Hard Limiter vs. Soft limiter: Why it is important to know the difference

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You’ve probably heard of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ limiters.

Hard limiters are the ones that you slam into with an unpleasant jerk as the engine’s power cut suddenly.

Soft limiters slow the revs more gradually, like the engine is pushing against a coil spring.

It can be argued that a soft limiter is better for road cars

because it places less stress on various drivetrain components and,

if forced, will hold engine revs at a set maximum rather than delivering that ‘bounce’ you get

if you keep the throttle pinned on a hard limiter.

On the other hand, a hard limiter allows you to get to 1rpm from the figurative wall

before it will cut in, which is better for flat-out racing. Soft limiters begin to rein things in sooner.

A hard limiter cuts either the spark or more commonly the fuel, halting combustion and robbing the engine of all its power in an instant. That’s what creates such a fierce effect when you hit one.

The engine speed drops with a small amout,the power restoes,then gets cut again as it reaches the limiter.

Soft limiters cut the fuel, but do it more gradually, decreasing the engine’s juice supply so it runs increasingly lean, slowing and ultimately halting the engine’s acceleration.

It’s worth noting that if you’re approaching your rev limiter in, say, second, then try to snatch third but get first instead, not even the limiter will be able to prevent sudden doom smashing the engine in the danglies.

The forced overspeed means severe damage is almost inevitable unless you’re onto the clutch like lightning.

You might also lock the driving wheels and fly off the road upside down/backwards/on fire/all of the above.

Variable rev limiters aren’t uncommon these days.

These normally set the maximum revs lower while the car is stationary, for example, or while the engine is still in a warm-up phase.

Mend your motor,you can safely raise the limiter; even the process can do with aftermarket tuning software.

Rev limiters are their to protect the heart of your pride and joy, so it’s best to respect them.

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