Automoive Terminology • Cars Simplified

This is a full list pulled from our internal terminology list. If we have a dedicated page or a page subsection about the topic, the name will be a link that takes you to it.

This list was added June 9th, 2025 and is actively being added to.

Name (Abbreviation)	Category
A Arm	Chassis
AC Compressor	A/C
AC Condenser	A/C
Acid	Materials
Active Stability Management (ASM)	Safety
Active Yaw Control (AYC)	Safety
Aerodynamics (Aero)	Body
Afterfire	Engine
Air	Term
Air Charge Temperature Sensor (ACT)	Engine
Air Compressor	Tools
Air Filter	Engine
Alignment	Chassis
Alternator (Alt.)	Electronics
Aluminum/Aluminium	Material
Ambient Air Temperature Sensor (AAT)	Electronics
Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)	Brakes
Anti-Roll Bar (ARB)	Chassis
Antifreeze	Engine
Automatic Transmission (AT)	Drivetrain
Automatic Transmission Filter	Drivetrain
Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF)	Drivetrain
Backfire	Engine
Ball Joint	Chassis
Ball Joint Press	Tools
Base	Materials
Battery (Bat.)	Electronics
Bearings	General
Belt Tensioner	Engine
Big Block	Engine Types
Biofuels	Energy
Blower Motor (AC Fan)	A/C
Blower Motor Resistor	A/C
Bolts	General
Bonnet	Body
Boot (Trunk)	Body
Brake Booster	Brakes
Brake Caliper (Caliper)	Brakes
Brake Caliper Bracket	Brakes
Brake Caliper Hardware	Brakes
Brake Caliper Hone	Tools
Brake Caliper Paint (Caliper)	Chemicals
Brake Caliper Slide Pin	Brakes
Brake Drum (Drum)	Brakes
Brake Fluid	Brakes
Brake Fluid Reservoir	Brakes
Brake Light Switch	Electronics
Brake Master Cylinder	Brakes
Brake Pads (Pads)	Brakes
Brake Parts Cleaner	Chemicals
Brake Rotors	Brakes
Brake Shoes (Shoes)	Brakes
Breaker Bar	Tools
Bump Stop	Chassis
Bumper	Body
Bushings	Chassis
Cabin Air Filter (Cabin Filter)	A/C
Camshaft Position Sensor (CMP)	Engine
Cap Nuts (Acorn Nuts)	General
Capacitor (Cap)	Electronics
Catalytic Converter (Cat)	Engine
Constant Velocity Axle (CV Axle)	Drivetrain
Contact Patch	Wheels
Contact Patch	Wheels
Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)	Drivetrain
Control Arm	Chassis
Coolant	Engine
Coolant Lines	Engine
Coolant Temperature Sensor (CTS)	Engine
Copper (Cu)	Materials
Cotter Pins	General
Coupling Nuts	General
Crankshaft (Crank)	Engine
Crankshaft Position Sensor (CKP)	Engine
Crankshaft Pulley (Crank Pulley)	Engine
Creeper	Tools
Crude Oil (Texas Tea)	Chemicals
Cruise Control	General
Current Clamp	Tools
Cylinder Head	Engine
Cylinder Hone	Tools
Diesel Engine	Engine Types
Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF)	Engine
Differential (Diff)	Drivetrain
Diodes	Electronics
Direct Injection	Engine
Displacement	General
Distributor	Engine
Distributor Cap (Cap)	Engine
Distributor Rotor Button (Rotor)	Engine
Door Handle	Body
Door Lock Actuator	Electronics
Doors	Body
Drag	Body
Drifting (Drift)	Driving
Drive by Wire (DbW)	Engine
Electric Motor	Electronics
Engine Block	Engine
Engine Control Unit (ECU)	Electronics
Engine Mount	Engine
Engine Trim	Engine
Evaporator	A/C
Exhaust	Engine
Exhaust Gas Recirculation Valve (EGR Valve)	Engine
Exhaust Gas Temperature Sensor (EGT)	Electronics
Exhaust Gasses (Exhaust Emissions)	Engine
Exhaust Manifold (Headers)	Engine
Exhaust Pipe	Engine
Exhaust Tip	Engine
Feeler Guage	Tools
Fender	Body
Filters	General
Flange Nuts	General
Floor Jack (Jack)	Tools
Floor Jack Stand (Jack Stand)	Tools
Fluids	General
Flywheel	Engine
Forced Induction	Engine
Friction (µ)	General
Friction Modifiers	Chemicals
Fuel Calculations	Math
Fuel Economy	Math
Fuel Injection (FI)	Engine
Fuel Injectors	Engine
Fuel Pressure Regulator	Engine
Fuel Pump	Engine
Fuel Trim	Engine
Fuses	General
Gasket Makers	Chemicals
Gaskets	General
Gasoline (Gas)	Energy
Gears	General
Glow Plugs	Engine
Grease	Chemicals
Grille	Body
Grip (Traction)	Wheels
Hall Effect Sensor	Electronics
Hammer	Tools
Handling	General
Headlights	Body
Heater Core	A/C
Hemi Engine (Hemi)	Engine Types
Hood	Body
Horsepower (HP)	General
Horsepower Curve (HP Graph)	Math
Hüttlin Kugelmotor (Spherical Engine)	Engine Types
Hybrid Car (Hybrid)	Vehicle Types
Hydrocarbons (H_nC_2n+2)	Chemicals
Idle Air Control Valve (IAC)	Engine
Ignition Coil	Engine
Ignition Coil Boot	Engine
Inertia Switch	Safety
Inner Tie Rod End	Chassis
