After testing and tweaking my Worx 40V Power Share TURBINE Cordless Leaf Blower, I discovered how to increase its thrust by up to 21.13%—making it far more effective at removing water droplets from the surface of my car after washing. In this article, I’ll walk you through the simple modifications I made and share key insights that could help you improve your leaf blower’s performance too.
Key Insights:
- The largest improvement came from 3D-printing a new nozzle, removing the inlet mesh and flow straightener. The 3D-printed nozzle had an exit diameter of 78.5 mm, calculated by taking 92.5% of the Fan Swept Area (FSA). This resulted in a 21.13% thrust increase.
- Simply removing the OEM plastic nozzle does not improve thrust. In fact, it actually decreases thrust by 10.57%, contrary to some claims you might find online.
1. Test Overview
The goal of these tests was to explore ways to enhance the airflow performance of the Worx 40V Power Share TURBINE Leaf Blower, with a particular focus on improving its ability to dry off my car after washing. By experimenting with different modifications, I found that improving airflow efficiency significantly boosts thrust and airspeed.Test conditions:
- Temperature: 55°F
- Pressure: 30.18 inHg
- Humidity: 31%
- Blower CFM: 430 CFM
- Fan Swept Area (FSA): 5236.25 mm²
- Nozzle Exit Diameter: 78.5 mm
2. Key Modifications & Results
1. 3D-Printed Nozzle (92.5% FSA) with Inlet Mesh & Flow Straightener Removed
- Thrust Increase: +21.13%
- I reverse-engineered and 3D-printed a new nozzle, calculated to optimize the Fan Swept Area (FSA) to 92.5% of the total FSA. The exit diameter of the nozzle was designed to be 78.5 mm, and when combined with the removal of both the inlet mesh and flow straightener, the result was a 21.13% increase in thrust. This configuration not only increased airflow but also made the air stream more focused and effective for drying a car.
3. Test Results Recap
4. Takeaways
- Removing the OEM plastic nozzle does not improve thrust, despite some claims online. In fact, it decreases thrust by 10.57%. This highlights the importance of designing nozzles to optimize airflow rather than just reducing nozzle size.
- A bellmouth inlet would be an ideal design, as it reduces resistance and allows for smooth airflow entry. An open inlet, while it might seem like a good idea for unrestricted airflow, can actually introduce turbulence and inefficiency, so a controlled, optimized inlet is necessary.
5. Future Work
- Optimizing FSA Percentage: There’s potential for further improvement by studying the relationship between FSA percentage and thrust. Experimenting with different percentages of FSA could maximum airflow and thrust.
- Better Thrust Measurement Jig: To improve the reliability of future tests, a better jig should be built to minimize variability in thrust measurements. The current setup is effective but can benefit from more precise alignment and measurement consistency.
- Low-Resistance Inlet Design: Exploring a lower-resistance inlet design could help further boost thrust. Reducing inlet restrictions, while still maintaining optimal airflow characteristics, could increase efficiency and performance.
- Ego Power Leaf Blower: The Ego Power Leaf Blower appears to have a more optimized inlet design, potentially offering better airflow and thrust. I plan to investigate this blower’s performance in future tests to see if its design offers any advantages over the Worx model.
6. Conclusion
In conclusion, small modifications to the Worx 40V Power Share TURBINE Leaf Blower can result in significant performance gains, particularly when optimizing airflow efficiency. My tests show that by designing and 3D-printing a new nozzle with the correct Fan Swept Area (FSA), removing airflow restrictions, and flow straightener, thrust can be increased by up to 21.13%.For anyone looking to improve their leaf blower's performance, these modifications provide a clear path forward. However, results may vary depending on the model, and future tests will be necessary to explore how different designs (such as the Ego Power Leaf Blower) handle similar modifications.
Last edited: