How can a spacer increase power?
Blazer RS power mods
Hello all, been a long time since I’ve been apart of a forum for a car I’ve really enough to partake. So thanks to everyone that partakes here and keeps things going!
anyways I bought a 21 RS back in October and since have out about 15,000 miles on it. I love light mods and changes, so I felt inclined to change a few things. I tow pretty regularly, especially in the summer months so I felt the lower end power band between 2-5K could use a little work. Short story I got an AFE intake with the dry S filter since in there dyno tests it showed some low end gains. I don’t chase top end power in this machine, doesn’t really need it in my honest opinion. Felt a difference right about where the dyno chart showed some torque gains in the 3K range +\- some. Expensive for what it delivers but the change is certainly there. I did not see any change in MPG like some that have changed intakes claimed. While I was at it I ordered AFE’s silver bullet throttle body spacer. Honestly got lazy and didn’t put it on for 3 months, but I should have lol, it fits our intake but only with the AFE intake lol, really it just needs the silicon boot on the throttle body so the spacer can fit by compressing it a little when everything is installed. Man for a 2x2 slice of metal that thing was worth while, honestly only floored it once or twice since I installed it so for anyone looking for top end power the two combined do seem make a noticeable top end change, it’s not a supercharger so don’t get your imagination running, but if your attuned the machine you can feel it. By far the biggest change is partial throttle performance and low end partial throttle torque and power, between the two it’s night and day between 1800-3500RPM, again it’s not supercharger, but I can actually feel the input changes on the pedal all the way until decides it needs to shift which was a notably absent feeling before. Surprisingly also had a positive effect on fuel economy. I love about3 hours from work and I’ve don’t the drive in this car in all weather temperatures and other conditions imaginable, with and without the intake and was never able to get better than about a 25.4MPG trip average, even trying to stretch it economy wise just see what I could get, it’s about a 300 mile mixed driving round trip. First trip with the spacer installed too and regular driving with no attempt for stretching economy and plenty of operation up to 5000RPM, managed to return to the driveway at 26.8MPG for the trip average. also on the rolling 50 mile averageprevious best was 29.1, which was set in October when I got the car on a different route, I’d never gotten close to that on this route and I managed to reset that to 31.6, so my brain isn’t playing games with me it seems to improve it a decent bit, of course that’s with cruise control, if you keep putting boot in it all the time your results may vary lol. Oddly enough it rolls off throttleseemily much easier than it before too. And to be clear. It’s not a super charger. But I thought it worth noting for everyone that at least with the intake and spacer I’ve seen a great change is response and drivability at the lower and midrange power band. I’m sure there are a couple things I forgot to mention but I’m sure y’all will ask if there are burning questions.
anyways I bought a 21 RS back in October and since have out about 15,000 miles on it. I love light mods and changes, so I felt inclined to change a few things. I tow pretty regularly, especially in the summer months so I felt the lower end power band between 2-5K could use a little work. Short story I got an AFE intake with the dry S filter since in there dyno tests it showed some low end gains. I don’t chase top end power in this machine, doesn’t really need it in my honest opinion. Felt a difference right about where the dyno chart showed some torque gains in the 3K range +\- some. Expensive for what it delivers but the change is certainly there. I did not see any change in MPG like some that have changed intakes claimed. While I was at it I ordered AFE’s silver bullet throttle body spacer. Honestly got lazy and didn’t put it on for 3 months, but I should have lol, it fits our intake but only with the AFE intake lol, really it just needs the silicon boot on the throttle body so the spacer can fit by compressing it a little when everything is installed. Man for a 2x2 slice of metal that thing was worth while, honestly only floored it once or twice since I installed it so for anyone looking for top end power the two combined do seem make a noticeable top end change, it’s not a supercharger so don’t get your imagination running, but if your attuned the machine you can feel it. By far the biggest change is partial throttle performance and low end partial throttle torque and power, between the two it’s night and day between 1800-3500RPM, again it’s not supercharger, but I can actually feel the input changes on the pedal all the way until decides it needs to shift which was a notably absent feeling before. Surprisingly also had a positive effect on fuel economy. I love about3 hours from work and I’ve don’t the drive in this car in all weather temperatures and other conditions imaginable, with and without the intake and was never able to get better than about a 25.4MPG trip average, even trying to stretch it economy wise just see what I could get, it’s about a 300 mile mixed driving round trip. First trip with the spacer installed too and regular driving with no attempt for stretching economy and plenty of operation up to 5000RPM, managed to return to the driveway at 26.8MPG for the trip average. also on the rolling 50 mile averageprevious best was 29.1, which was set in October when I got the car on a different route, I’d never gotten close to that on this route and I managed to reset that to 31.6, so my brain isn’t playing games with me it seems to improve it a decent bit, of course that’s with cruise control, if you keep putting boot in it all the time your results may vary lol. Oddly enough it rolls off throttleseemily much easier than it before too. And to be clear. It’s not a super charger. But I thought it worth noting for everyone that at least with the intake and spacer I’ve seen a great change is response and drivability at the lower and midrange power band. I’m sure there are a couple things I forgot to mention but I’m sure y’all will ask if there are burning questions.
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
I’d tell you to reference other answers, because my understanding is a little vague, but adding a throttle body spacer adds more air volume in the intake runners, I’ve read it can have different levels of effectiveness depending engine and setup, but more air available generally equals more power, and that’s about my basic understating of the theory, they really don’t do a lot for top end power. Reference AFE’s website, they have a dyno chart for it, just a different car, same engine. But the amount of volume in the runners seemed to help partial throttle performance for me at least on my setup. Can’t say it it is producing more power at those lower RPMs, but it does something. Not sure if the effect is similar to the throttle blade being slightly more open than it is, or just plain an extra small amount of torque output at those lower RPMs.How can a spacer increase power?
hope that helped
As long as it doesn't spec out of manufacturers' ECM calibrations for the air sensor regulator, fuel pressure, and injector delivery system. Every factory programs its ECMs to their specs. It sounds like the people working on your Blazer know what they're doing and they had it dyno tested already. It makes sense the extra length the spacer provides would register more airflow, which manages the air/fuel mixture.I’d tell you to reference other answers, because my understanding is a little vague, but adding a throttle body spacer adds more air volume in the intake runners, I’ve read it can have different levels of effectiveness depending engine and setup, but more air available generally equals more power, and that’s about my basic understating of the theory, they really don’t do a lot for top end power. Reference AFE’s website, they have a dyno chart for it, just a different car, same engine. But the amount of volume in the runners seemed to help partial throttle performance for me at least on my setup. Can’t say it it is producing more power at those lower RPMs, but it does something. Not sure if the effect is similar to the throttle blade being slightly more open than it is, or just plain an extra small amount of torque output at those lower RPMs.
hope that helped
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
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