Narrator: I know what you're thinking. No, this is not one of those viral slime videos. You're looking at a process called extrude honing. But what exactly is it?
Gary Kubo: Extrude honing is a hydraulically forced abrasive flow machining process.
Narrator: That's Gary Kubo. He's a research and development specialist for a company called Extrude Hone AFM. And to put his definition in simple terms; extrude honing forces abrasive material through metal passages via hydraulic pressure. Depending on the item, this could have a multitude of benefits. But for now, let's focus on how it can make your car faster. This is how putty can increase your horsepower. To really understand the benefits for your car, you'll need to understand the importance of airflow to an engine. So we spoke with Edward Hwang. He's been an automotive technician for over 15 years.
Edward Hwang: Edward: You need three basic things in order to have an ignition event. So that's gonna be air, fuel, and spark or something to create an ignition. Air from the atmosphere enters into the engine bay through some sort of ducting, initially hitting the intake air filter through intake tubing, past the throttle body, into the intake manifold where the air is evenly distributed into each individual cylinder, into the combustion chamber past the intake valves. If we increase the airflow to an engine, the engine's computer system will then match that amount of air with the proper amount of fuel. If we increase fuel, we can increase power.
Narrator: And we all know what happens with more power. So how does this putty increase airflow? Well, the answer is literally in the putty.
Gary: The putty is made out of a proprietary silicone polymer and it contains specialized silicone carbide particles and as the process of flowing goes through a part it [has a] honing effect.
Narrator: So, a silicone polymer, the putty, carries an abrasive material, the silicon carbide particles. Let's make this simple and see how the process works on an intake manifold. The intake manifold is responsible for evenly distributing the air into each cylinder of an engine. As the particles are pushed through the intake manifold via hydraulic pressure, they begin sanding or grinding away at buildup and smoothing imperfections. This is what increases airflow and turns your car into a certified speed demon. But, not every time.
Gary: Well, the results will vary depending on the part. If you're starting from scratch, say like a rough unshaped ported head, I mean the results - the improvements could be drastic.
Narrator: But, depending on how much power you're adding to your vehicle increasing the airflow may not be enough.
Edward: So when we talk about airflow, we have to talk about balance. The exhaust has to be considered as well. The engine in its basic form is an air pump. So if we have an increased volume of air coming in we have to be able to reject the spent gases out. So if we have a very large intake but a smaller exhaust diameter, for instance, it can actually choke the engine.
Narrator: So, if you noticed your car losing power over time you may not need that new, fancy turbo to reclaim your precious speed. You may just need to clean out some key parts that help airflow to the engine.