What makes trucks faster

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Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Sign up. Main Menu Search driving. They last longer than regular copper or platinum spark plugs. Always check with manufacturer or your truck service book for the recommended spark plugs. Although iridium spark plugs do last longer than cooper or platinum spark plugs, copper metal is a better conductor for electricity and creates a bigger ignition spark.

Inspect each spark plug for the correct electrode gap. Manufacturers package spark plugs with gauge already adjusted and protected with a small plastic or carton cylinder around the thread protecting the electrode from impact. Use a spark plug gauge to check and adjust gap if you drop the spark plug. Most auto parts stores have spark plug gauge key-chains on display at the counter along with single electrical grease packs. Replace the spark ignition wires when changing the plugs.

It is recommended to use a high quality wiring harness set with silicone isolation. Silicone has superior heat tolerances and are more flexible and higher tensile strength. Worn or cracked wiring can reduce performance or break off when pulling the booths making plug removal more difficult. Inspect contact connection plugs on ignition coils and spark plugs for a solid connection grip and use electrical grease to prevent arcing short-circuit damage on the cables.

Have a regular oil change. Using synthetic oil is highly recommended. They perform better in extreme weather and lubricate engine components better than regular oil. E oil rating for your vehicle's mileage and weather season. Use a fuel system cleaner on your truck every 3 months. It keeps the fuel system clean by removing dirt and carbon buildup in the engine's valves, cylinders and fuel injectors.

This is a proven way to maximize fuel efficiency and boost engine performance. Pour the recommended treatment bottle on the empty tank before topping with fresh fuel. This helps mixing the fuel additive evenly.

Refill after the entire tank is used up. Own a good set of tires and keep them in proper air pressure. Performance tires or lower resistance tires offer a better traction and handling than regular tires. The engine works harder with less inflated tires because of increased road friction. This takes much more power than needed for a small car. If a truck weighs 5, pounds and it has horsepower, then it will have If a car weighs 1, pounds and has a horsepower engine, then the ratio will be horsepower per ton.

This makes the car engine able to accelerate the vehicle faster because it has about 9 times more horsepower per ton than the truck. This allows the car to get to higher speeds faster without working the engine so hard and enables you to have faster speeds overall.

The rev speed of the engine also plays a role in how fast the vehicle can go. With engines that run on petroleum, which is the average gasoline engine seen in most cars, they can rev two times faster than diesel options put into large trucks. This allows the speed of the car to get to higher numbers than that of the truck since it starts up and accelerates at a faster rate. This also ensures that the car will be able to get to those high speeds more quickly as well.

The shapes of sedans and compact cars are made to be aerodynamic. From the front of the car to the slope of the back window, a car is designed to have less wind resistance and be able to go faster than larger vehicles.

A truck is not made with the same design in mind and often has a boxy shape that allows for more wind resistance. This puts more stress on the engine because it needs to work harder to get the truck to a higher speed. This might not be as big of a difference when it comes to a mid-sized truck, but when you have a larger truck like a full-sized option or semi-truck, then there is a major difference. Especially when they are being used for industrial purposes like towing trailers or hauling equipment because there is often a box shape for the trailer of the back end to hold more items.

The added weight puts even more stress on the engine so it has to do more work to get the vehicle to a normal speed. Cars come with a shapelier design that allows the wind to flow over it, which gives it better aerodynamics and allows it to have less resistance. Horsepower is found by measuring torque because torque is easier to calculate. Torque, as previously mentioned, is the expression of a twisting force and is measured in units of force times distance from the axis of rotation.

So for instance, if you use a 1-foot-long wrench to exert a force of 10 pounds on the end of a bolt, then you are applying a torque of 10 pound-feet 10 lb-ft. For the third year in a row, a RAM truck has won the award for MotorTrend Truck of the Year, letting the world know—as well as its competition—that they know a thing or 2 when it comes to game-changing performance from a truck.

Find out more. For instance, the greater the horsepower an engine produces, the higher the torque potential. This explains why a race car and a tractor that have the same amount of horsepower can vary so drastically. In a race car, all the torque is used for speed through the gearing, whereas the tractor converts the horsepower into pushing and pulling extremely heavy weights.