SLVR_99-Z

Well it is -10 degrees here and it got me thinking. I have always heard that cold air is better for HP but when does it start to not make a difference? I assume there is a temperature where you get your best numbers and any temperature less than that doesn't matter but i don't know. What is that temp?

Ell Ess Won

Go for a drive in the middle of the day, and go for a drive after it cools off and your car will respond much better and feel more alive. Your engine is going to operate best at its average temperature when fully warmed. With a colder outside temperature the engine operates more efficiently. If it's too cold however it can prove to hamper performance.

BLKWS.6

10*f = 1%hp gain in N/A motors.

Magnet

iTrader: (36)

is that some kind of equation?? or are you pullign that out of your butt?

Pro52R

iTrader: (15)

i am sure he's pulling it out his ***...

Look at nascar..they tape up the front of the grille if the car is running too cool..

They use just enough tape to allow the engine it work most efficientley w/out overheating or running too cool

jetlag

iTrader: (32)

lol..

giant016

iTrader: (4)

I might be wrong here, but colder air = more condensed. If you flow the same volume of air, but more condensed, technically there would be more air. When more air goes in more fuel would be added, therefore more power per combustion. Therefore you'd keep seeing power gains untill it was so cold your engine couldn't reach the optimal operating temp.

^^^Just using reasoning, have no proof. If it's wrong, let me know.

BaddillaK

iTrader: (13)

^^^Yea it def works that way, but like nascar man up there said you dont want it to cold so that the engine doesnt reach proper operating temp..... but I do believe they do probably have some sort of generalized forumla like BLKWS.6 said, but that may or may not be right, I actually think its greater than that because if you are running 20deg colder at night on 350hp i dont think you would notice 7hp nearly as much as what you feel while running at night.... my .02

SLVR_99-Z

ok. I knew about the air being denser when its cold out but didn't think about it getting too cold to reach optimum temperature. When would you guys guess it's too cold to get to that temp? After a while the temp guage in my silverado still sits at the same place when it's -20 as it does when its 90. It's probably not very accurate though.