How To Make an Engine Rev Quicker or Faster? (Explained)

Have you ever wondered how you can make your engine Rev faster or quicker? Look no more. We´ve got you covered.

If you want to increase your rpm, there are typically two motivations: either your idle is set too low, or you wish to increase your engine’s power by increasing your rpm. The first reason is relatively easy to solve depending on your car model; the second is more complicated.

To make your engine rev quicker or faster, you need to adjust your air-fuel mix screw and idle screws in older car models with a carburetor. In a newer car with electronic throttle bodies, the ECU regulates your rpm, and you would need to program the software to make your engine rev quicker.

If you wish to increase your rpm for greater power, there are numerous factors that your need to consider regarding your engine to prevent engine damage. If your idle is too low, there are several ways to make your engine rev quicker or faster.

Here are some facts about your car or truck’s rpm explained and how you may safely increase your rpm.

Table of Contents

How to Make an Engine Rev Faster Because Your Idle is Too Low

Older cars typically have mechanical throttle bodies that are easy to adjust manually. Throttle bodies are essential parts of your vehicle’s air intake system. Mechanical throttle bodies usually connect the gas pedal to the butterfly valve through a cable.

The butterfly valve opens and closes into the engine, regulating air when you press the accelerator pedal.

Newer cars use electronic throttle bodies where sensors in the gas pedals replace the redundant mechanical linkage to the butterfly valve.

The computer uses a servo motor to move the butterfly valve according to data interpreted from the gas pedal sensor.

In these systems, the ECU regulates idle rpm and requires software programming to change the idle setting.

There are several reasons why your idle rpm is too low:

Your Idle Air Control is Clogged

Your IAC or Idle Air Contol controls your idle speed on the most modern, fuel-injected model. This valve is mounted outside the throttle body and regulates the air that bypasses the airflow sensor when your car is idle.

You may use a scan tool to check the performance of your IAC or use a digital multimeter.

The problem often lies in the carbon build-up in the bypass port or an issue in your motor circuitry that affects your AIC´s proper operation.

You may service the AIc yourself by detaching it from your engine as follows:

Locate your IAC, which is commonly placed near the throttle body of your intake manifold
Unplug your IAC valve connector
Unscrew the two-valve mounting bolts
Remove the valve and check for deposits and build-up
Check your throttle passages
Remove build-up with proper carburetor cleaner.

If cleaning does not solve your issue, you should check for the following problems:

If your Throttle Position Sensor is faulty, it may signal the computer to close the AIC when the throttle is not open. You may often troubleshoot problems with your TPS using a multimeter.
You may have a faulty Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) sensor that tells your computer when to send rich or lean air-fuel mix according to your car’s operating temperature. You run a test of your ECT or use a multimeter.
Vacuum leaks are another common cause of low rpm at idle. A vacuum leak causes problems such as low idle by allowing too much air into the engine. Pay attention to your hoses or look for a torn intake manifold gasket as common sites for leaks.
Your ignition system may not supply the proper spark to burn the air-fuel mix. Check for worn or damaged spark plugs, distributor caps, and ignition coil issues.
A dirty throttle bore and blade may be behind your low idle rpm in a fuel-injected car. Check your bore and throttle blade for a build-up of deposits.
If your fuel injectors are restricted, you may experience low rpm at idle. Sometimes, a restriction in the fuel system can also lead to a low idle, and you should check for restrictions in your fuel injector or a faulty or worn fuel filter.
You may have a fault in your electronic throttle system, as discussed below.

How To Make Your Engine Rev Faster for More Power

Why Simply Raising Your RPMs Isn’t That Simple

It is quite possible to raise your rpm, especially so with older carburetor-based car models. However, simply hiking up your revs without seriously modifying your car engine is an all-around bad idea.

Manufacturers create a redline for the strict purposes of protecting your car engine and its internal components from damage from temperature, pressure, and reciprocal mass damage.

Your car engine and parts are made to function within your rpm range, and the increase in rpm may exceed the threshold of your car engine’s manufacture.

Even driving in your redline frequently causes temperature increases, degrades your engine oil, and reduces the lifespan of your engine. It may get much much worse if you decide to hike up your rpm.

F1 racecars can reach the 20,000 rpm mark because they have several engine design systems to cope with the increased rpm and corresponding higher loads on the engine.

How Do Some Engines Rev To 9,000 RPM? >> Check out the video below:

What You Should Consider Before You Make Your Engine Rev Quicker or Faster

Racing engines typically have an oversquare design with a larger bore than stroke. Their design also incorporates a larger number and size of valves, enhanced fuel delivery and balancing, and intake size to cope with the high rpm.

If you simply want to make your car more powerful by increasing your rpm, you should consider certain factors.

Valve Train Issues

Vale trains play an essential role in coping with higher rpm due to the increased need for your engine to “breathe.’ Your valve train generally includes the camshaft, valves, valve springs retainers, rocker arms, and shafts.

The valve train uses this assembly of components to open and close the intake and exhaust valves.

