Cheap(ish) Speed
What are some quick and cheap ways to increase my car’s performance?
Remember that day when you wished your car had just a little more power? For many, it was when you were trying to pass a truck or merge at highway speed. For others, it was that pesky stoplight at the freeway onramp that puts you behind the slowest driver in the state (after they blew your doors off while merging). Just a few more ponies under the hood might mitigate the feeling of helplessness when you shove your right foot down.
Fear not! There are a few solutions that could help. Most of what I am pointing out can be accomplished in a few hours. Most importantly, these suggestions can help your car’s power, mileage and even, your confidence. From absolutely free to a few hundred bucks, these suggestions are cheap and logical. The steps listed below take next to no technical ability and very few tools (if any).
- Decrapify your car:
You will be amazed at how much more responsive your car will be when removing unnecessary weight. Let’s say your 3400+ lbs, 2.4-liter, 4 cylinder, 158, horsepower 2007 Toyota Camry feels a bit sluggish. Well, you’re pulling over 20 lbs per horsepower. What may surprise you is how quickly performance can suffer when additional weight is added.
My friend Ben kept his computer repair equipment, complete CD collection, a dozen bobble-heads, his guitar amplifier, a ton of trash and various odds and ends that added up to well over 150 lbs of weight – that’s nearly eight horsepower wasted on junk. Eliminating most of that crap helped quite a bit, especially in off-the-line acceleration.
- Happy cars make happy owners:
Your car is a living creature; if you look at a person’s anatomy, you can easily draw comparisons to a car. It has a brain, a heart which requires fuel to move and even a personality. As such, keeping a car healthy will help with everything from performance to economy.
Keep the tires properly inflated. The more a tire sags, the more power is required to move it. If you look at high-performance road bicycle tires, they are as hard as a rock. This is to create the least amount of resistance and effort to maintain an efficient rotation.
Look at your tire and it will show the tire’s ideal pressure on the sidewall. You would be surprised how many people ride with tires that are way under the required pressure.
Clean (or replace) your filters. Below, I will touch on after-market filters, but a standard filter is so much better for your engine than a dirty one. You will feel the difference. If you do this on your own, take the time to clean the filter’s area with a vacuum cleaner and a clean rag (paper towels leave fibers behind) before placing the new air filter. The cleaner the air, the more efficient the engine. Oil, gas and air filters should be replaced according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.
- Find the path of least resistance: smooth your flow.
Pending on what your car is adorned with; you can find ways to help increase airflow. Remove bras/protectors, spoilers, additional antennas, decals etc.
Look, it’s cool to let people know that you like to bike, kayak, ski/snowboard and all that, but you are wasting horsepower and gas by leaving that rack on the roof of your car. Even the plastic air dam that some of the racks come with cannot redirect all of the airflow past the roof rack – and that is several pounds of weight you will be saving by removing it.
You can help your car slice through the air. If the automaker didn’t equip your car with a particular component, getting rid of it saves weight and lessens wind resistance. Also, a clean car is a smooth car – get rid of the dirt and it will be that much more slippery.
- Get a checkup!
Even new cars can benefit from the occasional visit to the dealer mechanic (or a another trusted mechanic). A bad sparkplug, exhaust leak, fuel-injector clog, fried fuse or computer, improperly working fuel-pump and other maladies can go undiagnosed while your car seems to be driving normally for a long time.
Usually, a “check engine” light will warn you that something is amiss; however, this is not always the case. My brother’s 2008 Honda CRV went bonkers with a rare computer failure. There was no warning before it happened – and this was a Honda!
Each little fix can add horsepower and efficiency to your power-plant (e.g. a clogged injector can remove up to 25% of your performance).
5. Aftermarket!
Yes, there is a part for you car that might help performance which may be a click away. Something as simple as an aftermarket performance air-filter can add horsepower, better mileage and throttle response (or any mix of the aforementioned) to your vehicle. The most popular brand is K&N Air Filters. They make air filters for nearly every make and model of contemporary car and truck. If nothing else, many of these filters can last as long as the life of your car, so despite their higher price, you may want to keep that in mind.
