15 Ways to More Power: From spark to exhaust, we examine easy ways to increase performance without removing the engine
Legend has it that 30 seconds after Nikolaus Otto, the German engineer credited with developing the conventional four-stroke internal-combustion engine, successfully demonstrated his invention, his buddy Deiter – who was reportedly wearing a “Der Edelbrock” patch on his oil-stained lederhosen – asked: “Can you maken zee engine mit more horsepower?”
And so it began – the eternal quest for higher performance. If you’re even only a passive enthusiast, you know that at its core, Otto’s world-changing contribution to modern civilization is an air pump. The more air that it can process, the more power the engine can make.
We qualified that description with the word “can,” because capability and fulfillment are two different things. There are many attributes to engine-performance optimization that limit an engine from fulfilling its full capability. Some of the limitations are driven by an engine’s specifications, such as its displacement, while others are driven by factors such as excessive friction or restrictions that rob horsepower.
Polling 100 different engine builders would return 100 different opinions for maximizing performance, but there are some long-established and proven methods for reducing internal losses in the engine to make the most of what it has to offer. For this story, we’ve outlined 15 of the tips and tricks that through our experiences have shown to be the most effective for enhancing performance relatively easily and cost-effectively.
Of course, options such as power-adders and stroker combinations deliver huge gains, but we gave this story parameters that limited the recommendations to non-power-adders such as supercharging and/or nitrous oxide, and changes that didn’t require removal of the engine for upgrades. That meant no stroker kits or anything like that.
With those parameters, we’ve come up with a strong list for the do-it-yourselfer, even though some of the recommendations are more involved than others. The bottom line is there is horsepower hiding under the valve covers of your Chevy’s engine. You’ve just got to dig them out!
Ignition Optimization
As Bruce Springsteen said, you can’t start a fire without a spark. It’s the very essence of combustion, so the strongest, most effective spark that can be generated in the combustion chamber will help make more horsepower. If you’ve got an older engine without a GM HEI (high energy ignition) distributor, make the conversion. You’ll also want to consider a hotter ignition coil or even a supplemental ignition box like the venerable MSD 6A-type to pick up the HEI’s known slack at higher rpm. And here’s a tip for those running an LS engine: Unless you’re nearing the 1,000-horsepower level, there’s no need to change the stock ignition coils. They’re good as-is.
It's a nice little article > http://www.superchevy.com/how-to/engines-drivetrain/1510-fifteen-tips-and-tricks-for-more-horsepower/
