The old "Poweraid" topic was getting long so I thought I'd fire a burst of new energy into the topic by starting a new one. In summary, the impression I got from reading that topic was that those who tried it liked the results but the whistle/belt slipping sound it made was a bit on the annoying side.

I was watching the "Horsepower TV" show on TNN a week or two ago and they showed these spacers. There were two designs, a single large hole like the Poweraid, and another design that featured 4 smaller holes. The guy said the 4 smaller hole design was built for better torque on the low end, something that is desirable. I wonder if the 4 hole design also solves the whistle problem found in the Poweraid?

For reference, here's what the Poweraid (sold here at the store) looks like:



I was thumbing through my Summit Racing catalog and found something that looks like what I saw on the TNN show:



I also found it at the www.tdperformance.com website:



Considerably cheaper ($36 vs. $110), but I have no idea as to whether or not these from Summit Racing will fit a Ford. I guess my biggest concern is whether or not this different design will solve the noise problem. Surely the Poweraid can't be the only product out there that will do it. Seems like such a simple part to manufacture.

Any more thoughts from those that have tried the Poweraid or something similar?

--Duke

------------------
2000 F-150 Lariat, 4x2, 4.6L automatic Supercab, Styleside, Blue with gold two-tone, 3.55 slip axle, class III towing package, overhead console, sliding rear window, keyless entry, leather interior, in dash CD, Ford/Duraliner bedliner, Ford chrome nerf bars, Ford bug deflector, Steel Horse billet grille, Leer hard tonneau cover, Superchip, Airaid, Billet door sills & antennae, Gibson split rear exit with 3" slash tips, chrome differential cover. My How-To Articles


[This message has been edited by Duke (edited 02-16-2000).]

 

Well for one thing those spacers were designed for a carb mount and the power air goes on a throttle body (doesn't it?). Do you know if they make spacers with the same bolt hole alignment for the TB application? If so it would be cheap to try huh?


I feel a new how to article coming on here Duke!

------------------
97 F-150 SC Lariat, Styleside, White over Gold, 4.6L (Windsor), Automatic, 3.55 rear end, electronic 4X4, w/ every option of Lariat and ORP packages except the 17" wheels (I even got the OR decals now!) MOD's so far: K&N air box mod, Gibson Super Truck, clear Bugflector II, Leer TSC 600 hard cover, Bridgestone Dueler OWL ATP 265/75 R-16's, TrailMaster Invader N7 shocks, Smittybilt step bars, Ford moulded mud guards, "White-white" head lamps, Cloud Rider Design's SS Grill and bumper opening, Bosch Platinum + 4's, Hayden 30K+ Tranny Cooler,Class III Reece load distributing hitch system, full wiring including trailer battery charging system, Escort Sensor II Brake controller, Superchip

 

The carb spacer blocks are said to make a pretty big difference. I watched some car/truck performance show and they went into the spacers. Unfortunately I can't remember the info but there was a difference from single to quad hole, and suprisingly what it was made of. Sounds weird but they use wood for certain applications. Wish I could remember the info.

 

Bones, that sounds like the same show I saw on TNN. They showed spacers made from 3 or 4 different materials, including wood. I believe the claim they made was that the 4 hold design gave better low-end torque than the single hole design. Still, I wonder if there is a 4-hole spacer for F-150s.

--Duke

 

for my race car i made my own spacer you can make them of of a product called phenloic, you can buy it at eletrical suplly stores it is used to insulate electricity. i works good but most of the help was on the top end only it did not help the bottom end at all.

------------------
*2000 blk xlt f150
*5.4 4x4 3.55 ls
*sc orp pkg
*tow pkg, 17 inch wheels
*herculiner,remote start
*flowmaster, air box mod
*bfg ko's A.R.E. cap
*sony 10 disc cd player
*************************
****mods to come*********
LS for front diff
wms air tube
super chip

 

Well now there's an idea! I guess what you could do is just engineer your own based on the 4-hole design. Perhaps buy the 4-hole design, and manufacture your own based on this "phenloic" (never heard of it) material. Interesting project idea.... for yours, did you just cut out a single large hole like the Poweraid? I guess you'd also need to buy some longer bolts to affix it (and some gaskets too?).

--Duke

[This message has been edited by Duke (edited 02-17-2000).]

 

I spoke with my Dad who is knowledgable about "everything" and he said that phenolic isn't a good material to use as all it takes is a little bit of oil or gas for it to deteriorate, and then you have an engine full of phenolic. That doesn't sound like fun! He suggested to only use cast steel or cast alluminum, both of which make such a project all the more difficult.

He was also very skeptical about the Poweraid product, stating that based on today's fuel injected engines, the claims that everGreen Performance (makers of the Poweraid) makes are very hard to swallow. I must say that I am quite skeptical as well, since the only text I can find on the product (anywhere) is always the same:

"The PowerAid spacer incorporates a helix bore that spins the incoming air charge. The increased combustion efficiency provides torque and mileage increases."

The Poweraid website has no dyno info either--just a picture, that description, and a price. There's nothing to back up their claims, except for a few users here that have tried it and claim it does actually do something. What also concerns me is that this is the only product of its kind--if there really was something there, wouldn't others be jumping on the bandwagon?

