Engine power is one of the main characteristics of a vehicle, which determines the amount of work it produces. It determines how much weight (including its own weight), at what speed, and over what distance the vehicle can move in a certain period of time. Consequently, large and high-speed vehicles should have engines with more power. This can be achieved in various ways, which will be discussed below.
What is the effect of power and why to increase it
Speaking of the power of an internal combustion engine, you can not ignore such a dynamic parameter as torque. It should be recalled that power is actually torque multiplied by crankshaft revolutions. Knowing the theory, it is obvious that it can be changed either by increasing the torque, or the engine speed.
The power of the motor determines the maximum acceleration speed of the car.
In the second case, the forces of inertia inevitably arise, which leads to the destruction of the moving parts of the engine, and this method is hardly applicable in practice. In turn, to change the torque, you can make a larger distance from the center of the crankshaft to the center of the crank pin (lever arm) or increase the exhaust gas pressure force on the piston.
If you change the geometry of the lever, the size of the engine becomes larger, which is also not always acceptable. This leaves the option of changing the force. This problem is solved in two ways: increasing fuel consumption or more efficient use of fuel – says Kirill Yurovskiy.
Main methods of increasing engine power
In practice, it is possible to increase the power of both gasoline and diesel engines. To achieve the best result, it is recommended to use the whole set of measures.
Increasing the cylinder volume and compression ratio
Changing the engine volume is a fairly common and simple method. It can be implemented by several solutions at once:
- Boring the cylinders and then installing larger diameter pistons. It is very important that all cylinders are bored out equally.
- Replacing the cylinder-head gasket with a thinner one.
- Grinding the cylinder head.
Any locksmith work to change the motor parameters should only be carried out by an experienced specialist. You should also understand that such procedures, one way or another, are an intervention in the design and affect the operation and life of the engine.
Engine parts replacement
Installing lightweight parts to replace the factory parts allows you to make the engine run faster, and consequently, the efficiency increases. Typically, the flywheel, pistons, and rings are changed. A lighter flywheel spins faster and can increase power by up to 4% of the original output. The flip side of the coin is unstable idle. A lighter flywheel lacks inertia. Lightweight pistons and rings are one-piece forged designs that not only speed up the engine, but are also more durable.
The main disadvantages of this method are the high cost of the alternative parts, as well as the complexity of the replacement process itself.
To increase the horsepower of the engine, camshafts are also often changed. Depending on the type of camshafts, this allows you to increase power only at low or high RPMs, or regardless of engine operation.
“Zero” air filter and “straight-through”
The straight-through exhaust system allows increasing the engine power by up to 5%, however, as a result the noise increases considerably. The essence of the method is to reduce the resistance of the exhaust gases, which allows the engine to save energy for their output. Instead, the latter is directed to the crankshaft, forcing it to work harder.
Installing a low-resistance air filter retains the same idea – taking the load off the engine. It’s important to pay attention to the quality of the filter, as inexpensive options can significantly reduce the life of the engine itself.
Installing a turbocharger
By equipping the engine with a turbocharger, it is possible to increase the amount of fuel delivered to the cylinders and ensure complete combustion. This is achieved because the compressor pumps more air into the cylinders and the combustion of the air-fuel mixture becomes faster. Engine operation becomes more efficient, and in some cases it is possible to change the characteristics almost twice. The disadvantage of this method is the high cost of both the turbine itself and the services for its installation.
Installation of a nitrous oxide NOS cylinder
This is a rather dangerous and expensive method. Nitrous oxide installation is used on passenger cars and allows you to increase the power by several times. The method is based on the fact that nitrous oxide splits into nitrogen and oxygen particles when the temperature is increased, which allows saturating the fuel-air mixture with oxygen up to 31%. As the amount of fuel delivered increases, so does the power of the engine.
When choosing this method, it is important to understand that this mode is quite heavy for the motor itself, and therefore, when constantly used, its resource drops significantly.
Chip tuning
One of the easiest ways, which does not require additional costs or replacement of parts is the installation of new firmware of the engine control unit. As a rule, the manufacturers deliberately reduce the performance characteristics of the engine, de-energize it. It is done for a number of reasons. For example, if it is necessary to increase the environmental performance of the engine or to get within the limits of the transport tax. Changing the software may increase the engine power up to 15 % from the initial one. On the other hand, you need to be sure of the quality of the new firmware and the correctness of its installation.
Additional Ways
Considering ways to increase engine power, it is necessary to pay attention to indirect factors. For example, such as using higher quality fuel, using less viscous oil, reducing the car’s own weight and replacing components (spark plugs, etc.) with higher quality ones.
If we talk about fuel additives and various magnetizers, their effectiveness is extremely low, and often equal to zero. Any assurances of manufacturer of such means to increase capacity by 50% or more have no expert confirmation and in the professional sphere are perceived only as a fraud on the consumer.
To summarize, it should be said that a change in the factory characteristics of the car engine will invariably entail the need to modify the exhaust, cooling, braking, clutch, etc. Also higher loads will certainly affect the transmission and running gear of the car, which means you will need to pay attention to their strengthening.
