Engine Masters

Camshaft Specs Explained

Ever wonder what those camshaft specification numbers really mean and how they affect engine performance? This episode o

Cooling Fan Shoot-Out

Usually on this show, we are all about making more horsepower, but on this episode of Engine Masters presented by Amsoil

DIY Cylinder Head Porting Gains 92 Horsepower!

This episode of Engine Masters presented by AMSOIL reinforces the fact that Steve Dulcich is not just the guy in the bac

Straight Exhaust vs. H-Pipe vs. X-Pipe!

This episode of Engine Masters presented by AMSOIL delivers the goods many viewers have asked for as we test the power o

Engine Masters meets the Roadkill Rotson Turbo 5.0!

This episode of Engine Masters presented by AMSOIL we take the Roadkill Rotsun and find out how much power that bone sto

Best Cheap Chevy 350 Mods—Dyno-Proven!

On this episode of Engine Masters presented by AMSOIL, we explore an ancient scenario but still one of the most-asked te

Supercharger Tuning and Proven Performance

There’s nothing we love more for big torque and visual impact that a good ol’ antiquated roots supercharger! This ti

How Much Boost Can a Stock Engine Take?

On this episode of Engine Masters presented by Amsoil, find out if you can stuff 25 psi of boost into a cast-piston, sto

Air Filter Horsepower Shootout!

If you’ve ever wanted to know if a car’s high-performance air filter makes a difference, or if your small filter is

Cylinder Head Games–How Big Is Too Big?

We test the long-standing internet theory that too big of an intake port kills bottom-end torque. Watch us take the mild

Do Roller Rocker Arms Add Horsepower?

One of the most common valvetrain upgrades for pushrod-style engines is roller rocker arms, which are often said to incr

Gas vs. E85: Power and Pros & Cons

On this episode of Engine Masters presented by AMSOIL, we test the power differences between 118-octane race gas and Roc

Chevy 350 vs. Ford 351!

This time on Engine Masters presented by AMSOIL, it’s a horsepower battle with the world’s most popular classic V-8s

How Oil Kills Power!

On this episode of Engine Masters presented by AMSOIL, we explain how oil kills power—because it’s not about synthet

Intakes for Torque Vs. Horsepower

It’s back to basics this time on this episode of Engine Masters presented by AMSOIL, with a comparison of dual-plane v

Turbo LS the Right Way!

There is no hotter engine package these days than the turbocharged GM LS-Series V-8. Many people have proven that you ca

If Accessories Could Kill

You asked and we're here to answer! On this episode of Engine Masters presented by AMSOIL, we take our small-block Chevy

598ci of Torque Vs. Horsepower!

Get ready for “no replacement for displacement” with a massive 598ci BluePrint Engines crate big-block Chevy! On thi

1,500hp Junkyard Short-block!

A junkyard Chevy LS engine with a turbo—it’s a dime-a-dozen concept these days, but how big can it go? To find out,

What’s the Best Intake for Nitrous Oxide?

More myths shattered! For decades, street/strip racers have been told not to run nitrous-oxide injection on the most com

Efi Vs. Carbs Redux!!

This time, our episode of Engine Masters presented by AMSOIL is for the purists. It’s for the ones who disputed our Ep

200-MPH Horsepower!

This episode of Engine Masters presented by AMSOIL is very personal to host David Freiburger, since it’s his own race

Stock Vs. Built Vs. Boost Vs. Both

In the modern world of bulletproof bottom ends, boost has become the go-to for bolt-on power. But is it really the best

SBC Dual-plane Shootout

This time on Engine Masters presented by Amsoil, we go head-to-head-to-head-to-head to find the best dual-plane for your

Heat Kills Power—the How and Why

This time on Engine Masters presented by Amsoil, we explore what we’ve always known: Increased engine temperature decr

Carb Size Matters

On this episode of Engine Masters presented by AMSOIL, we take the mystery out of carburetor selection. More air means m

Hot in, Cool Out—Intercooler Vs. Water/Methanol Injection for Turbos

On this episode of Engine Masters presented by AMSOIL, David Freiburger, Steve Dulcich, and special guest Richard Holden

Pressure Testing the “Blower Manifold” Debate

On this episode of Engine Masters presented by AMSOIL, David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich welcome back Richard Holdener

Tuning in the Tune-up

How much effort have you put into tuning your carb and ignition? We’re always talking about ignition timing and air/fu

Hydraulic Vs. Solid Lifters: the Redux!