So--is this a hype product, or what? I guess the only way I'll know is to try it out myself... but I have a feeling that based on what I've learned at this site I will probably pass. Sounds like a spacer for a carb makes sense (mix the air & gas better), but for a throttle body spacer? Sounds like a gimmic.

--Duke

 

Well Duke don't tell Dad but if I remember they (the TNN guys) said the Phenolic resin based one was the best because it did not conduct heat as bad as the others but it was also the most expensive. If he's like my Dad he wouldn't agree with me anyway.

 

Exactly. I had one of those "quick" conversations where the answer to a simple question turned into a "way back when I used to tweak my cars for performance..." 40 minute speech. It was interesting, and even though I had pointed out that a few people at this site had positive experiences with it, it didn't seem to matter

--Duke

 

This is just a quick note on the idea of "swirling" the air/fuel mix prior to combustion. In 1980, I bought a then new Suzuki GS1100 motorcycle. It had a newly introduced 4-valve per cylinder/4 cylinder engine. It also was labeled TSCC on the engine. The TSCC stood for Twin Swirl Combustion Chamber. The idea was to cause the air/fuel mix to swirl and mix completely before combustion. The valve setup aided this swirling prior to combustion. The result was more horsepower and performance. Fuel mileage was quite good on it too. I can't say how these Poweraid setups will work, but the "swirling" idea is not a new one. The difference is one company used valves and Poweraid is using a spacer plate. This is just for information. I'm not bashing or selling Poweraid.

 

cphilip, I agree--they are probably two different animals. I'm just wondering if there's something out there with a 4-hole design (if it makes sense in our F-150 situation). Perhaps you're right... "How To Make Your Own Spacer The McGyver Way" (just a little duct tape, a piece of rubber...

--Duke

 

It is correct that those spacers shown are for carberators instead of throttle bodies, but throttle body spaces have been around for a while and there are actually several other products on the market...just not for the F-150 since it is not a typical performance vehicle. And, they do help power as the extra air travel slightly increases the velocity of the air entering the intake. The swirling of the air is also a valid principle.

As far as using the 4-hole setup for a throttle body spacer I don't think it would be of any use because the intakes are so much different in design. On the top mounted carborated engines, the holes would be directing air directly into the plenums inside the intake manifold where as the throttle bodies on our engines are front side mounted and the air has to be redirected downward into the intake.

Just my $.02 worth.


------------------
Chris Thomas
1998 F-150XLT Flareside STX Sport Package, 4.6L Auto 3.55 Oxford White/Gray interior, Factory Anti-theft system
Picture: http://216.147.104.171/Y2K/members/ChrisT/christ1a.jpg
Homepage: Chris & Brandi's Universe
Mods: A.R.E. Decklid/Oxford White with gray fabric liner, K&N filter with Airbox Mod (removed silencer), Tinted Windows, GTS sloted taillight covers (painted Oxford white to match), Removed STX stickers
Audio: Kenwood Truck speakers with 10" woofers, Rockford Fosgate and Alpine Amps, Ford 10 disk CD changer
Future Mods: 3/4 Lowering Kit (Maybe 4/6 if I don't have to change tires at the same time), 20" rims and tires, True duals with Supertrap tunable mufflers, Superchip, Supercharger, Jacobs Ignition, NOS, and whatever else I can think of!!!

[This message has been edited by Chris Thomas (edited 02-18-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Chris Thomas (edited 02-18-2000).]

 

Well i race Off-road Motorcycles, and i was flipping through a mag when i found a head for a two stroke that had been designed to swirl. The swirls were machined into the head. It was endorsed and supposedly used by the national champ. Or something like that. Maybe this swirl thing makes sense. Just my .02

Bones

------------------
2000 F-150, XLT, 4X2, Ext. Cab, S/B, 4.6L, 3.55 L/S, Tow Package, Premium Sound CD Player.

Future Mods: NONE, I'm broke.

 

On my way home from the Edelbrock Factory tour I felt a little burning in my pocket and decided to stop at Traders Truck Store in Whittier...anyway I bought a Poweraid TB spacer. Installation was a 25 minute breeze. HOWEVER, when I fired up the engine I heard an awful squeel that sounded like a loose belt. Over the course of the next 2 hours I removed and checked each component of my intake system individually, thinking that I had failed to tighten something, or?

I have the K&N FIPK, and thought that maybe it was part of the problem...NOPE!

The only thing that did away with the squeel was removing the Poweraid TB spacer! Although it did seem to add some low end power, the noise and looks while accelerating down the street convinced me to say adios poweraid! DO NOT WASTE YOUR $$!!!

------------------

 

Thanks, JHL... that was the general opinion I got from others. Sounds like the squeal for you was pretty obnoxious.

--Duke

------------------
2000 F-150 Lariat, 4x2, 4.6L automatic Supercab, Styleside, Blue with gold two-tone, 3.55 slip axle, class III towing package, overhead console, sliding rear window, keyless entry, leather interior, in dash CD, Ford/Duraliner bedliner, Ford chrome nerf bars, Ford bug deflector, Steel Horse billet grille, Leer tonneau cover, Superchip, Airaid, Billet door sills & antennae, Gibson split rear exit with 3" slash tips, chrome differential cover. My How-To Articles