To expand lean misfire limit and improve combustion stability, the effects of port masking were estimated to secure basic data for applying the mechanism to SI engine instead of asymmetrical port and port throttling devises. For this purpose, various shapes and ratios of masking plates were mounted between port and manifold. The masking effects were evaluated by mixture response test under various load and speed conditions. The results showed that lean misfire limits were expended and fast combustion was observed for all masking shapes and ratios, especially, the effect of diagonal 1/4 masking was remarkable. In conclusion, the port masking method could be easily applied to engine without redesign of port for improving part load performance.