4 Ways To Give Your Vehicle A Boost Of Speed
March 11th, 2011 cars4 Ways To Give Your Vehicle A Boost Of Speed
A generation ago, you could squeeze more speed from your car by putting in a new engine, and making changes to the throttle. Vehicles were much heavier back then, and needed major modifications in order to move more quickly down the road. Things have changed. Most cars today are built with much lighter frames so even small adjustment can produce more speed. Moreover, the aftermarket has surged with many components that are designed for this exact purpose.
Below, we’ll present four aftermarket parts that will help you move faster when you’re behind the wheel. Depending on the make and model of your vehicle, some of the following may be difficult to find. As a side note, make sure that modifying your car doesn’t cause a problem with your warranty.
1 – Install Cold Air Intake System
It is important to be familiar with the operation of your engine to understand how more power (and thus speed) is generated. Energy is produced inside each of the cylinders via the combustion cycle. Air and fuel enter the combustion chamber, and are compressed by a piston. When the piston rises to the top of the chamber, a spark plug at the top of the cylinder ignites the air-fuel mixture, creating vapors that rapidly expand. Their expansion pushes the piston toward the bottom of the cylinder.
The pistons are attached to the crankshaft via connecting rods. As the pistons move up and down during the combustion cycle, they cause the crankshaft to revolve. This powers the wheels of your car.
Introducing cold air into the engine will produce a boost in horsepower. This is the purpose of a cold air intake system. Conventional air intake is designed to minimize noise produced by the engine. The problem is, doing so forces the system to forfeit power. Cold air intake is designed to move a greater volume of cool air into the cylinders, even if that means getting rid of parts that help minimize noise.
2 – Upgrade To A Fuel Injection System
This idea is for those who drive an older car that runs on a carburetor. Consider installing a fuel injection system. They are much more efficient for delivering the proper amount of fuel to the cylinders. Fuel injection also helps ensure fuel is delivered at the right moment, improving your engine’s efficiency. Not only will you be able to squeeze more miles per hour from your vehicle, but you’ll enjoy improved fuel economy, too.
3 – Install A Turbocharger
When drivers think about turbochargers, they usually do so in the context of a diesel-powered engine. But this component can also be installed onto a gasoline-powered engine. Recall from earlier that air is required during the combustion cycle. If you introduce cool air into the cylinders, you’ll enjoy a boost in horsepower. A turbocharger works under the same principle: force more air into the cylinders, and produce more energy.
Exhaust gases cause an impeller inside the turbocharger to spin. This, in turn, creates pressure that pushes additional air into the engine.
4 – Introduce Nitrous Oxide Into The Cylinders
This is a strategy used by drivers who race cars. Nitrous oxide is a compound that is stored as a compressed liquid, but turns into gas at room temperature. When added to the engine, it causes the combustion of air and fuel to be more powerful.
Despite what a lot of people believe, nitrous oxide is not flammable. Instead, it simply helps the engine burn a larger volume of air and fuel. It accomplishes this by causing the temperature in the intake manifold to fall. Some systems introduce nitrous into the intake manifold while others send it to the cylinders.
There are many other ways to boost the level of horsepower generated by your engine. The four aftermarket solutions above, while costly to varying degrees, are reliable and relatively simple to install.