We’ve all been there: rolling down the street pulling a trailer, and on the horizon is a small hill. You step on the gas to get enough speed to pull the load up the hill, but there’s nothing there. The truck starts bogging down, losing speed and struggling to get up the little molehill. It’s embarrassing. You don’t have to suffer that humiliation ever again, because there are ways to boost the performance of your truck. Add some extra torque and power under the hood of your truck fast. Read some hacks on how to get more horsepower in your truck and become the road warrior you are meant to be.
Do the Little Things First
First things first: get rid of any extra junk in the truck you might be carrying around. If you don’t need it, toss it; it’s just extra weight that is affecting the performance of the truck. This won’t add any extra power to the engine, but it will lessen the strain on it. Second, take it in for a tune-up, or do it yourself. Change the oil, plugs and wires, air filter, and anything else that needs replacing. Give your truck a chance to perform at its peak before investing in aftermarket parts and repairs.
Install a Cold Air Intake
There is some debate over whether a cold air intake is worth it. They do improve engine efficiency, so they must add horsepower because more air in the engine is always good. They pull cold air from outside the engine, which is denser than warm air and has more oxygen in it, meaning the engine can burn more fuel. An average cold air intake will add around 10 horsepower on its own.
Get Aftermarket Exhaust System
Not only will an aftermarket exhaust system make your truck sound awesome, but also it’s a quick way to get more horsepower. Factory exhaust systems are designed to dampen the sound first and be efficient second. Just adding mufflers will give another 5-20 horsepower. Changing the exhaust manifold with some aftermarket headers will boost the horsepower too.
Get an Engine Tuner
Factory engine tuners on most trucks aren’t the best for getting the most horsepower out of the engine. The factory tune is designed for smooth shifting, quiet operation, and good balance of fuel efficiency and power. You can reprogram your truck’s computer with a more aggressive tune and pick up a whole lot of horsepower. Depending on your make and model and type of engine, you can pick up anywhere from 10 to 50 horsepower just by adjusting the tune.
Two Words: Super. Charger.
Superchargers and turbo chargers work through forced air induction. They pull air in and throw it down into the engine, so it screams down the road. A supercharger has no lag in it, meaning when you hit the gas there is no pause; the engine responds and takes off. There is a higher level of reliability in superchargers over turbos. They can add up to 150 horsepower to your truck, so try not to blow up the engine if you add one, and have fun.
