Want More Performance? Here Are 10 Car Mods That Give It to You

Performance isn’t just about straight-line speed. If you want to have the fastest times at the track, you need the right car mods.

Ever since the first patent was filed for a gasoline-powered vehicle, we’ve been looking for more performance from our vehicles. The word ‘performance’ means a lot of things to different people. Most of the time, we’re talking about getting around a track faster than the rest of the cars, but sometimes it’s about fuel mileage. Let’s explore some ways you can upgrade your car for better times around the track.

Disc Brakes Will Make a Huge Difference

Not only do you need to add disc brakes to your car, especially if you still have some old-style drum brakes on the wheels, but you need to add some performance brakes. The better your brakes are, the more power you can handle when you take your car to the track. The wrong brakes, and incidentally, the wrong brake fluid, could lead to disaster. Put the right brakes on those wheels so you can slow down, stop, and turn the way you want.

Add a Turbo or Supercharger to Your Engine

Driving purists love naturally aspirated engines, and they are wonderful to hear and drive. Unfortunately, these engines are limited in the power they deliver unless you add a turbocharger or supercharger to the mix. This is one of the most important car mods you can add when you want more performance coming out from under the hood. Many modern cars have these items in the engine bay, but older models might not. If yours doesn’t, this is a good thing to add to your vehicle.

Upgrade the Control Arms of Your Ride

All the power in the world won’t get you around the track confidently if your suspension is garbage. While control arms and the bushings used aren’t going to be something you brag about, they could mean the difference between wobbly wheels that make you cringe when you hit the gas and a car that feels solid and planted, giving you the performance you want lap after lap. Which feeling would you rather have in your car?

Tires Win Races

It’s been said in movies like “Days of Thunder,” and it’s easy to see whenever you turn on the TV and watch a race; tires win races. You need the right set of tires to handle the challenges of your hard driving while also delivering the ride you want. This is one of the most important car mods you can make. Along with brakes, the right tires could be the difference between finishing a fast lap and crashing into a barrier. Get the right tires and enjoy the ride.

Are You a Serious Racer? You Need a Stiffer Subframe

For the casual performance driver that takes their car through a few hard turns on the highway when no one is looking, there’s no need for an upgraded subframe. For the serious performance racer that wants an edge and needs to keep their car more stable through some hard turns on the track, a stiffer subframe can make all the difference. This item stiffens up the frame and keeps the car lined up when you push it through the paces of body flex on the track.

Improved Shocks Will Give Your Car a Better Drive

Sometimes it’s not the car with the highest horsepower number that crosses the line first; it’s the car with the best suspension setup. This means improving the shocks and springs under your car. This is one of the car mods that are pretty easy to do and, when done right, makes a huge difference in the feel of your ride. Of course, if you aren’t racing but you want a more comfortable ride, this is where you’ll find a lot of that comfort for your car.

You Might Need Stiffer Sway Bars

Depending on which wheels of your car do the driving, you’ll want either a stiffer front or rear sway bar. These bars help to reduce understeer and oversteer, depending on the drive wheels. Of course, if you have an AWD vehicle, you’ll have to figure out if you have too much understeer or oversteer. The purpose of sway bars is to reduce body roll during cornering. As you can see, many of the items that improve your performance are associated with the suspension, not the engine.

Racing Wheels do More than Just Look Cool

If you add actual racing wheels to your car, you’re adding one of the most important car mods you can get. Your brakes and wheels get hot on the track, especially if you race around for several laps. Most racing wheels are made to dissipate heat and bring cooling to these parts of the car. These wheels are typically made of lightweight alloys to give you the drive you want and keep you out on the track longer.

More Air Means More Useful Power

How do you get more air into the engine to give you more horsepower? The best way to do this is to add a better cold air intake to your car. This item allows more air to enter the chamber and gives you a denser mixture of air and fuel to create more power. This is an incredibly important part of ensuring your vehicle offers you the most power and performance it can when you’re out on the track.

A Limited-Slip Differential Helps with Cornering Capabilities

If you add a performance-based limited-slip differential to your vehicle, you’ll have an item that allows the inside wheels to turn a little slower than the outside wheels, which makes for tighter cornering. This is one of the best performance car mods you can add to your vehicle to make sure you can get around the turns in a hurry. Make sure you use the right type of differential; the wrong one could mean a devastating end to your day on the track.

Will you add more performance to your project car with some of these car mods? Which one stands out as the first thing you want to do to improve the drive of your car?