Increasing car engine horsepower involves a combination of modifications and tuning to optimize the engine’s performance. While this is not an exhaustive list, these are the common mods we come across to increase horsepower, and ones that we know are popular, from those for beginners to people who have been tinkering with their engines for many years.
Before you continue with any modification, make sure your car is in a serviceable state, would pass a state vehicle inspection, and that you have got the correct parts and the correct insurance. Also check that what you are doing is not illegal, as not every modification is road legal in all states.
What is Car Engine Horsepower?
Before we delve into the world of increasing car engine horsepower, it is important to understand what car engine horsepower is.
Horsepower refers to the power an engine produces specifically in a car and is a measure of how much power is needed to lift 33,000lbs one foot in a minute. It is a formula by James Watt (English lightbulb man) who, when trying to sell his steam engine to millers, needed a way to make it relatable to them by using a horse’s power and applying the formula to his steam engine. And that is how horsepower came to be.
Here are the general steps you can take to increase car engine horsepower:
Car Engine Horsepower Research and Planning:
- Understand your car’s existing engine specifications and capabilities.
- Research the aftermarket parts and modifications available for your car’s make and model.
- Set a realistic budget for the modifications you plan to make.
Improve Air Intake:
- Upgrade the air intake system with a high-flow air filter and cold air intake to allow more air into the engine.
- Consider installing a larger throttle body or carburetor for increased air intake, as well as tuning for air/fuel mixture.
Upgrade Exhaust System:
- Install a high-performance exhaust system that reduces back pressure and improves exhaust flow.
- Choose headers, downpipes, and catalytic converters (if required) that are optimized for improved performance.
Enhance Engine Management:
- Install an aftermarket engine control unit (ECU) or get a performance ECU tune to optimize fuel and ignition timing for increased power.
- Consider a piggyback or standalone ECU for more advanced tuning capabilities.
Modify Fuel System:
- Changing from a carburetor to fuel injection can also provide an increase in a car engine horsepower.
- Upgrade to high-flow fuel injectors to provide adequate fuel delivery for increased airflow.
- Adjust the fuel pressure to match the increased air intake and fuel requirements.
Optimize Ignition System:
- Recurve the distributor to adjust the timing in such a way as to reduce the amount of top-end power being lost at high speeds without losing any initial horsepower. Basically, it involves trial and error until you find the perfect recurve.
- Upgrade to high-performance ignition coils and spark plugs for more efficient combustion.
- Adjust ignition timing to match the modifications and fuel requirements.
Increase Compression Ratio:
- Install higher compression pistons or milling the cylinder head to increase the engine’s compression ratio.
- Note that this step may require careful tuning to avoid detonation.
Add Forced Induction:
- Consider installing a turbocharger or supercharger to force more air into the engine, significantly increasing horsepower.
- Forced induction modifications often require additional upgrades to the cooling and fuel systems.
Internal Engine Modifications:
- Consider upgrading internal engine components such as camshafts, valves, valve springs, lifters, and connecting rods for improved performance.
- Bore Out Cylinders and Add Performance Pistons
- Balancing and blueprinting the engine can also enhance its efficiency.
- Replacing the heads with a more efficient style or even aluminum heads to reduce engine weight.
Upgrade Cooling System:
- Install a high-performance radiator, cooling fans, and a larger intercooler (if using forced induction) to keep the engine temperatures in check.
Upgrade Transmission and Drivetrain:
- Strengthen the transmission and drivetrain components to handle the increased power without failure.
Dynamometer Tuning:
- After making modifications, it is crucial to tune the engine on a dynamometer (dyno) to optimize the air-fuel mixture, ignition timing, and other parameters.
Safety and Reliability:
- Ensure that the modifications are within the limits of your engine’s structural integrity and cooling capacity to avoid damage.
- Regularly monitor engine parameters using gauges and sensors to prevent overheating, detonation, or other issues.
Remove Car Weight to Increase the Speed
- Once the engine has been fine-tuned for top performance, the final step that needs to be taken to see the maximum amount of gain is to lighten the load. Reducing the weight of the car is something that racers have done for decades because the lighter the car is, the faster it will go down the road. The easiest way to do this is to remove items that are not needed, such as the air conditioner, which not only adds weight to the engine, but it also takes away engine horsepower.
Finally
Keep in mind that increasing car engine horsepower requires a balance of modifications and proper tuning to ensure reliability and performance. Consulting with experienced mechanics, automotive engineers, or performance tuning shops can provide valuable guidance and expertise throughout the process.
Sir, your numbers for horsepower measurements were correct, but one word is incorrect; and that is “move” .. The correct word is ‘lift’ .. It makes quite a difference 🥴
Thank you!