I've heard some people say VR/AR is being used in automotive engineering but I haven't seen it yet.

Question for the engineers out there - have you actually seen anyone using VR, 3D or Volumetric displays in the manufacturing or design process?

I'm curious if all parts design is being done on a 2D interface or if anyone has adopted tools like AR, VR, 3D displays, or something similar.

I'm working on a project from scratch, building a Ford Escort Mk1 from nothing. I have a lot of experience fixing cars but none building cars; if you guys have any recommendations for me to read would be appreciated. I have no idea where to even start.

Hi everyone,

I'm 15 years old and I'm trying to figure out the best path for my future in the automotive industry.

I've been designing cars in Blender for around 5 years and I'm currently learning Autodesk Alias. I have worked on several concept cars and I really enjoy the creative side of automotive design, but I also love understanding the technical side: aerodynamics, materials, vehicle architecture and how things actually work.

I'm considering doing a French engineering path (prépa + engineering school) because I know engineering is much harder to learn by yourself, while design can be developed through personal projects and practice. My idea would be to keep building my design skills during engineering school and possibly do a design specialization later.

For automotive engineers or people working in the industry:

• Does an engineering degree help for someone who wants to work close to vehicle design?
• Are hybrid profiles (engineering + design) valuable in the industry?
• Would you recommend this path or a more design-focused education?

I would really appreciate honest advice from people who actually work in the field.

Hi, I recently started working as an external employee for the biggest automotive group in Europe. I’m only six months into the job (fresher). I basically work in the connectivity department where I validate testing for TCU connectivity.

I’m planning to do some certifications since I have free time now, so automotive experts who have relevant expertise in this domain, please let me know which ones I should do.

I was planning to do ISTQB Foundation Level for testing and ISO 26262. What are your thoughts on this? Is this relevant or not. Also, I’m based out of UAE, not sure if that matters or not. I would like to work for the brand directly in the future.

I'm a high school student planning an engineering research project with the long-term goal of founding an automotive performance engineering company and, eventually, a hypercar company. I'm trying to avoid researching something that has already been thoroughly explored.

I'm not looking for "cool ideas" or a "nice project, kid" type of project. I'm looking for areas where experienced engineers and researchers believe there are still meaningful unanswered questions and opportunities to contribute something genuinely useful.

Specifically, what combustion phenomena are still poorly understood? What engineering problems continue to limit performance or efficiency? What areas are receiving too little research relative to their potential impact? If you could direct a graduate student or research team, what problem would you have them work on? Which problems have the best chance of eventually becoming real technologies or products rather than remaining purely academic research?

I don't currently have access to a university combustion lab, but I've been accepted to Missouri S&T for Mechanical Engineering beginning in Fall 2027, so I expect to have opportunities to pursue university-level research and seek faculty mentorship in the future. For now, I'm willing to build experimental hardware and acquire equipment where realistically possible. My goal is to begin with a rigorous Regeneron ISEF project in highschool and, if the research warrants it, continue developing it through college.

If it helps, I'm particularly interested in high-performance spark-ignition engines, advanced ignition systems, combustion, knock and abnormal combustion, pressure-wave phenomena, pre-chamber ignition, thermal efficiency, and engine architecture in general. However, I'd appreciate any perspective from people working in automotive engineering, powertrain development, propulsion, or combustion research.

used some very high quality audio data to back-calculate the resonant frequency of a Z33 VQ35DE intake, to confirm frequency extraction methodology for troubleshooting of resonant phenomena. the Z33's early induction system is very reliant on acoustic tuning and it makes improvement very difficult.

the characteristic length of the OE intake tube matches this 280 Hz signal from the airbox entrance to a point very close to the throttle body assembly, whose Venturi taper would cause a rarefaction interface.

relating backwards using cam profile data matches the engine harmonic frequency of 2000RPM, with peak response at 6000RPM, close to the horsepower peak.

there is a problem on Z33 transitioning from partial to WOT below 3500RPM, and I'm working with JWT to identify if this is an exhaust cam advance/EGR issue as they have seen before.

unfortunately I can't post images in comments here, but the data correlation is satisfyingly crisp.

