Engine performance simply means how well your engine works; however, this definition is not very helpful. To put it in more useful terms, engine performance is how much “oomph” or power your engine has to make your vehicle move.
The Southern California Ford Dealers have a wide range of vehicles for you to choose from. Whether you want something fast and furious or are looking for power to tow a heavy load, we have you covered.
With the exception of hybrids, cars, trucks, and SUVs use combustion engines. The fuel you put into it - gas or diesel - feeds the combustion. The engine takes heat from the combustion process and turns it into mechanical energy, otherwise known as movement.
An engine with low performance means it is not converting fuel into energy optimally.
Friction and Lubrication
An engine is filled with moving parts. When those parts rub against each other, they create friction. Friction over time wears parts down, which can eventually lead to engine failure.
The more friction there is, the lower the engine’s performance is since some of the part’s energy is lost to friction rather than going towards moving the vehicle.
To decrease friction and increase engine performance, use a synthetic lubricant.
Igniting the Engine
When you put the key in and turn it, or push a button, your car starts (hopefully, anyway). How that turn or button press makes the engine go is by turning on the current flow between your vehicle’s battery and the ignition system.
Once that current is flowing, energy from the battery is sent to the spark plugs. The spark plugs provide the heat to set off the combustion process.
If your engine’s performance is so poor that it will not even turn on, chances are your spark plugs or battery are the culprit.
Horsepower and Torque
Unfortunately, horsepower does not refer to how many miniature horses are running around inside your engine to make it go. However, it is a measurement of power based on how much weight a horse can pull.
An engine is considered “high-performance” if it has high power and low weight. You can think of it as how many horses are pulling an empty cart. The engine, or team of horses, is going to have faster acceleration because they have a lot of power and only need to move a little weight.
The power produced by combustion in the engine is used to turn the crankshaft. The more horsepower there is, the faster the crankshaft can spin. The RPM meter on your dashboard shows the number of Rotations Per Minute, or how many turns the crankshaft makes in a minute.
The force used to turn the crankshaft is called torque. An engine with good or high performance will be able to create a lot of torque.
Unless you have a desire to accelerate quickly, you do not need a high-performance engine. If you plan on hauling a trailer or large load, you do want an engine that creates a lot of torque.
Controlling the Power
If the entirety of our engine’s power was released every time we turned our car on, the world would be in chaos. Thankfully, there is a destruction-preventing component known as the throttle.
The throttle controls how much of the engine’s power is converted into forward motion. It does this by regulating how much fuel and air, both ingredients in combustion, enter into the engine’s combustion chamber. The more air and fuel that enter, the more forward motion there is.
The throttle is controlled by your foot. You may also call it the accelerator or gas pedal. A good-performing engine will be sensitive to the pressure you apply to the throttle.
The Engine Performance You Want
While a new vehicle is going to have an engine that performs well, there are different standards.
On the high-performance end is the 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500 with a 5.2L Supercharged Cross Plane Crank V8 engine. This has 526-horsepower that creates 429 lbs. – ft of torque. This car’s engine optimizes acceleration and speed.
On the working end is the 2020 Ford Super Duty with a 6.7L Power Stroke V8 Turbo Diesel engine. It has 475 horsepower that creates 1,050 lbs. – ft of torque. This truck’s engine optimizes how much it can haul and tow.
While these vehicles are the extremes of engine performance, there are plenty of choices that have the perfect engine performance for everyday driving.
No matter what you want from your vehicle’s engine, you can find it. Go online today to find the SoCal Ford Dealer closest to you. Then all you have to do is pick out the vehicle that has the engine performance you need.
