Doing a makeover or making a monster?

Car modification is cool. However, you may find yourself exaggerating things, making your work of art a total disaster! Better yet, you can keep everything simple yet appealing.

There are lots of auto parts that you should consider when modifying your ride. You can start with the most obvious ones… Those which you can see even from a distance – like your wheels and tires.

With the wheels and tires, the desire to fit alternative ones is the most common modification. This is because of their significant visual contribution on aesthetics. Oftentimes, these auto parts stand as foundations in making or unmaking a car.

Changes to the wheels and tires can alter your ride’s behaviour on the road, so it is advisable to fit wheels and tires that are listed on the tire placard or in your owner’s handbook. Of course, you also need to ensure the good condition of your tires and wheels.

Some experts say that modifying wheels and tires can really improve a road holding, but an incorrect tire and wheel combination can affect the track of your vehicle.

Now let’s talk about one of the most popular location of car modification – the exhaust system. The rumble of a hotted-up V8 makes a pretty loud statement. Enthusiasts extravagantly shell out to fit a larger exhaust system with the idea of improving gas flow while deriving more power from the engine.

Ideally, it will be better to reduce the restriction in the exhaust to maximize the performance but in reality, it doesn’t deliver huge gains because it goes more about the noise than anything else.

Upgraded exhaust systems are popular in the 17–25 age group This is partly personality and show-off factor. The statutory limit for exhaust noise is 90 decibels for cars made after 1983. Nonetheless, fines range from $150 to $500 depending on how far the exhaust noise exceeds the limit. What do you want, fame or fine?

Getting in the interior… Car enthusiasts transform seats for support, safety, comfort, and aesthetics. If you don’t have any reason while doing such modification, better stop it, or make a monster out of your interior. However if you are sure about your plan, you can find optional extras for your vehicle, just don’t forget to get an engineering certificate.

Once a seat is incorrectly fitted, it will dislodge in the event of a crash. Moreover, if you fit a new seat and it ends up too high or low, it could compromise the driving position of your ride. If you have side airbags, have your seats modified or use seat covers since they could interfere with the deployment of airbags..

Getting under the hood.. Engine modifications tend to be more complex as these include either modifying the existing engine or fitting a new engine. Among the common activities are adding superchargers turbochargers, or after-market fuel injection systems.

Powerchips are great. These go into the vehicle’s engine management computer and changes the mapping of fuel and ignition timing, maximizing the power. Nonetheless, this is expensive if you base on the “not so great” net gain.

Never modify your ride if it is likely to affect engine management, oxygen sensor, catalytic converter, or the mufflers in the exhaust system. You can boost the power under the hood using other techniques. You don’t have to modify your ride into a monster.

More techniques are yet to be counted. If you want to learn more about having a makeover for your vehicle, keep on researching. A lot of enthusiasts are willing to share great tips for your benefits. Next time, I’ll be posting more entries related to this…

Getting Lower... but trendier

Do you want to give your vehicle a new appeal? Why not try making it look closer to the ground? Lowering has been one of the popular trends today so it will surely be a success if you will pursue such style in your own ride.

But how are you gonna start the lowering of your vehicle then? Lots of enthusiasts have their vehicles lowered through their own skills and money. Apparently, you need to invest the same factors to make sure that your ride will stand out down the road.

Usually, lowering is started by removing the huge tractor like gap between the top of the wheel and the arches. Such lower feature is better for handling since the track becomes fairly flat and smooth.

Manufacturers need to take speed bumps, passenger comfort, uneven road surface, and road noise into consideration when setting up a car suspension. Lots of cars contain soft comfortable suspension that does a little to maximize handling and driving experience. Track cars are designed for driver preference and style for perfect setting is not just different for each model, as it is also a subjective thing.

If your car has a lowered front with a body kit, you will may not go quite as low on the suspension or you will quickly grind the front skirt of pavements, ramps, and speed bumps.

Vehicle models like Ferrari raises the nose cone electronically to avoid such issue. You could add gringing plate of rubber or metal to the bottom edge to preserve the plastic- you get to replace the grinding plate instead of the whole front apron.

Talking about the common mistakes – you should not go through the chavsandtarts car part catalogue and buy a suspension kit, which can lower your ride 50 mm, and expect the perfect set up.

Several kits are so general, as these can be fitted to all models. Different engine weights, wheel sizes, and car weights need different suspension characteristics. If you go too low, you risk grinding the tires in the wheel arch requiring a rolling of the arches, making them bigger by folding the metal underneath. You will also risk the condition of the drive shaft and gearbox if the angle from the final drive to wheel hub is wrong.

Your car can look good when slammed to the ground. You can reduce the ground clearance, causing troubles with tires rubbing in the wheelarches. Take note that roads have speed bumps and instead of slowing a lowered car down they will grab the sump and rip off the bottom of the engine, where most is of the front skirt. Several road cars can be better off going lower than 35mm for hot hatches which tend to have uprated suspension (which can even be better with just 30mm).

