EVO ENCYCLOPEDIA THIS MONTH O-P
OBD
On-board diagnostics. A car’s ability to identify and self-report faults, now mandatory in the US and Europe to OBD-II and EOBD standards respectively, particularly related to emissions. Hence why there’s a strange SCART-like socket hidden somewhere in your car.
Ochophobia
A fear of vehicles. Related to amaxophobia, which is the fear of riding in cars.
Octane
Flammable hydrocarbon present in petroleum, used as a benchmark by which to rate fuel for its resistance to self-ignition, which would cause ‘knock’ or, in modern engines, cause the engine management to retard the timing. Also, a sister magazine of evo in which the cars are older and the trousers more strident.
Off
Casual way in which to refer to a car unintentionally leaving a road or track. As in ‘to have an’.
Oil
Refined crude oil used as critical lubrication within an engine (and other mechanical parts of a car). Modern high-performance cars use synthetic oil, which is still based on crude oil but even more highly processed and combined with other ingredients to create a consistent and therefore more stable lubricant, the characteristics of which can be more accurately
