I don't know jack about cars...

[Anonymouse]

Except how to change a flat tire, the brake pads, and the oil and filter. I just know the basic xxxx.

As far as all that high tech V tech bro car talk goes, I know nothing of it. Can someone please educate me and wash away my ignorance?

What is the function of a spoiler and what is it? What does an exhaust do? And what are some other things that have hard names to remember?

[clubbin714]

Rear spoilers provide down force at high speeds but on the majority of production road going automobiles are more for aesthetics than function. There are few examples, the most notables of late are the modifications (recall) that the 99 Audi TT's were getting. The aerodynamic characteristics of the body seem to make for an unstable rear end at high speeds. There are reports of some owners losing control on the autobahn will driving their new car home from the dealers. The modifications to the bodywork include redesigned spoilers and rear diffuser among other things.

For spoilers and aerodynamic aids to be of use at speeds under 80mph, you'd need front and rear wings akin to an F1 car. Of course, then you'd have aesthetic, ground clearance and width issues...

What can be far more effective in a modern road car are under trays- partial or complete. Coupled with a discreet front spoiler and rear diffuser, this can reduce pressures under the car, effectively helping it stay rubber side down and front end forward on the road. Much better than unsightly wings that obstruct rear view and bring on visions of "riceboy".


The gasoline engine is essentially an air pump. Anything you do to move the air in and out easier will make it more efficient. So a better intake and exhaust will make some improvement. In theory that sounds good. In practice, it's not that easy. What you're looking for is more torque, and more area under the curve. Don't fall for the "More horsepower" trap. In N/A cars more HP usually occurs above 4500 rpm or so so be careful about the changes you make. To do that, you need to make the engine more efficient.


The exhaust is a good place to make some torque if you do it right. The biggest choke point is the often the cat(s). So consider replacing them with a high flow version. Forget about long tube headers - no low end power and a pain to install. Be careful with short tube headers; you don't get much bang for the buck. A good 2 1/2" inch single exhaust will be cheap and work very well.


The factory intake is usually pretty restrictive. Depending on how handy you are, you can open up the stock box with a hole saw, and route old air with some flexible ducting. K&N filters might add a tad bit of HP, but all at the top end. Cleanable elements are nice if you operate in a dusty environment, so you can clean instead of replace. But I've yet to see any dyno charts showing actual power gains. And there are now K&N competitors that are cheaper. Cold air makes more power. So routing in cold air to the intake always adds a little more power.

[clubbin714]

ttt

[anileve]

Can someone tell me, what the heck is that silly ttt...it's sounds like stutter.

[Anonymouse]

To the top.

Who knew you'd learn internet lingo in a car forum.

P.S. I am angry at someone deleting my thread.

[anileve]

Too bad . PM your favorite moderator if you have a problem. And thanks for the lingo.

[Sip]

One thing about exhausts is that if you remove the restrictions too much, you'll lose low-end torque (torque at lower RPMs). A lot of people do tend to get lost in the horsepower number game but horsepower is quite meaningless ... but the HP and torque curves (vs RPM) can tell quite a bit about an engine.

... afterall, horsepower is just a rate of engine power output. Torque is the actual force output at a certain rpm. With my blazer's 4.3L V6 engine, I get about 190HP max at 4400 RPM but at the same time, it puts out 250ft-lbs of torque at 2200 RPM which is where you need it most for crawling, offroading, and towing.

[Crimson Glow]

Like the old saying goes:

Horsepower sells cars,
Torque wins races.

I've noticed a horrible trend. A decade or two ago, cars were putting out more torque then hp, not it's the other way around. There's lots of things I hate about newer cars, that's why my collection exists of only older ones.

Example: My McLaren Grand Prix' put out 205 hp, and 225 torque, and most have concluded that those numbers are WAY underated (GM did this with a lot of cars so as not to upset the 'Vette enthusiasts/owners). The thing beat up 5.0 'Stangs in its day, for crying out loud. If the 225 torque is accurate, there's no way that was going to happen. I had a local guy buying some parts off me a year ago who went to ITT (mechanic's school). He had his car dynoed there because the teacher wouldn't believe him on the specs. With just a Jeff M chip, the car was putting out just over 300 torque at the wheels!!! I HIGHLY doubt one chip did all that, so the starting point must have been well above what they claimed. Most of these cars have 140K + miles on them, and are STILL pulling 15-15.3 second quarter miles. Not that that's super quick, but for the amount of mileage, it's pretty damn amazing considering that's supposedly what they did 15 years ago!!

Newer cars blow. I just can't get into the bland stylings, and some of the features look like they've been retracted instead of inhanced. And they're purposely making them harder to work on, taking the fun out of the weekend warrior tinkering with them. I'll stick with my older GMs.

[spookyghost]

my mom used to have a 93 lumina, and it pretty much kicked ass, it was pretty powerful and fast , desquised under some ....not so fast looking car hehe.

[angelik22]

doesnt exhaust also put more air into the engine and make it more efficient -- more oxygen= beter combustion?