I wish I had a fiver (about $8) for every time a racing driver mentioned the word ‘balance.’ The post-practice or post-race interview of explanations and excuses as to why he (or she) didn’t win invariably attributes the cause to the relative grip between front and rear tyres, thus allowing the car to oversteer (loose) or understeer (push). And away from optimum handling, how could he (or she) possibly ever be expected to win? But in the world of engine lubricants the word ‘balance’ assumes an Read more…

We live in interesting and uncertain times - that much at least is certain. The world may be hovering on the point of economic disaster but in 2011, despite the proliferation of other types of fuel (such as ethanol, methanol, CNG or diesel) the performance fuel of choice is still gasoline. A mixture of up to several hundred types of hydrocarbon chains of varying length and shape, gasoline can be tailored more specifically to the precise characteristics of an internal combustion engine than perhaps any other fossil fuel. And of its many properties Read more…

Within the confines of an internal combustion engine, engine crankcase oil is expected to lubricate, cool, seal, maintain a high degree of cleanliness and protect against all forms of engine wear and corrosion. Not only must it do all this, it often also has to keep on doing so for long periods of time. In a sprint race of maybe a couple of hours’ duration this may not be too much of a problem, but for the endurance racer, conducting what is becoming more and more of a series of sprint races between pit-stops, the issue takes on an extra Read more…

Many years ago, journalists and vehicle road testers used to talk about ‘cooking engines’. At the time I understood it to be a term describing the performance of the unit, but I was unsure if it related to a high-performance, highly tuned engine or simply a fairly standard, docile unit reminiscent of a kitchen stove; the term meant nothing to me. Today, of course, with increasing awareness of fuel security and global warming, any engine described as ‘cooking’ must surely be the latter, and fuelled by the one fuel which is Read more…

At the time of writing, with two high-speed superspeedway events under their belts, oil formulators for NASCAR are at last breathing a sigh of relief. Since the fuel for this year has been revised to include 15% ethanol, subsequent post-race engine oil analysis has shown that there is no unexpected deterioration, and piston wear - although higher for the high-speed plate engine tracks - is no more than expected. But if we are honest, that was only of passing interest. With many events around the world using similar blends, the effects of ethanol on high-performance engines is now well Read more…

It could be that I’m giving the wrong impression here but on a cold winter’s evening there is nothing I like so much as a small glass of whisky. Settling into my favourite armchair alongside the dying embers of a log fire and savouring the delights to come, I watch carefully as the dash of tepid water (not too much now!) is added to the tumbler and then slowly mixes. That it does so is one of life’s extraordinary things, as the surplus electrons of the water’s oxygen atoms are attracted to the electron-deficient hydrogen atoms of the alcohol, strangely Read more…

The role of the lubricant in any tribological system is to eliminate component wear and minimise the frictional drag. This is as true for any road-going touring car engine as it is for one used in Formula One - indeed, in many ways the former is a far harder task since the engine has to be protected over a much wider range of operating conditions, summer and winter and often up to 20,000 miles between oil drains. In the case of the latter, the oil simply has to last only the race. Read more…

Now don’t get me wrong, I like to think of myself as open to new ideas and suggestions as the next man, and indeed throughout my working life the programmes and projects I have been associated with would at least demonstrate that fact. But if you had told me even 10 years ago that a diesel engine would be used to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans every year from 2006 then I am sure I would have taken some convincing.

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A major factor in selecting any fuel for high-performance work is the ratio of the products of the reaction with the oxygen in the air to that of the reactants. In a liquid-fuelled space rocket, for instance, 1000 gallons of liquid oxygen will react with about 2000 of liquid hydrogen to create an exhaust gas many times the initial volume. This increase in volume escaping from beneath creates the thrust, which subsequently propels the projectile forward. Read more…

We’ve all received them at some time in our lives. That invitation to so-and-so’s wedding that spreads mild panic in the household. A new outfit for the wife, a few modifications to the waistband of that old suit of mine, and the prospect of being away from the workshop for a whole weekend. At the bottom of the card the letters ‘RSVP’ demand an almost immediate reply and so inspiration for damage limitation has to come - and come quickly. Read more…