More than a century has passed since the miraculous invention of the internal combustion engine took place. Ever since then, many companies have claimed that they know the trick of increasing the engine’s performance. These promises have come in the shape of fire injector spark plugs, lubricants, new-fangled carburetors, gasoline additives, and a variety of other miracle tools. However, all of these things come with their own disappointments.
An engine revolves around math, physics, and the science of converting heat energy to mechanical motion. But are you wondering how to squeeze more power from the heat energy and rotary monkey motion? Well, you’re in luck because this article by CarSwitch explains 9 effective and simple methods of boosting your engine’s horsepower and performance.
Synthetic lubricants
Synthetic lubricants decrease friction and this increases the lifetime of the engine. As opposed to standard oil, synthetic lubricants offer better lubrication between moving parts. Moreover, they are resistant to heat and stress due to which they’re widely used.
When it’s too hot, synthetic lubricant will protect your engine and when it’s too cold, it will increase your performance of the engine. For instance, Mobil 1 pumps stronger in cold, makes the engine stable in summer and shields it against deposits.
Ignition
Ignition system has become low maintenance in the last 20 years. This is why drivers don’t monitor them until there’s a misfire and a “Check Engine” light appears. Therefore, the car maintenance routine should incorporate ignition too.
Moreover, spark plugs should be regularly changed. Only high-quality ignition parts should be utilized when the replacement time comes. Ignition parts are primarily ignition wires, coils and platinum tip spark plugs.
Upscale aftermarket parts such as MSD or original equipment grade are good options. This is because precision ignition operation leads to power. A misfire means lack of power, high tailpipe emissions and wasted fuel.
A strong spark derived from a high-energy ignition impacts power. The bottom line is that all of these aspects lead to a major total boost in horsepower.
You should be cautious about ignition timing as well. If the timing is too much, the engine will deteriorate.
Bigger throttle body and injectors
A high-performance throttle body offers more power but not all engines are compatible with a big throttle. This means if you go too large, power will decrease.
Therefore, do your research and learn what other drivers with the same engine as you are doing. Lastly, remember that a bigger throttle demands a high-flow fuel injector.
Compression
A high compression leads to more power but remember that it goes hand-in-hand with cam selection. If you don’t want to harm your engine, select both accordingly.
Without sufficient octane, compression more than 10.0:1 can cause deterioration. Be mindful of spark curves and fuel when you’re increasing compression too.
Velocity stack
This device is fitted to the carburetor, fuel injection or air entry. By reducing induction turbulence, it boasts airflow which causes an increase in power.
Fuel line right-sizing
High-performing engines need tons of fuel and the least fuel line size should be ⅜ inches. When hp is above 500, it should be 7/16 inches.
Dual-plane manifold
Too much attention to horsepower means torque is neglected. Torque should be handed off easily to hp at wide throttle. For this purpose, a dual-plane intake manifold offers appropriate torque while simultaneously making sure that the engine is stable at high rpm.
Jet size
Balance is again key in this tool. Start experimenting with a Holley jet kit and go up one size to see what happens. Initiate with primaries and then secondary’s. Have a spark plug reading too in order to determine the course of action.
If you are operating a carburetor with a fuel line screen at the fuel bowl, discard it.
Cylinder head
A big cylinder head leads to more power but not too big. To make an informed decision, study port size, valve and flow numbers. But remember that you want torque too. For this purpose, you should pair up compatible exhaust and good intake velocity.
Moreover, you should also get a camshaft profile which is compatible with the cylinder head. This will result in decent flow-through momentum and nice overlap.