So, to cope with the higher rpm, you would need enhanced valve springs and retainers and a custom ground cam designed to cope with the rpm you are hoping to achieve.

If your valves can’t close fast enough, the piston head may crash into the valve. This damage typically occurs when the valve springs can not close the valve in the time it takes for the piston to travel upwards.

Increased stress on moving parts

When you raise your rpm, you will typically increase the engine’s peak HP, so the engine components need to cope with the added HP.

Spinning a rod cam or flywheel faster than its construction intended can malfunction or fracture if the stresses become too much.

Kinetic energy increases as speed increases placing a greater strain on the engine parts. You need to ensure that your rotating assembly rods and pistons are upgraded as well as transmission and clutch components with better HP handling.

This situation is where upgraded rotating assembly rods and pistons come in and may require transmission and clutch components with better HP handling.

High pressures

The higher pressures of increased rpm mean that fuel must pump faster, and air needs to enter and exit the valves more quickly to cope with raising the pressure in the engine.

This pressure puts the pipes and cylinders under higher strain, and to cope, these areas need to be made of higher strength materials that are still lightweight to reduce the effects of reciprocating mass,

Higher Temperatures

With the higher rpm, you will find a corresponding temperature increase in all engine and exhaust areas.

You would need to ensure that you use materials with a higher temperature threshold, especially in pipes, gaskets and cylinder heads, pistons, and the exhaust.

Depending on how much you wish to increase your rpm, you might need a cooler running thermostat and a larger flow matched intercooler.

How Do Engine Revs Work?

RPM is short for revolutions per minute and refers to how many times your vehicle crankshaft makes a full rotation in a minute. It measures how many times your crankshaft is spun a complete revolution as a reference to engine speed.

This internal rotation incorporates the pistons that move up and down in their cylinders as the spark plugs fire and detonate the fuel-fed onto your car engine.

Most car engines operate at around 2,000-3,000 rpm when cruising and have a minimum idle speed of about 750-900 rpm.

The upper limits of vehicles may vary considerably between cars built for speed or economy and typically fall in the range of 4,500-10,000rmp. Although limited to 15,000 rpm, Formula 1 cars may reach over 20,000 rpm.

Do Higher RPMs Increase My Engine Power?

The importance of rpm is evident in the equation for horsepower:

Horsepower = Torque x rpm / 5,252.

Higher revolutions per minute mean more fuel burned and therefore more power produced the same amount of time.

That’s why most race cars have extremely high rpm (20,000rpms.) Rpm is an essential tool in calculating a vehicle’s power band. Your car’s power band is the range of operating speeds in which your engine operates most efficiently.

The power band is essentially the range of rpm around the vehicle’s peak power output. A gasoline-powered car typically starts at midrange speeds around 4000rpm where maximum torque is produced and ends at the redline after 5000-6000rpm.

Diesel engines in cars and trucks develop maximum torque below 2,000rpm with a peak power below 5,000rpm.

What Is Torque VS. Horsepower?

Torque is the rotational or twisting force available to an engine when it exerts itself, while horsepower is a unit of measurement of power or the rate at which work is done regarding the output of engines and motors.

There is a lot of confusion about torque vs. horsepower, and a nifty analogy I once read involves (bear with me) a jam jar. Torque is the force applied to the rotational force of unscrewing the lid, where horsepower refers to lifting the jam jar.

To look at it this way, a sportscar that runs at high rpm provides high horsepower but low torque. On the other hand, trucks, and buses typically offer high torque and deliver more horsepower at lower rpm.

It gets more complicated as torque and horsepower change according to rpm and intersects at 5,250 rpm. This intersection occurs because horsepower is a function of torque and engine speed (rpm).

Given the simplest terms, high torque engines such as trucks deliver more power at low rpm, and higher horsepower engines in racing cars deliver more speed.

Both torque and horsepower have equal value and which one is best is a matter of what you seek in your vehicle performance. If you prefer a high top speed, you will look for a car with high power output. If you were seeking comfort in your commute with fast starts at traffic lights, you would seek a vehicle with higher torque, such as an electric car.

What is a Redline?

Your vehicle redline refers to the maximum speed at which an engine or traction motor and components are designed to operate without causing damage to the components themselves or other parts of your car engine.

Manufacturers design racing cars to run on high rpm and an average car’s redline is not an arbitrary limitation to decrease your car’s speed.

Redlines are a protective gauge of operating speeds that may damage your car engine. Your engine redline depends on a variety of factors such as;

Stroke
Reciprocal mass
Displacement
Component composition
Balance of components.

Operating into the reline is not necessarily extensively damaging but may reduce your engine’s lifespan if used excessively.

Conclusion

Simply increasing your revs may harm your engine and its components and compromise the safety of your vehicle on the road.

So, undertaking this procedure may involve extensive engine modifications, which require professional automotive expertise.

However, increasing your revs in idle is a simple fix depending on the age and make of your car

References

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/bypass-valve

https://www.captoyota.com/service/information/4-ways-to-avoid-major-engine-damage.htm