Originally Posted by G10
I guess I still don't get it. High altitude hurts the power? I know baseball players can rope a ball out the park in the thin air... Id think the car would behave similar to the ball. 426hp SS isn't enough power for ya???? I guess you must be a real guru and need a super charger etc. Painfully slow though? Come on.
It's very simple. The engine requires air molecules to mix with fuel vapor for combustion. The closer you get to sea level, the greater density of air molecules there are. More air = more combustion = more power.
As you increase altitude, the number of air molecules decreases rapidly, thus reducing the amount of power your engine will make. Your air fuel mixture will essentially become lopsided.