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About This Quiz
Are you a fan of engines... all engines? Are you familiar with a type of engine called the boxer engine? If so, then this quiz is for you. Take this quiz to test your knowledge of boxer engines.
What the heck is a boxer engine? Well, if you have forgotten or are a bit unfamiliar with the type, a boxer engine is a type of engine that has cylinders that are horizontally opposed, which enables the engine to lie flat. This type of engine was designed by Karl Benz, the German engineer and auto designer who has been credited with designing the first practical car -- he called his boxer engine, a kontra engine. The boxer engine is sometimes referred to as a flat engine, but don't assume that it functions entirely differently from what we think of as a traditional engine because the boxer engine is an internal combustion engine just like all of the others. So, how did the boxer engine come to be called what we know it as today? If you watch how the pistons of the boxer engine move in and out, they look a bit like boxing gloves. It's that simple.
Let's get started with this quiz to see how much you know about boxer engines.
What is another name for a Boxer engine?
A Wankel engine
A V-8 engine
A radial engine
A flat engine
“What’s important at the grocery store is just as important in engines or medical systems: If the customer isn’t satisfied, if the stuff is getting stale, if the shelf isn’t right, or if the offerings aren’t right, it’s the same thing. You manage it like a small organization. You don’t get hung up on zeros.” –Jack Welch
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What was the Boxer engine named after?
The guy who invented it
Its shape—it looks like a box
A sports boxer throwing punches
The Boxer engine looks as if two boxers are back to back and throwing punches outward. The pistons fire so those opposite each other are almost in sync with each other.
The Boxer dog because it makes so much barking noise
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Who invented the Boxer engine?
James Watt
Karl Benz
“My first customer was a lunatic. My second had a death wish.” –Karl Benz
Gottlieb Daimler
Rudolf Diesel
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Which direction do the pistons move in Boxer engines?
Out from each other in a star-shape, with each one moving on a different arm of the star
In a V-shape with half of them moving up and down one V-branch, and the other half moving up and down along the other
Horizontally in opposition to each other
A star-shaped configuration is the rotary engine and was used primarily in WWI aircrafts. The V-shaped configuration is used by many 8-cylinder or greater cars.
There are no pistons in a Boxer engine
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What does a Boxer engine do to a vehicle’s center of gravity?
It shifts it to the driver’s side
It shifts it to the passenger’s side
It raises it
It lowers it
“Design must be functional and functionality must be translated into visual aesthetics without any reliance on gimmicks that have to be explained.” –Ferdinand Porsche
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What is one disadvantage of a Boxer engine?
It lowers fuel economy
It is more expensive to make
Boxer engines usually require more components. This increases the costs of making the unit because in some cases the parts required are doubled.
The engine is more dangerous in a frontal collision
The Boxer engine is more prone to breaking down than other engines
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Which of the following manufacturers currently uses Boxer engines?
Nissan
Saab
Subaru
“I build engines and attach wheels to them.” –Enzo Ferrari
Honda
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Which of the following is not needed in a Boxer engine?
A crankshaft
A balance shaft
Weighted balance shafts were not added to engines until 1904. They help offset some of the natural vibrations that occur in piston engines. The Boxer engine offsets these vibrations because of its piston arrangement and firing order.
A camshaft
A piston
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What is one reason why a Boxer engine is noisier than other engines?
They cannot be fitted with mufflers
Valve clatter is not muffled by other components
“Just as owning a car doesn’t make you an expert on engines, having a brain doesn’t mean you understand psychology.” –Adam Grant
The engine takes up so much room there is not enough for insulation
Because it uses higher octane fuel
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Which of the following is not an advantage of using Boxer engines on motorcycles?
They have a lower center of gravity
Boxer engines actually have a lower center of gravity. This gives motorcycles and other vehicles more stability.
They have better cylinder cooling
They have a smoother operation
They can be used for shaft drive motorcycles
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Which of the following would a four-cylinder Boxer engine use as firing order?
1 – 3 – 4 – 2.
3 – 2 – 4 – 1.
1 – 2 – 3 – 4.
1 – 3 – 2 – 4.
“Everything has a trend to it. I don’t care if it’s appliances or engines—I always ask, ‘What has a company done in the past five years that somebody’s noticed?’” –Mickey Drexler
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Which of the following would be the best number of pistons for a Boxer engine?
Three
Five
Six
Boxer engines must have an even number of pistons to function. Since each piston pair fires out at about the same time, it requires pistons to be in sets of two.
Seven
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What is a “Boxer rumble?”
An impromptu demolition derby for cars with Boxer engines
The annual race held for all cars equipped with Boxer engines
The sound of a Boxer engine
“I found the key to the universe in the engine of an old parked car.” –Bruce Springsteen
The bumpiness of the Boxer ride
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What kind of problems can occur with a four-cylinder Boxer engine?
Rotational around the horizontal axis
Rotational around the vertical axis
Because of the offset pistons, vibrations that cause the engine to spin around a vertical access can occur. However, these vibrations are generally not strong enough to require additional balancing rods.
Rocking forward and backward
Rocking right to left
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Which of the following would not be a feature of a vehicle with a Boxer engine?
Cruise control
Increased space for steering and suspension components
“Americans will put up with anything provided it doesn’t block traffic.” –Dan Rather
Antilock brakes
Trunk space
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How many strokes does a Boxer engine typically have per cycle?
Two strokes
Four strokes
Most engines are either two or four-stroke engines. A few alternative engines are considered six-stroke engines. Eight-stroke engines have patents but none have gone beyond the concept stage at this point.
Six strokes
Eight strokes
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What is the standard number of valves in a modern Boxer engine?
