Is your Car Outperforming It?

In this article, we’ll look at some simple (and some not so simple) ways that you can keep your car outperforming its peers.

First of all, read the owner’s manual.  This document will give some of the basic maintenance that needs to be done at specific times.  An example would be changing the oil regularly–you would be amazed how many people don’t do this.  Fresh oil helps keep your engine running smoothly and cuts down on the amount of carbon build up that can occur.  Also, you want to check your air filter and sparkplugs, and replace them if needed.

Now let’s get to the good stuff–performance parts.  These are parts that you can purchase that boost the performance of your vehicle.  One of the simplest and cheapest ways to boost an engine’s horsepower is to improve the airflow into the motor.  Replacing the car’s standard air filter with a sport or cone filter will help it to pull in more air.  A cooler engine means higher compression rates and more horsepower.  Most automotive stores will have alternative air filters.  Just do a little research to find the one that will best fit your vehicle, and the best part?  Not only will it give your car more horsepower, a throatier sound, but it may improve your gas mileage as well!

Along the same lines, putting a high flow exhaust system on the vehicle will help reduce the air flow restriction on the engine, thus improving horsepower.  Keep in mind that doing this will cost you a bit more than simply changing an air filter.

Turbochargers and superchargers–I hope you’ve saved up some money.  These can offer large gains in performance, but they may require some engine modification.  If you’re not so good at working on cars, then you may want to have a professional install the system.  Also, these aren’t necessarily good for improving gas mileage; in fact, you will probably use more gas.

How much power are you looking for?  Well, if you aren’t planning on having passengers along for the ride, then you might want to consider removing those unnecessary seats.  You can also check on line, or in magazines for parts that fit your vehicle that are made from lighter weight materials … although, some of these parts might be more expensive than they are really worth.  Make sure you research exactly how much weight-loss to cost you would be getting.  The good part is you should have better gas mileage by a) not having as much weight and b) not having passengers that you have to cart all over town.

Obviously, this is not a full list of modifications that can be done to cars.  If you are really into the horsepower and want to create a race car, then I suggest you thoroughly research all the ins and outs of the racing world and the vehicle modifications they use.  Still, I hope this gave you some good ideas of where to start your vehicle performance project.