If you have ever owned a car with a diesel engine, you know the pain, looking for tips to speed up your underpowered car. The constant feeling of dragging a huge weight forward, as you try to make the best of your sub-100hp engine flooring the pedal to no avail! It’s a sad reality that the majority of the cars today aren’t really focused on driving performance and dynamics; rather, they aim for achieving the best fuel consumption ratings, which automatically means a fall in the driving experience. Truth be told, that’s really what we want from cars, with petrol prices fluctuating every month now. But that doesn’t mean you cannot use a few clever techniques to improve the performance of your car. You don’t even have to apply any engine modifications either! Just look over the following tips to speed up your underpowered car.
Remove Excess Weight
A car’s power isn’t really defined by the horsepower rating. Well it is, but that’s not all. Consider why a normal Sub-150hp Honda Civic can beat a higher powered SUV that boasts twice the horsepower on a straight track. It’s because the SUV has a considerable amount of mass weighing it down, which means it’s also slower on the tracks with sluggish 0-60 timing (unless we are talking about UAE’s favourite Land Cruiser V8). Similarly, if your car has a lot of stuff in the trunk or backseat, that could cause it to be slow and underpowered. Do a clean sweep of your car’s trunk and interior, and remove anything unnecessary.
Don’t Fill the Tank to Maximum Capacity
Ever wondered why the first thing that airplanes do in case of an emergency is the dumping of expensive jet fuel? Similar to the weight logic above, a full tank of petrol can cause the car to be back-heavy. This means that not only will the engine need to work more to propel the car, but the car would also be slanted backwards, resulting in more drag when the car is in motion. Speaking of which…
Roll Up the Windows
As we explained before, the aerodynamic element of a car has a huge effect on its performance, as wind resistance is the strongest opposing force against a high speed travelling car. This is why high performance Ferraris and McLarens are kept as low to the ground as possible, to avoid any wind passing from underneath the car’s frame. Similarly, when the windows are rolled down, the wind forms a sort of barrier in front of the hood, slowing it down. By rolling up your car’s windows, the wind resistance is minimized, as it passes in a steady stream without any interruptions or bumps.
Clean the Air Filter
And finally, the air filter needs a good dusting or replacement if you want your car to perform at its maximum. We all know petrol needs air to combust; the air filter acts as a barrier to filter out any impurities from entering the combustion chamber. A dirty air filter means less air is allowed inside, resulting in incomplete combustion and breathlessness within the engine.