Do you want to know how to rev a car?
Revving a car is not entirely bad; it can help fix some of your car’s minor issues and help circulate the oil lubricating your car. However, it can pose a series of problems too.
This article will help you understand the pros and cons of revving a car and how to do it without damaging your engine.
What Does It Mean to Rev a Car?
If you increase your car’s engine speed to match its sound as it accelerates, you can say you have revved your car.
As you press down the gas pedal, the engine sound will get loud; the more you step down on the pedal, the more audible the sound will get, which means the rev is increased.
The main objective of revving a car is to boost engine oil circulation. This is derived from racing cars where higher RPM(revolution per minute) is needed for sufficient oil circulation.
Other mobile engines also adopt the concept of revving. For example, sports motorcycles rev before taking off. It is necessary for an efficient oil flow in the engine and increases the engine performance.
The revolution you are making will display on the tachometer on your dashboard.
If you have a charging problem, revving can help boost your car battery. It is beneficial, especially after jumpstarting a car; it will help to keep the charged battery.
During cold weather or low temperatures, revving will help heat up the engine to bring it up and maintain an ideal working temperature before moving the car.
The car cabin also benefits from this because it helps bring in heat during hash cold situations.
Also Read: How to Perform Neutral Safety Switch Bypass (Step by Step)
How to Rev a Car Engine
1. Start the Car
Start the car engine, and let it run for a while. Remember, oil has to circulate in the engine before revving it. Don’t put the gear in neutral; allow it to be in the park. Put on the emergency brake for safety purposes.
2. Push the Accelerator
Calmly step on the accelerator pedal and monitor as the RPM increases. Observe the tachometer to ensure the needle is maintained below and not above the red line.
You may either hold down the accelerator pedal or hold down, release, and repeat. It just depends on what you want to achieve.
When you are done, remove your leg from the accelerator pedal, disengage the emergency brake and engage the gear to get you moving.
Check out this video for more tips on how to rev a car properly.
Is It Bad to Rev Your Car?
Revving your car engine is necessary, especially during cold weather, which will help warm up the engine to the right temperature and get the battery charging.
Meanwhile, you must carry out the rev with great caution and carefulness. You do not want the needle to move beyond the red line. This could damage the engine.
How to Rev a Car Safely With Manual Transmission?
Manual transmission cars require a good level of carefulness during revving. This is because too much revving could potentially damage the engine; you will have to be cautious of your actions.
Below are steps on how to rev a car with manual transmission safely.
- You should first know when it is right to start the RPM increase, considering your car type and the terrain you will be driving on.
- To elaborate on the above point, let us assume you are to drive on a steep hill; this would mean you should maintain low speed until you have overcome the hills.
- Be careful not to rev high near crowded areas.
- Ensure that nothing is wrong with your car and that the engine should be in good condition.
- If the terrain ahead is flat and smooth, then accelerating or driving at a higher speed won’t be such an issue.
- Be careful when shifting or changing gears, do not do it aggressively; else, you can cause damage to the car engine. Calmly change the gear to your desired position.
- You should only rev your engine after putting the gear on the reverse or first gear. Avoid carrying out a rev when the gear is on neutral. You cause damages by doing so.
What Are the Pros of Revving a Car?
There are lots of good reasons why you should rev your car. Below are some of these reasons.
1. Increased Power and Speed
When you rev your car, the RPM will increase, and that will cause an increase in power and car speed.
2. Greater Engine Response
Your car engine will be able to respond to commands at any given time. This will be beneficial when you want to start your car or when you want to accelerate past other vehicles while driving.
3. Noise and Exhaust Smoke
Some people enjoy hearing their car roar when they step on the throttle pedal; revving your car can help create that roaring sound with some exhaust smoke.
What Are the Cons of Revving a Car?
Just like there were good reasons for revving a car, there are also dangers associated with it.
1. Loud Noise and Exhaust Smoke
Noise is a form of air population that can be very uncomfortable to most people; it can also affect the ear and cause ear damage, especially if you are close to the noise source.
Exhaust smoke is also toxic to the environment. It affects humans, plants, and the ecosystem. All these can come from revving a car.
2. Car Damage
Revving your car will have effects on your car engine. It can cause the engine to shut down or break down. It’s important to know the consequences of revving your car before performing this action.
How to Rev a Car Safely While Driving?
It is quite more complex to rev while driving, unlike when parked. The car has to be stable and not swerve while driving.
Also, you need extra carefulness because the smoke from your exhaust could blind an oncoming car, and you could get hit or create an accident.
The following steps will assist you and ensure you are safe when carrying out a rev while driving.
- Ensure that you are not driving near other moving cars to avoid accidents due to the blurriness the smokes could bring.
