Nickatina7

does anyone know of some free (or cheap) upgrades i can do to my N/A engine to add some extra power. i already know of using zipties to hold open the two valves on top of the headers. that added some good power. anything else?

fidelity101

iTrader: (11)

Loose weight tubby.

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

Wiring the aux ports open will result in no power gain over a properly working system and will only result in a torque loss below 4000 RPM. The car will be overall slower.

There are few "free" mods to increase engine power. In fact, there are none. You can only recover power that has been lost. For example, strip all extra loads from the engine like AC, air pump and power steering. Very little power will be recovered and you won't be able to pass emissions.

You can rip half the interior out to save some weight, which will make the car a bit faster as there's less mass to accelerate. Most people (myself included) don't enjoy driving around in a tin can without an interior though.

And that's about it on the free side. Anything else is going to cost at least some money.

Nick_d_TII

iTrader: (6)

Free upgrades heck yea!
Climb under your car and hack your muffler off just befor the cat, that may net you some pawa! Remove the cat and back for weight loss. Also you can gut the car, and remove all the tar paper on the inside for weight loss.
Always run less than 1/2 a tank, less gasoline = less weight = mo pawa!
You could cut your springs to lower your car and then less air goes under your car = less drag = MO PAWA!! Under the front bumper cover, you can cut/remove the bumper and cover for more weight loss. I've heard old school racers used to run they're cars a quart low of oil for more power. Also get some lower viscosity (5w20) oil that can net you some more PAWA!!!

Disclaimer: CHECK WITH LOCAL AND FEDERAL LAWS BEFORE DOING ANY OF THE FOREMENTIONED MODIFICATIONS TO YOUR VEHICLE, AS THEY MAY BE UNSAFE, DANGEROUS AND AGAINST THE LAW. THE FOREMENTIONED MODIFICATIONS MAY BE HAZERDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH, ENDANGER THE SAFTEY OF OTHERS , YOU AND YOUR POOR LITTLE REX.

Delphince

Everyone always says that about the AC compressor. While what you said holds true for the other accessories, a good-condition AC pulley can be spun like a top with one finger when it's not engaged and doesn't represent any significant resistance on the engine. Though, it does weigh a ton, and the piping is annoying as hell. My point is that removing it doesn't really recover any more power than just leaving the AC button on the console turned off.

clokker

iTrader: (2)

This "trick" only applies to piston engine cars whose cranks run in the oilpan's bath.
Running less oil decreases a bit of the drag on the crankshaft.

Does not apply to a rotary engine.

Nickatina7

really man? ive noticed less torque from opening those ports but i have also noticed much more high end power. will those valves being stuck open cause any long term engine damage?

~overdose~

yeam man if you dont mind having a/c you can take the a/c belt off frees up 2-3hp or you could remove the ac completly also get a maf adapter and a intake cone filter thats probally the cheapest way to free up some powerall for under $50 and some basic use of tools

also you could remove the 2nd set of butterfly valves on your throttel body now i dont know if this increases hp but it does imporve your throttel respones a great deal

Delphince

That just redirects more air over the top of the car and increases downforce. It makes you "stick" more for stability at higher speeds, but slows your car down.

That reduces windage resistance on the crank. We don't have cranks.
5w20 is fine on a 2-year old engine, ours are 20--tolerances are a little more loosened up by now. Also, your apex seals would assist your weight reduction by flying out the tailpipe, unless you premix.

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

Yes, I'm aware of that.

~overdose~

yeah 5th an 6th port wired open is completly useless your car is either going to be a track car or is going to stay over 5000rpms constantly

Nickatina7

i already took off the air pump, a/c, power steering, and i hollowed out the cat (they were clogged). but i am wondering if those valves being open all the time will cause any damage. they do add power and i do play around in the high rpms most of the time.

~overdose~

there is no hp gain you lose about 15% low end trq though and your fuel milage is going to decrease as well

Delphince

You keep asking so I guess the short answers you're getting aren't what you're looking for, so here's a longer one.

The valves you see are actuators that each turn a hollow sleeve that redirects the airflow in the lower intake manifold. The normal position creates a longer path/fewer choices for the air to follow, which means more air mass is moving faster, which means more inertia is shoving air towards the intake ports in the rotor housing between cycles. This increases torque at low end because the engine doesn't have to waste as much energy trying to draw in air when the ports do open.

At higher rpms and greater airflow, this benefit becomes overwhelmed by the resistance of air following a longer path. The actuators are designed to respond around this point, based on backpressure created by exhaust velocity through the catalytic converter. They "open" the sleeves by turning them, and shorten the path the air travels in the lower intake by increasing the number of entrances into the rotor chamber. If they are working properly, that is. This decreases intake velocity and lowers resistance, but makes more air available to the engine.

Wiring them open only helps if your system is not working correctly and they don't open on their own, or you have removed all of the emmisions equipment, including exhaust, that would cause them to work at all.

Edit: On other engines, this sort of thing is decided in a more fixed fashion, by building the intake manifold with different runner lengths. It is in no way similar to VTEC, despite frequently being hailed as such.

Nickatina7

that explains it. thank you. if i was to see if they are working properly, at what rpm do they open up and will i be able to see them open?

~overdose~

3800 rpm

Sideways7

iTrader: (7)

But they won't open in neutral, you have to have a load on the engine, so it has to be in gear. You can put some grease on the shaft and see if it moved after you drive it.
Since you hollowed out the cat, I can pretty much guarantee they aren't working right. You need an intact exhaust system (including main cat) for them to work right.

black_88

^ not true I have a custom exhaust on mine that goes 2 1/5 inch from the header down to a resinator and right after the resinator the split air pipe is hooked up. its been hooked up like that for over a year and have not had a problem at all.

Nickatina7

thanx. i will test it out soon and see who is right.

ericgrau

iTrader: (1)

Cut your zipties. Free power right there. Maintain your car. You'll save money (later) and you'll keep your power up. Press the gas pedal to the floor until a few hundred rpm before redline, then shift to the next gear.

Besides that don't waste your time on "freebies". You could gut your cats, install cheapo mufflers and advance your timing. Then the cops keep pulling you over for noise and you pay for tickets or at least lose a lot of time. Cheating smog is a huge hassle which might involve a heavy bribe. Then the glass pack on your cheap mufflers melt and you're really getting noisy now. Meanwhile your engine is under extra stress from the advanced timing. Oh and you're not getting any extra power either because your 5th and 6th ports stopped opening. Don't go that route. Upgrade the right way.