In a conventional application, there are three rings per piston. The top ring is called the compression ring. Its purpose is to seal the combustion gas pressure, transfer heat from the piston to the ...

The mind-bending world of birotary engines - a hybrid of piston and rotary technology that could revolutionize aviation. But ...

Learn how a small engine’s gear and piston system operates together, explained through clear visuals and real mechanical ...

High-output engines live in a world of brutal cylinder pressures, extreme temperatures and razor-thin safety margins, and the humble piston sits at the center of that storm. When power levels climb, ...

Last month we began a new series on the basic operation of the internal combustion engine. We realize that many of our readers may be new to the high-performance scene and do not fully understand the ...

If you are a motorhead, an unusual engine will immediately get your attention. Most vehicles today have either an inline or V-shaped configuration, so anything peculiar will immediately stick out. If ...

Since Michigan has a stay-at-home order due to the coronavirus, I've been partaking in what I am now officially dubbing Wrenchfest 2020—an all-out repair assault on my various broken cars. Last ...

The team at Garage 54 replace aluminum pistons inside of an engine with custom-made plastic pistons. The engine, surprisingly, runs for longer than it has any right to run. Garage 54 specializes in ...

Rotary engines (also known as Wankel engines and Wankel rotary engines) are quite different from piston or "reciprocating" engines. One of the distinguishing features is that they don't need valves to ...