- You should do this in an open environment with no obstruction or accident.
- Ensure that your car engine is in good condition; else, you may face the risk of severe engine damage.
What Causes Engine to Rev High While Driving?
There could be too much RPM if there is no control over how the engine runs. Also, if the transmission power gets faulty or leaks out fluid, the rev will be higher because of the problems in the torque converter.
Is It Bad to Rev Your Engine in Park?
Revving your engine in park is a bad idea; however, there are some benefits to doing this.
Revving the engine helps force fuel into the cylinder so that there is enough fuel for when you rerun the engine. Therefore, revving your car engine saves it from wear and tear while ensuring that the engine runs smoothly.
You save both fuel and the environment by revving your car; unlike someone who doesn’t do so, you are at a better advantage. Because those who do not rev their vehicle will burn lots of fuel just to kick start the car.
This will help reduce the cost of buying gasoline and protect the environment from the emission of toxic elements.
Revving your car will also save you from unnecessary car repairs or maintenance and boost the engine’s efficiency. The gas mileage won’t be affected by this.
Since the primary problem of revving a car is engine damage or related damages, or perhaps the fear of getting a ticket, the following rules can help you carry out the rev without these problems.
- Your engine should only be revved for 15 seconds at a time. Anything over that is bad for the engine.
- When carrying out a rev, your car should be in park to avoid sudden movements or steer wheel kickback.
With the above rules in conjunction with driving safely and obeying all driving rules, you will enjoy revving your car and being safe from most fears and disadvantages.
Also Read: How To Jump Fuel Pump Relay On A Chevy Truck (Step By Step)
What Is ‘Rev Hang’ and Why Do Drivers Hate It?
The rev of your car will drop whenever you dip the clutch. This is because of the flywheel inertia and the poor air in the intake while releasing the throttle.
When the clutch is finally released, the engine speed will return to its original state with transmission speed will also be reached.
When the clutch is engaged, the engine speed doesn’t drop immediately but instead descends very slowly and may even rise a little. This is called rev hang.
This is not the way changing gear should behave. The engine speed must drop simultaneously with clutch dipping. If not, something is wrong between the flywheel rotation and the rate at which the friction plate is rotating.
This will cause jerking and make it difficult to make a quick gear change because you will have to have patience till the rev goes down to a certain level before making another gear shift.
Essentially, rev hang is necessary to prevent emissions and save the environment from the toxic carbon emissions from car exhausts.
Car manufacturers have implemented the ECU programming to help achieve rev hang. The ECU is programmed to open the throttle more than it should be in other to complete it.
It has been observed that throttle close can bring about a gas pressure spike in the crankcase and increase the emission coming from the engine. On the other hand, a sudden shutting off the throttle can affect the fuel mixture and make it lean.
To get a clean emission, the throttle should be open for a while after releasing the pedal; this is why car manufacturers have to incorporate the rev hang system. This rev hang has also been part of some old cars, such as the VW and Subaru’s WRX STI.
However, the need to rev hang a car can be reduced using the positive crankcase ventilation valve. This also ensures that the high pressure experienced within the crankcase is eliminated.
When you want to change the gear, the positive crankcase ventilation valve helps monitor and regulate the crankcase pressure or pressure around the crankcase that can cause high-level fluctuations.
For example, there could be a blow-by occurrence in the internal combustion engine, which happens when the gases from the piston rings travel to the crankcase.
When this happens, the positive crankcase ventilation valve will help eliminate the blow-by fumes from the crankcase; hence the high pressure will be reduced.
Meanwhile, you ought to be aware that having a functioning rev hang system can help you pass an emission test and save your car’s oil level.
However, petrol heads see it as an obstacle to fun driving. Throttle control system reprogramming can give you all you desire, from rev hang elimination to smooth gear change and comfortable driving.
Frequently Asked Questions – How to Rev a Car
Do You Rev a Car in Neutral or Park?
It’s OK to rev your engine in neutral/park, but not when it’s cold. Also, make sure to turn off the rev limiter. If you rev too much, you can damage your engine.
Is It Safe to Rev a Car?
It is not safe to rev your car engine when it has not had enough time to warm up. This is because the engine oil has not circulated enough, and there’s poor lubrication within the engine parts.
How Do You Rev a Car Without Moving It?
Press down the gas pedal and hold it there while the car is parked and the hand brakes are engaged.
Is It Ok to Rev in Neutral?
When in neutral, the excessive revving of your car engine can result in the engine overheating. Overheating will damage your car engine. Therefore calm and moderate revving will not harm the engine.
Can Revving Your Engine Cause a Fire?
Overheating causes fire; when your car overheats, maybe due to rev, the fuel line will start melting and burning. This will result in a fire outbreak and other engine damage as well.