Intake	Engine
Intake Air Temperature (IAT)	Engine
Intake Manifold	Engine
Intercooler (IC)	Engine
Jet Engine	Engine Types
Jonova Engine	Engine Types
Keyless Entry Remote (Key Fob)	General
Knock Sensor (KS)	Engine
Launch Control (ALS)	Electronics
Lead (Pb)	Chemicals
Light Bulbs	Electronics
Light Emitting Diode (LED)	Electronics
Lighting	Electronics
Lock Nuts	General
Lubricants (Lube)	Chemicals
Lug Nuts	Wheels
Mallet	Tools
Manifold Absolute Pressure Sensor (MAP)	Engine
Manifold Air Temperature Sensor (MAT)	Engine
Manual Transmission (MT)	Drivetrain
Mass Air Flow Sensor (MAF)	Engine
Metals	General
Micrometer	Tools
Mirrors	Safety
Moisture/Humidity Sensor	Engine
Motor Oil (Oil)	Engine
Motor Oil Additives (Oil Additive)	Engine
Muffler	Engine
Multi-Port Fuel Injection (MPFI)	Engine
Multimeter (DVOM)	Tools
Needle Nose Pliers	Tools
Neutral Safety Switch (NSS)	Drivetrain
Nuts	General
OBD II Codes (OBD2 Codes)	List
OBD II Scan Tool (OBD2 Scanner)	Tools
Oil Cooler	Engine
Oil Drain Plug	Engine
Oil Filter	Engine
Oil Level Sensor	Engine
Oil Pan	Engine
Oil Pressure Sensor	Engine
Oil Pump	Engine
Oscilloscope	Tools
Outer Tie Rod End	Chassis
Oversteer (Tight)	Driving
Oxygen Sensor (O₂ Sensor)	Engine
Picks	Tools
Piston Engine Layouts	Engine Types
Piston Rings	Engine
Piston Rod	Engine
Pistons	Engine
Pitman Arm	Chassis
Positive Crankcase Ventilation Valve (PCV)	Engine
Power Steering	Chassis
Power Steering Pump	Chassis
Pressure	General
Proportioning Valve	Brakes
Pushrod Engine	Engine Types
Pushrods	Engine
Quasiturbine	Engine Types
Racing Fuels	Energy
Racing Slicks	Wheels
Rack & Pinion	Chassis
Radiator	Engine
Radius Rod	Chassis
Radius Rod Bushing	Chassis
Ram Air	Body
Ratchet	Tools
Reciprocating Weight	General
Refrigerant	A/C
Relay	Electronics
Relay Pliers	Tools
Resistance (Ω)	Electronics
Resistor	Electronics
Resonator	Engine
Revolutions Per Minute (RPM)	General
Rocker Arm	Engine
Roll Cage	Chassis
Rotary Piston Engine (RKM)	Engine Types
Rotational Inertia	General
Scuderi Engine	Engine Types
Sequential Fuel Injection (SFI)	Engine
Serpentine Belt	Engine
Shock Absorbers (Shocks)	Chassis
Small Block	Engine Types
Sockets	Tools
Spark Plugs	Engine
Spark Timing	Engine
Specialty Pliers	Tools
Spoiler	Body
Spring Rate	Math
Springs	Chassis
Square Nuts	General
Starter	Engine
Steam Engine	Engine Types
Steering System	Chassis
Steering Wheel	Chassis
Strut Tower Brace	Chassis
Sunroof	Body
Supercharger (Blower)	Engine
Swirl Control Valve (SCV)	Engine
Taillights	Body
Tee Nuts (T Nuts)	General
Thermostat	Engine
Threadlocker	Chemicals
Throttle Body (TB)	Engine
Throttle Body Injection (TBI)	Engine
Throttle Pedal	Engine
Throttle Pedal Position Sensor	Engine
Throttle Position Sensor (TPS)	Engine
Tie Rods	Chassis
Tire	Wheels
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)	Wheels
Tire Pressure Sensor (TPS)	Wheels
Tire Rubber Compounds (Tire Softness/Hardness)	Wheels
Tire Tread	Wheels
Titanium (Ti)	Materials
Toe In/Out (Toe Alignment)	Chassis
Tools	Tools
Torque (Τ)	General
Torque Converter (TC)	Drivetrain
Torque Curve (Torque Graph)	Math
Torque Steer	Driving
Traction (Trac)	Wheels
Traction Control System (TCS)	Safety
Transmission	Drivetrain
Transmission Filter	Drivetrain
Transmission Fluid	Drivetrain
Transmission Oil Cooler	Drivetrain
Trunk (Boot)	Body
Tuned Port Injection (TPI)	Engine
Turbo Flutter	Engine
Turbo Lag	Engine
Turbocharger (Turbo)	Engine
Turn Signals	Body
Twitchy (Driving Condition)	Driving
Two Stroke Engine	Engine Types
Underbody (Undertray)	Body
Understeer (Tight)	Driving
Unsprung Mass	Chassis
Valve Cover	Engine
Valve Lifters	Engine
Valve Springs	Engine
Valve Timing (Cam Timing)	Engine
Valves	Engine
Variable Displacement AC Compressor	A/C
Variable Valve Timing (VVT)	Engine
Vents	Body
Viscosity	General
Wankel Engine	Engine Types
Wankel Engine Powered Vehicles	Vehicle Types
Washers	General
Water Pump	Engine
Weatherstripping	Body
Wheel	Wheels
Wheel Base	Chassis
Wheel Bearing	Drivetrain
Wheel Covers (Hub Caps)	Wheels
Wheel Cylinder	Brakes
Wheel Hub	Drivetrain
Wheel Studs	Drivetrain
Window Tint	Body
Windows	Body
Wing	Body
Wing Nuts	General
Wiper Arm	Safety
Wiper Blades (Wipers)	Safety
Wiper Motor	Safety
Wires	General
Zip Ties (Cable Tie)	General

A List of Automotive Terminology