Editor’s Note: This article previously appeared in a different format as part of The Atlantic’s Notes section, retired in 2021. In response to the item immediately below, which kicked off this Thread, ...

Every new internal combustion car and truck sold in America today is equipped with a four-stroke engine, as are the vast majority of motorcycles. Today, if you hear the loud, ringing song of a ...

Conventional wisdom suggests that our faithful internal combustion (IC) engines are heading the way of the buggy whip. The lithium-ion battery has arrived, emissions standards are tightening, and ...

Two-stroke engines used to be ubiquitous in dirt bike racing, thanks to their lightweight construction and horsepower. Packed in a dirt bike frame, they make a motorcycle playful in the corners and ...

Unless you're really into dirt bikes, you probably haven't touched a two-stroke engine in decades — if you ever have. These mechanically simple motors combine the four strokes we all know and love ...

Anyone who appreciates simplicity of design and efficiency of operation has to like small two-stroke-cycle engines that power construction tools such as cut-off saws, rammers and breakers. Producing ...

The defining characteristic of a two-stroke engine is to fire (combust) every time the piston is at top dead center. This makes them highly power dense, but also notoriously makes two-stroke engines ...

Power Stroke Diesel engines provided thrust for Ford Super Duty rigs for decades, but there are some key differences between ...

Detroit Diesel was once one of the most prolific engine builders out there. But its success didn't last forever, leaving it ...