# Throttle body spacer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [May 20, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/throttle-body-spacer/30737 "2009-05-20T16:15:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![vinnyg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e47c2d/32.png) [@vinnyg](https://community.cartalk.com/u/vinnyg)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/throttle-body-spacer/30737/1 "2009-05-20T16:15:40Z")
I own a 1997 F150, 4.2 V6,excellent little truck. Recently we picked up a small camper trailer 12’. I was entertaining the idea of installing a throttle body spacer,which claims increased mid range performance and better fuel economy. Do these parts really do the job? I was under the impression that more power equals more fuel consumption. Though we could use a liitle more pulling power!! ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 4:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/throttle-body-spacer/30737/2 "2009-05-20T16:19:25Z")
I smell a scam. If a $20 spacer made such a difference, why isn’t it standard? ---
**Author:** ![vinnyg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e47c2d/32.png) [@vinnyg](https://community.cartalk.com/u/vinnyg)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 4:25pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/throttle-body-spacer/30737/3 "2009-05-20T16:25:21Z")
Well it is not a $20 spacer,from summit racing there are many different models and they run around $100. I was hoping someone would have hard facts about these parts. ---
**Author:** ![Xebadaih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/d07c76/32.png) [@Xebadaih](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Xebadaih)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/throttle-body-spacer/30737/4 "2009-05-20T16:26:44Z")
No $100 bolt/snap in piece is going to make your truck more efficient. Do not buy it. ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 4:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/throttle-body-spacer/30737/5 "2009-05-20T16:27:15Z")
It might work if it was part of a much more extensive set of modifications, but I doubt it can do anything all by itself. It’s hard to increase performance and economy at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![vinnyg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e47c2d/32.png) [@vinnyg](https://community.cartalk.com/u/vinnyg)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 4:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/throttle-body-spacer/30737/6 "2009-05-20T16:39:07Z")
I tend to agree that it should be part of a complete work up and modification,someone has given me the part and being tempted to try it, but it sound like you guys are right!! ---
**Author:** ![JoeMario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3bc359/32.png) [@JoeMario](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoeMario)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 4:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/throttle-body-spacer/30737/7 "2009-05-20T16:47:02Z")
The only way you’ll increase both power and mpg is to violate emission output. It will take lots more than a $100 part to do that. ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 5:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/throttle-body-spacer/30737/8 "2009-05-20T17:21:13Z")
It will work. The only problem is that a throttle body spacer only will not make enough difference in performance or fuel economy to even notice except (maybe) on a dyno. The theory behind them is that they increase the length of the intake runner a bit. This in turn improves the low end torque a bit. A spacer in conjunction with other modifications can help. By itself, it does not do enough to justify the cost. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 6:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/throttle-body-spacer/30737/9 "2009-05-20T18:46:07Z")
If it’s worthless at $20, what’s it make it at $100? If there were ‘hard facts’ to support them, the automakers would do it already, for much less than $20. ---
**Author:** ![circuitsmith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/circuitsmith/32/40376_2.png) [@circuitsmith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/circuitsmith)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 8:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/throttle-body-spacer/30737/10 "2009-05-20T20:14:34Z")
It’s like playing an A vs a B-flat on a tuba. It lowers the resonant frequency of the intake tunnel and moves whatever little bump in the torque curve down a bit. ---
**Author:** ![vinnyg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e47c2d/32.png) [@vinnyg](https://community.cartalk.com/u/vinnyg)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 11:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/throttle-body-spacer/30737/11 "2009-05-20T23:14:05Z")
So by changing the curve slightly is this going to make a change in performance or will it be too small to notice.and what other changes can be made ? ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/throttle-body-spacer/30737/12 "2009-05-20T23:55:58Z")
It will not make any difference that you will physically notice, at all. The only real way you’re going to get noticeable power is by spending a bunch of money. This means intake/exhaust work, cylinder head work, and a new camshaft. Adding a turbo or supercharger bumps the tab up even further. Your best and most inexpensive option if you want more pulling power is to sell the truck and buy one with a V-8 in it. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 7:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/throttle-body-spacer/30737/13 "2009-05-21T19:23:54Z")
These add-ons claim the same benefits as high-rise manifolds. They claim to reduce turbulance below the throttle body thus reducing coalescence and improving flow, maintaining better active surface are per volume of fuel into the cylinders. I don’t “buy it”. The fluid dynamics of modern intakes are pretty well understood and in order to achieve the best possible power/mileage compromises are already designed on. Your intake ports, your injector, and your valve areas and exhaust are already pretty significant constraints and I seriously doubt that a tiny reduction in the post-throttle turbulance could make one iota of difference. And yes, hot rods that use the aforementioned high-rise manifolds accept the compromise of poor mileage. They also open the intake ports and exhaust ports (known as “porting”), use bigger valves and/or open them more and/or longer (high rise and/or high duration cams), use high volume carburators, reduce exhaust restriction with headers, and a few other tricks to get more power. Save you rmoney. Put it in the bank.