EngineLabs

EngineLabs EngineLabs is the leading online resource for performance engine technology.

We go far beyond covering just the “hardware” used by this fast-paced community because there’s much more to engine technology than new parts. EngineLabs will explore the tactics, rationale, and strategy that guide the creative minds who are obsessed with making horsepower. We will explain the “whys” and “hows” of the engine more than the “what” and “where.”

The science of horsepower is distilled

into magazine form at EngineLabs, which provides the sort of in-depth engine tech found nowhere else on the internet.

Man, if you thought your weekend was bad... it can't be worse than this guy's.
04/26/2025

Man, if you thought your weekend was bad... it can't be worse than this guy's.

04/25/2025

What's the highest-flowing cylinder head you've ever used on a build?

OEMs have been realizing the potential of hydrogen combustion technology, with several hydrogen-specific engine designs ...
04/25/2025

OEMs have been realizing the potential of hydrogen combustion technology, with several hydrogen-specific engine designs hitting the market. The automotive aftermarket has seen collaboration with companies like Total Seal, which has provided critical components, such as stainless top rings, to help build a suitable engine for the application. Building race engines shiows the potential of hydrogen combustion to produce more cylinder temperature than gasoline, with the goal of achieving durability and power.

For Mike Copeland, there is no end to the potential for Hydrogen-fueled engines. Working with OEMs, he continues to work on this platform, as he sees it as the real solution over EVs. As gearheads who love the rumble of a cammed-up big-block, we don’t want to see internal combustion come to an end. This is why Copeland has set his sights on developing hydrogen conversions for existing engines. Soon we will all come to love the smell of a clean-burning engine that makes more power than old dinosaur bones.

What's the most displacement you can get out of a 5.3L truck block? If you said anything less than 454 cubes, you're wro...
04/24/2025

What's the most displacement you can get out of a 5.3L truck block? If you said anything less than 454 cubes, you're wrong. Go check out our latest article to see a 454 cubic-inch monster built on a simple 5.3L truck block.

Twin-screw rotors on the left, and a Roots-style rotor pack on the right. Which one are you going with?
04/24/2025

Twin-screw rotors on the left, and a Roots-style rotor pack on the right. Which one are you going with?

When the zinc levels were reduced in standard engine oils, many people started using diesel oils for its elevated levels...
04/23/2025

When the zinc levels were reduced in standard engine oils, many people started using diesel oils for its elevated levels of ZDDP. However, the experts have shown that this is a bad move, as besides an elevated load of zinc, diesel oils tend to come with a lot of other diesel-specific compounds in it that aren't exactly good for a gasoline engine.

Since everyone is in a detective mood, let's see if you can ID this engine type from just it's underside.
04/22/2025

Since everyone is in a detective mood, let's see if you can ID this engine type from just it's underside.

Time to put on your detective hats. What do you think happened here?
04/22/2025

Time to put on your detective hats. What do you think happened here?

Have you ever considered your head gasket's bore size in realtion to the engine bore size?The basic geometry of the cyli...
04/21/2025

Have you ever considered your head gasket's bore size in realtion to the engine bore size?

The basic geometry of the cylinder head, head gasket, and the engine block is a sandwich of two components with a gasket as the filling. We all know that as you change the thickness of the gasket, you change the volume of the quench area, which in turn alters the static compression ratio. But, there is another variable that can alter the volume of the quench area – the diameter of the head gasket’s bore size.

For that reason, the sizing of the gasket’s bore diameter needs to be tailored to the engine’s configuration as tightly as gasket options will allow. “In a lot of cases, the minimum gasket bore size is dictated by the combustion chamber configuration, as opposed to the cylinder bore size,” says Jeff Evers, Automotive Product Line Manager at Cometic Gasket. “Generally, we recommend .030 to .060 inch over the cylinder bore size. The bore embossment will need to be outside of the combustion chamber.”

However, there are advantages in tightening that spec up significantly, which we dive into in the full article.

What did you work on this weekend? I coated my rods and pistons. Saved a bunch by doing it myself.
04/20/2025

What did you work on this weekend? I coated my rods and pistons. Saved a bunch by doing it myself.

Happy Easter! Don't go hiding any Easter Eggs in the ports of a 351 Cleveland, because they'll fall so deep, you'll nev...
04/20/2025

Happy Easter! Don't go hiding any Easter Eggs in the ports of a 351 Cleveland, because they'll fall so deep, you'll never get them out!

We asked a panel of modern experts: "Are Smokey Yunick's tricks still relevant today?" The answers we got were mixed, bu...
04/19/2025

We asked a panel of modern experts: "Are Smokey Yunick's tricks still relevant today?" The answers we got were mixed, but there's no denying, the man was ahead of his time.

Experienced tuners know that the stoichiometric point (or stoichiometric air-fuel ratio) of a fuel is the exact proporti...
04/18/2025

Experienced tuners know that the stoichiometric point (or stoichiometric air-fuel ratio) of a fuel is the exact proportion of air and fuel at which a complete, balanced chemical reaction occurs, meaning all the fuel is burned using all the available oxygen in the air— no excess fuel or oxygen remains. It’s a theoretical value, but if you actually tuned to the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio under load, you would most likely create some ventilated blocks and pistons. BUT… it is still important to know.

Why is it important? Every fuel has a specific stoich point:

Gasoline: ~14.7:1 → 14.7 parts of air for every 1 part of gasoline, by mass
Diesel: ~14.5:1 (varies depending on the diesel fuel’s composition)
Ethanol (E100): ~9:1
Methanol: ~6.4:1
Hydrogen: ~34.3:1
Propane: ~15.5:1
Natural gas (methane): ~17.2:1
Nitromethane: ~1.7:1

In honor of today being National Mustang Day, we're going back to our Retro 5.0 project that wound up making over 800 ho...
04/17/2025

In honor of today being National Mustang Day, we're going back to our Retro 5.0 project that wound up making over 800 horsepower on the stock 5.0-liter block.

Ask The Experts is back, with the question period now open for this month's expert at Canton Racing Products. Head over ...
04/17/2025

Ask The Experts is back, with the question period now open for this month's expert at Canton Racing Products. Head over to the EngineLabs homepage for all the details on how to submit your questions about cooling or oiling system products.

There's no denying that Smokey Yunick was ahead of his time with his thoughts and understanding of the performance inter...
04/16/2025

There's no denying that Smokey Yunick was ahead of his time with his thoughts and understanding of the performance internal combustion engine. However, the question that dances around everyone's minds is, "Are his tricks still relevant today?"

We decided to ask a few of the leading experts in our industry about some of Smokey's tricks that were recently uncovered in a parts acquisition by Hill Country Performance & Machine. To read all of their opinions, head over to the site, but it's pretty clear, Yunick's "tricks" have shaped what is common practice these days, whether he intended for it or not.

Distributor machines are making a comeback among restoration shops for fine-tuning ignition curves. Once forgotten, thes...
04/16/2025

Distributor machines are making a comeback among restoration shops for fine-tuning ignition curves. Once forgotten, these tools allow precise adjustment of vacuum and mechanical advance for better performance, mileage, and cooler running.

Twin superchargers is not just a thing, there are multiple types. Which one would you go with?
04/15/2025

Twin superchargers is not just a thing, there are multiple types. Which one would you go with?

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