In case you have changed the wheel size, then these tolerances can be much lower a car fitted with standard suspension and 17” rims can be fine. Nonetheless, if you lower it as well, you may get more problems. Lowering must improve handling and appearance. Also, this must result to less air going under the car, which can enhance stability. You can notice that lower springs should be fitted top match shocks, so cutting the springs will not be that advisable.

Lowering is indeed a great idea for customizing your car. Nevertheless, this always requires complicated procedures. Of course you can do it yourself but the result will be better if a skilled auto mechanic will assist you. Also, make sure that you will get the best lowering kit in the market. Always guarantee yourself with the right choice of kit, according to the requirements of your car manufacturer.

New look?

Having your vehicle flaunted down the road is not simple. Some styles just don’t bring contentment at all. Oftentimes, it is a matter of taste as you tend to go in with halfhearted effort buying cheap auto parts that will just make your ride look tacky. Uuhm… Don’t get offended (big grin :D).

If you really want to have an attention-grabber look for your ride, you have to give extra money, time, and effort. Styling a car is not that simple as I said. You need to have a theme in mind. Just like decorating your home, you have to carefully choose colours that blend or contrast well.

Your theme is important and you have to think about it a million times so that your car will really stand out down the road. Nonetheless, you have to set limits to avoid exaggeration. Attention to detail and maybe, sense of humor will also go a long way. You can find lots of inspiration from the worl of motrosport. Among the most popular applications that you can have are the spoilers and wheels. You can also experiment on your car’s paint. The wheels can be customized using stylish colors and finish.

One word is important on your goal to customize your vehicle: originality. Off the shelf body kits are quite easy to modify so you can create a totally unique look. There are kits from sports cars that are modified and fitted to typical hot hatches and bring them into a higher level.

Some enthusiasts have their vehicles fabricated using wide body kits, making their cars look more aggressive and powerful. Because of that, more and more people get impressed.

Remember that unleashing the best looks on your ride can be a hard task so you need a lot of patience. If you don’t have “sufficient supply” of patience, make sure that you are ready to stretch your wallet then look for an expert who can do the task perfectly for you.

Vent your vehicle’s dullness

The looks of every vehicle is dominantly affected by the way your fascia is maintained. Apparently, even from a distance, the front fascia exhibits an appeal that will make or unmake your vehicle. For this reason, more and more enthusiasts have their vehicles customized through the front details. Among the most frequently modified parts is the hood, which is usually referred to as the bonnet.

Hood is considered as another door as it gives access whenever you need to work on the engine bay. This door protects the important auto systems from foreign elements. Aside from such detrimental elements, the components under the hood also need to be protected from extreme heat. This is the reason why auto grilles are installed on vehicles.

Grilles however may not be enough to draw in sufficient air; that’s why some car owners have the bonnets modified with vents. From a distance, a vent exposes a different look. It exhibits a different attitude and style. If you want a complete motorsport look for your vehicle, then a vent in your bonnet will make your ride.

Vents can range from subtle slits to a honeycomb of vents that cover up to 50% of the bonnet area. These are very useful in keeping the under bonnet temperatures moderated while maintaining the performance of the engine.

The size of a vent is a big factor in keeping the temperature down. Nonetheless, you should not get too mad because the larger the vent, the bigger is he effect on the aerodynamics.

Before you go and take an angle grinder or jigsaw, mark out where the main support frame is and avoid cutting it as this will dramatically affect the rigidity of the bonnet. On a frosty morning, as you run the engine, the supports will generally be the last part of the bonnet to defrost. This can be a fool proof way of approximating their whereabouts. Better yet, use large sheets of paper stuck together to fabricate a patter from which you can decide where cuts shall be made.

You can find a lot of ways in designing your bonnet. You may practically cut the bonnet and fabricate the vents yourself. This will be an inexpensive option but you will need to roll the edges of the cut to make them smooth. It will be hard to get a good straight symmetrical cut in the bonnet.

Never attempt to cut the bonnet while it is still on the car though you have propped it open since it is the best way to get an off symmetrical cut and or seriously injure yourself. You may also need to check the bonnet supports before cutting so that you won’t undermine the strength of the sheet.

An expensive but great looking route of getting a bonnet vent is to buy a bonnet with pre- cut vents or moulded vent panels. You can have the bonnet applied with protective mesh underneath it. This will give an attractive finish, like the carbon fibre bonnets that really look great. Nonetheless, you can still lave the bonnet unpainted or painted with a matching or contrasting colour. This method of modifying your bonnet will provide you with a smooth professional looking finish.

On the other hand, you could have stick vents and use these to finis off your DIY cut outs. This can be a handy way of finishing off a DIY cut job. However, you need to give more effort and money so that the vent will perfectly harmonize with the rest of the bonnet.

The new vent can be finished with a quality of mesh, which is available in various designs. The mesh can be painted with your preferred color including black, polished, and paint effect finish. If you go with a polished metal finish mesh, the metal will not get corroded.

If you are not sure with your own knowledge for DIY job, then make sure that you will find a reliable personnel who can accomplish the task for you.

More articles…..

New look
Vent your vehicle’s dullness
Is your car perfectly tuned?
Upgrade your interior
Have a more powerful clutch!
Bored with your doors?
Paint your wheels