the last race in 1965, the Mexican GP ... the problem is that i heard that one of the reason that Honda were able to win was that the high altitude at wich the Mexican GP was run .. favored the Honda cars because of the trasverse mounting ....

What I would like to know .. is why .. a transverse mounted engine ... works better then a longitudinally mounted one .. ?????

[Garp]

the high altitude at wich the Mexican GP was run favored the Honda cars because of the transverse mounting ....

(high altitude / transverse mounting)

Sorry this doesn't compute.


Advantage of transverse mounting is the weight distribution by the momentum of the cranckshaft while hitting te accelerator pedal.

[Dani Filth]

i'm only saying what i've heard .. but is a bit curious .. that the Honda's were very good in that race ... and won it .. ahead of Brabham .. and Lotus

[alfasud]

I have read that it was due to the altitude, but not related to transverse mounting.

It seems the Honda V12 had a fuel mixture/metering problem with their fuel injection, at least at sea level, but at the high altitude of the Mexican GP circuit, the fuel mixture was fine and the engine was able to show it's true potential.

[Amaroo Park]

That engine had intally been offered to Colin Chapman, but he would not give the Japanesse and answer on wheather he would use it or not

[Dani Filth]

Originally posted by alfasud
I have read that it was due to the altitude, but not related to transverse mounting.

It seems the Honda V12 had a fuel mixture/metering problem with their fuel injection, at least at sea level, but at the high altitude of the Mexican GP circuit, the fuel mixture was fine and the engine was able to show it's true potential.

this would make sense ... cause as faar as I heard ...in the transverse engine position .. the back cylinders .. aer not getting as much air as the front one .. wich is not that good

[Morris 1100]

The reason for the transverse engine is very simple, at the time Honda was a very successfull bike builder and had only just started car production (and very simple cars at that)
But Honda was very strong in bike racing and they thought that they way to winning was to use a bigger bike engine in a car!
They were making very powerfull 6 cylinder bike motors so what could be better than two sixes to make a twelve!
Honda did not know much about mounting an engine in a car and the last thing that you would want is an engine that wide in a car! And so it took a long while to win a race!

[norman-normal]

A transverse engine in a car has the same advantage that a chain driven motorcycle has: an engine rotating in line with the wheels, the power does not have to take right angle turn. Result: about 10% more power to drive wheels.

The Dino Mfg's and the compact magazine sellers haven't figured this out yet; whitch explaines some of thier awkward attempts to justify surprising wheel HP figures.

[chunder]

Not too sure the fact that Honda were making 6 cylinder bike engines has anyhting to do with the V12 F1 engine. The famous Honda 6 bike was only a 250 or 350 I think, and the CBX four stroke road bike didn't come out until the late seventies.
To unerstand Honda's way is simple. THey will enter a race series with the intention of winning. THe only stipulation is that if they can they will do it differently, the Honda way.
V5 four stroke GP bike, V3 two stroke GP bike, V4 World Superbike, V12 F1 engine when the wisdom said a V12 was not right. One of the first teams to try a turbo F1 engine, etc.

[flatlander_48]

colinbond:

Judging how ACB Chapman's deal with BRM for the H-16 turned out, the Honda V-12 may have been the better deal...