How It Works

  • Honda has built a motorcycle that self balances

    Do you wake up thinking about the effects of positive and negative trail length and their relation to motorcycle stability? No? Well, we're going to change that because you're going to learn a little bit about just that topic today. Jason Fenske from Engineering Explained is here to walk you through those ideas because they're critically important to an extremely interesting concept motorcycle created by Honda. This two-wheeler is capable of balancing on its own without the help of a kickstand and it doesn't use a gyroscope. The motorcycle is called the Riding Assist Concept, and that name...

  • Snow trekking with Subaru's AWD system in snow
    How Subaru's AWD system works in the snow

    All-wheel-drive systems work in many different ways. They differ from four-wheel-drive systems in that they don't have a transfer case that typically provides low-range gearing. They all can work full time (though many have an axle disconnect feature to preserve fuel), while 4WD systems may or may...

  • Engineering Explained talks about the banned F1 tech used by the LaFerrari
    How Ferrari's banned F1 technology works on the LaFerrari engine

    Anytime you get to use the term "banned F1 technology" you know you're going to be talking about something very interesting and very cool. That's the case today because the topic is the magical engine placed into the belly of the beast called the LaFerrari. This is a 6.3-liter 800-horsepower V-12...

  • Engineering Explained talks about the improvements made with the new Michelin Pilot Sport 4S
    Has Michelin designed a better tire than its Pilot Super Sport?

    If you have a vehicle that likes to perform, you'll do best to fit it with a set of Pilot Super Sport tires from Michelin. This is a seriously good set of rubber that will have you turning faster lap times, finding more aggressive turn-in from your car, and braking in less distance when compared to...

  • Engine warm-up through a thermal camera
    Watch a cold engine heat up with a thermal camera

    What does your engine look like on the inside as it warms up? Aside from some "Honey I shrunk the kids" scenario in which you could protect yourself from heat and the mechanical bits inside your engine, finding out seems impossible, doesn't it? Not with a thermal camera. Out of curiosity, Jason...

  • Engineering Explained talks about rev limiters
    How a two-step rev limiter works

    A rev limiter is there for your benefit. Without it, you'd be facing down a potential busted engine and trickier launches, especially in higher horsepower vehicles. If you have a vehicle with a launch control mode, then you have a car fitted with a two-step rev limiter. One step is designed to help...

  • Final drive ratio

    The final drive ratio is the last bit of gearing between your transmission and the driven wheels. By changing it, you can affect the performance of your car, rather dramatically in some cases. In general, a lower final drive ratio will lead to less torque at the wheels but a higher top speed. Meanwhile, a higher ratio will result in the opposite, i.e. more torque at the wheels but a lower top speed. Remember, this is done without any change to the power and torque of the engine. ALSO SEE: Here are the differences between Variable Valve Lift and Variable Valve Timing Since torque is what helps...

  • Engineering Explained walks you through variable valve lift and timing
    Here are the differences between Variable Valve Lift and Variable Valve Timing

    Engines are complex bits of machinery. At their core level, yes, it's easy to understand what is happening. Air and fuel enter the engine where they are ignited and combustion occurs resulting in power that turns shafts. CHECK OUT: Classic video explains how a planetary gear set works In a modern...

  • Engineering Explained asks if a big hill can recharge a Tesla
    Can a big enough hill recharge a Tesla?

    Like most other electric and hybrid vehicles on the market, the Tesla [NSDQ:TSLA] Model S and Model X are both fitted with a system that allows them to recapture energy and put it back into the battery pack. The most common manner in which this is done is through a regenerative braking system...

  • A video explanation on planetary gear sets
    Classic video explains how a planetary gear set works

    Gears come in all shapes and sizes. They are the toothy wonders that make the world go around, and they're incredibly important in the operation of a motor vehicle. There's a more specific type of gear that allows your automatic gearbox to operate. It's called the planetary gear set and the way it...

  • Learn the differences between an automatic and manual transmission
    The differences between automatic and manual transmissions

    You no doubt know which type of gearbox you prefer, be it automatic or manual. Do you know how these gearboxes do what they do? If you don't, then today is your lucky day. This video from Learn Engineering starts off with the basics of how a manual transmission works. It comes down to three shafts...

  • Engineering Explained talks about wet sump and dry sump oil systems
    The differences between wet and dry sump oil systems

    All of those moving parts in your engine create heat through friction, and that heat needs to be mitigated or bad things will happen. This is the task of your oil. It lubricates and cools engine components. Your vehicle will most likely move this oil around by way of a wet sump oil system. If you...