One
Two
Three
Four
“They are our history. They mark the moments by which we define decades. Cars are some of the most intoxicating, most beautiful things ever forged by mankind.” –Jeremy Clarkson, Forza Motorsport 5 introduction (2013)
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Pistons in the Boxer engine share which of the following?
Piston rings
Crank pins
Crankshafts
The Boxer engine is unique in that its crank pins are not shared (unlike a flat V-8 engine where pistons share crankpins). However, the crankshaft is shared, which is what makes it different from an opposed-piston engine (where pistons share a cylinder but not the crankshaft).
Connecting rods
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Aside from the one mentioned in another question, which of the following manufacturers also regularly uses Boxer engines?
Porsche
“The car has become an article of dress without which we feel uncertain, unclad, and incomplete in the urban compound.” –Marshall McLuhan
Mercedes-Benz
Buick
Cadillac
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If you are in a front-end collision, what is the Boxer engine designed to do?
Go into the passenger compartment between the passenger and driver in the front seat
Slide over the car
Crumple into dust on impact
Slide under the car
Boxer engines are mounted lower, and they are easily designed to separate from the motor mounts and slide under the chassis in a frontal impact collision. This feature makes them safer for passengers in the vehicle.
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A Boxer engine usually uses how many camshafts?
Two
Four
“Aerodynamics are for people who can’t build engines.” –Enzo Ferrari
Six
Eight
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A Boxer engine cannot have which of the following number of pistons?
Four
Six
Eight
Three
Because the engine needs paired pistons, having only three would create severe vibrations. In addition, adding a third piston to such a small engine would add to the rotational vibration.
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The crankshaft stroke is limited by what?
The width of the engine block
“Change is easy. Improvement is far more difficult.” –Ferdinand Porsche
The length of the engine block
The height of the engine block
The crankshaft stroke is not limited in the Boxer engine
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Which vehicle historically used an air-cooled Boxer?
Ford Edsel
The Volkswagen Beetle (Type 1)
Hitler is rumored to have drawn a car in a restaurant in 1932 that became the Volkswagen, but recent claims state Hitler copied the Beetle design from both Ledwinka’s Tatra’s designs and a car made by Josef Ganz. Initially, the car was marketed as the KDF (Kraft durch Freude or “strength through joy”) and used a swastika surrounded by a gear instead of the iconic VW logo.
Studebaker Avanti
Pontiac Sunfire
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Which of the following is not a safety benefit for the Boxer engine?
Better turning
Better grip on the road
It is less prone to catching fire than a V-8
“After being bombarded endlessly by road safety propaganda, it was almost a relief to find myself in an actual accident.” –J. G. Ballard, Crash
Lower chance of rolling the car
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What is distributed more evenly inside a Boxer engine?
Air
Oil
In standard engines, oil settles in the bottom when the car is not running. Because of the flat design, oil is distributed across most of the mechanical surfaces even when the car is not running.
Gasoline
Transmission fluid
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Where on a car would you never find a Boxer engine?
In the front
In the middle
In the rear
Boxer engines can be (and have been) mounted in any of the above places
“Speed has never killed anyone. Suddenly becoming stationary… That’s what gets you.” –Jeremy Clarkson
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Which of the following maintenance tasks would be the most difficult to do on a Boxer installed in a car?
Adding coolant
Changing the air filter
Changing the oil
Changing spark plugs
Because the spark plugs are on the sides of the engine in places that are tight on a car, they are more difficult to change (as is some other engine work). On motorcycles equipped with Boxer engines, the spark plug placement is an advantage.
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How many cylinder heads does a Boxer engine have?
None
One
Two
“The perfect racing car crosses the finish line first and subsequently falls into its component parts.” –Ferdinand Porsche
Three
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Which 2017 sports car had a Boxer engine in it?
Toyota 86
The 2017 Toyota 86 replaced the 2016 Scion FR-S. Since the Scion used a Boxer engine, the Toyota also used it.
Mazda MX-5 Miata
Chevrolet Corvette
Nissan GT-R
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How are modern Boxer engines cooled?
Water-cooled
“Life without emotions is like an engine without fuel.” –Mary Astor
Air-cooled
Oil-cooled
Gasoline-cooled
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Finish the sentence: A four-cylinder Boxer engine weighs ____________?
Less than a four-cylinder inline engine
More than a four-cylinder inline engine
In many cases, Boxer engines weigh more because they have more parts. Where inline engines reduce parts by sharing a camshaft and other components, the Boxer increases them because it needs double the amount of those components.
The same as a four-cylinder inline engine
There is not enough information to answer this question
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Which of the following motorcycles currently uses a water-cooled Boxer engine?
Yamaha
Suzuki
Harley Davidson
BMW
“You can stick a BMW badge on a dead cat and people would still buy it.” –Richard Hammond
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The Ferrari Testarossa of the ‘80s used which kind of Boxer engine?
Flat 8
Flat 12
The Testarossa (which means “red head” in Italian) was named after a Ferrari that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1958, 1960, and 1961. With 385 hp, it could go 0-60 in 5.2 seconds. Production lasted from 1984-1991.
Flat 16
Flat 18
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What method did Porsche use to overcome Boxer engine displacement limitations?
It made the crankshaft shorter
It only uses two camshafts
It removed the tensioner pulley
It added two cylinders to its engines
“That's the first thing, it's a rubbish car. Secondly, it was a scandal. OK? That car was stolen from a Czech bloke called Ledwinka, I think, by Hitler and his henchmen, they put it into production, they stole money off the German people to build it and to build a factory, they never got a car, instead they used the factory and slave Russian labor from the Eastern front.” “You can't blame a car for Hitler.” –James May and Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear
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