Wan't something quicker - sell the car and buy something that is...
Automakers are usually more eager to improve gas mileage and keep maintenance costs low than to maximize performance, but if you want to bring out your vehicle's inner hot rod, there are a few ways you can increase the horsepower,
1
Reduce the weight of the car.
2
Upgrade to a free-flowing exhaust system.
3
Use test piping. Research "cutback" systems for purchase, also sometimes called "test piping".
4
Upgrade to a free-flow aftermarket air filter. It's also a good idea to buy a free-flow air filter that fits your car and install it to slightly increase your HP. It's not a big change,
5
Research turbocharge and supercharge options. Installing a supercharger in a large-block engine, or a turbocharger in a smaller-block,
Muffler's and exhaust won't do anything but make you look like a wannabe. If you want to boost horsepower you need to up the compression. If you don't want to add a turbo get a beefier cam and headers to compliment your exhaust as well as a new tune to go with your upgrades. Of course now you will most likely not pass smog if thats a thing in your area.
The next step I would go would be a performance tuner. These will help unlock some more horsepower and help get even more horsepower from your already installed mods. Just make sure you get a one from a real company like Diablo Motorsports, SCT, etc. You can also try installing a different gear ratio this well help with off the line acceleration.
There is more than one way to increase performance.
You can strip weight from the vehicle so the power-to-weight ratio increases and/or you can increase the engine output.
If you want to boost your power, I suggest setting up a budget and a plan for what your ultimate goal will be. Forced induction is a great way to boost power but it is not cheap. Bolt-on modifications are less expensive and easier to do but don't increase power that much in comparison. You can also keep the engine naturally aspirated but do internal engine modifications such as increased compression ratio, more aggressive camshafts, porting & polishing the cylinder heads, etc. That is also not cheap but will net you better power gains.
cam, heads, crank, headers, forced induction
those are the big things to increase horsepower. or you could just swap it out for a bigger engine (no replacement for displacement ;) )
Increase airflow, horsepower will follow.
I have a lexus is250 and I have done minor modifications to other cars like add a air intake, remove mufflers, change the exhaust system and other minor changes but what else can I do?
Is there anything besides those or turbo/super chargers, performance chips and nitrous oxide?
