The Accufab Power Stroke Intake Elbow - Elbowing the Competition

In the search for performance, racers learned a long time ago that improving airflow in and out of the engine generally results in more power under your right foot. Over time, this theory has gone from the racetrack to the street, in both the car and truck markets. And while there are some elaborate induction systems costing hundreds or thousands of dollars, there are also simple and cost-effective ways to unlock extra power from your existing combination.

One such component is the new Power Elbow from Accufab, which is designed to increase power and engine life on '05-'06 Ford 6.0 diesel engines. It retails for $159 for the unpolished and $179 for the fancy polished version (shown). A similar unit is also available for '03-'04 models. Best of all, installation is simple and takes just minutes.

"The reason for developing this product was to reduce inlet backpressure," states George Klass of Accufab. "The Power Elbow replaces the stock elbow, which has a sharp turn in it and restricts flow. Our elbow helps to improve inlet airflow, but more importantly, it reduces backpressure and that lowers exhaust gas temperature (EGT). Over time, high EGT can cause engine problems, especially when towing," adds Klass. "We saw a huge drop in inlet temperature too, because there was less restriction. The gain in power was secondary."

Ford Performance Trucks wanted to put the Power Elbow to the test, so we headed to JDM Engineering in Freehold, New Jersey, to run one on a Power Stroke 6.0. We strapped JDM's own '06 F-350 Dually to the Dynojet to first establish a baseline. Jim D'Amore of JDM didn't have a "tune" in the truck, but he did go into the computer to lock the torque converter for the purpose of dyno testing. His F-350 spun the Dynojet to a peak of 274.47 hp and 447.15 lb-ft of torque.

With the truck still on the dyno, we removed the stock elbow and installed the Accufab unit. First we removed the inlet tube and four retaining bolts. Once the stock elbow was removed, we could look inside and see the restriction right in the center of the short-turn radius. In this case, the restriction is a sharp edge in the casting, which causes the air to make an abrupt turn. In contrast, the Accufab elbow features a smoother turn that allows for improved airflow and less restriction. Ultimately, it took longer to photograph the parts than it did to complete the swap.

With the Power Elbow installed, we fired up the 6.0, checked the engine and oil temp, and made a few pulls to see if anything changed. Lo and behold, we unlocked 9.33 hp and a generous 17.63 lb-ft of torque at the peak. On average, the Power Stroke picked up 5-10 hp and 5-15 lb-ft of torque from just off idle to 4,000 rpm.

Yet another gain may come in fuel economy, as Klass states that a 1-2 increase in mpg has been reported. This is good news for 6.0 owners, who can power for less than $200. Having more towing muscle on tap is nice, and of course you'll be doing better burnouts, too.