Whether you’ve recently upgraded your vehicle with a turbocharged engine or are looking for ways to improve exhaust performance, turbo manifolds are perfect for you. With a single, simple installation, you can increase exhaust flow, minimize pumping loss, and increase scavenging! Read on to learn three questions to ask before installing a turbo manifold.

Do You Need a Turbo Manifold?

Most stock exhaust manifolds come with high pressure on your exhaust gases. This requires your pistons to act against the pressure, resulting in a loss of power. Upgrading to a turbo manifold helps you circumvent this problem by separating all the exhaust gases into their own tubes.

The pressure from one cylinder falls before the next cylinder exhausts into that tube. This unique design lowers average pressure, increases power output, and lowers fuel consumption.

Short or Long Tubes?

There are benefits and drawbacks to manifolds with shorter and longer tubes, so it’s up to you to decide what’s most important. Responsiveness gets a boost with shorter tubes, but longer tubes prevent exhaust reversion (which reduces your peak horsepower). If you’re looking for increased horsepower and don’t need as much responsiveness, longer tubes are a no-brainer.

Can You Do It Yourself?

One of the best parts about upgrading to turbo exhaust manifolds is that you don’t need to bring your car to the shop. If you have a car jack, wheel chocks, jack stands, and a torque wrench, there’s no reason you can’t complete this modification all by yourself. You’ll need access to the underside of your vehicle, so first, raise it up.

Then, take off the stock manifold (after allowing your car to cool down). Finally, it’s a simple matter of installing your turbo, gasket, and exhaust from your turbo kit (specific instructions for your vehicle will be laid out in a booklet that comes with the kit).

Now that you know the three questions to ask before installing a turbo manifold, increase your performance and avoid a trip to an auto shop to save a few bucks!