At any organized car meet, the rules are no speeding, no littering, no revving, and respect other people’s property yeah? Yes, but yet there is always that one annoying person in the clapped out 350Z/G35 with missing bumpers, or that one slow GTI or Civic that is tuned to try and make a baby flame out of the exhaust by constantly revving. Typically driven by one of these creatures:

But then many times if you drive a tuned turbocharged vehicle, you may give into the peer pressure when of group of the same creatures asks you to “2-step eeeeeeet 2-step broooooo c’mon 2-stehhhhhhhhhp”:

Before you know it, you’re breaking the rules at the expense of these creatures, and you are now banned from the event where the organizers make an example of you on social media. We’ve heard the term 2-stepping and anti-lagging which all online keyboard scientists will talk about the differences, but generally they have the same function which we will get to momentarily. But if you asked one of these fellow creatures what 2-stepping is, they will look at you like so without a definitive answer:

 

We are going to discuss 2-stepping and anti-lagging, as well as revving your engine to the moon and how it is all at the expense of your motor and your wallet. And you might think twice about doing it the next time you participate in a rev-off. But first, this gentleman does a great job explaining 2-stepping, launch control, and anti-lagging:

 

 

Everything this guy says in his explanation is correct. As kids, we love fireworks. Our pets, not so much. People like loud exploding things. We are mainly going to discuss how 2-stepping or making flames come out of your exhaust is really bad for the motor, and how 2-stepping noises can be louder than gunshots. And how some people rolling into car meets getting on the 2-step near people trying to enjoy car meets with kids is one of the key reasons why car meet venues get shut down. Aside from the annoyances, let’s talk about how 2-stepping works, and how it is bad for your motor.

 

HOW 2-STEPPING WORKS IN A NUTSHELL

With standalone ECU setups, and even some piggyback units, tuners can essentially set where the first rev-limit can be programmed in the upper RPM range. The reason for this is to allow a load to build high enough to keep your turbocharger spinning at a low PSI range so that the turbocharger will light up as soon as you dump the clutch off the line, or when you release the trans brake or brake pedal on some automatic setups. The second rev limiter is where your rev limit is set so that you’re not revving to the moon. Otherwise, you would blow motors all the time. Take money shifting for example, when drag racers accidentally shift from 1^st, then into 2^nd, and back into 1^st, the load on the engine is so high that it will rev to 11k+ RPM overloading the rev limit, causing all the bearings to be spun, and you’ll need a new motor. So just to rewind, you have essentially 2 rev limiters. The 1^st is to preload the turbo and the engine with boost, and the second is where the actual rev limit is set.

 

WHAT ABOUT DA COOL FLAMES?

During 2-stepping, your cylinders are being filled with fuel that is causing an explosion during combustion. The explosion inside the cylinder, as well as the unburned raw fuel, has nowhere to exit other than through the exhaust valves, through your exhaust manifold, and through the exhaust housing of your turbocharger. If you ever see a car 2-stepping and there are sparks coming out of the exhaust with the flames, that is actually little chips of he exhaust wheel coming off the turbocharger, or it could be chips of your exhaust valves exiting the exhaust.

 

HOW 2-STEPPING AND ANTI-LAGGING HURTS YOUR ENGINE

For example, when you see a car on the dyno that does a long pull in 4^th or 5^th gear, oftentimes the exhaust manifold will start to glow red:

See how hot that is, now imagine how much hotter it is inside the cylinders and especially on your exhaust valves to cause that amount of heat to make your exhaust manifold/header glow. Because anti-lagging or 2-stepping fills up your cylinders with fuel to cause that explosion in the combustion, the heat and fire traveling through your exhaust valves will accelerate much faster when compared to doing a long pull on the dyno.

So why do all drag racers do it if it’s so bad for the motor? Because fuel is what cools the cylinders. And that is why race gas with a higher-octane rating, or ethanol with its naturally high-octane rating is always required in engines running higher boost or engines that make a substantial amount of horsepower. The higher the rating, the cooler the cylinders to avoid detonation and melting your pistons.

Drag racers are on the 2-step right off the line so they are only using it for those brief few seconds so build boost off the line. When blasting down the ¼ mile, the fuel is cooling the valves.

The absolute worst thing you can do with 2-stepping, is pull up to a car meet, get pressured by a bunch of alpacas to 2-step. You do it to make some flames. Alpacas squeal. Then you do it again to make them gallop, then immediately shut the motor off. Shutting the motor off just after 2-stepping is the worst thing you can do. Because your exhaust valves will be glowing red, and you are not letting your engine run for a few minutes after to allow the fuel to cool the cylinders, and you’re not allowing your valves to return back to their natural shape. Yes, 2-stepping for a long period of time will get your exhaust valves so hot that they can bend. This is why you need to drive your car around for a minute to allow them to cool and regain their natural shape.

From the valvetrain side of things, excessive 2-stepping to impress a bunch of alpacas will also chip away the edges of your exhaust valves, which will cause you to lose compression in your engine. Because obviously, you won’t have a proper seal in cylinder pressure. Aside from the risk of bending an exhaust valve from the heat, the heat and explosion can and will eat away at the edges of your exhaust valves if done excessively to make a bunch of alpacas say “broooooooooo” nonstop.

Now let’s talk about how excessive 2-stepping hurts your bearings. During anti-lagging and 2-stepping, the explosion inside of your cylinders is making your rods blast in rotation. So, the bottom of your rod bearings and main bearings are getting pounded. So much so that it can cause enough movement in the bearings to make the bearings spin or lose enough clearances to cause a loss in oil pressure. In this case, you need to pull the engine for a rebuild.

 

OVER-REVVING CONSTANTLY WILL ALSO HURT YOUR NA ENGINE IN THE SAME WAY

Lamborghini Huracans, Aventadors, and other exotic rentals are victims of alpacatry. Or whether it be 350Z’s, Corvettes, or your mother’s Camry, bouncing off the rev limiter so much to make flames is actually the insides of your cat converter melting and shooting out. Over-revving to make a little flame is just excessive heat in your valvetrain burning off fuel, and you are just cooking your exhaust valves. You will eventually lose compression in your motor.

 

OK BOOMER, IS THERE A SAFE WAY TO 2-STEP THEN?

Yes. Make sure that your engine is at optimal running temps. Meaning that the oil and coolant temps are normal before doing anything. Here, you can see the grumpy author 2-step for some kids, but he does it briefly, and he allows the motor to run so that those exhaust valves can cool off.

 

  

 

If you want to 2-step without hurting your motor, do it briefly, and make sure that you either drive after doing so, or let your motor run for a few minutes to allow your engine to cool so that you are not melting your exhaust valves.

 

 

FINAL WORD: IS YOUR ENGINE REALLY WORTH THE ENTERTAINMENT OF ALPACAS?

 

No, it’s not. Excessive over-revving or laying on the 2-step at the risk of your motor to entertain a bunch of alpacas that won’t be paying for your repair bills is not worth it. Now if you’re responsible, have a built engine, and know your limits, it’s okay to do it either through drag racing, or very briefly for just a few flames. Otherwise, is the expense to make a bunch of these guys communicate in “yooooooo”, and “broooooooooooo” while filming you for the gram worth another motor? You decide.

(Anti8)

 

 

CLICK HERE IF YOU’VE 2-STEPPED TOO MUCH