This time, the comparison features 100-percent more hydraulic cam! Last round we compared hydraulic and solid roller lif

$40 Muffler Shootout

Budget mufflers. What do you get for $40? How do they sound and how much power do they kill? On this episode of Engine M

Battle of the Budget Fuel Pumps

How much fuel pump power does your motor need? This time on Engine Masters presented by AMSOIL, we investigate the limit

You're Gonna Need a Bigger Plenum...

Well, maybe. This time on Engine Masters, presented by AMSOIL, we dive into what effect changes to your intake manifold'

Big-Inch, Big-Power, Big-Block Manifold Shootout

This time on Engine Masters presented by AMSOIL, David Freiburger, Steve Dulcich, and Steve Brule´, go on the hunt for

The 440 You Can Afford

You’ve known and loved the 440 for as long as we have, and haven’t been able to afford a proper muscle car 440 in ju

Rod Ratio Examined

Finally, after all these episodes, the Engine Masters crew set out to test the effects of running long rods versus short

Cheap Carb Showdown

On this episode of Engine Masters presented by AMSOIL, we found out which cheap carbs produce the most expensive results

Pantastic News!

On this episode of Engine Masters presented by Amsoil, David and the Steves flip things upside down to find out how much

Iron Vs. Aluminum Heads: a Study of Heat

Advances in Cam Timing

Changing the installed centerline of your camshaft will create a shift in when your valves open and close. On this episo

Free Valvetrain Tuning for More Power!

Got a solid cam? Well, have we got some free ponies for you! By experimenting with your lash adjustments, you can effect

Single vs. Dual Exhaust

Once again, ladies and gentlemen, you asked and we delivered! The question was simple yet timeless: "Which makes more po

Carb Spacers: Gimmick or Gold?

This time on Engine Masters, presented by AMSOIL, we deliver on a question that fans have been asking for years: “Will

The Mystery of the Great 4/7 Swap

On this episode of Engine Masters, presented by AMSOIL, we put more power claims to the test! This time it's the belief

Windsor Manifold Showdown

Ford fans, listen up! It’s your turn to get schooled in the art of intake manifold selection. On this episode of Engin

1,500 HP, the Blown and Squeezed BBC Way!!

1,500 horsepower!!! Need we say more?! We take 555 BBC and the Blower Shop then test the difference in power between gas

Engine Personality Test: Camshaft LSA Explained

On this episode of Engine Masters, presented by AMSOIL, we dive into one of the most commonly confusing elements of cams

The Turbo MoHo 4-4-0

You've seen the treasured motorhome 440 before, but not like this! We explore the myriad gains you can find on a sickly,

Welcome to a Day at the Dyno!

On this episode of Engine Masters, presented by AMSOIL, the guys guide you through the basics of bringing your motor to

Throwing Sparks: the Great Ignition Debate

On Engine Masters, presented by AMSOIL, the crew answers the high-voltage question of whether upgrading an ignition syst

Tuning the Tubes: Why Header Collector Length Matters

The guys from Engine Masters, presented by AMSOIL, fit the COVID-350 with progressively shorter header collectors to see

One THOUSAND Horsepower. Naturally Aspirated. Period.

Engine Masters, presented by AMSOIL, follows the build of Freiburger's 582ci BBC in his quest for 1,000 NA horsepower. A

ZOOMIES!! A Novelty Header Shootout!

Whether they’re Zoomies, Lakes, Tri-Ys, or Fenderwell headers, some pipes are just gotta-haves. On this episode of Eng

Less Weight to Rotate!! Diet Testing the Rotating Mass

Everybody knows that a lighter car is a faster car. On this episode of Engine Masters, presented by AMSOIL, the guys see

Headers for Boost!!