I have some experience working as an HVAC designer, but after the company I worked for went out of business, I quickly took a job as a mechanical design engineer in the automotive industry in Eastern Europe.

I'm now wondering whether it would be a better long-term career move to switch into plant design (process plants/piping).

My main questions are:

Is plant design generally better paid after a few years of experience?

Is it easier to work as an independent contractor/freelance designer (or run a small outsourcing team) in plant design than in automotive design?

How is the long-term outlook for the industry compared to automotive?

I'm not very optimistic about the future of the automotive industry in Europe, and I may receive an offer for a plant design position soon.

I'd really appreciate hearing from people who have worked in both industries or made a similar transition. What are the pros and cons, and would you make the switch?

Hello guys, I am from a new FSAE team in the US. If we run 0% anti geometries, where would the pitch center be? It was confusing since the instant centers would be an infinite distance away. Intuition would say since the load transfer is all reacted through the springs, it would be akin to elastic transfer in lateral direction, so pitch center on the floor? Also, is there somewhere else we should want the pitch center for FSAE EV? I read old forums that vouched for 2 car lengths behind the car, but never found any reason why.

Hello guys!
Just a quick Question: what do you think of studying automotive engineering in Germany, from your personal experience? Is it worth or are there any better countries for automotive?

Hi guys, I am a automotive engineering student, next year my automotive course begins and I need to get a laptop for that, I don't know what to get, I found a laptop that fit to my budget but I don't know if it is good, can someone tell me if it is good for a automotive engineering student?​

I'm a frontend / 3D web developer (a few years in) and worked as Retail Service, trying to move into the automotive or EV software space, and I'd really value advice from people already working in it.

Rather than just applying cold, I built something to learn the domain and show I'm serious: a real-time vehicle fleet telemetry platform. It streams real driving data — speed, battery state of charge, GPS, regenerative braking — and renders each vehicle as an interactive 3D digital twin with live gauges, alerts, trip charts, and a route on the map. It uses real research driving data, so the details are honest (the power reading actually goes negative during regen braking, straight from the battery current in the trip).

For background: I came up through 3D art and creative development, so I'm especially drawn to where interactive and visualization work fits in automotive. I also spent 4 years in luxury retail sales before this, so I'm comfortable in customer facing, communication heavy environments. Not sure how relevant that is here, but it's part of what I bring.

Building the project taught me a lot about the data side of vehicles, but I know a portfolio piece only goes so far. My questions for people in the industry:

* What skills or knowledge matter most for automotive/EV software roles that a web dev might not already have?
* Are there sub-areas (telemetry, in-vehicle UI, fleet management, simulation, ADAS tooling) more open to someone coming from web/3D?
* How did you get in, and what would you do if you were starting from outside the industry today?

Happy to share the live demo and code if it's useful — didn't want to lead with links. Any advice appreciated.

looking for automotive testing job opportunity 4+ years experience i have.

Modern vehicles are so excessively complex, that even experienced mechanics struggle to fix them at times.

My dad was a mechanic for 45 years, (now retired) and he would fix his own vehicles in his garage during the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, all the time, and all he needed were some basic tools.

Today, you have to pull the entire engine out and/or practically take apart the entire vehicle just to replace a single part. A process that can take several days!

Good night everyone, as the title says i have to choose what to do after getting my bachelor on automotive engineering in portugal. The thing is, i am a very simple man i just want a house and a cayman to live, and portugal right now its not on his best state, should i leave the country to seek better opportunities? if yes where should i go?

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for advice from people with experience in automotive embedded software, systems engineering, or product/system roles.

