Excellent Engine article on Detonation & Pre-Ignition
 

For you gearheads interested in obtaining maximum engine performance, I recently came across this article originally published in an experimental aircraft magazine. Although we had a course in IC Engines in college, this is by far the best explanation of the subject combustion phenomenon that I've ever read! Very well written in an easy to understand language that's not particularly technical. The guy who wrote it is evidently an engineer that's quite familiar with the Cadillac Northstar engine, possibly a GM engineer or someone involved in adapting automotive engines to an experimental aircraft application. I spent about 5 years of my career doing autopsies on gas turbine engine failures, and this fellow speaks with the authority of someone who has witnessed a lot of engine failures! Denny