I fully understand the basics of a 4 cycle engine I was trying to over simply it for him to give him an answer he could understand.The 2 extra cycles you are talking about are the 2 pistons I was talking about also the number of cylinders has nothing to do with how many rpm the engine turns,Nascar they turn what 9-10k rpm,formula 1 19k and a street car v8 5-6k?