Why do people say they have "headers" when they only have one?

[SeVa-S13]

I never said Subaru invented the engine desing, but the paramaters are fundamentally the same as a V congif, no matter the angle.

And box0r isn't the technical term?!?1/1?1

[andrave]

the technical term, I believe, is horizontally opposed, but anyway they call them boxers, I'm told, because the pistons shoot towards each other like they are boxing...thats just what I was told.

[MinisterofDOOM]

lol, I don't think box0r is quite what would be called technical. Andrave is right: its "horizontally opposed." And he's right again about the origin of the name.

I didn't mean to say that you meant Subaru invented it, I'm just saying it's been referred to as a flat 4 for a very long time.

Here's a question:Are flat sixes still considered to be a boxer, or is that just the fours?

[SeVa-S13]

I want a flat 8 so I can call it a Goro.

[themadscientist]

cuz dey igmanent?

[nismofly]

actually i have to learn a lot about horizontally opposed engines because thats what we have in our planes...we all joke that theyre subarus because theyre turbocharged and intercooled horizontally opposed 4 cylinder engines. heres a diagram, you can the the pistons shoot straight out and in instead of up and down...two on each side of course:

[hannibal]

People may call them headers cause they're made up of four pipes merging together. But I agree, its officially a header.

Yes Andrave, we know your KA-TT will have two manifolds

I learned that not all horizontally opposed engines are boxers. Horiz opposed has to do with the cylinder arrangement (like I4 or V6). The term Boxer actually reflects the firing order. Not all horiz opposed motors use a firing order to produce the punch/counter punch look. Most people use the two terms interchangably.

Now that I think about it, all horiz opposed 4's have to be boxers. Theres only one pattern in which the cylinders could fire. But not all Flat 6's are boxers...I wonder who had the first boxer/horiz opposed engine. VW's been using them since the early 30's.

[nismofly]

ya the fours are what im used to, we dont have 6s in the planes and im not about to start researching porsches, not yet at least anyway...

[NIGHTfall_240sx]

Well I guess I could see how they say they have headers for their 240, a lot of people think it has a 6 cyl.

hell yeah.. i get that alot too

[Altiman94]

even on ebay you see people advertising the car as a 6cyl in some form or another. Sad that people don't even know how many cylinders there car has. How do youthink these cars are maintained?

[andrave]

my 240... six cylinder front wheel drive...oh wait, thats a ford probe. amazing how similar they ARENT.