Engine knock is the sharp, metallic sound that cuts through the hum of a healthy engine. At its core, engine knock is a problem of timing. In a knocking engine, parts of the air-fuel mixture don't ...

Engine knocking, or detonation, occurs when fuel in the cylinders ignites unevenly, causing metallic pinging sounds, reduced power, and potential engine damage. Key causes include low-octane fuel, ...

Our cars can make some pretty strange sounds. If you drive them for long enough, you'll most likely experience some fairly unsettling noises at some point or another. While any unusual sound coming ...

High-octane fuels are critical for the proper operation of some performance engines due to how they're engineered to deliver ...

The demon of engine knock is something an owner of a traditional high-performance Pontiac knows all too well. An engine designed when 102-octane high test was at almost every fuel station in the ...

Dyno tuning is great. But, a dyno-tuned engine can't always be tuned for the stress it might see on the street, let alone something like the continued abuse of, say, a track day. This is especially ...

From the 1920s until the 1970s, most gasoline cars in the USA were using fuel that had lead mixed into it. The reason for this was to reduce the engine knocking effect from abnormal combustion in ...

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in ...

The automotive industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation. Activity is driven by the need for improving the vehicle’s fuel efficiency, reduction in harmful gas emissions, and enhanced driving ...