As soon as we buy our first car, we want to make it faster. Generally, this urge comes about after we have been left in the dust by a more experienced driver in a faster car. From that point onwards, our objective becomes clear- we have been bitten by the speed bug and finding different ways to make your car faster.
Adding speed to a car will make it more fun to drive, whether on the road or on the track. Even the most modest of grocery buying cars can benefit from a few modifications, and there is no need to spend a huge amount of money to afford some of the cheaper models one can do. All of us want to go faster, but where should we start? What are the ways to make your car faster? How do we attain the most bang for our hard-earned money?
Every car model, make, and year will have different options for certain modifications but we are going to discuss the in’s and out’s for usual speed upgrades and alterations that will work for most of the cars- and there is much more to it than just concentrating on the engine and trying to squeeze out as many horses as possible, we do want our cars to be great all-around players after all.
Things that determine your car’s speed
The speed of a car is determined by a combination of several factors which include performance, engine efficiency, weight, and programming of its electronic components. The two most vital things that you can do to increase its speed is fuel and air. These are essential for propelling a car forward and their combustion in the engine offers the force required to power the vehicle’s components that make it move. The more fuel and air you can give to your engine, the more power it will give you back. For this reason, most upgrades are centered around pushing extra air and gasoline oil into the engine whereas others drive the additional exhaust back out.
In old vehicles, you may have more mechanical parts. These parts take away from the vehicle’s horsepower, as well as the fact that some stock parts of a vehicle may be installed to restrict the full abilities of an engine. Replacing these parts can substantially enhance a car’s acceleration and top speed.
Best Ways to Make Your Car Faster
Avoid bad rear wings- There is a huge difference between a “wing” and a “spoiler.” They have various shapes and do different things. A rear wing is shaped like an upside-down airplane wing and it prevents airflow upward to generate down-force on the rear of the car. Higher downforce and drag means that your car will be slow, not fast. You do not want a wing; you want a spoiler.
Basically, a spoiler is an obstruction to localized airflow that enhances the airflow around a car. Generally, you are adding a hurdle to an area of undesirable air behavior so that the air flows somewhere else.
Fuel and air
Irrespective of what kind of internal combustion engine your car has, it needs both air and fuel to run. The more fuel and air it gets, the more power it generates. Fuel pumps and high flow injectors will make sure that the cylinders get enough fuel to keep the mixture of air and fuel at an ideal level. Superchargers and turbo essentially force air into an engine, nitrous oxide injects a focused shot of oxygen inside the combustion chambers. None are specifically cheap so for your purposes, you must stick to a cold air intake which can help the movement of air into the engine.
Make it lighter
Have you ever noticed how more sluggish your vehicle is when it is totally loaded? This is mainly noticeable in small vehicles with small engine displacements. So, other than refusing to provide people lifts and not carrying things around in the trunk, what else can be done about this?
Make it lighter! Restore body panels with grp parts or carbon fiber, get rid of that huge sound system, rip out the back seat, spare wheel, carpets, and air-con. You can go as extreme as you want, and you will have a vehicle that accelerates faster and handles things in a much better way. Also, offers an improved gas mileage.
Transmission Parts
Changing the gearing can offer you a higher top speed or fast acceleration, based on what you want. For many, the acceleration is the most important thing, and this can be enhanced by lowering the gear, either with a close-ratio gearbox or low-ratio diffs. Though the top speed will be lower.
A light flywheel will assist you rev faster, however, if you go too light, the regular driver may find it difficult to dive. If you are looking for a cheap and easy way to change gears faster, a short-throw shifter can be helpful.
Headwork
Once power increases from other processes have been taken to a specific level, polishing and head porting can be done to increase the power output. There are several small restrictions and rough patches in the cylinder head from where it was cast, and these small imperfections hinder the airflow and create chaos. By eliminating these restrictions, we will achieve a smooth intake and exhausting of the system, which converts into more power.
There are several areas within the cylinder head that can be enhanced by shaving off materials and make them smoother, like the exhaust and inlet ports, valve seat, combustion chamber, and valve throat pocket.
Exhaust
Performance exhaust systems are known for their infamous habit of making cars louder, but there is more to it than just the extra noise. By modernizing the exhaust, the amount of restriction on the engine is lessened by easing the exhaust flow. Or in simple language, it increases the performance.
A full exhaust system, from headers to the tailpipe, will offer the greatest performance profits. A cat-back system is the lowest for any performance profits, anything less will just make the vehicle louder without any power increase.
Maintain and service your vehicle
If you want your vehicle to keep performing the way it is supposed to, you must service it daily, including changing the different filters and fluids, as well as restoring the spark plugs. For those who own cars with tuned engines, it could be a great idea to take your vehicle to a reputable mechanic shop at least once every year. By doing this, they can check and adjust the fuel pressure, the mapping to keep the vehicle running at the best performance, and ignition timing. Even vehicles that seem to be running fine can sometimes need a bit of adjustment to perform perfectly.
Air consumption
Engines run on a combination of fuel and air, so by offering the engine more air, we can increase the power. Air intakes are basically a pipe with an air filter fitted at the end, and they do precisely what is mentioned on the box- allow your car’s engine to intake more amount of air.
The intake of air will allow your car to breathe easily, but it must be cold air, as warm air will cost you a huge amount of money. Intake of air on its own will not offer you a lot of power but is it is important if you plan on changing the engine further.