How to Increase Your Vehicle's Acceleration

Just because you think your vehicle is lacking in the “get-up-and-go” department, there’s no need to think about trading it in just yet! Thankfully, there are a handful of ways to get a little extra pick-up from your gas pedal. We've come up with a few things you can do to increase car acceleration, so you can find new life from your vehicle. Here are five areas you can address to put some pep in your ride’s step:

1. Generate More Power

The more air your engine takes in the more power it creates. Increasing the size of your intake or switching to a cold air intake system are both easy ways to see significant power gains. Upgrading your exhaust system does more than enhance the look and sound of your ride. Custom aftermarket exhaust systems pump out more power by giving the extra air you have coming in an efficient way to get out of your engine. At its heart, a modern car is run by a computer. Another great way to enhance your engine’s power potential is to use power programmers and tuners to adjust your vehicle’s performance aspects — like fuel to air mixture and ignition timing — to find the optimal setting. The ultimate power adding modification comes from outfitting your ride with a supercharger or turbocharger which can increase your engine’s performance by over 35%. Forced induction of air delivers a serious spike in power and acceleration without severely hurting your fuel economy.

2. Take Advantage of Re-gearing

One of the more labor-intensive solutions to increasing acceleration, re-gearing refers to replacing the ring & pinion gears inside your differential. These axle gear sets have a ratio that tells you how many times the driveshaft will make a complete rotation for every one full rotation of the tire. For example with 4.11:1 gears, this means the drive shaft will spin 4.11 times for each complete revolution of the driven wheel. Gears with lower numbers are called "taller" gears because a vehicle with taller gears can run faster before the engine reaches its red line, while gears with higher numbers are called "shorter" gears because vehicles with shorter gears reach red line at lower speeds. While taller gears can give you better fuel economy, they reduce your acceleration. Re-gearing to shorter gears improves acceleration, however somewhat at the cost of your fuel economy and top speed.

3. Reduce Vehicle Weight & Rotating Mass

Lightweight components can move more rapidly than heavier ones. Making your vehicle as light as possible starts with identifying heavier parts and swapping them out for lighter ones. For example: Replacing your factory brakes with better performing, lighter two piece rotors can offer a significant weight reduction. You can also improve your car’s power to weight ratio by lightening your stock flywheel or replacing your battery. Your heavy stock flywheel requires more HP to get moving so lightening the load provides a quicker reving engine and faster acceleration. Swapping out heavier factory rims with lightweight alloy wheels also cuts curb weight and reduces unsprung weight.

4. Enhance Tire Grip & Traction

The maximum acceleration of your vehicle depends directly on the amount of grip or traction your tires have. If you're rolling with worn out tread on your tires, chances are you're probably sacrificing some acceleration. Replacing old tires or upgrading to high-traction-rated tires ensures your vehicle has the sticky grip it needs to start off on the right foot. Also, upgrading your clutch pressure plate and disk can help reduce clutch slip and put more of that power to the ground.

5. Improve Vehicle Aerodynamics

Beyond driving with your windows rolled up and removing any unnecessary external accessories, improving your vehicle's aerodynamics is all about getting it as close to the pavement as possible. Lowering your profile minimizes the amount of air that flows under your car, where air passing over uneven surfaces (suspension, exhaust, etc) increases the amount of drag. Lowering springs can sink your ride several inches, improving overall performance by dropping the center of gravity and increasing the rate of acceleration.

AT has everything you need and more to complete these acceleration mods. So, start small or dive right in — we're here to help get your vehicle up to speed!