What does performance mean in a car?

Under the Hood

Getting a visual on the following is your base starting point:

• Battery
• Belts
• Vacuum hoses
• Any obvious broken, frayed, loose, or missing bolts, nuts, studs, or wiring 
• Any signs of fuel, oil, or other liquid leaks
• Check the oil
• Check the coil, distributor, PVC valve, spark plugs and wires (if applicable) 
• Check the radiator for dirt, rust, etc.

Pretesting Procedures

There are some engine testing procedures that the ignition needs to be disabled. A mechanic will connect a remote starter before beginning the engine performance process. 

Start the Engine

Sometimes, a lot can be determined about the engine performance just by hearing it start and run. Things you want to note are: 

• Uneven cranking sound
• Rattling sounds
• Squealing sounds
• Rumbling sounds
• Smoke from engine or tailpipe (note the color black, blue or white)
• Hissing sounds

 Alternator, Battery, and Starter Testing

Prior to starting the engine, a mechanic will perform some basic tests at the same time to get an accurate test. This will include recording the battery voltage, disabling the ignition system, record the starter draw, battery crank voltage and the cranking rpm. 

These steps give the mechanic an overall general view of the battery capacity, starter condition and the combined ability of both components in cranking the engine at a acceptable speed. Any sign of weakness during this preliminary testing can often be an indicator of the engine performance issues. 

After starting the engine, the mechanic will record the alternator’s performance, starting with the recovery voltage and amperage. With the engine running at 2500 rpm, they will record the CO, CO2, HC, and O2. Getting a combined reading of these four gases are key in troubleshooting an engine performance. 

Compression, Power Balance and Vacuum Testing

Several basic engine performance problems can be determined checking these three things. The idle at a low cruising speed of 1800 to 2200 rpm, and the idel at a high cruising speed of 2500 to 3000 rpm.

Cylinder Leakage and Ignition Testing

Cylinder leakage testing is used when the mechanic finds a weak cylinder with the previous tests. If further testing finds the cylinder is leaking, this will affect engine performance and an engine teardown will be required. When putting the engine back together, other things will be assessed, and performance engine parts can be used to improve the engine performance. 

How can I add more horsepower to my car?

Maybe you can’t afford a professional mechanic to get more from your car’s engine performance. Or you just like doing it yourself, with a few extra dollars and a weekend with no other plans, the following 5 steps will improve your car’s engine performance: 

• Upgrade the Air Intake: First step in getting more power from your car’s engine performance, improve the cold-air intake. How does a cold air intake improve performance? The engine is basically a large air pump. The more air that comes in, the more power goes out. Eliminating and minimizing restrictive air passages, like sharp bends, increased the airflow that will trigger the engine computer to give the car fuel in the air/fuel mix, meaning more horsepower.  .
• Upgrade the Exhaust: When there is more air going in, more needs to exit. Upgrading to a performance level exhaust system. If your car has a catalytic converter, you want to upgrade that to a high-flow model.  
• Engine Tune-Up and Performance chips: The performance chips are tuners that plug into the diagnostic port and modify the fuel and timing which increase the engine performance. You’ll lose your fuel economy in most cases.  
• Install a Boost Controller: If the car engine is equipped with a turbocharger the factory setting allows it to deliver a specific amount of boost per square inch. An engine boost controller installed will adjust that boost level for engine performance.  
• Use Synthetic Oil: The boosted horsepower will improve the engine performance, but it may be able to handle the harmful deposits that occur naturally. By upgrading to a synthetic oil, the engine will be lubricated by the synthetics, and improve the wear and tear on the engine because the internal friction is lessened. 

How can I improve my engine performance?

In addition to the things we’ve mentioned above, like getting an engine tune up, adding performance chips, upgrading the air intake and exhaust, for ways on how to improve car engine performance, look online or visit your neighborhood auto parts store for small engine performance kits. Other things you can do for better engine performance are: 

• CHANGE THE SPARK PLUGS – Spark plugs are inside the cylinder heads. They are what ignites the fuel to create the combustion that makes the engine run. Without spark plugs, you aren’t going anywhere. Over time, the spark plugs corrode and get dirty, start to wear out. While they are still doing their part of making your car go, they aren’t doing it as efficiently as they should, which affects the engine performance. With regular spark plug changes, you will improve your car’s engine performance. 
• RECUDE THE WEIGHT – No, this won’t give your car ore horsepower, but it will improve the engine performance because it isn’t having to move the car AND everything inside the car and trunk. Clean out unnecessary stuff in the trunk, and if you never have passengers, the only seat you need is the driver’s seat. You don’t see race cars with passenger seats! 
• EXHAUST HEADERS & MANIFOLDS – Better engine performance is all about better airflow, coming in and going out of the engine. The stock exhaust manifolds from the factory are required to meet government mandated emissions requirements. These requirements will not give optimum engine performance. Change out the header to a long-tube style and you’ll notice immediate improvement in the horsepower and with the RPMs.

These are things you can do yourself at home but having a professional comprehensive tune-up once a year can give you the engine performance you want. Call 609-737-7226 today for your car performance service in Hopewell and Pennington, NJ.