What's The Best Way To Increase Horsepower?

For most car enthusiasts, increasing horsepower is an eternal hot topic, because nothing is more exciting than stepping on the accelerator and feeling the powerful starting burst and the thrill of racing.

So，how to raise horsepower？You may have heard that there are many ways to make your Original engine have more horsepower, but which methods are the most effective? In this article, we sort out some of the most popular methods for increasing engine horsepower.

What is horsepower? Do you really understand it?

Before we start to improve horsepower, it is necessary to understand what horsepower is.

In simple terms, horsepower is the power produced by a car engine, which is a measure of the engine's ability to do work per unit time. Mathematically speaking, the formula for measuring horsepower looks a little like this: H = T x RPM/5252, where H = horsepower, T = pound-feet of torque, and 5252 is a magical little variable that gives us a final value in foot-pounds.

In the automotive world, the more horsepower, the faster the acceleration and the more responsive the power.

It is worth noting that torque determines your explosive power at the start, while horsepower is your ability to continue accelerating. In other words, if you want the thrill of racing on the highway, you need more horsepower; if you focus on starting burst or off-road drag, torque cannot be ignored.

How to increase horsepower？

After much trial and error, we've come up with a list of ways to increase horsepower that can be accomplished on a free weekend and for a few hundred dollars.

1. Upgrade the air intake system

Why is the air intake system important?

The engine is essentially an air pump, the more air it takes in, the more power it can produce. The intake system determines how efficiently that air is brought in. Factory intake systems are often restrictive and fail to provide the most adequate air in order to reduce noise, emissions, and costs.

An upgraded cold air intake system draws in cooler air from outside the engine. Cooler air is denser and richer in oxygen, so it will increase the amount of fuel accordingly, helping the engine produce more power.

For most carbureted/conventional intake configurations, it is best to install the hood air intake or hood air intake cover into a high-flow air cleaner.

2. Upgrade the exhaust system

Exhaust is smooth and power comes naturally.

More air entering the engine means more exhaust gas needs to be exhausted. The original exhaust system is also designed relatively conservatively for cost and environmental protection. Replacing the exhaust pipe, muffler and exhaust manifold with a high-flow rate can reduce exhaust back pressure and increase power output at high speeds.

For example, a cat-back exhaust system is another good way to increase horsepower by increasing airflow. This exhaust pipe has a larger diameter and a precise shape, allowing air to flow freely through the system.

3. Upgrade ECU program

Upgrading the vehicle's engine control unit (ECU) can help increase horsepower.

The vehicle's ECU is equivalent to the computer brain of the car, which controls core parameters such as ignition timing, fuel injection volume, and boost value. The vehicle's ECU is equipped with an original chip to ensure compliance with fuel regulations and significantly improve the vehicle's fuel economy. However, for car owners who want to increase horsepower, economical chips are not the best choice.

It is worth noting that you need to find a modification expert to modify your ECU, because if it is not done properly, it will cause problems such as engine knocking and carbon deposits.

4. Install a supercharger or turbocharger

How much horsepower does a turbo add?

A turbocharger works with the exhaust system to potentially increase power by 70-150 horsepower. A supercharger is directly connected to the engine intake and can provide an additional 50-100 horsepower.

Therefore, installing a supercharger or turbocharger will increase horsepower immediately.

5. Replace high-performance ignition system and spark plugs

Is the ignition system also affecting horsepower?

Yes, the accuracy of ignition timing and spark intensity are directly related to combustion efficiency. The combination of high-performance ignition coils and iridium/platinum spark plugs can ensure stable ignition at high speeds, thereby improving power performance.

6. Lightweight

Lighter = Faster

Make everything lighter, lightweight components help improve engine performance.

Although lightweighting does not "directly" increase engine horsepower, it improves the power-to-weight ratio and improves the sense of acceleration. For example, every time a piston changes direction, it consumes energy to stop the stroke in one direction and restart the stroke in the other direction. The lighter the piston, the less energy it consumes. Lighter components can also increase engine speed, thereby increasing horsepower.

7. Clean the fuel system

Why does a clean fuel system also increase horsepower?

Cleaning fuel system deposits optimizes the spray pattern, which improves combustion and increases horsepower.

As shown in the chart, in third-party testing, a 2016 Chevrolet increased horsepower by 14% with just one tank of the powerful, deep-cleaning gasoline performance improver.

Recommended horsepower enhancement solutions for different models

Summary

There are many ways to increase horsepower. Which method you want to choose in the end needs to be scientifically selected based on the vehicle model, power system and budget range.

But no matter which method you choose to increase horsepower, it needs to be based on safety, reliability, legality and compliance.