How To Make A 4 Cylinder Faster?

You have been fed up with your regularly performed car engine and want to refresh it in no time? You are wondering how to make a 4 cylinder faster to improve your everyday driving experience? You’re in the right place. Let’s follow along with Car From Japan.

What Is A 4-Cylinder Engine?

A 4-cylinder engine, as its name suggests, is a car engine powered by the operation of 4 cylinders. What the cylinder does is contain the combustion that pushes the pistons down needed to turn the engine. The pistons go up again as the other pistons rotate the shaft.

There are three-cylinder layouts for 4-cylinder engines, namely V4, inline-four (also known as straight four), and flat four (aka boxer engines). The most common layout used on cars today is a four-way alignment due to its ideal balance, especially when it’s cracked.

Flat four engines are commonly found on production vehicles from Subaru and Porsche. These engines are called boxer engines because of the way the pistons go up and down in the cylinder. The pistons look like they’re doing a straight stab.

However, V4 engines are rare these days. This engine is expensive because it needs two cylinder heads and two exhaust pipes to operate. You’ll find the V4 more on motorcycles than on cars due to its shorter length.

>> See more: 4 Cylinder vs 6 Cylinder – What are the Differences?

How To Make A 4 Cylinder Faster

Step 1. Maintain your car properly

While this may seem too obvious to say, a lot of vehicle owners ignore proper maintenance procedures. The best way to perform maintenance on your car is to follow the instructions outlined in the manual.

This will usually contain all the information you need to know about your vehicle along with details on when to change the oil, align the wheels, check the brake pads, and more. To get the most out of your vehicle, you should adhere to the following maintenance schedule and procedures.

Remember to check and change your car engine oil every 3,000-4000 miles or take references on the owner’s manual for optimal oil maintenance time. You should also check your fuel and air filters from time to time to make sure they’re in top condition.

make a 4-cylinder faster
A lot of vehicle owners neglect proper maintenance. (Photo: pilawyers)

Step 2. Get cold wind for your car

The four-cylinder engine in your car is powered by compressing air and fuel, then igniting it. The degree of compression in your engine will produce more power if there is a greater flow of air to mix with the fuel.

To install a cold air intake, you need to first remove the intake manifold and air box that surrounds the car’s air filter. You should choose ones that increase the amount of air entering the engine. Many aftermarket cold air inlets have a cone filter included with the product package. This effectively pulls air from outside into your engine.

When you increase the amount of air entering the engine, you are also increasing your gas mileage. Therefore, it gives you big savings in the long run. However, most aftermarket imported items tend to emit obvious noise during operation. This is their only downside as stocks are usually a lot quieter.

Step 3. Improve your car’s exhaust flow

Your engine receives a mixture of air and fuel, then ignites it, and then pushes the pistons down. The cylinder chamber then acts as a cradle for the exhaust gasses produced by the explosion.

However, consider removing and cleaning the exhaust gas from the cylinder chamber before more fuel and air are added so that the engine can run more efficiently. You can choose a catalytic converter, also known as a “cat-back” exhaust, but you can also consider all the ways to the car’s exhaust.

fasten 4 cylinder with the exhaust system
Improving your car exhaust flow to make a 4 cylinder faster. (Photo: shutterstock)

Step 4. Reprogram your car computer system

To master how to make a 4 cylinder faster, you need to grasp another thing, reprograming or reset your car computer. If your car is a modern model, chances are high that the controller and the activities taking place inside are all controlled by the system computer. Manufacturers program these computers and link them to all primary car parts to balance emissions, reliability, power output, performance, and gas mileage.

You can reprogram your computer to prioritize power. This way, more horsepower will be generated without the need to install anything else on the vehicle.

You can also search the web or your locality for people or companies that offer replacement computers for your vehicle. Or buy a computer to replace your current one, or send your computer to a service company. Many companies sell programs that can be plugged into the OBDII port of your car. This will change the existing codes on your car computer.

Step 5. Get a new throttle body

Your car’s throttle body is the part where your intake air meets the engine. The air is then directed straight into the intake manifold. Installing a new throttle body on your car with a larger diameter will allow more air to enter your car’s engine. This will provide more power.

The throttle body is usually held in place by four bolts. These will also require a new gasket that needs to be placed between the intake manifold and the throttle body. Note that throttle bodies are usually measured in millimeters.

That means if you swap out the 65mm throttle body for the 75mm throttle body, you will get a significantly increased amount of air entering the engine. You can also purchase a larger diameter throttle body.

They will be available at your nearest auto supply store. Please note that you need to purchase a throttle body specifically designed for your year, vehicle type, and model.

Step 6. Upgrade to a more powerful camshaft

The camshaft is the part of the engine that closes and opens the intake and exhaust valves. This allows fuel and air to enter the engine. The stock camshafts in your car were originally designed with power, performance, emissions, and fuel economy in mind.

car camshaft
The camshaft is responsible for opening and closing the intake and exhaust valves. (Photo: Speed Academy)

One of the prime examples of this is Honda’s V-Tech. It has variable cam timing but its camshaft can easily be replaced if owners want more specialized applications. There are also thrusters with the camshaft located inside the engine block, while the modular engine places them in the cylinder head of the engine.

Wrapping Up On How To Make A 4-Cylinder Faster

With today’s modern technology and advancements in transportation and engineering, automakers have finally come up with one of the most versatile components of a vehicle. It is a four-cylinder engine and is widely used by the most demanding four-wheeler manufacturers.

However, there are still vehicle owners who are not very satisfied with the performance of the 4-cylinder engine.

Fortunately, there are ways for you to upgrade the power and performance of a 4-cylinder engine. Not only will you take your car to the next level, but you can also learn new things about your car. Car From Japan has listed some of the upgrades and changes you can make to your ride. We hope these pieces of information on how to make a 4 cylinder faster are helpful for you on every upcoming project.

For more car maintenance tips, follow Car From Japan today.