Two Questions

[Raphielh]

I just have two questions.
1) Do quick starts, or flooring you engine (causing the rpms to rev up) damage your engine? The only reason I am asking is that I have a brand new vehicle, and I want it to last me as long as I can; Needless to say I don't accelerate quickly but I have been more now than normal

2)What can I do to maximize the overall speed and acceleration of my vehicle? I've heard of air intake systems, and that a muffler system can help, but could someone honestly tell me how much good they do?

I really appreciate the answers!

[Egg Nog]

What type of car do you have? Different cars react differently to a variety of things.

[Raphielh]

ok really it's a truck

'04 chevy silverado, single cab, 4.8 V8

[Raphielh]

but I just figured I could get help just the same

[henk4]

flooring the engine will more likely damage the clutch, unless it is an automatic and your engine has not reached operating temperature.

[Raphielh]

It's an automatic

[Raphielh]

how would it damage it if it's not at operating temperature?

[Ferrari Tifosi]

1. Yes, as rapid changes in speed will do to any mechanical working, also hard starts can put a lot of stress on the gearbox/clutch/etc.

2. An upgraded intake and exhaust system would definitely be a good start toward increasing the performance of your car. Ugrading the fuel and ignition systems will as well. And of course there's forced induction (turbos, superchargers), and nitrious oxide. How much of a performance gain are you looking to achieve as that would help us tell you what you may want to do.

[Egg Nog]

Well, with an understressed V8 like that, I'm sure you would get noticable results from a new intake system, performance headers, and exhaust. You might want to be careful of emmissions regulations and your warranty, though.

With larger, low-rpm engines, it's best not to rev them too much if you have the option, although I'm sure you won't be having any problems with it. If you want it to last as long as possible, just be gentle with it, to avoid problems on all parts of the drivetrain. These trucks are designed to pull large loads and to cruise smoothly, not for high-performance driving.

[Ferrari Tifosi]

Originally Posted by Raphielh

how would it damage it if it's not at operating temperature?

Rapid changes in temperature will damage metal. All that expanding and contracting puts a great deal of stress on an engine block and heads.

[Niko_Fx]

I wouldn't be looking at performance mods with an automatic truck. Keep it as it is, things such as filters and exhausts don't help a lot, you probably won't even feel the difference.

[jcp123]

Check this out for how to break in the engine:

Running in a new car



The damage in doing that before the engine is up to operating temperature comes in two ways.
1. The oil is designed to work in the temperature range of a fully warmed up engine. Before that point, it's not fully viscous and may not protect your engine like it should.
2. The reciprocating parts inside the engine (pistons, valves, connecting rods, etc) are also designed to work best when at operating temperatures; metal expands when it gets warm, so designers take care to take this into effect when they design parts. Pushing it hard before the engine is fully warmed up may compromise that.

That's all I know...there may be more

As for mods, there's little that just an exhuast and intake will do. But getting lower gears for the rear end will help out quite a bit, while proabably raising your in-town fuel economy, and it's a great bang for the buck at that. It comes at the price of slightly decreased fuel economy on the freeway though. Besides which, it's a truck. Trucks and performance don't really blend.

[Raphielh]

First thanks for the reply
1)I figured it would...It's fun to accelerate quickly I have to admit, but if it means at the expense of my vehicle, I'm gonna have to take it down a notch.

2)Basically as much bang for my buck as I can get. I'm on a limited income and I just wanna know where would I get the biggest increase in overall performance in my truck.

Thanks again for the answered questions!

[Egg Nog]

Originally Posted by Niko_Fx

I wouldn't be looking at performance mods with an automatic truck. Keep it as it is, things such as filters and exhausts don't help a lot, you probably won't even feel the difference.

They can definitely make a noticable difference on a large V8, especially a full exhaust system. I wouldn't be surprised if he got an extra 15hp from a full exhaust alone.

I agree that they won't make much of a difference on a car like your civic

[Raphielh]

Wow I've gotten a lot of imput from you guys..I'll take all of what you said into major consideration...And if I won't notice that big of a gain, then I might just upgrade the muffler and air intake systems...

And I didn't know that the oil was that complex at cooler temperatures...Thanks again