Originally Posted by CourierDriver
Originally Posted by Kira
To CourierDriver: Regarding your signature, I keep the number 16.38 in my back pocket.
It's the number you divide the cc or ml amount/size of an engine to get cubic inches.
My 2.435 liter Volvo engine is 148.65 cubic inches (2435/16.38).
It's handy.
thanks
You're both right.
61 cubic inches/litre (1000 cc or cm^3) is very close. 61.02374 is exact per the 'net.
The inverse of 61.02374 inches^3/litre = 0.01638707 litres/inch^3, which is the same as 16.38707 cm^3/inch^3.
So, divide the cubic inch displacement by 61.0 (to three significant figures) to get the displacement in cubic litres. Let's do the well-known Ford 302 ... 302 cubic inches/61 cubic inches/litre = 4.95 litres. (And 302 is already rounded ... let's calculate it exactly.
Bore = 4.00 inches, stroke = 3.00 inches.
Cylinder cross-sectional area = Pi x (Radius^2) = Pi x (4/2)^2 = Pi x 2^2 = Pi x 4 inches^2.
Cylinder volume (one cylinder) = cylinder cross-sectional area x stroke = Pi x 4 inches^2 x 3 inches = Pi x 12 inches^3.
Engine volume (displacement) = Volume of one cylinder x # of cylinders = Pi x 12 inches^3 x 8 = Pi x 96 inches^3 = 301.6 inches^3.
Now let's convert that to Metric - 301.6 inches^3/61.0 inches^3/litre = 4.94 litres. That rounds closer to 4.9 l, so really Ford shouldn't call their 302 the '5.0'. Or maybe it squeaks past if you use enough decimal places ... (Chevy would be fine calling their 305 or 307 a 5.0 litre though!)
Now let's go the other way ... take my ancient Mazda JE engine - the '3.0' SOHC. It's really only 2958 cc. 2958 cc/16.38707 cc/cubic inch = 180.5 cubic inches. This was hot stuff in '89, a bit dated by its swan song in '98.