When you want to modify your car, there are many engine mods to choose from. Some of these parts can help performance and gas mileage, while many others won’t. The difference between the best engine mods and the worst can often be blurred by a variety of factors.
Tweaking or modifying your car is becoming far more difficult than it used to be. Manufacturers are putting more and more electronic devices to their cars to make this nearly impossible. Components like Drive By Wire or CVT transmissions are barriers that today’s enthusiasts must deal with or tackle.
Even so the basic premise of a combustion engine remains the same. You want to move as much air through your engine as quickly as possible, and maintain the optimum air fuel ratio for performance.
Of course when you are talking about late model cars, engine mods are always accompanied by computer tuning. Because the fuel curves and ignition events are managed by your on-board computer, there are a variety of tuning tools you can use.
When you want to find out what the best engine mods are for your car, here’s 5 of the most common ways to improve performance.
Five Best Engine Mods
John Huh
Owner
Most Popular Engine Modifications
Hopping up your car has been one of the oldest hobbies for auto enthusiasts. People are always happy with their new car for the first few weeks, but it's only a matter of time before many people are bit with the "mod bug" and want to learn how to make your car faster. Installing engine mods has been a popular pastime for many auto enthusiasts, giving people a fun way to tinker and tweak their cars. Whether your goal is to increase horsepower or to improve fuel economy, there are many engine mods that can help you get the job done.
The engine in your car, truck or van works on four steps or a four cycle combustion process. The engine crankshaft spins your rotating assembly of pistons and rods. As your pistons move down the combustion chamber, it draws in air from your intake through your intake valves. When your engine pistons move back upwards, it pressurizes the atmospheric pressure and your injectors deliver an atomized spray of fuel. Your engine computer then ignites the air fuel mixture to create kinetic energy.
This kinetic combustion of energy is what creates horsepower and drives the crankshaft back around as the process is repeated. If you are interested in learning some of the most popular ways to increase your horsepower, here are some of the best engine mods for your car below.
Air Intake Engine mods
Your engine basically acts like a giant air pump, so the best engine mods will always be about moving more air in and out of your engine. Air Intake kits can bolt right up to your throttle body, allowing you to easily increase air flow to your engine in the most efficient manner possible. There are several ways to increase air flow and they generally revolve around these important points about your engine intake.
- More Air flow - Your stock air intake system is restrictive and made to operate quietly to minimize engine noise. Install a high flow intake filter, or a intake kit to deliver air faster and increase air flow to your engine.
- Colder Air - The colder your intake air charge, the more dense it becomes which makes for more horsepower generating potential. When your intake temperatures are warmer the conditions for your engine to run efficiently is less than ideal. Cold air intake kits relocate your air filter to a colder area, usually outside of your engine bay or by using a air intake heat shield. Install a cold air intake kit to lower your air temperature and your engine will love you for it!
When it comes to the best engine mods for your car, there’s always a few factors that always remain the same. Engine performance comes down to these considerations below:
- Air intake – increasing the amount of air and the velocity of airflow through your engine
- Exhaust expulsion – moving the exhaust gases out of your engine in the fastest method possible
- Fuel delivery – Increasing your fuel flow to match the demands of your engine.
- Computer tuning – Knowing how to tune your car, not just for performance but for fuel efficiency or closed loop operation.
When it comes to tuning of course it’s always best to use a chassis dyno to dial in your settings. This not only gets you a real world horsepower value when measured at the wheels, but prevents you from endangering yourself or others on public roads.
Have any questions about this engine mods guide? Wondering what the best modification path or mods are for your car? Leave us a comment below and let us know!
