Do you feel the difference with a 5-12hp increase in your car?

Question

I'm upgrading my air intake and air filter on my turbo eclipse. Its an automatic so I'm not gonna do major upgrades but wanted to know if I'm going to feel anything after installation.
Also, would I notice a difference with a 6-12lbs torque increase? If yes, how so? Thanks!

Answer 1

Generally the minimum increase in HP discernable by a person is 10. Anything less than that and its probably as much your mind justifying your purchase, anytime you mod a car you have a real heavy pre-disposition to think its faster because you spent money on it. You might want to look around the net though, DIY intakes (ussually cutting most of the stock airbox out and putting in a K&N) are about as good as most aftermarket intakes, and cheaper. There are actually a lot of cheap modifications to make turbo eclipse/talons fast, but the automatic will hold you back, and if you do too much you can damage the trans, but you might want to search for "cheap mods" or "free mods" for eclipses and talons.

Answer 2

You'll most likely notice a difference in how the car accelerates more than an increase. It will probably be about the same off the line but will pull harder as it gets higher into the RPMs.

Make sure you pull the negative battery cable for a few seconds so that the car can adjust it's air/fuel mixture to go with your new intake.

Also, have you upgraded your exhaust yet? That should be the very first step on a turbo. It'll make the turbo last longer and improve performance dramatically.

Answer 3

Make up your mind. Are you getting promised 5-12hp or 6-12 ft-lbs of torque? They are not equivalent.

However, you will notice neither, that is why these stupid aftermarket companies make these claims - because they know that in a car 5 -12 HP is barely noticeable, hence their product need not work.

On a motorcycle 12 HP is noticeable due to the light weight of the bike, but it is not like a turbo boost or anything.

Answer 4

Well, that pretty much depends on the power to weight ratio of your car and the "percentage" of power increase.

If you had an engine that was developing 240 hp. and added as you say 12 hp at full throttle AND maximum engine speed, then no....you won't feel it.

It'll sound cool though.

ADDED: By the way, that's just one part of a "system" that needs upgraded. You still need to upgrade the exhaust system, ignition system, fuel system, and computer controls to improve the stock performance parameters set by the computer.

Answer 5

Realistically, probably not. Your 'butt dyno' isn't that calibrated, so any gains you think you feel will probably all be in your head. 12 hp is not that much of a gain realistically, although your car will be a tad bit faster, although we're talking maybe a tenth of a second in the quarter, if that. On a turbocharged car, you could possibly tell a difference, as any mods that allow the car to breath easier usually allows boost to come on sooner, but it'll only be a couple of hundred rpms, if anything. So that's your best bet to notice a change in your car's performance... anything else will be in your head. But it's still a good feeling, isn't it?

Answer 6

not in my car i didn't. spent some bucks on a new "chip" a new intake and exhaust to get 12~25 more HP... no difference except for the sound of the engine. it sounds real cool. but... i wanted it to accelerate better. i dont notice any difference and my MPG is slightly worse. only 1 or 2

Answer 7

Sorry to tell you but you will most likely not feel any difference However, with a turbo you will have the best chance in noticing the gains

Answer 8

Though the improvements are impressive statistically, YOU might not FEEL any real difference without some benchmarks.

Answer 9

nah! unless your taking it to the drag strip then you should notice a difference in your top end mph and possibly improve e.t. depending on traction.

Answer 10

probably not