Your car’s performance will decrease as it gets older and you put more miles on the odometer. This is usually due to wear and tear that you cannot do anything about. While upgrading your car to increase its performance or maintain it is an option, not everyone has a large sum of money to spend on these upgrades. However, there are affordable upgrades and a few things you can do to improve its performance over time.
Keep Up with Its Maintenance
Generally, taking care of your car and keeping up with maintenance can make a significant difference in how it performs. Simple maintenance tasks such as changing the oil or air filters can lead to the engine running smoother, help improve your gas economy and improve your engine’s longevity.
Checking your tires to ensure they are always at the right air pressure and are aligned properly can also make a difference in how your car performs. You can check all these things yourself, or have a technician take care of oil changes and tire alignment for you in an afternoon.
Upgrade Your Suspension
In addition to determining how comfortable your car feels when you drive it, your suspension can also determine how it performs on the road. For example, cars that have very soft suspension for maximum comfort have a lot more body roll in turns than those that have stiffer suspension.
Also, those who own a truck and go off-roading a lot can benefit from a suspension upgrade. A new suspension will increase the vehicle’s height, improve drivability, and decrease the chances of rolling when going up and down steep surfaces.
Because different suspensions and suspension configurations work differently in different cars and trucks, it is always best to let a professional handle the suspension upgrade for you. You can talk to the experts at TCS Upfitting who handle custom accessory installation for cars, trucks, and SUVs.
Reduce Weight
Some people think reducing your car’s overall weight does not make a difference, but studies show it does. Reducing the car’s weight can reduce fuel consumption, improve acceleration, decrease stopping distances and enhance cornering ability.
If you have a lot of things in the car, get rid of them. Ideally, the only extra weight in the car should be your passenger(s), the spare tire, and the essential tools you need for simple roadside repairs.
Use Lighter Wheels
This is also about reducing the car’s weight but has nothing to do with what you have inside the car. Instead, it has to do with a part you cannot get rid of: the tires. While different cars will experience performance improvements differently, reducing the weight of your tires will affect braking and acceleration.
There are a lot of alloy rims that weigh about half of the standard wheel weight without introducing safety concerns. Fitting bigger rims on your car can also let you use better tires that improve performance.
Improving your car’s performance and drivability will give you a better experience while on the road. Better performance can also make your car safer, especially when the improvements reduce the potential for rollovers or braking distances.
