What Does A Throttle Body Spacer Do In Your Car?

There are some controversies in the automotive aftermarket about the purpose of a throttle body spacer in your car. Whether it’s really effective or not? We’re sure that when thinking about increasing power or giving your car better performance or gas mileage, one of the things most drivers are going to come across is installing a throttle body spacer. So what does a throttle body spacer do? Everything will be made clear in this article: 

What Does A Throttle Body Spacer Do In Your Car?

A throttle body spacer is basically just a block of metal that is placed between your intake system and the throttle body to give better airflow going into your engine which is supposed to increase the performance and gas mileage if you apply and install it properly. Actually, the main function of the throttle body spacer is to increase the length of the intake manifold (by extending the distance between the rest of the intake and the throttle body inlet) and the volume of the incoming air surface. It will help your engine by combining air and fuel more easily. Almost all throttle body spacers are made of aluminum so generally, they are quite lightweight and will not add extra weight to your engine bay. You can understand simply the throttle body spacer as a tool to increase the ability of the engine to circulate airflow.

Normally, a throttle body spacer is not available in your car so you may want to consider installing it but is a throttle body spacer expensive?

How Much For A Throttle Body Spacer?

The good news is that it will not cost too much to buy a throttle body spacer. Currently, throttle body spacers are on sale with the price from $50 to $150 which depends on your car model and the material of the part you choose. There are two types of throttle body spacers: a smooth inner surface, while the other has a rough surface. Most drivers assume that the rough surface creates a turbulent effect on the incoming airflow and gives better performance. We can see that the price is very affordable. You do need to overthink before buying this part. With this price, is a throttle body spacer worth it for you to equip your car?

>> Related post: Why Does The Electronic Throttle Control Light Flash?

Is Throttle Body Spacer Really Effective For Your Engine?

Mostly, the answer is “Yes”. A throttle body spacer is considered a tool to increase the power of torque, horsepower, and fuel economy. It will help to direct the flow of air into the manifold to increase the volume that enters the intake system. Improving horsepower is one of the main benefits of installing the throttle body spacer. The spacer will increase the air velocity and causes an extension in atomization.

So how much horsepower does a throttle body add? When equipped with a throttle body spacer, the average increase can be from 7 to 15 horsepower and torque from 15 to 125 ft-lbs depending on the model and with proper tuning and fuel octane. Note, however, that the spacer only works best for vehicles with carburetors and vehicles with single-port fuel injection systems. In addition, the spacer can increase the volume of the air space below the throttle body which can help the car reach high RPM. 

However, installing a throttle body spacer is sometimes still not a perfect solution for your engine. Although it is claimed that spacers will increase power for your engine some auto experts analyze that adding a body spacer can decrease the idle process quality and probably cause emission.

How To Install A Throttle Body Spacer?

Let’s move to this part to know how to install a throttle body spacer in the right way: 

Some tools you need before installing a spacer for your car: 

• A socket wrench (7/16″, 7mm, or 10mm)
• Scews
• Cleaning solutions
• O-ring
• Rags
• Protective eyewear and gloves

After preparing all these tools, roll up your sleeves and make a process:

Step 1: Disconnect the electricity or the negative terminal of your car battery.

Step 2: Take off the air intake to start to reach the throttle body. You can do it by unplugging the screws connecting the air intake manifold to the engine. If the intake has a clamp that needs to be removed, use pliers to loosen it

Step 3: Use the socket wrench to unplug all the factory  torque bolts (you can use the 10mm wrench)

Step 4: Assemble a new spacer between the throttle body and the air intake system. In this step, use a screwdriver and a 10mm socket to fix the spacer and tighten the bolts. Make sure all the bolts are tightened before moving on to the next step. NOTE: When installing the spacer sender, be sure to use Teflon tape to seal the threads properly.

Step 5: Reinstall the bolts tightly. After that, connect the negative terminal of your battery and start your vehicle. 

>> Read more: Bad Throttle Position Sensor Symptoms & How To Fix

Closing Thoughts

Mostly, installing a throttle body spacer can probably shift the performance of the fuel injection process for your car because it actually creates a little more velocity going from the throttle body into the intake system. However, sometimes, adding a spacer likely changes your car process from optimization in some models. Therefore, consult a professional or read the user manual carefully before installing this part.