quote:

---

Throttle Body Spacers
One of the most commonly advertised devices for improved horsepower and fuel efficiency is a throttle body spacer. They are relatively inexpensive devices and simple to install. In theory, the devices work by creating turbulence in the air intake stream. Fuel becomes more volatile when rendered aerosol and turbulent air flow allegedly makes this transition easier, but the claims are met with a great deal of skepticism.

The rationale behind this skepticism is the engine computer itself. An ECU is designed to continually monitor engine performance and emissions output. While the device may initially increase engine performance, the O2 sensors will detect the increased emissions from an improved burn and adjust accordingly to reduce emissions. This is afterall, the primary purpose of the ECU, to reduce emissions for environmental protection. Therefore, after the ECU adapts to the presence of the throttle body spacer, a vehicle's performance will normalize. Older engines using a carburetor in lieu of an ECU may actually benefit from a throttle body spacer, but not a computer controlled engine.

---

quote:

---

Spacers don't do a thing for our kind of intake, because all you're doing is swirling the air as it enters the plenum. It still has to travel down the runners at that point, and the vortex motion is lost at that point. Besides, the fuel and air mix immediately prior to entering the intake valves on the motor, so you aren't going to be able to atomize the fuel better anyway (especially with a part like this).

These things can work on carb'd vehicles since you're spinning up an already combined mixture (the spacer also keeps the carb from heating up so much).

---

quote:

---

NPC73 wrote:
Save your money mate and spend it on either a Throttle Body bore out or even a new Throttle Body entirely with a larger entry. Or maybe upgrade your injectors to something more decent, that's probably the next step.

---