A bit about my background:
I’m an embedded software engineer with around 4 years of experience, mainly in the automotive domain. My experience has been mostly around embedded C/C++, camera/sensor-related platforms, low-level software, Linux/QNX/RTOS environments, CMake/Make, and some exposure to AUTOSAR concepts and automotive software processes.

Recently, the project I was working on ended, and I’ve been advised internally to look for another opportunity. One of the potential options is a System Engineer role on a project related to an automotive actuator / mechatronic control unit.
From what I understand so far, the role may involve things like:
Understanding system requirements and breaking them down
Working with actuator/motor control concepts
Coordinating between software, hardware, testing, and customer requirements
Working closer to system design, behavior, requirements, and validation rather than pure software implementation
Possibly being involved in ASPICE-style documentation and traceability.

My concern is that I have been trying to grow more as a strong C++ / embedded software engineer, and I’m not sure whether moving into a System Engineer role would help or hurt that direction.

On one hand, I think this role could give me a broader understanding of automotive systems, requirements, architecture, diagnostics, communication, and how real ECUs are developed end-to-end.

On the other hand, I’m worried that it might move me away from hands-on C++ development and make it harder later to apply for stronger embedded software or C++ roles if I spend too much time away from coding.

So I’d appreciate feedback on a few points:
For someone with an embedded software background, is moving into a System Engineer role in automotive generally a good career move?
Does system engineering experience make someone stronger in the long term, or can it become a detour away from software engineering?
If I take this role, what should I focus on learning so that I don’t lose my software edge?

Would this kind of role help later if I want to move toward software architecture, technical leadership, or embedded systems roles?
What red flags should I watch for before accepting this kind of position?
I’m not looking for a perfect answer, just real feedback from people who have seen this path before.

Thanks in advance.

Bosch EV14 EG injector – individual spray cone angle/width?

I’m designing a custom intake manifold for a 16-valve engine and I’m looking at using a Bosch EV14 injector with an extended nozzle and EG twin-spray pattern.

The Bosch information I’ve found gives the angle between the two spray beams, along with the overall spray offset and orientation. However, I can’t find the included angle or width of each individual spray cone.

I need this information to determine:

- How far the injector nozzle should be positioned from the inlet valves

- Whether each plume will target the correct valve area

- Whether the spray will clear the injector boss and port walls

- The correct injector angle and nozzle position in the runner

Does anyone have a Bosch spray-targeting or patternation drawing for an EV14 EG-type injector?

I’m ideally looking for:

- The individual cone angle of each plume

- Spray diameter at a known distance, such as 30, 50 or 70 mm from the nozzle

- Recommended nozzle-to-valve distance

- Part numbers for high-flow extended-tip EG injectors, ideally around 1,000 cc/min at 3 bar

Any Bosch documentation, test results or experience positioning these injectors would be appreciated.

The World's First Calibration Intelligence Ecosystem

Transforming calibration from table editing into engineering intelligence.

Hello everyone,

I'm u/Stand_AI_Lone_Tuning, the founder of StandAIlone and one of the moderators here.

First, thank you for joining us. If you're reading this, you're part of the very first group helping shape what I believe can become the future of calibration engineering.

StandAIlone didn't begin with the idea of building another ECU tuning program.

It began with a much bigger question.

For decades we've edited tables, chased datalogs, searched for knock, corrected fueling, adjusted ignition timing, and relied on experience to connect thousands of pieces of information together.

StandAIlone exists to make that entire process more intelligent, more transparent, and more explainable.

This community isn't just about our software.

It's about advancing the science of calibration itself.

Whether you're a professional calibrator, motorsport engineer, OEM developer, hobbyist tuner, student, or simply fascinated by how modern control systems work—you belong here.

What you'll find here

• ECU tuning discussions

• Calibration theory and best practices

• Fuel, ignition, boost, and torque management

• Telemetry analysis

• Datalog interpretation

• Explainable AI in engineering

• Simulation and digital twins

• CAN bus, OBD, and embedded systems

• Engine management systems

• Calibration governance

• Research and development updates

• StandAIlone feature previews

• UI concepts and design discussions

• Community feedback that directly shapes development

What we'd love you to share

Show us what you're working on.

Ask difficult engineering questions.

Post interesting datalogs.

Share calibration challenges.

Discuss tuning philosophy.

Compare different ECU platforms.

Share simulation ideas.

Post interesting CAN bus projects.

Show your race cars.

Show your daily drivers.

Show your dyno results.

Share your successes.

Share your failures.

Some of the best engineering lessons come from things that didn't go as planned.

Our Philosophy

StandAIlone is built around one simple belief:

Engineering decisions should be explainable.

Every recommendation should have evidence.

Every calibration should have reasoning.

Every change should be traceable.

If we don't have enough information...

We'll say so.

Because in engineering, truth is more valuable than confidence.

Help Shape the Future

StandAIlone is still growing, and this community will play a major role in its evolution.

Many of the ideas that become features will start right here.

Ask questions.

Challenge assumptions.

Suggest improvements.

If something could be built better, tell us.

Great engineering comes from great discussions.

Thank you for being here from the beginning.

This is only the first chapter.

Let's build something that changes calibration engineering for the better.

Welcome to StandAIlone.

I just getting rejected from the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Modern Apprenticeship, now I'm searching another way to have chance to become machanical engineering in automotive in the future, so I planned to become a foreman in singapore(bcz I living near the customs). Should I looking for another chance to study the program like this such as techtra? But my parents doesn't support me to continue study... Please I really fascinated by the logic of car working😭

AI is taking jobs, a teenager is dead after talking to ChatGPT, and the same companies building this stuff are lobbying for legal immunity before anyone can hold them accountable. Flock cameras are already watching you. Humanoid robots are already in warehouses. Nobody voted for any of this, and nobody's slowing down to ask if it's safe. This is what's actually happening, not the sanitized version.

This video discusses a case involving teen suicide and AI chatbots. If you or someone you know is struggling, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988) is available 24/7.
(I am a witness, not a legal professional — this is my own research/opinion. CW: discussion of teen suicide.) https://youtu.be/1xfWPE9J4UM

Hello, stepping out of my comfort zone and helping with a project involving sealing surfaces for a part that's cast aluminumnumnum to another piece of cast aluminumnumnum. Material supplied is high temp silicone and viton. I know nothing about seals, but, I'm relatively decent at reading and learning. Thanks.

An automatic transmission is the most mechanically-complex part of any automobile?

Hi everyone, I'm in need of this type of plug. It's a 13pin connector which is found in a volvo s80 I, s60 I, v70 II and XC90 I from the early to mid 2000's.

There it's used to connect the cables of the towbar.

Kind regards!

Yo soy un poco friki de esto, y en el assetto corsa siempre me fijaba que se deforman los neumáticos, y en beamNGdrive.

Y en mi fp de automoción hice un TFG sobre justo esto, sobre cómo todas las geometrías de suspensión y alineacion van enfocadas a pisar bien y deformar bien el neumático. Entendiendo bien como lo que buscas vaya

Y hace poco puse una cámara derrapando con un e46 320d, en las ruedas delanteras, y no me esperaba ver ese ángulo de deriva, y me quedé alucinado, lo comparto para que lo disfruten

(Si saben otro hilo donde pueda interesar estos temas o publicaciones diganlo)

Building a two stroke mos mos

Hi everyone!

As the title says, I've stumbled upon a web series recently released by Ferrari. In this episode in particular, they give a detailed breakdown of powertrain architecture, specifically comparing performance metrics and engineering evolution across different models and eras.

As a bit of a Ferrari fan myself, I found the graphs on how they’ve transitioned their power delivery systems quite interesting.
I've seen that other videos have been released as well: I'm probably gonna binge watch the whole series.

Hope it might be of interest for you as well!