The common knowledge is that a boosted motor acts just like an oversized version of the NA motor. On Engine Masters, pre

Tunnel Ram vs. Cross Ram! The Old School Dual Quad Shootout

It's another battle of old-school cool here on Engine Masters, presented by AMSOIL, where the guys bolt tunnel-ram and c

1,000 HP Muffler Showdown!!

So you wanna street-drive your 1,000 HP monster. You'll need a muffler for the street that will also wring every horsepo

Small-Block vs. Big-Block. How Do You Want YOUR 500 hp?!

On Engine Masters, presented by AMSOIL, the guys break down two very different engines that both make very similar 500-h

Dulcich's Quest for Slant 6 Greatness!

On Engine Masters, presented by AMSOIL, Steve Dulcich puts his Leaning Tower of Power to the test to see if it lives up

The Great Blower Cam Debate

The guys put claims about blower cams to the test with their new 363ci small-block Ford. They'll run similarly spec’d

Engine Masters go to School on the Gen III Hemi

It's uncharted territory on this episode of Engine Masters, presented by AMSOIL. After years of willing dismissal and di

Do Cylinder Heads Matter Under Boost?

On Engine Masters, presented by AMSOIL, the crew dives into how cylinder head flow and boost affect horsepower. They run

Does Octane Make Power?

The guys run tests with 87, 91, 110, 116 and even E85 to see if higher octane makes more power, and if an engine's optim

The Blow-Through Battle: Carb v. TBI

On Engine Masters, presented by AMSOIL, the guys put a Demon 650 blow-through carb up against Holley's new Super Sniper

Mandrel- v. Crunch-Bent Exhaust

The guys find out if mandrel-bent exhaust pipes really make more power over the crimped and crunched pipes the local sho

Oil Filter Shootout

As unsexy as it is, protecting an engine starts with the oil and filter. On Engine Masters, presented by AMSOIL, the cre

Carb Hats for Blowers

Since the dawn of supercharging, compressed air has been stuffed through carburetors, and it's as true now as it was bac

Roots Blower Testing!

The crew is on the hunt for two things. First, they're searching for low air temps and big HP numbers as they compare th

Is Intake Manifold Port Matching Worth It?

Does port matching an intake manifold create enough power to justify the cost? On Engine Masters, the crew is going to f

Dyno Testing for Real Life!

When it comes right down to it, nothing that happens on the dyno matters until you get the engine in the car. Today on E

4150 v. 4500 - The Battle of the Holley Carbs

Holley carbs have been known for years as the standard by which all racing carbs are measured, but today's question is t

Does Compression Make Power?

Does compression make power? The easy answer is yes, but the answers we're looking for today have more to do with how it

Mopar Muscle Showdown!

It's a battle between the iconic 440 Six Pack and the legendary 426 Hemi, and we're settling age-old bets on this one. D

Screaming 8K RPM!!

We're taking trips to the moon as we test different combos on a 331ci small Chevy. Starting with an excellent little com

It's the Oil Pump Pump-Off!!

Sounds boring, we know. But if you're like us, you've always chosen an oil pump based on some knee-jerk instinct. It's t

Exhaust for Turbos - The Dos and Dont's

We all know that adding any sort of restrictor -- like a muffler -- is going to hurt power on a turbo motor. We also kno

The Wedge Head Shootout!!

We love our big-block Mopars here at Engine Masters, and we've finally put together a horsepower-per-dollar comparison o

Hilborn Stacks!

You've seen them, you've drooled over them, and you may have even run them. We dive into the wavy waters of individual r

Choosing Fuel: Which Barrel Is Right for You?

The guys study the fueling demands, horsepower, and the pros and cons of running 116 octane gasoline, E85, methanol and

Water-Meth Injection: Is It Cooler Than the Intercooler??

