Notes from the workshop.
Engineering writeups on combustion physics, simulator internals, and the decisions behind the sandbox.
22 min readHow Much Horsepower Does One Point of Compression Add? We Measured It
Forums say 3–4% per point. We swept an LS7 and a 4.6 Modular from 8.5:1 to 13.5:1 with knock on and off, and found where the gain stops being free.
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20 min readWhy Do Diesel Engines Make So Much Torque? We Took the Turbo Off to Find Out
Long stroke, high compression, or the turbo? We measured a Cummins 6BT against two gasoline V8s, then removed each lever to see which one torque follows.
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14 min readCross-Plane vs Flat-Plane V8: Why They Sound Different (Measured)
Both V8s fire every 90°. One burbles, one screams. We measured the pulse train down each exhaust bank, and what the crank plane actually costs in power.
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14 min readWhy F1 Engines Could Rev to 20,000 rpm (and Why Yours Can't)
A 39.75 mm stroke is the whole trick. We ran the Cosworth CA2006 against its nine-point published power curve and landed within 1.9% at the rated point.
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16 min read8 Engine Experiments for the Classroom (No Dyno Required)
Compression ratio, knock, torque vs power, boost — eight reproducible experiments built on a free browser simulator, each with the measured numbers and an honest note on where the model and reality part ways.
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15 min readHow a Torque Converter Works (And Why It Can Be Quicker Than a Clutch)
A converter multiplies torque before the car even moves. Measured on real gearboxes in the simulator: 2.10x at a dead stop, a coupling point at 3.2 seconds, and automatics beating manuals off the line.
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12 min readInline-6 vs V6: We Built Both at 3.0 Litres and Measured Them
Two three-litre sixes on identical physics, one inline and one 60° V. Peak power lands 1.1% apart, and with every other variable held equal the layout is worth 0.02 hp. What it does decide: balance, packaging and boost.
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14 min readTwo-Stroke vs Four-Stroke: What Actually Differs (Measured)
A two-stroke fires every revolution, so it should make twice the power at equal displacement. It doesn't — measured here at 1.89x to 2.35x, and the reason is not what most explanations say.
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17 min readRoots vs Centrifugal Supercharger: Boost Curves Compared
Two crank-driven blowers, two pressure laws. Measured torque, belt drag and charge heat on one 6.2 V8 — plus the A/B that says which difference matters.
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17 min readWhy the Rotary Engine Is Coming Back (and Why It Left)
Mazda stopped building rotary engines in 2012 and restarted in 2023. Why the Wankel returned as a generator, what killed it, and what the numbers show.
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18 min readHow a Turbocharger Works (Boost, Lag, and Wastegates)
A turbocharger is an air pump driven by exhaust you were about to throw away. How the turbine, compressor, wastegate and intercooler work, with measured curves.
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9 min readCompressor Stall vs Surge in Jet Engines
Compressor stall is blade-passage flow separation, often local or rotating; surge is a system-wide oscillation. Learn the map, causes, and protection.
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8 min readHow Does a Jet Engine Start? Step by Step
A jet engine starts by spinning its compressor, adding ignition and fuel, then accelerating to governed idle. The sequence, the gauges, and the failure modes.
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8 min readWhat Is Vapor Lock? Symptoms and Prevention
Vapor lock interrupts liquid-fuel delivery when heat and low pressure create bubbles. Learn the symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and safe prevention.
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9 min readThe Otto Cycle Explained: Thermodynamics of the Gasoline Engine
The Otto cycle is the thermodynamic blueprint every gasoline engine follows: four strokes, two isentropic processes, two constant-volume heat exchanges. How efficiency, compression ratio, and knock connect.
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8 min readAI in Engines: Can ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini Run One?
LLMs like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini cannot run an engine, yet AI is already deep inside one. Where machine learning lives in a production engine, and where LLMs help.
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8 min readHow a Four-Stroke Engine Works (All 4 Strokes Explained)
A four-stroke engine turns burning fuel into smooth rotation in four steps: intake, compression, power, exhaust. What happens in each stroke, and what limits the engine.
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8 min readJet Engine vs Rocket Engine: Which Is More Powerful?
Jets breathe air; rockets carry their own oxygen. That one difference decides thrust, efficiency, and top speed. The full comparison, with real numbers.
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7 min readWhat Is Engine Knock? Causes, Sounds, and How to Stop It
Engine knock is fuel detonating before the flame front arrives, a metallic ping that hammers pistons. What causes knock, what it damages, and how to stop it.
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