if compression begets power

does power beget compression?

As a wee lad, I fell in love with the engine. Honda introduced the Mini-Trail 50, and the hook was cast and set. An overhead cam masterpiece of single cylinder ingenuity with 50 cc’s (cubic centimeters) of high revving internal combustion, producing a whopping two horsepower. Mated to a three-speed semi-automatic clutched transmission with an ability to top speed at 25 MPH, the world was ready to be conquered. Imagine, the four-stroke engine, where intake and exhaust were only exceeded by power! while compression ignited that glorious power stroke.

Then, a few years later as a teenager came car love and a whole new world opened. Although the engine went from one-lung to multiples thereof. Dreamily, the multi-cylindered V-8 offered big-block and small-block variations. One was high torque, low revs, while the other was lower torque, higher revs, but they both boasted horsepower in numbers the Mini-Trail could only dream of. And even though both could be massaged to create even more power, the caveat of the small block; those higher revs … and more importantly, less weight. Snuggled between frame rails, it allowed the car an ability to steer left or right, whereas a big block nestled between the same rails just wanted to push straight through, otherwise known as understeer. The commonality though between the Honda, big, and small block engines: The magical four-strokes.

And in the four-strokes, as cubic inches of engine mass increased in size, the cylinders increased in diameter. Thus, to create the gobs of horsepower desired, a greater ingestion of the air/fuel ratio to volumes burnable where one watched the gas gauge move left as fast as the car moved forward. Which if one thinks about it, doesn’t the big block V-8 sound a lot like our government?

Only, the antithesis of the one the Framers intended, like the small block engine, able to adapt, allowing a turning to the right or left. Except, it morphed into a gargantuan monstrosity that can’t easily turn. Where the understeer of weight over directional control keeps things moving in a direction not easily changed. And like the big block, it can’t rev but burns through money faster than one can feed it. Like watching that gas gauge head left towards empty. And as the size of government continues to grow, the amount of money required to feed it is only outweighed by the amount of spending Congress can find to satisfy itself, similar to the compression and power strokes of internal combustion.

Which brings up another thought. The engine of yore wasn’t complicated. If the cylinders were the lungs, the camshaft was the heart. And through transplant, one could increase the lift and duration of the valves, helping power increase even more along with cylinder bore, but also increasing the burn rate of fuel. Throw in some cam timing, and power became a buildable and usable proposition as long as I had the money to fill the tank. But as years pass, things evolve. Engines became computerized and power became easier to obtain as the computer could change engine mapping thus increasing horsepower without having to replace parts and pieces. In light thereof, cars have also become much more expensive, just like the government.

So, when I look back in time and think of circles, I remember doing donuts on the Mini-Trail. It was a blast spinning the back tire while turning the bike in a circle as the front tire, stationary, made the donut “hole.” Everything was great until one day, not paying attention, the back tire grabbed traction, and the bike went right as I was going left, flinging me in an unintended direction.

And pondering my days tearing into engines to create a faster, more powerful car, I think about all the money spent trying to find the perfect balance of power to weight. And even though I enjoyed the lessons learned, the small block will always be my choice. And as the government continues to grow, WE THE PEOPLE need always remember: Compression comes before power. Because like ICE (internal combustion engine), the government needs compression to power through. Or does the big block of power come through compression, its weight understeering, pushing everything straight in an intended direction while going in circles.