# Flat plane or cross plane crank?



## slapshot (Jan 30, 2016)

Does the VR38DETT GT-R engine use a flat plane or a cross plane crank? That gorgeous _ba ba ba ba_ exhaust note sounds like a flat plane to me and is remarkably similar to the McLaren 12c, 650s and P1 cars during cold start.


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## Huskyman (Feb 9, 2010)

slapshot said:


> Does the VR38DETT GT-R engine use a flat plane or a cross plane crank? That gorgeous _ba ba ba ba_ exhaust note sounds like a flat plane to me and is remarkably similar to the McLaren 12c, 650s and P1 cars during cold start.


It's a cross-plane crankshaft by the look of it.


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## Adamantium (Jun 24, 2002)

I'm pretty sure the only way you could make a flat plane crank work with a six cylinder is with a flat six like in the porsche.

Since ours is a V6, a flat plane crank would be so imbalanced the engine would shake apart.


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## Huskyman (Feb 9, 2010)

Adamantium said:


> I'm pretty sure the only way you could make a flat plane crank work with a six cylinder is with a flat six like in the porsche.
> 
> Since ours is a V6, a flat plane crank would be so imbalanced the engine would shake apart.


You are bang-on there Adamantium, it would shake itself apart, I don't think there has ever been a flat plane crank six cylinder engine, not even in F1. 
The crank-shaft in the air-cooled and the water-cooled pork flat sixes are cross plane. There is the need to have the power strokes at 120 degrees apart to get the engine to run smoothly.


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## Adamantium (Jun 24, 2002)

when I say flat six like the porsche, I was referring to their engine configuration, rather than the fact that they have a flat plane crank.

I have never known anyone to try a flat plane six cylinder, just saying that theoretically it could work in a flat 6.


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## dudersvr (May 7, 2003)

Adamantium said:


> I'm pretty sure the only way you could make a flat plane crank work with a six cylinder is with a flat six like in the porsche.
> 
> Since ours is a V6, a flat plane crank would be so imbalanced the engine would shake apart.


TVR AJP V8 is flat plane and they rev like mad


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## slapshot (Jan 30, 2016)

dudersvr said:


> TVR AJP V8 is flat plane and they rev like mad


The V8 in my flat plane cranked F430 revs to 8500 rpm but sounds nothing like the GT-R. I love the sound of both though.


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## BigKriss (Sep 14, 2012)

Yup, Alfa Montreal also had the flat plane crank...2.6l v8.


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