Strategic Performance Upgrades Using Aftermarket Parts

Just because you bought a car that had fantastic OEM components that enable it to be quite competitive in most aspects when compared to other cars doesn’t mean your car is anywhere close to top-of-the-line. In fact, without equipping your vehicle with at least a few strategically placed aftermarket add-ons, you’re allowing others with perhaps lower quality cars outperform you because of their mastery of automotive upgrading. If being the fastest or the most fuel efficient (or what have you) helps fuel your love of cars and the automotive world in general, you can’t afford to just cut the cord at your car’s manufacturer’s build. Below, we’ll cover some key add-ons to consider if you want to give your vehicle that extra edge in any competition.

Performance Chips

If you’re not very skilled yet at complicated automotive modifications, you won’t have to worry when installing a racing chip. Aftermarket performance chips are easy to install and quite inexpensive, often costing well under a hundred bucks to purchase. With some basic automotive tools and an hour to spare, you can hook up your new performance chip to the car’s air intake sensor, and potentially improve your car’s horsepower by up to 60HP, and can even save 4-7mpg in fuel expenditure. Not bad for a little chip.

Turbochargers

If an additional 60HP makes you scoff, you may be looking for something quite a bit more powerful. A turbo kit will get you that added power boost, but it will cost you, as turbochargers often cost several thousand dollars not even including professional installation costs if you go that direction. But the payoff is in the performance results, as you can get an extra 400 horsepower with a turbo kit installation, depending on varying factors such as your car’s age and other components it already has equipped.

Nitrous Kits

Perfect for that last-second boost that enables you to pass that last competitor and cross the finish line first, a nitrous kit is the kind of back-up that any racing enthusiast should have. The quick gains in power and speed will help any driver who needs to accelerate rapidly in a moment’s notice, but if you don’t need the extra power, you can always just keep the switch untouched. Nitrous kits work especially well when paired with other performance upgrades, such as the aforementioned performance chips and turbochargers, as well as other items like fiberglass hood replacements for a car’s stock hood.

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