Be warned, these filters can clog too – so you must clean them periodically (some require a cleaner, special oil or a run through the dishwasher). These filters use a less restrictive screen than a paper filter and still keep the dirt out. It’s less work for your engine to acquire more air. The more air, the easier it is to initiate combustion, just like an athlete who needs a good set of lungs to maintain efficient cardiovascular power. There are many aftermarket items that can help even the most basic commuter cars get a little more zip:
· Cold Air Intakes/Filter-Charger/Ram Air Intakes: These are some of the most popular engine/performance upgrades available today. Simply put, they are positioned in such a way that they get the cleanest, coldest and least restricted airflow into your engine as possible. In many cases, the intake merely consists of a bent tube, a cone shaped filer and a few clamps.
Colder air moves more efficiently and is better for combustion; if you look at a cold air intake system, you will usually see a cone shaped filter angled towards the lower parts of the engine bay. This is where the cold air is and it does make a difference. Other intake systems move the filter cone to a clear area (usually where your old filter box was located) with as few bends in the intake pipe as possible.
Removing your old intake system will take little time and you should keep the components and screws just incase you want or need to revert back to the old system. Take pictures if you are worried about replacing the components later on.
Installation usually takes no more than an hour and only requires basic tools. Make sure you have the specific part that is made for your car (there are kits that are generic, but may take some serious work to fit to your car). Usually, there is an additional tube and sensor that plug into these aftermarket intakes.
Also, make sure the intake kit is C.A.R.B (California Air Resources Board) approved. The state of California has the most stringent policies for legalization of air polluting vehicles. Many components that are added (or removed) from a car can possibly void its C.A.R.B approval. In some states, this is not a big deal as their smog requirements are fairly loose, but a majority of states are using California as a model and maintaining similar, strict requirements. It’s a good bet that if you keep your car C.A.R.B approved, your resale value and headaches (if you move to a state that meets those requirements) will be lessened.
The benefits of these intake kits are (usually) immediately apparent. These units cost $70 - $350 for any number of different applications. There is a downside: your car will sound much louder and more aggressive when you put your foot down and, in some cases the horsepower gains are minimal (but you still may gain in more immediate throttle response or economy).
Ask around and contact the manufacturer if you have any concerns. If you are not very mechanically savvy, have a friend help you. In most cases, these accessories really do help your performance.
· Performance Chips (can be fishy): First a warning, many of the cheap, online performance chips provide little if any improvement. On the other hand, many legitimate companies sell computer chips that can dramatically increase your car’s overall performance.
These chips are similar to any upgraded hardware you might find in your local computer store. They change everything from timing, combustion, throttle response, shifting algorithms etc., changing (in many cases) the personality of your car. Some companies will ask you to send them your old chip as they will reprogram and upgrade it – sending it back to you in a week or two. Other companies simply send you the chip and basic instructions.
Another word of warning, make sure that these chips are smog legal in your state and that they don’t void your warranty. By aggressively changing the way your car runs, you might consider adding further enhancements (intake, exhaust etc.) to best capitalize on your vehicle’s new found power. These legitimate performance chips range in price from $150 - $800 depending on what system you get. For example, the best chip available for my Saturn’s Ecotec was a hair over $300.
· An exhaust system can do amazing things: When your car exhales, having a less restrictive exhaust system can add as much as 20% more power. What’s more, if you follow the proper C.A.R.B guidelines, you will not be contributing to any additional smog particulates.
A less restrictive muffler will allow the spent engine exhaust to travel out of your vehicle with less restriction. It’s like the aforementioned air intake kits in reverse. Think of it this way: if you breathe through a snorkel, you will breath easier through a one inch round tube than a ½ inch tube. The snorkel is rounded and offers little resistance for inhalation and exhaling. Just like an aftermarket intake, or a performance exhaust.
When you have a “Cat-Back” exhaust system, this refers to piping in a series of larger and or straighter pipes from your stock catalytic converter to a higher performance muffler and exhaust pipe. These systems can set you back several thousands of dollars for the high end units, but usually will deliver large performance gains.
To save money, consider just replacing the stock muffler with an after market one. Check with a few muffler places and get a quote. I have a friend who wanted more oomph out of her older Ford Windstar minivan and replaced the muffler with a less restrictive one. She was very pleased with the results and doesn’t mind the louder exhaust note (some of the cat-back systems will make your exhaust note much louder). Mufflers run from $50 - $200 and installation takes about an hour. My friend’s Ford cost $160 for everything at a local mechanic’s shop, although I think she could have gotten a slightly better deal.
- The better the rubber, the better the bite – the better the bite, the fewer teeth needed to chew.
