During a single full cycle, an internal combustion engine must intake the fuel/air mixture, compress it, ignite it, and allow the exhaust gases created by ignition to escape. As their names imply, a ...

We dig into some aspects of intake manifolds that you may not have contemplated, fully understood, or thought worthy of further thought. You may discover some useful information. When you consider ...

The term Atkinson cycle goes around a lot when talking about automotive engines. What does it mean? When did cars start using these engines?

Volkswagen isn't reinventing the way your internal combustion engine works. The automaker has, however, created a new twist on the Otto cycle that's a revised version of the Atkinson cycle. Your ...

Despite sounding like a thoroughly entertaining evening out, it is actually a description for one of the most important processes in the majority of engines. Known as the four-cycle, it is the process ...

Two-stroke/four-stroke hybrid. The name is so totally nonsensical that neither Jacquot-who brought it up after eavesdropping on some motorcycle geeks-nor I had any idea what it was. He guessed it was ...

NOTE: With this issue of HOT ROD, your Shop Series begins a slightly different and more comprehensive approach to the discussion of engine and vehicle basics. In the coming months, you'll find a frank ...