The New Habit Of Turning Regular Cars Into 500 bhp+ Beasts
Amazon’s Grand Tour is packed full of interesting tidbits about the power of modified cars. For example, when Clarkson, Hammond, and May visited Dubai, the trio wanted to find out which was the fastest car down one of the city’s main highways over a distance of about half a mile. They discovered the fastest of the supercar options was the Porsche 918, one of the fastest vehicles the German automaker has ever made. However, it was bested (by a long way) by a Nissan Patrol, a video you can watch here:
What made this possible? It’s all because of the extreme modification that the vehicle underwent. Eventually, engineers got it to produce over 1,500 bhp, which is more than practically all supercars boasting lightweight frames and fancy suspension systems.
This modification opens up the question of what’s possible on regular cars, like the ones most people own. Is it possible to get them above 500 bhp and into supercar territory?
Well, it turns out that it is. While one or two modifications probably won’t do it, (unless you already have a fast BMW), pairing several will likely have the effect you want.
So, what can you do? Let’s take a look.
Nitrous Oxide Injection
Injecting nitrous oxide into your vehicle is one of the fastest and most straightforward ways to increase its power. NOS adds to the reactivity of the fuel in the cylinders, causing them to exert more force on the pistons, increasing the energy that goes to the wheels.
Adding this modification requires you to add a tank of NOS to your car, which you’ll need to refuel periodically as you use it up. You’ll also need to add various control systems to your vehicle to inject the substances into the right part of the engine, which is often the costliest part of the procedure.
Engine Swaps
A hardcore way to increase your vehicle’s brake horsepower output is to perform a full engine swap. Taking the motor from a sports vehicle and putting it in your can instantly increase the power dramatically.
However, this approach isn’t without issues. For starters, finding a suitable engine can be challenging. Usually, there isn’t an incentive to take a motor from a premium car and place it in an average vehicle, so you have to look for scrapped cars with engines intact.
And, secondly, it is hard to marry up engines to existing chassis and peripheral components, even if you find one. Most of the time, you are limited to engines in the same range, from the same year and manufacturer. Sticking anything else inside the hood often requires months of bespoke, custom work.
Engine Remaps
Another significantly simpler option is engine remaps. These don’t involve changing anything physical to do with your engine. Instead, engineers fiddle with the engine management system, getting it to enable the motor to produce more power (often within a certain rep range). These changes can improve the horsepower of your vehicle substantially, getting you closer to the 500 bhp mark.
Various engine mapping stages are available. Stage 1 uses software alone to improve performance, while stages two and three sometimes combine with more ECU tweaks and adjustments, plus additional components.
Supercharging
You might also be able to get closer to the magical 500 bhp mark by supercharging a naturally aspirated engine (or increasing the size of the existing supercharger to make it more effective).
Superchargers add horsepower by requisitioning energy from the engine’s crankshaft. Compressed air increases engine torque, letting it get more work done in a shorter space of time.
How much power a supercharger can add to your vehicle ultimately depends on the engine size. The larger it is, the more room in which you have to play. V8s and V12s tend to perform best, but even smaller engines can benefit significantly, potentially gaining hundreds of horsepower through a simple modification.
Unfortunately, installing a new supercharger requires substantial modifications. It can also reduce the reliability of your vehicle.
Turbocharging
You can also boost your horsepower by turbocharging, a more efficient technology. These systems work by taking exhaust gases and using them to compress a turbine that forces more air into the engine, enabling it to burn more fuel in any given volume.
Turbochargers come in various powers. Some systems could potentially double your vehicle’s energy output if you have the engine to support it. However, you’ll still need space on your vehicle for these systems, and making that additional room doesn’t always come cheap.
Performance Air Intake
As you add power to your vehicle, you may notice it getting warmer. Existing engine components might not offer adequate cooling to a vehicle with two or three times the horsepower.
Therefore, it can help to add performance air intake. These systems cool the engine, helping to make air denser, enabling the engine to extract more energy from each unit of fuel burned. (That’s why you sometimes see aftermarket air intake manufacturers quoting horsepower improvements from their devices).
Improved Exhaust System
Another way to add power to the engine is to improve the exhaust system. A free-flowing exhaust system can help you get rid of gases faster, reducing back pressure. Some drivers report that these modifications improve the track performance of the engine and prevent changes in fuel-burning capacity elsewhere from overloading the system.
Switch To High-Performance Components
Finally, you can try switching to high-performance components capable of dealing with the higher stresses and energy output of the engine. Upgrading pistons and installing connecting rods can help enormously when it comes to reliability and using your engine at its maximum capacity.
So, there you have it: some of the techniques you can use to modify your car to turn it into a 500 bhp beast. This approach is almost always more affordable than buying a supercar from the factory.
