A diesel engine is simultaneously incredibly simple and incredibly violent, using compression as a means of ignition. This is because of the properties of diesel fuel: Namely, diesel is less volatile ...

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 ...

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 ...