Expert: Dan Liddy - 8/14/2003

Question
Hi Dan

Remember me , i am the guy from egypt who asked you about increasing the horse power of my engine , well you told me that an exhaust header will add  to the power , i just wanted to ask again that will every thing that i add to my car gain me some extra power , i mean camshaft , K&N Performance kit , header , flowing exhaust , chip , this way i guess my horse power will increase about 30-40 hp , is this true and do i need to change my timing belt accordingly after all these modifications , thx


Answer
Hi Ayman !

Hah !  Egypt huh ? - - -there is a lovely Egyptian lady that works near me in a grocery store. AND I think the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in a picture was Jihan Sadat ! It was on one of our magazines just after Anwar was asassinated. Gorgeous green eyes !

The modifications we've talked about should give you a minimum of a 25% increase in power, probably more. You wont really feel it very much, but you will notice it at the drag strip when you're against a competitor that used to beat you.

As far as the timing belt goes, you should change it about every 40 to 50,000 miles (64 to 80,000 Km) There is no need to change it just because you've increased the power output. However, if you've used stiffer valve springs you should shorten the time between changes because the additional spring resistance will punish the belt.

When the belt fails, it usually causes some very expensive internal engine damage.

Good luck

Dan Liddy
Sarasota Florida, USA