i found out mazda rx-8's have only 2 cylinder engine. how can they have that small of an engine yet have really poor gas mileage?
Technically speaking, the Wankle engine in the RX-8 has zero cylinders. What it has instead is two three-sided rotors which roughly equates to six cylinders in power output and fuel consumption. That said, the Wankle engine isn't known for its fuel efficiency, so even when compared to a modern V6 or I6 engine, it stacks up poorly from a fuel economy perspective. The flip side of course is the power to engine size and weight ratios; from both of those perspectives, the Wankle is extremely efficient compared to pretty much any piston engine.
... with far less torque than a normal 6 cylinder, especially a straight 6, but very efficient horsepower. In other words, they can't hit the wall hard, but they can hit it fast.
They are also known as "dirty" engines as they are polluting. They use (burn) oil on purpose, and tend to run fuel rich. They also require very exact maintenance scheduling in order to be reliable over the long haul.
They are great engines in many ways, but not really everyone's cup of tea.
How does a mazda rx-8 have only 2 cylinders?
