Calibrated Success

06/10/2026

Imagine posting a technical article using fancy words like "detonation" as an engineer, but using them completely incorrectly.

I may have even said the d-word once upon a time when I was talking about SI engine knock. I'm much better about it now, especially after covering it in some graduate classes. I wrote about this in an upcoming article for Hot Rod Magazine where we'll get it right.

I have a free T-shirt for the first person who can correctly explain why "detonation" is not the right word here and what this really is.

Ever wonder how diesel engines really work? If you're the visual type, watch this slow motion video of a transparent fire piston in action.

06/06/2026

Sorting through the final QC checks for another client fuel injector test bench here the Calibrated Success Technical Center.

06/03/2026

I'll take "Improperly Calibrated Torque Control" for $1000, Mark.

Let's see if we can do a little better on our upcoming ND Miata forced induction project here...

06/02/2026

Following up on the previous TJI discussion: SAE Mobilus currently has this paper available for FREE.

For the sustainable development of human society, energy saving, emission reduction, and carbon reduction are urgent challenges to be addressed in the energy industry. As a power device for energy conversion in the transportation sector, the internal combustion engine also needs to enhance its....

06/01/2026

If we want to leave this hobby of vehicle performance and personalization for the next generation, we’re going to need to do it responsibly. is a dirty word for many performance enthusiasts, the elephant in the room. We can all see what has happened in our industry over the years. Manufacturers, distributors, and shops have been fined for violating the Clean Air Act. The laws have been on the books for decades. The way they are written often reads as a guilty until proven innocent situation too with how they treat

SEMA Garage has gone a long way toward streamlining the certification process for aftermarket manufacturers.

But there’s still good news here. We live in the Golden Era of performance. Never before have so many incredibly powerful vehicles been available on the showroom floor, yet they all pass some of the most stringent emissions standards ever seen. The number of new 500+hp vehicles available today is impressive. At the original writing of the article, GM had not yet released the official numbers on the LT7 in ZR1. Spoiler alert: 1068hp and Bin125 emissions compliance. More good news, our testing has proven that we can make great power with catalytic convertors intact in the aftermarket.

In the article, I also discuss some of the common issues that may lead to poor emissions. Vehicle maintenance is a key factor here. Luckily, as we pointed out in the recent project with Summit Racing Equipment, performance enthusiasts are pretty good about normal maintenance.

Check out the Summer 2026 issue of Hot Rod Magazine for the whole article. We’ll have more great stuff like this coming in the future too. Thanks again to their editor, John McGann for helping get this message out there as we protect the bright future of Hot Rodding.

05/21/2026

I was recently asked by Dr. Diane Peters to join a panel discussion as part of the 2026 Industry Research Summit at Kettering University. Our topic was how industry and academia collaborate effectively on various projects.

The Panel covered a wide range of automotive, power generation, materials, physics and other topics. Dr. Peters dove into how students can deliver value to companies with their capstone projects and theses. We also discussed some of the needs of industry where academic research makes more sense than trying to staff a company’s own research and development team for a single project. Calibrated Success bridges these gaps regularly by filling in for companies that may not have the specific engineering resource needed to measure or test something. We have also worked with Kettering University to bring their engine dynamometer lab online for students and created lab tests that can be repeated as part of their curriculum.

As an added bonus, I was able to sit in on a lecture from Dr. Gregory Davis. He walked undergraduate students through the various tradeoffs involved in gear ratio selection. The campus and buildings there are rich with automotive history. Where else can you be in class where they have the original enlarged cutaway of the first hydraulic valve lifter mechanism?

Second bonus: With some extra time, I walked through the Athletic Center too. They were hosting a kids robotics competition that day. I hadn’t been under that roof since I walked across a stage 27 years ago. Rumor has it I may have also won a couple swimming races there back in the 90’s.

05/21/2026

Time to make a little boost.

05/14/2026

New swag alert. Update your drip, or whatever the kids are saying now.

Two new options are available to boost your calibration chops. Choose from our new quarter zip or the exclusive Big Brain Juice Holder. Both pair well with jorts and New Balance shoes at your next Cars and Coffee event.

All proceeds go to the Calibrated Success "Help Greg pay for grad school" fund.

https://calibratedsuccess.com/product-category/swag/

05/12/2026

I'm calling it. THIS is the future for spark ignition.

First, it was F1. Then Ferrari and Maserati snuck it into some low volume road cars. Trickle down to Fiat was next. Everyone lost their mind when it showed up on a Jeep. Now BMW has come out and side this how they're moving forward.

If you haven't heard about pre-chamber ignition, NOW is the time to read up on it. It was a footnote in my recent combustion and emissions class at Clemson University Dept of Automotive Engineering. I bet it gets more attention now. This technology is essentially a shrouded spark plug that creates a small chamber around the electrode that burns first. Combustion jets from this initial burn shoot out much like diesel fuel plumes, BUT they're already homogenous and are entering the homogeneous main chamber. This promotes very rapid combustion across the main volume after whatever delay existed inside the prechamber. As calibrators, we can play the angle on that initial delay but still end up with the desirable rapid combustion in the main chamber.

I will not be surprised at all when most SI engines change over to this technology. It's just too good to ignore from an efficiency standpoint.

My only real question is: "Will we see retrofit kits available to replace traditional spark plugs?" and "If we retrofit, what calibration changes will be necessary to optimize older engines with new prechamber spark plugs?"

Who wants to go next? Will this work on a boosted LS? Coyote? Hellcat? B-series? Small Block? NGK Spark Plugs and Bosch USA the ball is in your court here. Make us something to test. I'd love to try it out.

You can bet we'll be paying attention over at the SEMA Emerging Trends & Technology Network - ETTN too.

+++ Pre-chamber combustion patented by BMW celebrates its premiere. High-efficiency new development makes its series production debut in BMW M models and enables a significant reduction in fuel consumption under high loads. New ignition process is a prime example of the transfer of technology from r...