AbstractThe increasing rotational speeds and the weight reduction of high‐performance internal combustion engines are accompanied by problems of lubrication, heat transfer, and vibration that are mostly negligible in medium‐ and low‐performance engines. To deal with such phenomena under demanding operating conditions necessitates a specific design. The dynamics of the power system between crankshaft and related sub‐components, e. g., bending and torsional vibrations of the connecting rod, ovalisation of the head and eye of the connecting rod, and vibrations of thin cylinder liners, are critical for the lubrication system in general, and for oil film pressure fields in particular. In some cases, no information on these features has existed until now, so no quantification of the variables involved has been possible. Over the last few years a systematic investigation has been performed to take into account the critical points and their fundamental importance in the design of such engines.The present paper considers some of the phenomena related to lubrication in high‐performance engines. The need is highlighted for further investigations using computational and experimental meth