The Best Way To Add Horsepower On or Off the Track

Figuring out how to get more power out of a vehicle often means inventorying a few systems to best understand where your gains are at. If you’re working with a completely OEM vehicle setup and looking for a place to start, your best option is often the exhaust. Premium exhaust manifold setups provide you with the airflow you need to make the most of your other engine components.

Fuel/Air Ratio

When you want more power from an engine, you need to increase its ability to power reaction cycles, allowing for faster turnover. Apart from engine rebuilds and replacements, most performance upgrades are about moving air through the engine or delivering fuel in the right amounts at the best possible speed.

This is why advice about performance upgrades will always emphasize balance. If you’re working with a stock intake, exhaust, and carburetor, then your gains from premium spark plugs will be limited in comparison with someone who has upgraded all those things. Often, the biggest performance throttle in an OEM design is the exhaust. Limiting the rate at which the vehicle expels fumes also limits the airflow into the engine, which places constraints on the entire reaction process.

Exhaust Manifold

Upgrading the manifold is a great place to start, but you can simplify the entire exhaust in a single move with weld up header kits that include the tubes you’ll need in addition to the header expansion that replaces the stock exhaust manifold. These kits make it easy to fit and place an expanded manifold setup that drastically increases the flow of exhaust fumes out of the engine. Long tube headers are not the only premium manifold solution, though.

Headers often require more space than the original manifold, and that can pose a challenge for some engine compartments. There are many ways to approach fitment if a header expansion is important, and often those changes also enhance a vehicle’s stylistic appeal, but they are not always the best way forward for a driver, especially if the upgrade is going on a vehicle that primarily sees street use.

In those cases, premium manifold designs that increase airflow through efficiency gains without taking up extra space in the engine are also an option. Often the gains you get are a little more modest, but the tradeoff is easier fitment and a simpler path to compliance with local vehicle noise ordinances.

Get Ready for Your Next Upgrade

Every automotive upgrade needs a slightly different set of tools even if the basics like a mechanic’s socket set are used across almost everything. Whether it’s an impact wrench, an engine hoist, or a new welding setup, investing in the right automotive shop tools is an essential part of taking control when it comes to your vehicle.

Start shopping for the tools you need today so that you will be ready for installation when you pick out the right exhaust upgrade for your current ride. The sooner you set yourself up to do the job, the sooner you can enjoy the performance gains on the street and at the track.