The guys explore the cooling benefits of water-methanol injection. They'll be looking at any added tolerance to detonati

Cold Air Considerations

We've done air filter shootouts before, but none like this. On this episode of Engine Masters, it's all about finding th

Nitrous for Noobs - The 150 Shot Walkthrough

We dive into the fundamentals of the cheapest, easiest and most effective way to give your motor some grunt: nitrous oxi

The Split Duration Decision

We explore the differences between single and split-duration camshafts. Can the extended exhaust duration of the split p

5.9 Magnum Intake Shootout

It's finally time for some 5.9 Magnum action! This is the easiest Mopar V8 to score out of the junkyard, and we're shoot

The Piston Pin Offset Flip -- Is It a Flop?

Some claim it makes more power, others say it helps an engine rev more quickly, but can the simple flopping of a piston'

General Mayhem 440 Returns

We strap the General Mayhem 440 on the dyno to make some decisions on which intake and headers to run in the car, but al

A Crash Course in Valve Float

We all know valve float as the evil that lurks beyond the redline, the dreaded robber of horsepower and destroyer of val

Holley Carb Tuning Tips

The Holley 4150 has been the gold standard for performance since it was released to the aftermarket in the '60s. Seeming

Slant-Six Manifold Shootout!!

Driven by lunacy as much as novelty, Dulcich is at it again with his slant-six tomfoolery. With goals of his 225ci monst

Rectangle vs. Cathedral Ports for LS Power!!

A debate has raged in the LS community for years about the difference in power potential between dime-a-dozen cathedral

The Battle of the Gen III Hemis!!

We're battling two iterations of the 5.7 Gen III Hemi, the '03-08 vs. the '09-current, and we're learning a TON in the p

SBF Intake Shootout!

The Windsor family finally gets its turn at an intake shootout! The test mule is a Dart-based Windsor, and it's just beg

Solid Lifter Cam Comparo - Roller v Flat Tappet!

It's the age-old battle of power v price, but is it as simple as all that? Are you really giving up significant power by

Manifolds or Headers for Your Turbo LS?

Are your cast manifolds enough to keep up with your turbo motor? And at what point should you be running proper headers?

Does Fuel Temperature Matter??

One fuel, two fuel, hot fuel, cool fuel. If you think that was a mouthful, just wait until you hear what our guys have t

Measuring the Max Wedge for a Street 440

The Mopar Max Wedge head was once considered all but unobtanium. The aftermarket has finally come to the rescue, making

Do Header Wraps Work?

You've seen them all over. On vintage race cars, trophy trucks, motorcycles, and even—for some reason—street cars. T

Which Ram? All the Rams?!

So you've got an LS and you need to make a choice on an intake. Chances are high you're looking at some version of Holly

Manifold Shootout for the Carbureted LS Crowd

For all the folks out there opting to run a carburetor on the new-fangled LS, we have six different manifolds to sandwic

Exhaust Cutouts

You've seen them around for years, you may have considered running them, you may even have them on your car right now. B

Every Trick in the Book

How much hidden power is lurking in your existing engine combination? We're here to show you how to find it without buyi

Low Buck SBC Head Shootout

No matter how many LS swaps are out there, the old-school SBC is still an absolute force in the marketplace. On this epi

Pick-a-Carb Shootout

This test is all about choosing the features you want and need on your carburetor, and how those features affect horsepo

Single Pattern vs. Split Pattern Cams

Same test, new twist. We've tested single V-split pattern cams before on Engine Masters and concluded that a split patte

Oil Pumps for Power?!

We all know oil pressure is critical. Not enough can leave you broken, and too much can have you springing leaks. But ca

Quest for F-Rod Greatness

What do you do when your 800-horsepower 572 just won't get you consistent eight-second passes in your '31 Model A? Well,

Six Pack Shootout!!

It's arguably the coolest carb configuration of all time. The 3x2 setup on the six pack was designed to supply part-thro

The Magic of the Flex Fuel Sensor

With the power potential of E85 available only at limited gas stations, having the ability to run a blend of gasoline an

The Leaker Episode

Do boost leaks really even matter? Can vacuum leaks make more power? You read those questions right. Come be surprised r

Wet vs. Dry Nitrous

So you've decided to run nitrous on your EFI manifold and need to know how a wet system stacks up against a dry system.

