More power for an 84 alfa spider

[papajam]

Back in the dark ages, I was wringing a stock 1750 GTV around Lime Rock Park for all it was worth. And there was absolutely NO WAY that this thing would go any faster without more horsepower. Lacking the means to effect a power increase by the afternoon session, I decided to experiment with different turn ins and breaking points. Result? 3 seconds a lap faster. THREE SECONDS!!
The moral here is the single most important thing needed to go faster is to improve the nut behind the wheel.

[silverspider]

The moral here is the single most important thing needed to go faster is to improve the nut behind the wheel.[/quote]

Agreed. Learn to Heel/Toe or take a session at a driving school, etc. I remember, not fondly, being clobbered at a Road Atlanta track day by a lightly modified Volvo 240 wagon. Never again.

[Denny]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gubi They're junk. They don't filter well and a lot of dirt into your engine for virtually no power gain. If you do a search you'll find plenty of reasons not to use them. Some example filtration results here: Technical Articles: Debunking the K&N Myth - Why OEM is Better There's a similar analysis on bobistheoilguy.com, and many more if you look around. If you think a 0.06 PSI pressure drop change (that's 0.4% of atmospheric pressure) is going to give you any measurable power gain you're fooling yourself.

[Gubi]

I understand engineering tradeoffs. If you read the analyses, however, you'd see that the increase in dirt is substantial and the increase in airflow is next to nothing. If you base the decision on data rather than marketing, it becomes clear that the oiled filters are not a smart choice.

If you search around the web you'll find plenty of folks who have had dirt and oil buildup on their intake hoses and MAF wires after switching to oiled cloth.

[Denny]

OK, Tom. Like I said, I don't want to get into a big argument about it. So I'll just concede the point.

So, what's your suggestion to the OP for increasing HP in his '84 Spider?

[silverspider]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denny I don't want to get into a huge tech argument, being the new guy on the board and all. The OP asked what could be done to increase HP. Having to ask such a general question in the first place suggested to me that he wasn't particularly knowledgeable of how to modify engines. So I offered a rather simple suggestion that I thought anyone could accomplish. Do K&N High Flow air filters remove as much from the air as a normal paper filter? Probably not. But that's how they increase air flow into the engine, which has long been recognized as a very basic way to increase HP. Is the increased particulate intake into the engine going to cause a catastrophic failure? No. Will it increase engine wear and reduce time between rebuilds? Theoretically, yes. But the same could be claimed of almost ANY performance modification. Practically speaking, in normal street use, I can't imagine using a K&N filter instead of a Fram causing any real problems...

[Archangel]

Hi, to all you

Wow did i get something going or what!!!! Look folks my thing is that the alfa engine is a dam good engine. It is a pity that not much research has been done on improving performance on an engine that can do so. My argument here is that you see many cars be it Porsche, Ferrari, big block Chevy or Fords that even though they have huge engines they are 100 percent smog legal. I mean Ferrari for one has a huge engine that is smog legal. They had to have had some means to produce the type of power that they do and still keep the dogs at bay. All i was looking into is that on an Alfa there has to be a way to increase up to 10-40 hp more without compromising safety or the engine and still stay Smog legal. Thanks for all your replies.
I wish someone out there would find a way to give more power to an engine or develop things that can be done for a great engine.

Thanks

[Tifosi]

Archangel, you're fine, honest. Denny you too. Nobody should ever worry about 'being the new guy' onnaconna everyone has something important to offer regardless of how long one has been around or what thier postcount is. Remember, we all started at '1'

Sometimes these topics take a bit of a tangent is all, but in a twisted sort of way, it is all relevant.

***
That being said:
10-40bhp isn't going to come with something so simple as a filter, oil viscosity, or even black paint, especially when emissions considerations are thrown into the mix.

Even more difficult if you're dealing with the EFI versions. (the ECU's are not, shall we say, 'condusive to alterations')

Now an intake cam change can give a fair bit of poke and still retain smog well enough, as can certain camshaft pairs. Even an aftermarket ignition can wake things up a bit, particularly on L-jets.

Probable biggest bang for the buck that doesn't require extensive mechanical knowledge:
Free flowing exhaust consisting of either a header or S2 manifold, modern free flow catylitic converter (very inportant), and the loss of the 3rd can in the system. (center muffler can be improved certainly, but stock is actually pretty fair. The 3rd can doesn't really do anything but dampen resonance a bit via restriction)

Not uber cheap, but relatively easy to do for the not so mechanically inclined who's equipped with minimal tools and will certainly give a noticable punch from the 1st time you drive it boost across the RPM range with the most noticable improvement in the upper half of the tach swing.

[Gubi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Archangel I wish someone out there would find a way to give more power to an engine or develop things that can be done for a great engine.

[Alfar7]

There are cams designed to make far better Torque & HP for the FI cars. And work with the unmodified L-Jet system as long as it is operationally correct.

But you don`t change just the intake.

I can email info if you send me an email.
No PMs

[Denny]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Archangel Hi, to all you Wow did i get something going or what!!!! Look folks my thing is that the alfa engine is a dam good engine. It is a pity that not much research has been done on improving performance on an engine that can do so. My argument here is that you see many cars be it Porsche, Ferrari, big block Chevy or Fords that even though they have huge engines they are 100 percent smog legal. I mean Ferrari for one has a huge engine that is smog legal. They had to have had some means to produce the type of power that they do and still keep the dogs at bay. All i was looking into is that on an Alfa there has to be a way to increase up to 10-40 hp more without compromising safety or the engine and still stay Smog legal. Thanks for all your replies. I wish someone out there would find a way to give more power to an engine or develop things that can be done for a great engine. Thanks

[alfaparticle]

Do you own an Alfa Romeo?