Double The Power and Half The Emissions?

Oh yes we did – more than double the power with less than half the emissions. A project that started as a conversation a few years ago turned into a great demonstration of how the aftermarket can be great stewards of the environment while still delivering what our customers crave.

The Big Question

Al Noe from Summit Racing Equipment asked “do you think we can modify car, double the power, and cut the emissions in half?” My answer was “almost certainly”, depending upon where we start. Al chose what was a pretty typical vehicle for the industry, an older V8-powered muscle car with a strong following of performance enthusiasts and available parts.

We started with baseline measurements on a car that had over 90,000 miles of unknown maintenance history just to see where it stood. To be honest, initial results were a little ugly. But that left lots of room for improvement – and improve we did.

Through several stages of modification, ranging from typical bolt-ons to complete engine swaps, we carefully documented our progress along the way. Some great lessons came from this. Most notably:

1. Maintenance really helps keep things running clean and preserves power. A poorly maintained vehicle loses power and makes more emissions simultaneously.
2. Even if CARB hasn’t approved this approach yet, we have hard data that proves our modified vehicle with a fresh engine makes a LOT less pollution than the original unmodified configuration.

We’re hoping that rule makers are paying attention here. If we really want to clean up the air, properly installed parts and tuned vehicles that retain a working catalytic convertor can make a big net positive change here.

Watch the final report below: