Consider,
step up.
step something up
- to make something more active. I hope we can step the pace of business up in the next few days. We can step up business considerably by putting out a larger sign.
- to make something go or run faster. The engineer stepped the motors up and the production line moved even faster. Please step up the speed of your activity. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs
move/step up a gear
to start to work or play more effectively or quickly than before With just five lengths to go, the German swimmer stepped up a gear and edged ahead to win the race. Cambridge Idioms Dictionary, 2nd ed. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006. Reproduced with permission
step on the gas
: to hurry in order to get something done quickly; step on it If we're going to get this done today, it's time to step on the gas. Etymology: based on the literal meaning of step on the gas (to make a car go faster by giving the engine more gas) Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms
drop the hammer
(Expression) American English Idiom: Bringing a pending act to fruition. Usually connotes an act which will have serious consequences. Also used in reference to quickly increasing speed in a car by manipulating a manual transmission gear shift (the hammer). Dictionary Of by Farlex