Almost all gasoline engines, whether they're efficient-yet-less-refined four-cylinders, high-horsepower V6s, or growly and torque-rich V8s, use much the same process to create power. The "Otto cycle" ...

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 ...

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 ...

From a gearhead's viewpoint—take that back, anybody's informed perspective—there's one guy who stands out as a catalyst in the art of automotive as we know it. Not talking about the caveman who ...

Most pickup truck fans probably know the new 2016 Toyota Tacoma will feature a new 3.5-liter V-6 engine, yet that isn’t the whole story. This new engine will use the “Atkinson” cycle, most notably ...

The roar of an engine coming alive is a result of a process that creates thousands of explosions every minute. There are four steps that create these explosions: intake, compression, power and exhaust ...

We love ourselves a good oddball engine, and tiny, scrappy Mazda certainly must be responsible for more such engine concept patents per market-capitalization dollar than any other. We just discovered ...

You might already know that gasoline and diesel engines both operate using the same four-stroke cycle: intake, compression, power, and exhaust. However, a key difference between gas and diesel engines ...

Cars' engines have to resist tremendous pressure and heat up to 3,000 degrees. So what in the world is a soft, explosive ...