I recently got asked about what "pinging" is, and what the difference is between pre-ignition and detonation, what causes it, and why it is bad for an engine. Basically, both pre-ignition and ...

When your car starts making a metallic knocking sound under the hood, you'd assume it could only be one thing: the engine. However, there are two common culprits, and they're definitely not the same.

Pinging—that sound that resembles pebbles being thrown on a tin roof—has become familiar to all of us as a common occurance with today's low-octane fuel and reduced engine speeds. Call it pinging, ...

Ignition timing is like seasoning: some is good, but too much ruins the results. Bumping up the ignition timing on pushrod 5.0s is a time-honored trick to wake up the under-hood lump. The EFI system ...

Like much in life, the difference between detonation and pre-ignition, and their effects, comes down to timing. Both refer to a situation when an engine's fuel/air mixture combusts at the wrong time, ...