How to get the most power from your car

The more horsepower your car has, the faster it can accelerate and pick up speed. So it's only natural that there comes a point in the lives of car owners when they may ask themselves how they can help maximize their vehicle's power for maximum performance. While there are many ways to improve your car's performance, there are four areas that are easier to tackle if you're looking to maximize your engine's power, or even find multiple ways to increase your car's power.

Whether you drive your car every day or on weekends, driving is always more fun when you step on the gas pedal and feel yourself being pushed back into your seat. Following the tips below will help you with this.

Part 1 of 4: How Maintenance Helps

Keeping your vehicle in good condition and performing any scheduled repairs is the first step to achieving higher performance ratings.

Step 1: Use Quality Gas. Make sure you are using good quality fuel (gasoline) with the highest octane rating you can find in your vehicle. Using 91+ will allow the engine to maximize power.

Step 2: Keep your filters clean. Keeping your car's air and fuel filters clean and free of debris is not only essential maintenance, but also maximizing engine power.

Step 3: Replace spark plugs. Be sure to replace your car's spark plugs regularly to maintain good spark and engine power.

Step 4: Change Fluids Regularly. Monitor and change all of your vehicle's fluids as needed.

Fresh engine oil will help the engine spin more freely for better performance, so keep an eye on changing the oil every 3000 miles.

Part 2 of 4: Weight Matters

The heavier your vehicle, the slower it will move. One of the best things you can do to increase power is to reduce the weight of the car. This will increase the weight to horsepower ratio. 100 hp engine will move a 2000 lb car much faster than the same engine in a 3000 lb car.

• FunctionsA: When deciding to take off parts of your car for weight, be aware that there will sometimes be a compromise. You may have to decide what is more important to you: speed or, in some cases, comfort.

Step 1: Replace Heavy Drives with Lighter Drives. Replacing factory rims and tires with lighter rims and investing in tires with lighter performance are all great improvements.

Your car will not only lose weight, but it will also look great and drive better. It is very possible to lose 10 to 15 pounds per wheel.

Step 2: Replace Body Panels. Replacing body panels with fiberglass or carbon fiber panels will significantly reduce weight and improve the look of the car.

Replacing the hood, fenders and trunk lid with carbon fiber panels will save your car 60 to 140 pounds of weight. Of course, this number will vary depending on the make and model of your vehicle.

Step 3: Replace the battery. Replacing your car's battery with a smaller lithium battery can save 20 to 30 pounds in weight.

Step 4: Remove Extra AC Components. If you can be comfortable without your car's air conditioning, removing all air conditioning related components will save you £80 to £120.

Removing it also means the engine will have one less accessory, meaning the engine doesn't have to work as hard.

• Functions: If you plan to remove the air conditioner, make sure that the refrigerant is also safely removed and disposed of. Do not vent the system to this atmosphere, it is harmful to the environment, unsafe to inhale, and you could be fined if caught.

Step 5: Remove Any Other Parts You Don't Need. While not recommended, removing the spare wheel and tire tools will free up another 50 to 75 pounds.

You can also remove the rear seats, rear seat belts, and trim around the rear of the car and trunk.

These parts may be lightweight individually, but together they can save you 40 to 60 pounds.

Part 3 of 4: Car Upgrade

Upgrading some of your car's systems will increase your engine's power and allow you to drive faster.

Step 1: Replace the air intake system. Replacing it with a larger, looser cold air intake system will allow more air to flow into the engine and also reduce the temperature of the air entering the engine.

Colder air (cold air is denser, so more volume) means the computer will need to add more fuel to the engine. This means a larger "boom" in the combustion chamber, resulting in more power.

An air intake upgrade alone can increase your engine power from 5 to 15 horsepower, depending on the specific engine and type of air intake system installed. Add to that an exhaust system upgrade and you'll see a power boost of up to 30 horsepower.

Step 2: Update your exhaust system. Upgrading this along with the air system will allow you to see moderate gains.

Installing a straight-through exhaust with larger diameter pipes allows the engine to "exhale" faster. Exhaust system upgrades include:

• Exhaust manifold or manifolds. This will not only help increase power, but also reduce the overall weight of the car.

• High performance catalytic converter and muffler. This will increase the flow of exhaust gases and allow the engine to breathe easier and increase power.

• Larger pipeline. This allows for more exhaust flow, and knowing what size line to upgrade will help.

If your vehicle is naturally aspirated, a good rule of thumb is 2.5" piping for 4-cylinder engines and 3" piping for 6- and 8-cylinder engines.

If your car is turbocharged or supercharged, then a 4-cylinder will benefit from a 3-inch exhaust, while a 6- and 8-cylinder will benefit from a 3.5-inch exhaust.

Step 3: Update the camshaft. This moves the valves in the engine. Installing a more aggressive cam will allow the valves to take in more air and release more exhaust. The result is more power!

Camshaft upgrades and variable valve timing will maximize the performance of your engine, especially when upgrading the air intake and exhaust system.

Part 4 of 4: Forced Induction

The fastest, and also the most expensive, way to increase your car's power is to install a supercharger or turbocharger. They are also called forced induction components because both force air into the engine. Remember that the more air you can get into the engine, the more fuel you can add, resulting in bigger explosions in the combustion chambers. All this leads to more power!

Step 1: Install the supercharger. The supercharger is belt driven like an alternator or power steering pump. As the engine speed increases, more air enters the engine.

This is a great modification, but it also creates resistance to the rotation of the engine, like an air conditioner; this is another thing to turn.

The upside is that the extra power is always available as soon as you step on the gas pedal. Installing a supercharger without any other upgrades can give you 50 to 100 horsepower gains.

Step 2: Install turbocharger. A turbocharger uses exhaust gases to turn a turbine, forcing air into the engine.

This is a great way to turn wasted energy into usable energy.

Turbochargers come in a wide range of sizes for different applications, so doing a project like this requires a lot of time and research to make sure you're using the best turbocharger for your engine.

Depending on how complex you decide to make your turbo setup, it's entirely possible to see a gain of as little as 70 horsepower at the low end and over 150 horsepower at the top end.

You always want to make sure before you make any modifications to your vehicle that the modification is legal under the rules of your state of residence. Some modifications are legal in some states but may be illegal in others.