People tend to toss around the phrase “horsepower” an awful lot in causal automotive conversation. But what does this term truly mean? Horsepower is more than a mere word. Rather, horsepower is a metric of vehicle performance that measures the power produced by a car’s engine. In theory, the higher the number of horsepower, the greater the power of the wheels. In an ideal world, this provides maximum speed.

The concept of power output is complex but actually accounts for only a few elements: the amount of weight involved, the distance of movement, and the time it takes to do move. While contemporary cars are fast off the assembly line, there are still modern modifications that can squeeze better performance out of the vehicle. Since power is basically about speed, let’s take a look at a few performance upgrades to boost your car’s horsepower.

The Common CAI: Cold Air Intake System

All modern cars have a stock intake system, but installing an alternative “cold air” intake system greatly boosts an engine’s performance. This is because the colder air is, the more density it has. An increase in density translates to more air per volume. When your car’s engine has more air molecules present to intermix with burning fuel, it creates enhanced power. The bottom line here is that the more efficiently your car can breathe, the greater the potential of increased horsepower it has.

Performance Camshafts

Another one of the top performance upgrades to boost your car’s horsepower is a camshaft. A camshaft is one of the critical components of a vehicle’s engine. No matter the type of automotive engine, a camshaft controls the opening and closing of its valves. This movement controls the amount of airflow going in and out of the engine to boost performance. You may have a noisier engine with this upgrade, but the ability to increase the timing and duration of valve openings is worth it.

Turbochargers

Automotive turbos vary depending on their power source. While a supercharger gets its power directly off the engine, a turbocharger runs off the exhaust system instead. Either is an advantageous upgrade, but a turbocharger is extremely efficient, as it strongly recycles the hot energy of the exhaust stream to power itself. You’re surely looking at an increase of air into the intake system, which boosts up the HP in turn.

Cat-Back Exhaust System

Similar to increasing the air intake in the engine, the same principle applies to the exhaust system. A cat-back system has a larger diameter that connects to the catalytic converter. This alternative is a top upgrade because it frees up power and helps your car’s engine breathe easier in output.

Don’t forget to consider a supplementary downpipe. Aftermarket downpipes reduce breathing restrictions to make dramatic improvements in horsepower. For your aftermarket car part needs, such as a high-quality turbo downpipe, turn to Private Label MFG. Our selection of downpipes delivers power to your car by maximizing engine compartment space to enable better airflow and power. Browse by vehicle model today.