OK, what is all the fuss about Throttle body spacer plates? What do they do, how? do they mess up your mileage or increase it? Horsepower? Cost? are they worth it? would they screw up the computer?
What about going to a hotter plug or somthing in the line of a platinum type? is it worth it?
well..... the answer is sometimes... they're no different than carb spacers, they alter the tuning of the intake manifold by increasing plenum volume. on a bone stock tbi chevy, I've seen dyno tests on shows (I *think* it was Trucks! or HorsepowerTV) that show a small (5hp or so) gain (again, on a TBI Chevy). if your motor isn't stock, than it may or may not help, you'd just have to try one. no they don't affect the computer, cost seems to be around
70-80 bucks... worth it? a definate maybe.the thing I find hilarious is the "diesel throttle body spacers" as a diesel doesn't even have a f*****g throttle body or even throttle blades.
HTH, Bret
Was it easy to install? Any other details about it? I am looking to see what I can do to my 95 GMC Sierra with the 350 in it without going broke. I would like to get some more oomph without killing mileage or my wallet
Ideas / suggestions anyone??
it depends on what you call killing your wallet... summit racing has Edelbrock's EDL-3704 TBI intake manifold for $219.... they also have afterburner full length headers for 88-98 C or K trucks for ~140 bucks and the O2 bung equipped Y pipe for an additional $100. those are the two things next in line for my '88 K2500.
-Bret
There are a number of ways that you can imprve the performance of your engine without tearing into the engine. You can beef up the ignition by installing a high-output coil, low resistance ignition wires (about 500 ohm) and cap and rotor with brass inserts instead of the factory zinc alloy. You can also install an ASP underdrive pulley on your crank (Smmit $65). The pulley drives your accessories at a lower speed, saving horsepower.
If you beef up your ignition, you can use one of the oldest tricks in the book - open up the gap on your spark plugs. One of the auto mags did an article on cheap performance boosters (in the 1990's) and they found that beefing up the ignition and opening the gap by .010 inches gave a noticeable boost in performance. I tried it on my truck (1990
5.7 L) about 6 years ago and it has worked fine ever since. You will encounter problems if you go much over the .010 in increase. I tried it at .015 over and it worked ok but started hard in the winter and at .020 over, the truck refused to start in any weather (I like to experiment sometimes).You can also go with a proven winner by installing an electrc fan if it doesn't already have one. I know that Flex-A-Lite has just begun marketing a fan that is specifically made for the GM 350 engine but I can't locate a source for it. I found that works on one vehicle usually, but not always, works on another. Sometimes, you just have to experiment to find out what works.
****************************************** I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it. ~ Thomas Jefferson ~
Where did you get the extension kit and what was the cost?
****************************************** I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it. ~ Thomas Jefferson ~
I've installed Poweraid brand spacers in my '90 z71 and my dad's '94 c1500. The hardest part of the installation was dealing with the fuel lines, which kept the throttle body from being both raised and level in its elevated position. The hard lines are usually clipped somewhere on the transmission, which makes it even harder for the line to give any play. I wasn't aware of any fuel line extensions (which would've worked perfectly) available at the time, so I basically had to muscle the lines and throttle body to give enough to bolt everything down. I snapped the lines out of their clips, fenagled everything to fit, then snapped them back in.
Another thing I noticed would be an issue is the spacer working with certain aftermarket air intakes. I have a Volant and my dad's intake is stock, and both have flexible joints that allow the cold air portion to stick to the fender wall while the rest of the intake raises up to the spacer level. I've seen one intake system that was pretty much a solid one piece, which means once the throttle body is lifted, the intake is no longer lined up with the fender wall.
Hope this helps.
I got them from Summit Racing - I think they were about $30.00
Thanks for the info Steve, I deal with Summit regularly.
What suggestions for a cap/rotor for my '95 350 GMC sierra would you have? not stock, as that will probably be about the same. I am looking to juice it up a bit......
get a hotter coil before spending any money on a perf. cap&rotor. MSD makes a blaster coil that drops right in.
-Bret
You can buy the 'brass insert' caps and rotors at any good auto parts store (I use NAPA) or you can buy MSD or some other high perf. brand. But, it won't d any good to replace the cap and rotor unless you put in a hotter coil and low resistance (about 500 ohm) ignition wires. The whole idea is to get a hotter spark. Incidently, I'd stick with AC Rapidfire plugs, because they work. I've tried the Splitfire and they were a joke. I've also tried the Bosch with the four wires and they weren't much better.
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