Sources for Automobile (mainly engine) performance increases

These are innovative and non-traditional ways to increase engine performance.

Balanced Thermostats:

A balanced thermostat keeps the coolant temperature within 2 degrees compared with temperature fluctuations of up to 20 degrees with conventional thermostats. Four Wheel Magazine found an improvement in both gas mileage and power with these thermostat.

Four Wheel Magazine table

Four Wheel Magazine Article

Mr. Gasket Balanced Flow Thermostats available in 160, 180 and 195 degrees
available at:
Jeg's
Robertshaw Balanced Flow Thermostats available in 160 and 180 degrees
available at:
Summit Racing

Carburator Spacers:

Precision mixture channels in the ports create a vortex entering the intake manifold. The twirling action acts like a blender, dramatically improving the air/fule mixture and atomizing fuel droplets to create a more combustible mixture that improves fuel efficiency and throttle response.

TD Performance
available at:
Jeg's

Cooling System:

  1. The Evans cooling system uses straight proplyene glycol with no water to cool the engine. This prevents hot spots from forming on the cylinder head since water changes to steam when it touches hot surfaces in the head. Steam is not able to remove heat effectively, so a loss of cooling action occurs. Proplyene glycol is better able to remain in liquid form due to its higher boiling point so it can better cool these hot spots. In addition, proplyene glycol will hold more heat which will better heat the lower surfaces of the cylinder bores, resulting in a more even distribution of temperatures throughout the cylinder. This will allow the flame in the cylinder to continue burning longer before it goes out, burning more of the available fuel, and resulting in more power and better mileage. But, converting to this system will involve more than just dumping in the proplyene glycol.

    Evans Cooling
    e-mail: info@evanscooling.com
    phone: 610-889-9933

  2. Motormax is an additive that can be added to ordinary antifreeze and water. It is supposed to both increase cooling ability and decrease warmup time by transfering heat better than antifreeze and water alone. By warming cold spots in the engine more quickly and cooling hot spots better, it is suppose to aid combustion and even produce better fuel mileage.

    Firefreezemotormax


Coatings:

Coatings are available which can both reduce friction and heat transfer.

  1. Techline Coatings
    available at:
    Jeg’s
    Summit Racing

  2. Swain Tech Coatings

Oil cooler:

Neither cold oil nor hot oil is good for an engine. This cooler uses the engine’s coolant to both heat the oil when it is cold and cool it when it is hot.

  1. Callies

  2. Aeroquip
    also available at:
    Jeg’s

Pre-oiler:

Provides oil pressure to the engine before the engine is started.

Canton Mecca

Oil Filter-Cooler

A different kind of filter. Can make oil in your crankcase look clean and new again. Also cools oil.

Trasko

Manifold and cylinder head honing::

This process hones manifolds and ports in the cylinder head by forcing an abrasive substance through them. The result is smoothly flowing air in your engine.

Extrudehone

Block seasoning:

Metals acquire stresses when they are manufactured. This process relieves the stresses in metal parts. The results of relieving stress in an engine are more longevity and even more power. Meta-Lax makes the machines which perform this operation, but Paul Pfaff has a shop which can stress-relief your engine parts or the entire engine in a couple of hours.

Meta Lax available at

Bonal
also available at:

Paul Pfaff Racing
5362 System Dr
Huntington Beach, CA 92649
(714-894-7573)

Gaskets:

This gasket contains a fine screen. It will not help with top end power, but will increase low-end torque by better atomizing the droplets of fuel before they enter the head.

Torque Plus

available at:
Jeg’s
Summit Racing

Air Spinners

There is debate about the validity of these products, but there are some sources that verify gains using dynos.

Intake Air Spinners

Tornado Air Management
SpiralMax

Exhaust Air Spinner

Turbo Exhaust Tube

Offset piston wrist pins:

This is a more exotic modification. If the piston wrist pin is moved off center, the piston will not lock up at top dead center. The angle of the rod to the crankshaft will also allow greater leverage when combustion presssures are at their highest. However, changes to the camshaft may be necessary to acheive the full potential of this change.

Pistons of this type were created for an article in Circle Track by
BRC Pistons

Softool® cylinder honing brush:

This is a brush used on cylinder bores after the honing process is complete. It removes smeared and torn metal from the cylinder walls. It results in better ring seal and more power.


Osborne Softool

available at:

Peterson Machine Tool
5425 Antioch Drive
P.O. Box 278
Shawnee Mission, Kansas 66201
(800) 225-6308

or

Kansas Instruments
1100 Union St.
Coouncil Grove, Kansas 66846
(800) 835-3528

Bolts and fasteners:

You may think a head does not flex or bend, but it actually does, especially at full throttle. These bolts will help keep your head in the correct position and take the strain off the head gasket.

ARP
250 Quail Court
Santa Paula, CA 93060
(800-826-3045)

Cast Iron Welding

Maintenance Welding Alloys, Inc.
23121 La Cadena Ave, Unit E
Laguna Hills, CA 92653
(714-770-7027)

E-Mail Me

AMC NASCAR Matador