Upgrading your intake manifold can bring a lot of improvements to your vehicle, especially if you have noticed the performance flagging recently. Whether you are making a stock replacement to refresh its performance or installing a performance upgrade, you can expect to see a few big differences right away.
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Increased Power
As manifolds go bad, their seals and gaskets fail. Since the intake manifold is responsible for distributing air evenly to the cylinders, the engine’s performance can be adversely affected by those issues. Even if you don’t see major signs of malfunction like coolant leaks, the distribution could be uneven, leading to underperformance in some cylinders or even misfires. That hits your power profile, so if you want to get the most out of your vehicle, consider an intake replacement as part of a larger 5.7 TBI power package upgrade.
Better Responsiveness
When you get air to the engine faster and more efficiently, it’s not just power output that improves. You also improve your engine’s responsiveness by making sure every cylinder has what it needs to operate at peak levels alongside the others. This is vital for anyone looking to improve an acceleration profile and not just a top power output. Consider a new performance intake when you plan for other major improvements like a new 292H comp cam if you have not upgraded yet. The improved airflow can help you make the most of your other upgrades.
Reduce or Eliminate Coolant Issues
Bad gaskets and seals can lead to coolant leaks, but leaking is actually the mildest issue. Coolant can find its way into the exhaust, which fouls the catalytic converter over time and leads to other issues. It can also wind up in the oil pan. Oil can also sometimes leak alongside coolant when the intake manifold isn’t sealed properly, and all of these issues contribute to overheating. A new manifold is an easy way to take care of most of them. In some cases, it might not be the only source of leaks, but it’s a good place to start your investigation. The intake itself is a crucial part of the cooling system, because it helps cool the cylinders as it brings in air.
Support Your Other Performance Upgrades
A new intake is an opportunity to expand your airflow through the engine, which is a vital part of the upgrade process for anyone looking to maximize performance. Other engine and exhaust improvements will eventually bottleneck if you stick to a stock intake, so replacing the intake manifold and intake itself with a performance upgrade is going to be necessary to fully unleash the power in your other upgrades.
Keep that in mind as you browse the features on a JEGS LS intake replacement, because choosing the right time to make that upgrade is vital if you want an accurate measurement of the effectiveness of other upgrades in your plan.
Fine Tune Your Ride
Replacing a part that has passed its peak is a vital step to keeping your engine in great shape, but it’s not the only reason to make any upgrades. It is an opportunity, though. Performance parts often outlast their stock counterparts, so if you are maintaining an older vehicle, it might be the perfect chance to learn how to fine tune your ride for performance.
