How It Works

The BMW M4 GTS is one of few production cars to use a water injection system. The M4 GTS sprays water into the intake manifold to cool down air for its engine. How in the world does water help make more horsepower? That's the question Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained answers in this episode...

For those who dream of tearing apart race cars, but may not ever have the chance, we have the video for you. YouTuber Driver61 published a video last week that shows the teardown process of a Formula 1 car's gearbox, and what's inside to make the race car tick. Specifically, this is a transmission...

Watching oil spill out over the valve cover is never a good time. Why do we often have a mess to clean up when doing an oil change? There's actually a right and wrong way to pour oil, believe it or not. A video from FCP Euro, a company that specializes in European car parts, explains why the way...

The Lamborghini Aventador SVJ is the current king of the Nürburgring Nordschleife, in no small part thanks to its wild active aerodynamic system the company calls Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva 2.0. A video published last October by the Italian firm shows exactly how the system works when a...

Air filters are one of the easiest and quickest components to swap out for an aftermarket part, and plenty of companies claim their design will increase horsepower, torque, and improve acceleration. Do they? Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained is here to answer that question. For the test, he...

After years of Subaru treating the world to special, more-powerful WRX STI models, the Japanese automaker finally delivered one to the U.S. The Subaru WRX STI S209 debuted in January at the 2019 North American International Auto Show in Detroit with the company's most potent production engine so...

If you've ever wondered what makes up the famed rotary engine from Mazda, now is the chance to dive in. Engineering Explained showed off an incredible 3D-printed rotary engine scale model, and host Jason Fenske walks us through what makes the peculiar powertrain tick. Specifically, this is a...

Valve Timing Electronic Control, better known to enthusiasts as VTEC. We hear a lot about the system, but what is it exactly and how does it work? Jason Fenske, engineering mastermind behind YouTube's Engineering Explained, has tackled the system in one of his latest episodes. As usual, he breaks...

Everyone likes to find ways to save money. With respect to your car, there are times when you can opt for lower octane fuel, more affordable oil, and non-OEM parts. But should you skimp when it comes to buying tires? Recently, Engineering Explained looked at the performance variation as your tires...

Jason Fenske from Engineering Explained is here to tell you all about what happens as your tires wear down. While you think it's a simple reduction in grip, there's a whole lot more to process. In fact, certain tires can see an increase in grip as the tire wears down. Confused? You won't be for...

V-8 engines are one of the most common styles of engine across the entire automotive industry, especially when the goal is to produce a lot of power with a smooth delivery. So, how does such an engine work? Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained is here to shed light on how a V-8 engine operates...

Do you remember when BMW was self-described as the Ultimate Driving Machine? Those days are long gone but BMW still cranks out a few hits. It's nevertheless clear that BMW's core demographic has changed, and thus the automaker has to put out a video explaining how to use its own dual-clutch...

The pushrod engine is a rather archaic piece of engineering, but automakers have stuck by it to this day. Notably, Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles and General Motors still shove pushrod V-8 engines under the hoods of hundreds of thousands of vehicles. Why has the pushrod engine failed to die, especially...

When most of us pull up to the pump, we are in vehicles that require gasoline. A portion of us sidle up to diesel pumps. In the future, maybe we'll we'll drive vehicles with RCCI engines and we'll need to hit both pumps. The Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition (RCCI) engine is a concept...

While the engine of your car might be its heart, it's the battery that provides the juice to get that engine moving. By now, you probably know plenty about how your engine works. Do you know anything about your battery, though? If not, you're going to need to watch this video from Engineering...

We'll state it upfront: it doesn't cost a lot to use turn signals, so drivers should absolutely take advantage of them. With that out of the way, the video above goes through an incredible amount of detail to show how much energy turn signals consume, and how much it costs drivers to activate them...

When you think about expensive automobiles, there's one data point that doesn't often enter into the discussion. That would be reliability. It seems the more you spend on a car, the less reliable it becomes. But is that truly the case? Jason Fenske from Engineering Explained is here to examine this...

Mazda hasn't been shy about its dedication to the internal combustion engine. After all, the Japanese company will likely arrive first to market with a homogeneous charge compression ignition engine (HCCI), which will provide tremendous fuel economy improvements without the loss of performance. But...

Pushrod engines may not be high-tech by today's standards, but they soldier on and have benefits of their own. One downfall, however, is their ability to rev. Pushrod engines tend to have rather low redlines. You won't find a GM small-block V-8 revving to 9,000 rpm, but there's a reason for it all...

You pull up to the pump and you are presented with a few choices, and we're not talking about different fuel types here. We're talking, of course, about octane ratings. Those are large figures at the fueling station, and you know if you press the higher one you're going to spend more money. Why is...