An Engine is like an air pump: the more air that is allowed to flow through it, the more horsepower you get out of it. A free-flowing air intake and exhaust system installed on an average vehicle will produce more horsepower, because of the efficient flow of air into and out of the engine. Fuel requires air to burn and thus to produce energy. The increased air available for combustion will also improve efficiency, otherwise known as gas mileage.
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Common products that influence airflow into
and out of the engine:
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- Exhaust Tubing & Cat Back Systems
- Air Filters & Intake Air Piping
- Headers
- Engine Tuning & Tuning Chips
- Mufflers
- Tips
- Piping: X & Y Pipes
- Cut-Outs
- Catalytic Converters
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When these components are modified to increase flow out of
the engine, pumping losses are reduced. Pumping losses refer to the amount
of horsepower used to push the exhaust gasses out of the cylinders on the
engine's exhaust stroke. Since less horsepower is used to get the exhaust
out of the engine, more horsepower is available at the flywheel. Whenever
an engine modification increases the average area of the airflow paths into
and out of an engine, there is a chance the velocity of the flow will decrease.
Most of the time the factor of velocity decrease is very small compared
to the area increased, so flow is generally increased. If modifications
are taken too far, the velocity will decrease more than the area increases,
so flow is adversely affected (for example: a four inch exhaust system on a 1.6 liter engine).
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© 2007 FMS Performance
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