MAKE YOUR CAR SHOOT FLAMES FOR $60

Shooting flames from out your car's exhaust is a most wanted mod, have a look at how you can do it for just $60.

Making your car shoot flames is an impressive mod that has surfaced in the past couple of years, becoming one of the most wanted modifications for in 2020. But, the truth is, you want to do it properly the first time or risk wrecking your engine completely.

To understand how it's done normally, is by retarded ignition timing. Unless you own a rotary, your engine likely produces a four-stroke engine cycle. Basically, your intake valve opens, letting in oxygen as your piston goes down to create a vacuum. Then, the intake valve closes, creating pressure as the piston comes back up. At its peak pressure, your injector squirts petrol in the pressurised chamber and your sparkplug ignites it, which forces the cylinder back down. When the cylinder surfaces again the exhaust valve opens and releases the gasses out through the exhaust pipe.

The valve timing in these cycles are perfectly timed by your camshaft. However, when you need some exhaust flames in your life, the best way to do this is to allow the exhaust valve to stay open longer, while simultaneously injecting more fuel. The heat from the exhaust will ignite this excess unburnt fuel, creating flames and some ear-piercing pops and bangs! 

All you will need for this is some specialised software that you load on the car's computer or ECU. If you want to go further, you can even upgrade your camshaft and have the timing set up in such a way that it allows the exhaust valves to stay open even longer, but software and camshafts are quite pricy, to say the least.

But, isn't there a cheaper way to spit flames from your car? Technically, yes there is. Ever seen 2 Fast 2 Furious? Nope, that was not Nitrous Oxide creating those flames from the exhaust, that was just movie magic. They created those impressive flames by installing a custom propane gas tank system, connected to the exhaust, that they then ignited with an electronic switch. They even added some LED lighting to change the colour of the exhaust flames. This install would be incredibly cheap to do, and it'll get you some street cred – even if it's cheating – but know this, it is incredibly dangerous. Rather leave these flames for the movie magic professionals and get your exhaust flames done the right way by taking your car in for a tune by a professional car software company.

Take a look at the video below by YouTube channel, Donut Media, on how they made their Mazda MX-5 Miata shoot exhaust flames for $60. They also go through the theory of doing it the correct way and, just for giggles, show you the propane method.

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