Carb v. EFI: The Multipoint Edition

We've been covering the battle of carburetor versus EFI as far back as Episode 2 of Engine Masters. In this edition, mul

Blown v. NA - Two Ways to 1,000 hp

One thousand horsepower is becoming all too common these days, and all too accessible. With such staggering numbers so w

Tunnel Ram Battle: Single v. Dual Quad

As a longtime soapbox-shouter of tunnel-ram greatness, David Freiburger is constantly peppered with questions about runn

Air-to-Air Intercooler, Now With CO2!!

Hot intake air temps are bad, and cold IATs are good, right? But how bad is bad, and how good is good, especially in a b

High vs. Low Injectors

Our testing has repeatedly shown that carbs make more peak power than EFI, and our explanation is based on the fuel's ab

Tank Testing for Air-to-Water Intercoolers

Exploring the effects of different sized water tanks and their ability to keep the intake charge colder longer; air-to-w

The Throttle-Body Throwdown!

The crew compares 90 mm and 105 mm forward-facing throttle bodies against one another, and then to 2000 cfm worth of top

Bellmouth Power

Call it a velocity stack, a radiused entry, or even a salad bowl, the bellmouth is designed to direct and smooth the air

Sequential vs. Batch Fire EFI

The reputations of sequential and batch-fire injection styles each carry when it comes to overall power; the guys explor

One Cam, Three Ways

Cam specs are cam specs, right? Wrong! The guys show you how three seemingly identical cams can behave very differently.

Straight Talk About Spark Plugs

The crew examines the power of different types of spark plugs, such as ones with fancy metal tips or extra ground straps

Exhaust Tech: Header Primary Length

The guys explore how the length of header primary tubes can affect the power curve, and look at how engines expel exhaus

Cams: How Small Is Too Small?

The bigger the cam, the higher the curve, right? Well, there's some truth to that, but what about when you're talking ab

When Headers Don't Matter

Steve Dulcich has posed the theory that headers don't matter nearly as much when paired with a small cam as they do with

Big-Block Chevy Dual Plane Shootout!

Listen up, street drivers of big-block Chevys, this is the shootout for you! With so many average power, cruiser level,

The Weight of Oil

With so many oil weights and combinations on the market, the crew sets out to show how different weights behave, perform

Keep Your Fuel Cool!!

Why does colder fuel make more power? How can you consistently keep fuel temps down, and what difference will it really

The Surprising Findings of the Air Filter Shootout

We've all run the standard 14-inch round filter in the past and wondered every time if there's any difference between th

Proper Pushrods & Sufficient Springs

Can your pushrods or valve springs affect your power production, even when valve float isn't a problem? This promises to

The Nitrous Plate Debate

The spray-bar style nitrous plate has been the standard forever, which begs two questions: can it be improved upon, and

BBF Intake Manifold Comparison

We've done an intake manifold comparison on nearly every American big and small block platform, and at long last it's bi

Heat Management

Whether it comes from exhaust, transmission or any of your other heat-generating components, isolating and separating he

A Study in O2 Sensors and AFR Readings

Standalone air/fuel ratio gauges have changed the game when it comes to tuning carbureted engines, with a world of possi

Controlling the Hit

A 200-hp shot of nitrous is really no big deal as long as you do it right, so we show you how to do it right. We test a

BIG CFM Shootout

Freiburger's 582 big block Chevy is back! And this time we're using it to shoot out 1050, 1250 and 1450 cfm Dominators.

Sniper 2 the Rescue

Holley recently debuted the second iteration of its throttle body EFI system, and we're here to see if it's any better t

Port v Plate Nitrous Injection

Does a 300 shot of nitrous sound like a lot, or like you're just getting started? That's one way to tell if you should b

The Exhaust Duration Equation

We're diving back into the intricacies of camshaft grinds. This time, we're exploring not just split-duration cams, but

Header Science: Step vs. Merge

We all know there's invisible voodoo that can make or rob power in an exhaust system. The guys explore the merits of ste