Engine Components and Aftermarket Solutions

One way to really make a difference in an engine’s power output is to adjust its bore and stroke. The engine’s bore and stroke determine displacement, or the volume that the pistons inside the cylinders sweep in one complete cycle. The larger the engine’s displacement, the more potent the engine’s performance will be since drawing in a greater volume of air and fuel leads to a bigger burn and more power output.

You can increase the stroke, or the distance the pistons travel, by installing high performance cranks that allow the pistons to travel further. The bore is the measure of the cylinder’s diameter, which can be increased by boring the cylinders out to a larger size. If you increase bore, you must install aftermarket pistons that will fit properly. Going with forged pistons increases the pistons’ durability, which is essential in high-powered engines.

Another area to concentrate when it comes to engine performance is the cylinder head, which houses the camshaft and valves. A camshaft contains lobes or uneven sections that are designed to push against the valves to open and close them.

The valves control when the air-fuel-mixture enters the cylinders and when the exhaust gases exit. Aftermarket camshafts contain different sized lobes that are carefully designed to increase performance. Aftermarket valves are designed to facilitate the flow of a greater volume of the air-fuel mixture and exhaust fumes, which also increases engine performance.

As you can likely tell, switching out engine components takes a great deal of planning and knowledge of how an engine works. If you aren’t careful, changing different engine parts incorrectly can result in a valve punching through a piston or other problems that will require the replacement of one or more engine parts in the near future.

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