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Porting Car Engine improves Engine Efficiency

Porting is a process that is used to modify and reshape the intake and exhaust ports of an internal combustion engine to increase air flow. The intake and exhaust port are normally larger than the linked manifolds that help to cope up with the mismatched alignment. Car engine needs open space to breathe because obstructions in air flow cause engine turbulence. This issue can be solved by smoothing and polishing the ports. The intake port does no good to the engine and therefore the exhaust port is worked upon to give open space to the engine.

bullet Porting Process

The porting process involves reshaping of the intake and exhaust ports. The process of reshaping includes enlarging, straightening and streamlining. This eventually helps the engine to reduce the pumping action and prevent restriction and turbulence. The ports are usually straightened using a die grinder and a carbide bit. Apart from increasing the air flow, this process also helps in increasing volumetric efficiency.

Extrude honing is another process related to the porting process that also helps to increase volumetric efficiency. In this process a thick substance is pushed through the head of the cylinder which in turn increases the port size.

Different types of porting are required by different cars. For example, turbo cars require smaller and high velocity port while Nitrous and supercharged cars require bigger ports.

This porting process works well on racing cars. In racing cars, this process helps to customize the engine in accordance to the application. The process helps to optimize the power output and makes the car engine more powerful in case of racing cars. Reverse to that, if the car is required for normal city driving, porting helps to alter its power output and make the car perfect for the specified application.

bullet Difference between Porting and Polishing

Most of the people have a misconception that porting and polishing are same. These are two different things. The confusion mainly occurs because earlier people used to define porting as a process of enlarging the port size and applying a mirror finish. Porting refers to reworking the shape of the intake and exhaust ports whereas polishing means giving a smooth and mirror finish to these ports. In short, both have nothing to do with each other.

In reality, polishing puts a negative impact on the ports and the porting process. Polishing actually leads to reduced performance. This is because the air speed at the interface between the port walls and air is zero due to the wetting action of the air and other fluids in the engine. Some of the molecules stick to the wet wall and cause a rough surface. This roughness results in fuel drop out and ultimately reduces performance.

bullet Objective and Benefits of Porting

The key objective and benefit of porting is ease the breathing activity of both intake and exhaust port is to provide better airflow and improved volumetric efficiency by allowing better breathability of the ports. Getting good airflow helps to create big horsepower. Volumetric efficiency is the efficiency of the car engine to move the power in and out of the cylinders. If the engine takes in more air, it can have a better and improved volumetric efficiency.

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