Supercar Jargon Buster

A naturally aspirated engine uses a flow of air and mixes it with fuel (petrol or diesel) to create a combustion which powers the car. There isn’t any forced induction such as a turbocharger or supercharger added. All power is generated solely from the air and fuel combination.

A supercharger on a car is an air compressor which increases the density and pressure of the air which is then supplied to an internal combustion engine. By doing this the engine is fed more oxygen than it would naturally receive, which lets it burn more fuel for increased power output.

Manufacturers often employ the use of superchargers or turbochargers to give smaller engines a higher power output. Generally using forced induction (turbo or supercharging) is a more efficient way to create power when compared to creating a larger, more powerful engine.

A turbocharger is made up of an air compressor combined with a turbine which uses waste exhaust gases from the engine. The gas emitted from the engine is directed through an inlet at high speed causing the turbine to spin. This spinning draws in large quantities of air, which is then compressed and forced in to the engine cylinders, creating more power.

A differential (diff) in a car distributes torque across a couple of directions. When travelling in a straight line the limited slip differential distributes torque to both wheels equally.

When you are travelling through a corner, the differential detects if either wheel starts to lose traction, and if it does it will distribute more power to the other wheel, ensuring the car has the maximum amount of traction available.

Differentials are crucial when driving off-road, as you will be losing traction very often, driving through mud, snow or ice. However differentials are also very helpful in high performance track vehicles.

When a driver pushes a car to its limits on track, eventually there will be a point where a car starts to lose traction. At this stage a differential will be able to put as much power as possible through the wheel with the most traction, improving drive-ability out of a corner.

Pound-Feet is often abbreviated to lb.-ft and is the measurement of torque. Torque is the amount of turning power that you get in a car, and is one of the main factors which aids your acceleration speed.

Brake Horse Power (BHP) is the measurement of power that the engine creates at the crankshaft. This is different from wheel horse power, which is the power measured at the wheels. Generally there is a loss of about 15% between the engine and the wheels, due to the driveline, which include the clutch and transmission.

The measurement of power is done by using a dynamometer. It starts by measuring the torque, then using the formula Power=Torque X RPM/5252, we can calculate the ultimate power.

Brake bias is the adjustment of the amount of brake pressure applied between the front and rear brakes. Attaining the perfect brake bias balance is crucial when optimising the braking power.

Generally cars have a front biased brake balance, meaning there is more force put through the front brake callipers than the rear. The reason for this is that under braking, weight is shifted towards the front of the car increasing the grip at the front. This combined with more braking force towards the front of the car decreases stopping distance.

Heel and toe downshifting is the art of changing down a gear, and rev matching the throttle whilst braking. Normally to change gear you have to remove your foot from the brake, to press the accelerator in order to rev match. However when heel and toe shifting you use the toe of your right foot to apply brake pressure while using the heel of the same foot to blip the throttle.

By combining both braking and down shifting when slowing a car down, you will be much faster in any form of driving.

Heel and toe shifting not only makes you a faster driver, it also reduces the stress on the driveline and prevents wheel locking under extreme scenarios.

Downforce is the downwards push that is created by aerodynamics on a car. This thrust in to the ground, enables a car to stay more attached to the road / track, giving the car more grip which in turn allows the car to drive faster around corners.

Think of downforce as the opposite of a planes wings. The wings on a plane are designed to lift it off the ground. Downforce is the opposite, it is crucial in giving the car maximum grip on the road.

Understeer is when a car loses grip at the front of the car, due to travelling too fast or lack of grip. This will cause the car to continue on towards the edge of the corner, and can often feel as though the steering isn’t working.

Oversteer is the opposite of this. It is when the car loses traction at the rear of the car, and the rear becomes light and unstable. This is a crucial element to driving disciplines such as drifting or rallying, but something you generally don’t want on the road or track. Oversteer is caused by applying too much power to the rear wheels when corning, or due to lack of grip or downforce at the rear of the car.

Opposite lock is the term used for steering in the opposite direction to the corner and is a technique often used in rally driving and is essential for drifting. The driver will initiate intentional oversteer, meaning the rear of the car will start to overtake the front. The driver will then turn in to the slide, keeping control of the car whilst sliding.

Electric cars, known as EVs have removed the internal combustion engine completely, and instead use an electric motor.

The electric motor is powered by a large battery pack, which is charged via a charging station or domestic wall plug. This replaces the need to refuel a car with physical fuel.

Due to the instant power delivery of an electric motor, torque is almost instant, allowing for lightening fast acceleration.

OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer, and means that the parts are built by the company that initially made the original parts. The alternative to OEM parts is aftermarket. Aftermarket parts are built by third parties and are not the same as the original manufacturers part.

Quite simply, a marque is a make / manufacturer of car. For example Ferrari is the marque, and LaFerrari is the model of car.