Although most owners of high performance vehicles enjoy power and high speeds, manufacturers are much more eager to improve gas mileage or to decrease maintenance costs than to maximize the engine’s performance. This article will share some of the most effective ways for car owners to increase the car’s power, speed, torque and acceleration, from affordable and simple procedures to those that require complex auto mechanic works.
Use Good-quality Synthetic Lubricants
Synthetic motor oils reduce friction and prolong your engine’s lifespan. They can also slightly increase your car’s performance by providing better lubrication than conventional lubricants. Unlike some regular lubricants, they don’t break down in high-heat and high-stress situations and that’s why they are often used by racing teams. Synthetic lubricants are also more robust and they protect moving car parts from various deposits and debris.
Decrease your Car’s Weight
This is one of the simplest and cheapest ways to make your car stronger. Engine becomes more efficient when it’s powering a lighter car. You can increase your vehicle’s power and acceleration by dropping out 20 pounds of junk from your trunk or cab, but if you want to create a more significant impact, you should do some of the following:
- Take out the rear seats – With this simple maneuver your car will lose more than a hundred pounds.
- Use lightweight wheels and performance tires – This will decrease your car’s weight for additional 50 pounds.
- Use carbon-fiber body panels – This is a more complex modification, which can decrease your car’s weight for several hundred pounds.
Install High-flow Filter and Intake System
High performance air filters increase your car’s power by allowing your engine to breathe better. They are also more robust and more durable than regular filters. Depending on the filter you choose, this fix can cost from $40 up to $250. These are some of the filters in the offer:
- AEM dryflow filters – these don’t require additional oil or lubrication and they will increase your car’s performance for at least 5 horsepower.
- Cold-air or ram-air intake systems – Most luxury and high performance models already have these systems, whose purpose is to draw in the air from a cooler place outside the vehicle. Before installing these systems you should also check whether these types of filter modifications are legal in your state. Their installation can add more than a dozen horsepower.
Upgrade your Exhaust System
Upgrading exhaust system can drastically improve the performance of natural aspiration vehicles. It will increase your car’s power even more, if you add a supercharger to your engine beforehand. Most engines prefer free-flow in terms of both air intake and exhaust, so adding a system that secures a straight exhaust path from the engine to the tail pipe will definitely increase your vehicle’s performance. Although some people try to make DIY upgrades to their car’s exhaust, if you’re not an expert you should definitely take your car to the muffler shop for this fix. These shops will install a customized system, such as this Toyota Celica sports exhaust, made with 2.25’’stainless steel pipework, with 4’’ roaring tailpipe at the end.
Adding Turbo- or Supercharge
Turbocharger sucks air directly into the engine and increases acceleration and power. Most turbochargers require an installation of intercooler, which prevents the engine from overheating. Superchargers are similar to turbochargers, but they are belt-driven and they are meant for big 6+ cylinder engines.
Turbocharger will increase your vehicle’s power from 25 to 30%. Unfortunately, these kits usually cost around $3,000 or more, depending on the model. They are also very hard to install, so you should definitely hire a professional car mechanic for this task.
If you love high performance cars you should definitely try some of these performance fixes. There are also some other, more or less complicated, ways for improving the engine power, from installing a performance camshaft to swapping your engine’s cylinder heads.
