Dangerous Engine Heat: 3 Prevention Tips After Installing Performance Mods

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Engine performance mods add more speed and make your vehicle accelerate quicker. It’s fantastic and exciting, but the extra performance comes with ...

Four-Stroke Engine

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What is a four-stroke engine and how does it work?

A four-stroke engine refers to the number of strokes a piston makes in one cycle, or in two rotations of the crankshaft. The four strokes are intake, compression, power, and exhaust. During the intake stroke, the piston travels down the cylinder to let fresh air/fuel in through the intake valve (Mechanical Booster). The air/fuel mixture is sucked into the cylinder because "the piston is an airtight seal inside the cylinder... " which "...creates a partial vacuum" (EpicPhysics.com). The compression stroke starts as the piston travels up the cylinder and compresses the fuel/air mixture (Jenkins). Then a "spark plug ignites the..." fuel/air mixture, forcing the piston down the cylinder during the power stroke (Jenkins). It is important to note that the power stroke "... is the only point at which the engine creates energy" (EpicPhysics.com). Moreover, "as the piston moves up and down in the cylinder it rotates the crankshaft" (AutoEducation). Lastly, once the piston completes the power stroke, "the exhaust valve opens" to expel the exhaust gasses (AutoEducation).

Two-Stroke Engine

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What is a two-stroke engine? And how does it work?

A two-stroke engine refers to the number of strokes the piston needs to complete in one cycle or one rotation of the crankshaft. A stroke is one up or down movement of the piston inside the cylinder. Thus, in a two-stroke cylinder, the piston moves up and down once in one cycle. More specifically, the cycle is comprised of two strokes: the "compression stroke" and the "combustion stroke" (Brain), also known as the power stroke.

Cylinder Kits Explained

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Do you know the name of all the parts in a cylinder kit and what they do? Read our blog post for a quick refresher.