This one may be an easy idea for most, but you would be surprised at how many people are driving on over-used tires. If your tires are in bad shape, you could lose some contact with the road while your engine and transmission work harder to get you moving. Low traction rubber will slip more often and it will slow you down when you attempt to pull away from a stop light, accelerate out of a corner, merge in wet traffic or a combination of these (and many other) driving situations.
On normal cars, manufacturers tend to include decent tires that can have a potential mileage life of several thousands of miles. My wife’s Subaru came with tires which we rotated often and maintained as best as we could; still, they were in bad shape after less than 40,000 miles. Adding more expensive, higher rated rubber changed the personality completely.
What I noticed immediately was better forward acceleration when I was aggressive with the right pedal. Sometimes, you don’t realize that your car’s performance is suffering until you make a major change – like better tires.
If you want to go the extra mile, and enhance your vehicle’s looks, consider slightly lower profile, wider wheels and tires. The more rubber gripping the ground, the more of your power can go towards moving forward. Keep in mind that if you go overboard and find a way to mount Corvette wheels onto your Honda Civic, the amount of energy used to rotate those massive wheels negates any potential performance gains. Also, you will look a bit silly.
- Sagging and dragging = lagging.
Have you ever gone down the highway and noticed the back of a car lifting and falling while other cars remain steady? How about a car that when the breaks are triggered dips its nose as if it is bowing? Ever ridden in a car that vibrates even when driving down a smooth road?
It’s more than likely; you would have described a vehicle that has suspension issues. The most notable concern for a bad suspension is safety. Bad shocks and warped or worn springs, bad bushings, etc. can affect nearly every form of handling, both in safety and performance on your car. It can also make your car slower.
If you have bad shocks, your car will slosh around like a boat and it causes your engine and transmission to work harder when you move. Imagine a heavy backpack that is loosely connected to your back while you hike; every movement you make creates an opposite movement from the pack. It takes greater energy to rectify the additional movement and misplaced weight. If that backpack was securely tightened, it would move with you, which is much more efficient.
Stiffer springs, bushings, shocks/struts and performance sway bars will limit the movement of your car and may make the ride stiffer; however, you will get better performance on the roads and better speeds through corners. The stiffer suspension will lower the chances for your car’s center of gravity becoming overwhelmed. With less swaying and tipping, you will have less opposing mass pulling your car out of the corner, hence; you require less energy to pull your car through the corner and will have a better experience when doing so.
Once again, I caution you on over exuberance with suspensions. Too stiff and too low can overburden the rest of your vehicle and create a nearly intolerable ride. If you do not intend on driving at a race track often, keep your suspension reasonable or you will never be able to sip your coffee (or keep your teeth) while driving.
Okay, now take a look at your car and see how many (if any) of these suggestions might work for you. Considering the amount of use your car gets, it is not unreasonable to pamper it from time to time. If you add up a few of these suggestions and modifications, you could find some real hidden power.
My friend’s 2007 Camry is now lighter, cleaner has a cold-air intake system and he just added a Magnaflow muffler. New, more potent spark plugs and better tires have all gone to improving what was a decent ride to a downright sporty one. His mechanic measured his output at nearly 200 horsepower – that’s a huge improvement from 158 horsepower and his torque numbers are up over 25% too. He estimates his overall costs were less than $700 for everything - $350 if he opted to keep his original tires (which were in good shape).
He is so pleased that he is now on the hunt for a performance chip which might give him an additional 5% horsepower increase. These types of modifications can become a bit addicting. In the long run, if you do your research, most cars can benefit from these quick additions.
One question that pops up from those who are new to this experience is, “Why are the automakers not doing some of these upgrades in the first place?” Cost is the main reason. They are aware of the aftermarket community and build their cars from the standpoint of maintaining a bottom line. Building more expensive intake and exhaust systems along with more complicated computer control systems adds cost to each vehicle.
Other reasons for maintaining less complicated stock components are ease of parts distribution and less research and development. Aftermarket intake and exhaust components are carefully constructed for a specific automobile to offer optimum flow. Manufacturer’s components are less elegant and thus, less complicated. The filter-boxes in many new cars are usually quieter than an aftermarket air intake (as are performance exhaust systems). This means that these parts are cheap, easy to share with other platforms and are no-brainers when it comes to smog regulations and customer comfort.
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