HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2005-04-14, Page 17THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2005. PAGE 17.
Inexpensive ways to boost your horsepower
Racers often use inexpensive techniques such as
upgrading their oil to get more horsepower out of their cars
... and so can you.
(MS) - Ready to take your ride out
on the open road? Warm weather and
road trips go hand in hand, so make
sure your car is in top condition
before cruising the highways and
byways.
You'll want your vehicle to perform
well — and at maximum horsepower.
Believe it or not. it doesn’t have to
cost a fortune to do so. Here are three
easy ways to get more horsepower out
of your ride without taking out a
small loan to do it.
* Replace and/or upgrade your air
filter - During the life of your engine,
thousands of cubic feet of air will be
drawn from within the car hood and
passed through the engine cylinders.
Dust and other foreign materials in
the engine can cause excessive wear
and operating problems, so it is
imperative that you keep air filters
clean by regularly replacing them.
To further enhance performance,
upgrade to a performance air filter.
which can free up an additional two to
three horsepower. While this is not a
tremendous power gain, the relatively
low cost of the filter and ease of
installation (about five minutes) more
than make up for it.
* Upgrade your lubricants —
Friction and heat from engine
components and the drive train rob
horsepower and performance.
Minimizing this power loss can be as
easy as upgrading to one of the newer
families of high-performance
lubricants that are available. * Use
higher octane gas or an octane-booster
- Go for the good stuff the next time
you’re at the pump. Depending on
your vehicle, high octane gasoline
can increase your horsepower. Even a
marginal gain in switching from the
lowest octane gasoline to the highest
octane is worth the few extra pennies
at the pump. But for those who want
to see a more measurable increase in
power, a race blend of gasoline will
work well.
Upgrading your gas. lubricants and
air filter arc inexpensive and easy
ways to sec increased horsepower.
They'll also extend the life of your
engine and help prevent expensive
repairs.
Do you need
high octane?
Contrary to popular belief, the
octane rating doesn’t indicate how
much power the fuel delivers; all
grades of gasoline contain roughly
the same amount of power. Rather, a
higher octane rating means the fuel
is less likely to cause your engine to
knock or ping (also known as
detonation). This effect occurs when
your engine suffers from an
“explosion” instead of a controlled
fuel burn. High-octane gas is
formulated to burn slower than
regular, making it less likely to
ignite. But not all cars are prone to
detonation. Unless your owner’s
manual states that you use a specific
fuel octane, filling up with regular
gas will get the job done. In fact,
most cars are designed to run on
regular gas without problems of
pinging and knocking.
a professional
checkup
will ensure
your car is in good
shapeto,
the coming SUHIUCT.
Make an appointment
today for
of mind down
the road.
AUTO REPAIR
87 North St. N„ QR7.44QR
Wingham Vv f WV
Rear wheel for sports ears
Continued from page 16
at the rear, vehicle balance and
handling are much improved. That is
why most sports cars and
professional racing vehicles rely on
rear-wheel drive.
* Disadvantages: Extra parts
assembly, installation, and areas for
repair drive up the price of rear
wheel drive cars. And as previously
mentioned, these extra parts, like a
driveshaft, may reduce interior room
in the vehicle.
Typically, rear-wheel cars are said
to have less traction compared to
those with front-wheel drive because
there is relatively little weight
centred over the back drive tires.
However, manufacturers have made
strides to remedy the situation by
installing traction control and
vehicle stability systems to alleviate
these concerns.
WHICH IS BETTER?
In essence, it all comes down to
preference. Advances in automotive
technology have made it possible to
find both rear-wheel and front-wheel
drive vehicles that are very
comparable in performance.
In fact. Popular Mechanics
magazine recently paired up four-
cylinder, six-cylinder, and eight
cylinder vehicles of similar weight
and style in both front- and rear
wheel drive to see which ones out
performed the others. Courses were
set up in dry and wet road
conditions. The results found
minimal differences between the
vehicles’ performance.
The battle will likely rage on over
which is better. The solution might
be to invest in an all-wheel-drive
vehicle ... but that’s another story
altogether.
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WINGHAM
357-1997
Fax: 357-9978