Clever Breathing: How Suzuki’s Multi-Stage Induction Gives You More Power With Less Fuel
Made famous by the Suzuki DF150 and 150 AP and now in all larger outboards, this is how Multi-Stage Induction works to give more power and save you fuel
More torque at takeoff and low speeds. More airflow for performance at high rpm. And max fuel economy for your boat at all stages. Suzuki Multi-Stage Induction is such an important technology that, since its introduction in the DF150s some years ago, it’s now standard in all larger Suzuki outboards.
But what is Multi-Stage Induction? And how does it save you fuel? By automatically delivering just the right airflow to the engine at just the right time, your motor achieves the perfect type of burn, delivering more power with less fuel. Here’s what you need to know.
WHY AIRFLOW IS SUPER IMPORTANT FOR YOUR OUTBOARD MOTOR
Engines are, in one way, very much like any living thing. They need air to operate. And you might already know that a lot of effort goes into ensuring Suzuki outboards breathe better than other engines. Suzuki outboards feature patented Direct Intake designs, systems to keep water out of the air intake – like the Dual Louvre system in the new DF325s and DF350s – and, when it comes to Multi-Stage Induction outboards, they have two air intake manifolds, too.
It’s because the air is super important for how your motor runs. Every stroke of your engine aims to deliver the optimal amount of air with just the right amount of fuel to give you a specific kind of burn. You might want your engine to accelerate faster, or hold a constant speed while you’re trolling – all of these needs a specific air intake and speed. And that’s where Multi-Stage Induction comes in.
AIR-INTAKE: THE DRAG RACE EXAMPLE
Multi-Stage Induction is Suzuki’s patented system for doing something that is already quite common in car engines: control the air intake. It’s related to the old two-stage air intake systems used in drag racers.
When drag racing, you obviously need a lot of top-end horsepower for speed. But, you won’t get to top speed very fast if you don’t have low-end torque to give you a powerful pull-away and fast acceleration through the lower RPMs. You ideally need both. That’s why clever engineers came up with the 2-stage air intake system.
The first stage features long, thin channels that the air must rush through to reach the cylinder. What this does is it funnels a specific amount of air much faster than if the engine was just breathing normally. This delivers very high torque, which boosts your take-off and gives you a lot of power at lower engine speeds.
The second stage is when the engine ignores the long, thin channels and just opens up a big intake valve to allow the motor to suck in as much air as it wants. This delivers high horsepower when you’re at top speeds. Using these systems, drag racers are able to get high torque at low rpm and high horsepower at high speed, giving them the perfect power boost at every stage.
HOW SUZUKI MULTI-STAGE INDUCTION WORKS
Suzuki’s Multi-Stage Induction works on the same principle. A longer route with a thin channel increases the air’s speed to give you high torque at launch and low RPM. And at high RPMs, the engine automatically closes the channel and opens up a more direct air-intake route for high horsepower performance. Here’s what a single air-intake channel looks like in a Suzuki outboard motor:
And, when it comes to the bigger, V6 models, this is what the Multi-Stage Induction system does in your Suzuki outboard motor:
Suzuki takes it even further. Suzuki motors don’t just feature 2-stage induction, but multi-stage, which means that the engine automatically adjusts the air intake to variations stages as you go along.
HOW YOU BENEFIT FROM MULTI-STAGE INDUCTION
An outboard that features Multi-Stage Induction performs better at lower engine speeds, which optimises its fuel consumption. And the same at the top end: more air intake delivers more power but also allows more air into the fuel-air mixture, using less fuel. And it forms part of the fuel-saving brain inside every Suzuki outboard, the Lean Burn Control System.
It’s a remarkable technology that helps save you fuel and gives you more time on the water.
SUZUKI OUTBOARDS WITH MULTI-STAGE INDUCTION
Most larger Suzuki motors come standard with this tech. You can always contact us for more info on specific models. But here are a few of our favourite outboard motors enhanced with Multi-Stage Induction:
THE ALL-NEW SUZUKI DF150 AP
THE POWERFUL SUZUKI DF175
THE DOUBLE OVERHEAD CAM SUZUKI DF200 AP
THE AWARD-WINNING SUZUKI DF250
THE RECORD-BREAKING SUZUKI DF300 AP
THE FLAGSHIP SUZUKI DF350 A
Smarter outboards, drag-efficient boat hulls: Get more time on the water with our complete collection of tech that boosts your boat’s fuel economy.
Plus: Check out the all-new Suzuki DF350AMD.
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You might also be interested in checking out Suzuki’s most award-winning outboard motors. And discover more fuel-saving technology with Suzuki Lean Burn and Variable Valve Timing.
Plus: To see how Suzuki really shines in the low rpm sector, check out how Troll Mode turns your Suzuki into an instant trolling motor for your boat.
Just arrived in South Africa: Suzuki Ecstar the best outboard motor oil and see why choose Suzuki outboards.
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