  • How Nissan's VVEL engines work

    The letters VVEL are important to the architecture of Nissan engines. Those four letters stand for Variable Valve Event and Lift. What that refers to is a Nissan engine that operates without the use of a throttle body. Instead, the air flowing into the engine is metered by way of the cams and valves. It's a pretty trick system, and due to its complexity we're going to need some help from Engineering Explained host Jason Fenske to explain it all. ALSO SEE: 'Engineering Explained' tackles Koenigsegg's camless engine At the heart of the VVEL engine, it's all about offset and adjusting cams and...

  • Engineering Explained talks about the Honda Accord Hybrid
    How the Honda Accord Hybrid can behave like a Koenigsegg

    Believe it or not, the 2017 Honda Accord Hybrid sedan actually has something in common with an ultra-exotic hypercar produced by the Swedish brand Koenigsegg. That seems far fetched, and no we're not referring to the fact that both vehicles utilize four wheels wrapped in rubber tires. The...

  • How to change a car's differential fluid
    How to change a car's differential fluid

    Our friend Jason Fenske from Engineering Explained has already taught us how to change the oil in our cars. It's an easy process, and it's one that will allow you to get closer to your own machine while making sure it's properly maintained. Now it's time to take things a step further. Jason is...

  • How to change your car's transmission fluid
    How to change your car's transmission fluid

    Today's the day you learn how to change your car's transmission fluid. Our teacher? None other than our friend Jason Fenske from Engineering Explained. He's taking the time to do some routine maintenance on his Honda S2000 before diving into his modification and upgrade list. While the process...

  • Hagerty rebuilds Chrsyler FirePower
    Today in time-lapse magic: Hagerty's Chrysler Firepower V-8 rebuild

    A complete engine rebuild can take weeks or months—even years—at the hands of highly skilled mechanics. Don't have that kind of time? (Who does?) Here's a 5-minute compressed video melee of a complete rebuild that took the Hagerty team 10 months and eleventy billion hours to complete...

  • The five best basic modifications for your car
    The five best basic modifications for your car

    Engineering Explained host Jason Fenske is currently planning the modifications for his own project Honda S2000. He has some great things in store for that car, but he also has a bit of advice for those of us looking to modify our own cars. To that end, he's created a list of his top five best...

  • How winter tires differ from summer tires

    Winter has begun to embrace the country in its icy grasp, and that means it's past time you started thinking about winter tires. But are they really worth it and what do they actually do? Our friend Jason Fenske from Engineering Explained is here to help us understand the massive difference winter tires make versus all seasons and summer tires when temperatures drop and snow falls. ALSO SEE: How to change a car's coolant Jason has a pair of vehicles designed for different types of driving. In one corner of his garage sits his Honda S2000 project car, which is getting a nice fresh set of...

  • It's this easy to change your own oil
    It's this easy to change your own oil

    Our friend Jason Fenske from Engineering Explained has been teaching us a lot about our favorite subject: cars. Today, he's here to talk about something that just might inspire you to get your hands dirty under the hood of your own car. It's basic, but every car guy should know it. The topic of the...

  • How engine oil systems work
    How engine oil systems work

    Besides fuel, oil is the lifeblood of your vehicle. It keeps your engine rotating smoothly. This is accomplished by the properties of oil that allow it to lubricate moving parts and reduce heat generated by friction. If the moving parts in your engine weren't lubricated, you'd hear a lot of...

  • How to safely lift your car off the ground with jack stands
    How to safely lift your car off the ground with jack stands

    If you're going to do work on your own vehicle, you'll most likely need to get underneath it at some point. Unless you own a monster truck, this means that you're going to have to lift your car in the air. This is intimidating for many, but there's a way to make it less so and Engineering Explained...

  • The science behind the record-breaking Dodge Viper ACR
    The science behind the record-breaking Dodge Viper ACR

    When Dodge brought its Viper ACR to the production car party back in 2015, the automaker also brought a long a sheet filled with brand new track records. The ACR broke production-car lap records at 13 different tracks. These weren't rinky-dink little local circuits that you've never heard of...

  • How the elusive 4-rotor rotary engine works
    How the elusive 4-rotor rotary engine works

    As the old saying goes, there is no replacement for displacement. That's not the case when it comes to rotary engines, which typically have very small displacement. Instead of cubes, if you want a rotary to make more power you do two things: add more rotors and/or slap on a turbocharger or two...

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