5 Ways to Improve Your Car’s Performance
There’s nothing more satisfying than firing up the engine and listening to it purr. For petrol heads and car enthusiasts, the ability to customise your car is appealing, but how do you go about getting the best results?
We spoke to the team at Compare.Parts for advice on performance and aftermarket car parts. They’ve shared with us the most popular vehicle modifications.
We’ve put together a guide on the 5 ways to improve your car’s performance.
Upgrading to Performance Tyres
If you asked a group of car enthusiasts about a single modification that raising their car to the next level of performance, many would say track day/performance tyres. Your tyres play an important role, not just in providing traction and grip, but also in enhancing both on-road and track performance.
When searching for performance tyres, focus on premium brands, they will perform better and improve handling. Look at tyre reviews from owners and sizes based on your current tyres or sometimes you can go a little wider to enhance grip.
Image Source: tiretechnologyinternational.com
Performance Alloy Wheels
If you’re keen to get more out of your car, reducing unspring mass is an excellent place to start. It greatly improves acceleration, handling and braking by reducing the rotational mass of your wheels. Replacing factory alloy wheels with lightened forged wheels is a common upgrade. For aesthetics some owners will increase the diameter of the alloy wheel to fill the arches more.
2 or 3-piece alloy wheels weigh less than cast alloy wheels, allowing you to change widths and offsets.
From an aesthetics view, there are thousands of different wheel designs to choose from in different finishes from powder coated, chrome plated and anodised.
Cold Air Intake
A cold air intake typically replaces the factory air box with an open cone filter. This reduces the restriction on the volume of air consumed by the engine, this increase horsepower, throttle response and give a slightly louder engine note.
Standard systems intake systems on modern-day vehicles work on a functional level, but it’s possible to supercharge it with an aftermarket upgrade. The aim is to allow cooler, cleaner air to filter through the engine to improve performance and enhance the longevity of the engine.
Image Source: bbperformance.com
ECU remap
An ECU or engine control unit is an intelligent computerised system that controls the operation of the engine. Manufacturers build cars for longevity, varying weather conditions and service intervals. This leads to engines being detunes in favour of reliability over performance.
Often through tweaking existing parameters such as increase boost pressure, tuners are able to extract more potential out of engines. The performance improvement will depend heavily on the make and model of the car. With ECU tuning, there’s scope to see 40% improvements on Turbo Diesels, 20% on Petrol Turbos and 10% on Naturally Aspirated engines. This will vary from car to car.
Image Source: ecu-remap.one
Upgrading Your Exhaust System
If you’re planning improve your air intake through a cold air intake, it’s sensible to pair this with a free flowing exhaust. High-performance exhausts have a role to play in increasing the efficiency of the engine by reducing backpressure. You might also enjoy the audio benefits of fitting a new exhaust, especially when you put your foot down on an open road.
Exhaust upgrades typically fall into two categories.
Bolts On – these systems are built on a jig and work by dropping the standard exhaust system and replacing it with an upgraded system often made from better materials and less restriction.
Custom – these systems are built on the car; they allow owners to customise everything from the noise to the tail tips. This is often the choice when a car needs an exhaust which isn’t available as a bolt on, or the owner wants something specific with regards to design or exhaust note.
Overall, we’ve covered the most popular vehicle upgrades, the only limitation is your imagination and budget. From the tyres to the exhaust, opt for upgrades that meet your needs and exceed your expectations, you are in complete control of the type of car you want to drive and the benefits you want to enjoy.
If you’re feeling inspired after reading this article, now is the time to take your driving experience to the next level.
