Hooniverse Asks: What’s a Simple Automotive Term You’ve Misunderstood?

Jeff Glucker

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I am constantly staring at listings on Craigslist, FB Marketplace, and OfferUp. My search is mostly centered on terms like “302”, “289, “347”, “T5”, and “Ford 9”. I’m hunting Mustang parts, obviously, and occasionally I find something interesting, but I have yet to pull any triggers. There’s one listing I keep running across, however, that makes me do a double take before closing the window and moving on. It’s for a Ford rear axle housing that also has the axles. When I read the listing, I got to the part that reads “31 spline strange race axles,” and I figured they must be some custom parts…

And that’s how I eventually discovered Strange is a company that makes axles, amongst other components.

I like to use my own foolishness to highlight something I don’t know. But I also like to use it as a starting point for conversation. Are there any terms, brands, or phrases in the automotive space that you didn’t understand? Let’s all get proper learned in the comments…

About

Jeff Glucker

Jeff Glucker

Jeff Glucker is the co-founder and Executive Editor of Hooniverse.com. He’s often seen getting passed as he hustles a 1991 Mitsubishi Montero up the 405 Freeway. IG: @HooniverseJeff

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2 responses to “Hooniverse Asks: What’s a Simple Automotive Term You’ve Misunderstood?”

  1. OA5599 Avatar
    OA5599

    I went to school with someone who was Strange. Not sure whether she was related to the rear end family.

    I had heard people talking about 3/4 race cams for a while without understanding what that meant. I was probably very late teens before realizing they didn’t know, either.

    https://media.makeameme.org/created/is-it-fast-qoaqbz.jpg

    Reply
  2. Batshitbox Avatar
    Batshitbox

    “Octane”
    High octane, I recently found out, will not make a low performance engine into a high performance engine. It will make it harder to start in cold weather, though.

    “Final Drive Ratio”
    …is not the ratio between engine RPM and axle RPM; or how many times your engine goes around as related to how many times your wheels go ’round.

    “N/A”
    Neither ‘not applicable’ nor ‘North American’. For example: “While my 2-stroke diesel is absolutely a North American engine, it’s definitely not “N/A”… even if it didn’t have a Garrett turbocharger sitting on top.” Turns out it’s aspirational.

    “Fuel Efficiency”
    Pffft!

    Reply