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Back in the good old days – the task of timing the ignition spark was performed by the distributor. The greater the RPM, the more the timing would advance.
This did a reasonable job but for the most effective power you would need to vary the timing to a greater degree than a fixed ratio advance curve. The electronic ignition system was borne.
Vents – adding performance with Bonnet vents.
Performance gains are possible with the addition of bonnet vents.
Warm air really does kill performance. This is due to the air intake temperatures being hot and air at high temperatures carries less oxygen.
When driving an engine hard the under bonnet temperatures quickly build up and the engine has no choice but to suck this air in reducing your power.
How to avoid engine knock and pinging
So what exactly is engine knock and how dangerous is it? What causes engine knock and how can it be avoided?
You may notice a knocking or rattling noise from your engine or a sudden loss of power under full throttle.
Immediately back off the throttle and only use low rpm engine speeds until you can get the engine investigated.
The chances are that you are suffering from a condition known as “engine knock”.
Cryogenic engine treatments
When putting more power through an engine you need to ensure that every part will perform at its optimum.
One of the motorsports favourite techniques to improve the durability of an engine is a process know as cryogenic treatments.
As you can guess from the use of the word Cryo – it involves the cooling and heating of the engine block to temper the metal changing its structure.
