The compression ratio isn't just a number: it's one of the greatest determining factors in engine building. Compression ratio determines the type of fuel, how much boost, and has a significant ...

“Too little compression will usually result in unmet performance expectations. On the high side [too much compression] carries greater risk in tuning and potential component failure if appropriately ...

No compression-ratio calculation is worth spit if the numbers used to calculate it are wrong. In the old days, a lot of the chamber volumes published for stock heads were NHRA minimum-legal blueprint ...

You'd think that the pistons listed for a 10.5:1 compression ratio would actually give you 10.5:1. But it's usually not that simple. Perhaps that's why so many four-wheelers have a foggy or incomplete ...

Increasing an engine’s compression ratio is a proven way of unlocking extra horsepower, but there’s a point of diminishing returns. The team at Garage 54, the Russian mechanics who built a V16 using ...

A gasoline piston engine that can dynamically change its compression ratio —that is, the amount by which the piston squeezes the fuel-air mixture in the cylinder—has long been a holy grail of engine ...

Jonathan loves just about anything with a motor and a steering wheel. As a kid, Jonathan collected any kind of toy car he could lay his hands on, and begged his parents to take him to the monster ...

Mazda’s new SkyActiv-X engine will go against every convention you thought you understood about gasoline engines. It’s supercharged, but for efficiency purposes, not to increase power. It has a ...

Apart from the very curious, not many people ask why diesel engines, compared to gasoline, run higher compression ratios. The argument is reasonably straightforward and starts with fuel ...