NEIL DOMINIC C.

MAHUSAY BSME-3

2 STROKE VS. 4 STROKE

For the youtube videos being watched, first of all both are very informative
when it comes to the comparison of both engine types. For my observations here are
some of the advantages and disadvantages of the 2 stroke and 4 stroke engines.

ADVANTAGES OF 2 STROKE ENGINE:

Simple design & construction: It doesn’t have valves. It simply has inlet &
outlet ports which makes it simpler.

More powerful: In 2 stroke engine, every alternate stroke is power stroke

unlike 4 stroked one in which power gets delivered once every 4 strokes.
This gives a significant power boost. Also, the acceleration will be higher &
power delivery will be uniform due to same reason.

Position doesn’t matter: 2 stroke engine can work in any position as

lubrication is done through the means of fuel (as the fuel passes by through
whole cylinder & crankcase).

DISADVANTAGES OF 2 STROKE ENGINE:

Less fuel efficiency: For every alternate power stroke, fuel gets consumed
every alternate stroke. This makes the engine less fuel efficient although it
results in uniform power delivery.

Oil addition could be expensive: Two-stroke engines require a mix of oil in

with the air-fuel mixture to lubricate the crankshaft, connecting rod and
cylinder walls. These oils may empty your pockets.

More pollution: 2 stroke engine produces a lot of pollution. The combustion

of oil added in the mixture creates a lot of smoke which leads to air
pollution.

Wastage of fuel: Sometimes the fresh charge which is going to undergo

combustion gets out along with the exhaust gases. This leads to wastage of
fuel & also power delivery of the engine gets effected.
Improper combustion: The exhaust gases often get trapped inside the
combustion chamber. This makes the fresh charge impure. Therefore
maximum power doesn’t get delivered because of improper incomplete
combustion.

ADVANTAGES OF 4 STROKE ENGINE:

More torque: In general, 4 stroke engines always make extra torque than 2
stroke engine at low RPM. Although 2 stroked ones give higher torque at
higher RPM but it has a lot to do with fuel efficiency.

More fuel efficiency: 4 stroke engines have greater fuel efficiency than 2
stroke ones because fuel is consumed once every 4 strokes.

Less pollution: As power is generated once every 4 strokes & also as no oil or
lubricant is added to the fuel; 4 stroke engine produces less pollution.

More durability: We all know that more the engine runs, quicker it wears
out. 2 stroke engines are designed for high RPM. If an engine can go for
10000 rpm’s before it wears out; a 4 stroke engine with 100 rpm will run for
100 minutes than the other 2 stroke engine which has a higher rpm of 500
& will run for only 20 minutes.

No extra addition of oil: Only the moving parts need lubrication

intermediately. No extra oil or lubricant is added to fuel.

DISADVANTAGES OF 4 STROKE ENGINE:

Complicated design: A 4 stroke engine has complex valve mechanisms
operated & controlled by gears & chain. Also there are many parts to worry
about which makes it harder to troubleshoot.

Less powerful: As power gets delivered once every 2 rotations of crankshaft

(4 strokes), hence 4 stroke is less powerful.

Expensive: A four stroke engine has much more parts than 2 stroke engine.
So they often require repairs which leads to greater expense.
Next are the differences of the 2 stroke and 4 stroke:

2 STROKE 4 STROKE
 Completes one rotation/revolution  Completes 2 rotations/ revolutions
of crankshaft after completing one of crankshaft after completing one
cycle cycle

 3 ports in the cylinder block

namely the inlet port, exhaust port  There are inlet and exhaust valves
and transfer port

 There is a fresh charged mixed

 Scavenging of exhaust gases is
with exhaust gases in combustion
nearly complete cause to better
chamber cause for poor thermal
thermal efficiency
efficiency

 Water cooling systems is

 Generally air-cooled, simple in
complicated in design and difficult
design and easy to maintain.
to maintain

 Mechanical efficiency is higher as  Mechanical efficiency is less as

number of moving parts are less number of moving parts more.

 A lighter flywheel is required to  A heavier flywheel is required to

less cyclic fluctuations because of limit the cyclic fluctuations
1 working stroke in every because of 1 power stroke is
revolution generated in every 2 revolutions

So to conclude, both engine types have their pros and cons, and the one that
will work best for you depends on the needs of your application. While 4-stroke
engines perform well and generally last longer than 2-stroke engines, 2-stroke
engines are lighter and faster than 4-stroke engines.