Best aircraft engine to see widespread use

[Jank]

In an absolute comparisin for relibility and power theP&W R-2800 had it all over teh Merlin.

[wmaxt]

The 2800 is a class leader.

Don't forget the 1800 and the 2600 which flew thousands of missions during the war. Not as powerful as the 2800 but just as reliable.

And for liquid cooled engines the Allison was as reliable as any other including the Merlin. The problems with the early P-38 in the ETO (only)have not only been paraded in the press but are totaly blown out of proportion.

wmaxt

[V-1710]

The V-1710 offered a high level of reliability in the later versions of the P-40. The RAF found out that an Allison could eat quite a bit more sand than a Merlin, an important feature in North Africa. In the Lightning, the V-1710 required more maintenance, but that was due to turbocharging. I would still consider even the P-38's Allison's reliable, and wouldn't say the turbocharged V-1710's were as troublesome as the R-3350's were during the war. The Junkers Jumo was also noted for it's reliability.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Originally Posted by Dogwalker

I think Bristol Centaurus didn't "saw widespread use" at all.

DogW

Excuse me for my mistake!

Also if you read my post, you will see that I said nothing about it being "saw widespread us" at all. I said that this was my List of the top engines of WW2 not the Top Engines of WW2 to See Wide Spread Use list.

[skychimp]

I agree, the R-2800. It wasn't really best at anything (< arguable), but it was good at everything. It's power ratings always seemed to be on the conservative side which led to very high reliability.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Overall it was the best engine of the war in my opinion. Reliable and great power.

[Udet]

DB 605 AM and DB 605 ASM that powered the G-5, G-6 & G-14 versions during the final year of the war.

[Jabberwocky]

Originally Posted by Udet

DB 605 AM and DB 605 ASM that powered the G-5, G-6 & G-14 versions during the final year of the war.

It didn't exactly see widespread usage though. Both the Merlin and the R-2800 saw service in over 20 different wartime airframes; fighters, twins and even heavies and transports. The DB 605 really only powered the late Me-110G, some Me-210s, the Bf 109G/K serise and the Italian MC 205 and G.55.

[KraziKanuK]

Originally Posted by V-1710

The Junkers Jumo was also noted for it's reliability.

The 211 yes but not the 213.

[Smokey]

The BMW 801 deserves a mention, especially with its Kommandogerat device.


http://www.tighar.org/Projects/Histp...rt/bmw801.html

Most revolutionary however, was the Kommandogerat. This hydraulicelectric 'brain' unit was operated by a single control which was the pilot's throttle lever. It automatically adjusted fuel flow, mixture strength, propeller pitch setting and ignition timing. It also cut in a second stage of the supercharger at the correct altitude. The pilot could, if required, manually set the propeller pitch without altering any of the other settings.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_801

The 2800 does look to be overall the best radial and probably the best overall piston engine.

Nice pics here:
http://www.f4ucorsair.com/tdata/r2800.htm

[Udet]

Quote:

The DB 605 really only powered the late Me-110G, some Me-210s, the Bf 109G/K serise and the Italian MC 205 and G.55.

ermm...what was the purpose of writing something that in the end tells you agree with me?

If the modified DB 605 powered, say, the G (G-5, G-6 and more importantly the G-14) series of the Bf 109 alone, that will automatically make it an engine that saw widespread usage.

[Jabberwocky]

Originally Posted by Udet

Quote:

The DB 605 really only powered the late Me-110G, some Me-210s, the Bf 109G/K serise and the Italian MC 205 and G.55.

ermm...what was the purpose of writing something that in the end tells you agree with me?

If the modified DB 605 powered, say, the G (G-5, G-6 and more importantly the G-14) series of the Bf 109 alone, that will automatically make it an engine that saw widespread usage.

Not when you compare it to the Merlin, R-2800, R-1820, V-1710 or VK-105, all of which powered in excess of 30,000 different planes and at least a dozen different airframes.

[Dogwalker]

for me even DB603 can be considered of "widespread use" (even if at the lower limit).
1100 Me-410 (with 2200 engines), apart of the other planes equipped whit it, are sufficient to know if the engine is reliable or not "under extreme combat conditions".

DogW

[FLYBOYJ]

From Wikipedia.

Pratt & Whitney R-2800The Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp was an aircraft engine, and part of the long-lived Wasp family. It was a two-row, 18-cylinder, air-cooled radial design. Displacement was 2,804 cubic inches (46 liters); bore and stroke were 5.75" and 6".

The R-2800 is considered one of the premier radial piston engines ever designed. It became legendary when used in several aircraft during World War II, notably the F4U Corsair, P47 Thunderbolt, and the Grumman F6F Hellcat. During the war years, Pratt-Whitney were always coming up with new ideas to upgrade this already powerful workhorse, most notably water injection to give emergency power in combat.

After World War II, the engine was used in the Korean War, and surplus World War II aircraft powered with the Double-Wasp served with other countries well past the Korean War, some being retired as late as the latter part of the 1960s when the aircraft were replaced. The R-2800 also powered post-war propliners from Douglas, Lockheed and Martin. Today, more than 60 years after the first Double Wasp was built, it is still used in many restored vintage aircraft in air shows.

A partial list of aircraft that were powered by the R-2800 (and a few prototypes that utilized it at one point) includes the F4U Corsair, F6F Hellcat, F7F Tigercat, F8F Bearcat, P-47 Thunderbolt, P-61 Black Widow, B-26 Marauder, C-46 Commando, Douglas DC-6, Lockheed Constellation, XB-28 Dragon, PV Ventura, XF-15C-1, and the XP-60.

[delcyros]

Either this or the Merlin would be my favourite! (The later drove some spanish Bf-109G 2) I really think that the US Wasp series is most reasonable.
In general (with a wider timeframe) I would give the title to the RR Nene jet engine.