1938 LaSalle Production - GM Heritage Center

and three large bearings of the V-8. It is obviouslyeasier
and less costly to align three rather than nine,
seven or even five main bearings.
An important factor in long engine life is absence of
vibration. In fact, vibration has a very definite bearing
on the wearing life and quietness of all parts of the
chassis and body, hence all manufacturers constantly
strive to make their engines run more smoothly.
In the 90° V-type 8 Cadillac has realized the smoothest
of all eight cylinder engines and in the 135° V-type 16
the smoothest automobile engine ever built.
In a V-8 with cylinders paired at ninety degrees,
or at right angles to each other, the inertia force built
up within one cylinder is completely offset by the
equivalent inertia force of the opposite cylinder. One
force counteracts or neutralizes a second equal force
when they meet at the crankshaft. Therefore, main
bearings have no work to do other than supporting the
weight of the crankshaft and absorbing reactions from
explosions within the cylinders. In the case of a straight
eight engine there is no pairing of cylinders. The front
cylinder balances the rear cylinder of the engine, conse-
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