Top 10 basic performance mods

We have never thought it would be nessecary, but we have gotten quite a few mails wether we could discuss some basic mods. Mods you can do yourself without much trouble and which have good result. As you see we have listened and we have made a list of 10 mods that are easy to do or should be quitte high on your list of first mods on your car.



1. Weight reduction

You dont have to buy new things to make your car go faster. You can also take a lot of it out. Depending on what type of car you can drive you can reduce the weight of the car with around 200 pounds without doing really crazy stuff. This will have a positive effect on the acceleration of your car. Dont expect miracles but a difference will definitely be there. In case you want more information about it, we have discussed this subject already before..

2. Remove unnecessary things out of the enginebay

You might say that this is the same as the first part, but the effect is different. Getting rid of some things might make your car faster. We are not talking about fusebox tucks or wire tucks but getting rid of the tubes that suck the hot air out of the headers and into the airbox might increase the horsepower of the car. You can also block cooling channels going into the intake manifolds. These are all thing that the manufacturer put in the car to make it start easier and stuff. Thats nice but if you are mainly competing in races that is not your top priority. Although the gain might not be high, there are cases known of cars that will benefit a lot from this. How and what can be done is dependant on the make and model of your car, so its a good idea to ask it on vehicle specific message boards for example.
3. Brake stopper

A brakestopper is a relatively cheap mod which can have a big effect. It works as follows: when you press your brake pedal your firewall will distort a little bit. This makes your brake pedal a bit mushy. If you install a brakestoper you will lock the master cylinder in place and prevent the firewall from moving. This will result in a more direct pedal feel. Simple and effective.
4. Intake

Modding your intake should be pretty high on your list. The main choises between intakes are a WAI or a CAI. a CAI or Cold Air Intake is a set of tubes that go from the trottle body to the front bumper. Because of this you get colder air than the air in the enginebay, but because it has to travel through a long set of pipes it will decrease the throttle response. You can also install a WAI or warm air intake which is basically a really short tube (or none) that is mounted near the throttle body. As the tubes are short you will have better throttle response but the horsepower will be lower because of the higher temperatures. You can always do other mods like putting a scoop on your hood or something similar but as people think that is a ricer mod, it is not that common. For turbos you can say the same. The shorter the tubes, the better the throttle response.

5.exhaust

Ofcourse we will also discuss the exhaust. With some engines you will gain more by changing the intake, others will benefit more from an improved exhaust system. If your car is N/A, then you can choose between a 4-1 or a 4-2-1 header. A 4-1 header has more power in the higher range whilst the 4-2-1 will give you more power in the higher range. With turbo cars you also have several types but we continue about this more In this topic. With a bigger diameter exhaust you will gain power dependant on the type of motor you have. Getting rid of stuff like the cat converter will also help gaining power. When driving a turbo engine it can be said that the pipes should be as big as possible and as short as possible with the least amout of tubes.
6. OEM upgrades

You can buy aftermarket parts for your car, but sometime you don't even have to. Sometimes you can just install the parts of a better version of your car to improve the engine or handling of the car. Honda, for example, is known for this. Almost everything can be switched between the models which makes it a cheap alternative for the aftermarket scene. In some cases you can even gain more by taking an OEM part instead of an aftermarket one, like the skunk2 and ITR headers for example.

7. Strutbars

When looking for a better handling for a lower price you will almost certainly end up at the strutbars. You can find strutbars for prices as low as 40 dollar per set.  For more information we reccomend you to read  our article about chassis bracing.

8. Brakeducts

The cheapest way to counter overheating brakes. for a few Euros you can already be done by purchasing some tywraps, hose clamps and airco tubing. However first improving your brakes would be a more sensible decision.
9. Spoilers

In case you have problems with over- or understeer then it might be a good idea to install a spoiler. A cheap spoiler from autostyle will probably not do that much good but a well thought after spoiler could save some seconds off your lap. For more information, please read this article about aerodynamics.

10. Pu bushings

We have doubted wether we should come up with lowering springs or pu bushings but in the end we chose pu bushings. The reason why is because you can better buy a good quality coilover kit instead of lowering springs and this is not the most easy or cheap way to improve your handling. PU bushings however are pretty cheap and will come as a welcome replacement for your old bushings. Just bear in mind that this will decrease the comfort of your car (like that is of any importace in a racecar)
There are of course a lot more things that could be added to this list but this is our personal top ten. In the end just think wether you need the parts. Some proper maintenance would be more important than an air filter as you can enjoy your car longer. Check always wether everything is in tiptop shape before you go racing. And think wether you need the car parts or you just do not have the experience to increase your times. Because in that case performance mods would probably do more harm than good.

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