That effect of Helmholtz resonance induction has been exploited by several manufacturers by adding flapper/butterfly valves inside the manifold to change the effective runner length at different engine speeds. It broadens the torque curve by applying that “supercharging” effect into different rev ranges. BMW calls it…

Work was really slow that day.

I am going play Cpt Obvious here and give thanks to your using a Luxury Crossover Coupé in your meeeeeeme. 

Even as a shameless BMW fanboy, I'm struggling to figure which which ONE of those cars is worth $177,000 by itself, let far alone having that be the averaged-out price for EACH of them. 

The guys at AMG might.

So I think as the whole gasoline-direct-injection technology has been refined, that it’s become less of a problem. I’m admittedly a BMW guy so that’s where my experiences lie, but on the first twin-turbo direct-injection inline six they made (N54) carbon buildup in the intake is a big problem, and catch-cans are…

What you’d want to know is not the actual rotation speed of the gearsets, but the difference between the speed of the gear you were in and the speed of the gear you’re going to. For that split moment when you’re shifting, it could potentially help rev match your shifts. In practice, that’s the job of the synchro…

Can’t speak for that specific engine. Port injected engines benefit from the fact that modern fuels have detergents in them which clean oil deposits (usually from the pcv system) off of the intake valves. Direct injection engines do not have that self cleaning aspect, and so recirculated oil can burn on the intake…

In a way, you do have a transmission tach - it’s your speedometer. The way a transmission works, the input shaft and gearsets are spinning at the same speed as your engine, but as the gear ratio increases as you shift to a higher gear, the rotation speed of the output shaft constantly increases. The speed that your…

People like to make great theater out of feeling superior about manual transmissions, but that should not dampen your enthusiasm for cars. Cars are good! 

Yup, they use intake manifold vacuum to operate. They’re really one of the last bits of “vacuum system” that still exist on newish engines.

Vacuum leaks cause issues with the driveability of a car because they allow air to enter the engine without having been measured by the air-flow metering system.   This “unmetered air” cannot be accounted for by the engine computer (or even the carburetor!) and so the mixture in the cylinder becomes too lean to be…

Dude, if you like cars and like being around cars and like watching cars race or like to clean cars or modify cars or listen to cars or just like... LIKE cars?   Yeah brother, drive an automatic, it’s all fine!

The pump has a tube that reaches down into the bottom of the sump and sucks up the oil. It then pushes that oil through channels in the block and heads to provide lubrication throughout the engine. In some cases there are actually nozzles that squirt oil onto the undersides of pistons to help cool them, since they do…

I mean, if you want to dive about seven hundred layers into it, those forces and strengths DO change with heat and with the breakdown of the fluid, but for purposes of making the shit work, they’re constant / measurable figures. 

CVT’s can provide engine braking so long as they remain “engaged” when you step off the accelerator.   If they choose to configure themselves into a lower ratio, that engine braking can be amplified efficiently. 

Everything you’re assuming there is fairly correct. Like someone else said in another comment - everything about engineering and design of a product is a compromise.   You have to balance cost, availability, weight, wind resistance, gear ratios / rolling diameter, friction, performance goals...  I’m glad to not be in…

Compression ratio is measures how much the engine squeezes the fuel mixture on the compression stroke. Broadly and a bit simply:, if the volume of the cylinder is 10 units when the piston is all the way down, and the volume of the combustion chamber is 1 unit when the piston is all the way up, you have 10:1…

Traditional “Four wheel drive” typically can be turned on and off, and often features a low-gear-range in the transfer case. Think about an old pickup or jeep with an extra shift lever down on the floor - that lever was to select 2WD (rear drive only), 4WD-High Rangeor 4WD-Low-Range in the transfer case.

...the energy is converted to heat and pressure in the torque converter, eventually with negative results.