Is there a single dyno proving spacers give power in FI apps?
I think the people that invented the spacers made millions on something that really does nothing. I remember back in the day I was soooo excited to put my 5/16 spacer on....I drove the car about 100 miles that night and could not feel a bit of difference, wether it was 6hp or 10hp, I wanted my $275 back. I really think the same amount of performance can be had by just removing the spare tire and jack.
Now when i spent $275 on a Nitrous kit and smoked all my buddys cars I felt like that was money well spent.
Now when i spent $275 on a Nitrous kit and smoked all my buddys cars I felt like that was money well spent.
Last edited by twitch579; Oct 16, 2010 at 07:05 PM.
A spacer on a NA vehicle makes substantial (relatively), well documented gains. It has been reported that spacers make no difference with FI, but I have never personally seen a before/after dyno with a well controlled test. That said, some folks run spacers to potentially provide more equal cylinder distribution, an effect that is difficult to document or refute.
The answer to your question is probably no it makes no difference on a Forced induction engine. Look at the Cosworth plenum it doesn't make much power on a n/a application at all and on a forced induction application it only makes good power when reving so high. So, why would a plenum spacer work on a Forced induction application, that is my outlook on this issue.
I lost 1whp and 5wtq when I added a spacer, but it could have been run conditions. As for gains, no way.
There are other benefits to the spacer other than gains though. It allows better/more even flow to the cylinders, especially the fronts. This could mean smoother idle and low load.
There are other benefits to the spacer other than gains though. It allows better/more even flow to the cylinders, especially the fronts. This could mean smoother idle and low load.
Equal flow to all cylinders would equate to more power. The way the plenum swoops down to the front would increase velocity to the front cylinders which should make them fill equally regardless of spacer. I can understand the added effects of a larger plenum on a N/A engine but on a FI engine I just don't see how it could possibly help.There are tons of threads saying they DO help....but no proof anywhere.
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I remember reading a few threads like 6 years ago on this topic. A few motors were said to have excess wear in the front cylinders do to lean conditions. Pictures of the tear down were posted. Seems like after that, unanimous decision was that everyone needed plenums (Crawford & APS Tallboy) and plenum spacers.
Equal flow to all cylinders would equate to more power. The way the plenum swoops down to the front would increase velocity to the front cylinders which should make them fill equally regardless of spacer. I can understand the added effects of a larger plenum on a N/A engine but on a FI engine I just don't see how it could possibly help.There are tons of threads saying they DO help....but no proof anywhere.
Last edited by djamps; Oct 17, 2010 at 04:51 PM.
now, this brings me to my next question, which is are there any proven gains using FI and the MREV? I know a lot of Vortech guys seem to list spacers and the MREV in the mod list, but are there any significant gains when using turbos and the MREV, or would that money be better spent somewhere else?
