If you have a truck, one thing you can never have enough of is horsepower. Giving your truck a performance boost is the best way to increase its efficiency while ensuring you get the most from your truck in terms of horsepower.

Here are some of the tweaks you could perform to boost your truck’s performance.

Remove Any Unnecessary Loads on Your Truck

Every load added on to your truck results in a decrease in its engine efficiency. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), every additional 100 pounds of cargo on your truck decreases its efficiency by up to two percent. Go through your truck, checking for anything lying around. Maybe you do not need to carry all those tools and spares around. You could also do away with the extra sandbag on the bed of the truck. Removing any excess weight will free up your engine load, which will, in turn, give you more power.

Clean and Tune Up Your Engine

When you buy a truck, the manufacturer did not design it to give you maximum horsepower. Instead, their main concern is fuel efficiency and the smooth shifting of gears. To get maximum horsepower, you will need to reprogram your truck to provide you with more horsepower.

Depending on the type of truck and engine, tuning your engine can massively increase your horsepower by over 100%. Engine experts at Mechanic Guides note that once you experience the increased horsepower from an engine tune-up, you will never want to go back and use trucks with factory engine settings. This is because you will find these trucks to be inefficient, slow, and lacking power. The best way to tune your engine is through handheld engine tuners that you plug into the diagnostic port of your truck. Most engine tuners are easy to use as they are already pre-programmed with various tunes.

Additionally, proper maintenance of your engine is essential in ensuring it runs optimally for an extended time. Proper engine maintenance does not increase truck horsepower, but makes it run more efficiently. Check fuel line and air filters to ensure they are not clogged. Change the engine oil regularly and do not skip any engine service appointments.

Install a Turbocharger

Installing a turbocharger will get you more horsepower. You can even find turbochargers that can add 200 – horsepower. Turbochargers are recommended for trucks as they are very fuel-efficient and help the engine be more responsive. A typical turbocharger will use waste heat from the truck’s exhaust to boost air intake pressure. If you have the financial muscle, you can opt for a supercharger, which is far more powerful and efficient than turbochargers.

Install A Cold-Air Intake and Aftermarket Exhaust System

One cost-effective way to increase power to your engine is through the installation of cold air intake. The airbox that comes with the truck is usually restrictive as it is meant to reduce engine noise. If you are not bothered by engine noise, you could remove the airbox and replace it with a cold air intake box.

The theory is that colder air has more oxygen, which means you will burn more fuel. This change can increase up to ten horsepower and improved responsiveness of the throttle. Additionally, you could gain up to 20 horsepower by replacing your factory muffler and manifold with an aftermarket one.

Undertaking these four tweaks will ensure your truck is more efficient and effective while giving it more horsepower. It is, however, advisable to start with pocket-friendly tweaks before implementing more costly options.