I have a few questions about engines in general.

What is a "breather"?
What is a "vtec solenoid"?
What are the benefits of an aftermarket fuel rail (does it only make a difference on a modded motor?)


and i was also arguing with a friend who said Iridium spark plugs give 5hp gain.
I highly doubt this but do they make a difference in hp?

and last but not least, does an aftermarket ignition system improve hp as well?

i guess i sound like a n00b but i would like to know these things. Thanks


Modified by civickid03 at 8:40 PM 2/19/2004

 

1. A breather is a small air filter installed on the Valve cover to replace the hose that vents oil vapor into the air intake.

2. VTEC Soleniod is a small mechanical oil switch that sends oil through the head to engage the VTEC pistons which in-turn lock the rocker arms together and follow the larger cam lobe or VTEC lob.

3. There are no benifits of upgrading the stock fuel rail unless you are pushing over 200whp. However, some bonus features of some aftermarket fuel rails are extra ports for attaching a fuel guage.

You cannot add horsepower just by changing spark plugs to a higher quality.

Yes, an aftermarket ignition system such as MSD will help add horsepower, it will also consume your spark plugs faster so keep an eye out for that if you do install one.

In the future, you can search for each of these particular items and find topics that go into more detail.

 

Believe it or not but those spark plugs can add horsepower. You can't exactly throw them in a sock dx and expect that, but in a higher compression motor such as (nitrous, type-r) these motors tend to heat up. The spark plugs keep these motors significantly colder and in return, add to overall horsepower.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JUGGIEGAILS28 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Believe it or not but those spark plugs can add horsepower. You can't exactly throw them in a sock dx and expect that, but in a higher compression motor such as (nitrous, type-r) these motors tend to heat up. The spark plugs keep these motors significantly colder and in return, add to overall horsepower.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I know that spark plugs can effect a well built engines performance. However, I made an assumption that the poster has a stock engine due to the basic questions. And I also assumed that his "friend" was trying to get him to buy irridium plugs or has bought them himself and is doing the magazine bragging.