3 Modification Ways to Make Your Car More Efficient

Many people decide to modify their car to make it more efficient. This blog teach you 3 modification ways to help you modify your car easily. The basic steps include optimizing the air intake and exhaust as well as replacing the suspension for better driving. Subsequently, you can consider boosting the engine, or even installing a gas injection device. But do not forget that by modifying your car, you seek to personalize it according to your tastes and your needs. Therefore, make your choices taking into account your driving style, your interests, and the type of vehicle.

Method 1: Modify car equipment

1. Improve consumption and power.

You can do this by making adjustments. However, the changes will have little effect if you don’t maintain your car to the highest standards to keep it running smoothly. First, be sure to change your oil regularly, check your tire pressure and apply the recommended maintenance schedule for your vehicle. So your car will perform better and last longer. Examine the vehicle manual to find out about maintenance operations based on mileage. On some cars, it is necessary to adjust the belt or the timing chain, or change fluids after a certain number of kilometers so that the vehicle retains its original performance.

• • Replacing air and oil filters, checking spark plugs, and even replacing filters and transmission fluids are maintenance operations, which undoubtedly contribute to the proper functioning of your car.
  • Check that the tire inflation pressure complies with the recommended values. Correct pressure promotes fuel economy and extends the life of the tire.

2. Install an air cooler at the intake.

Think of your car as a running athlete. The air intake allows her to breathe while she is riding. Air intakes are designed to accomplish several purposes, such as reducing engine noise. By replacing the original device with one designed to maximize engine power, you will achieve your goals, but also reduce fuel consumption. In general, the diameter of the air conditioner is larger than that of the normal air intake, and the purpose is to connect the carburetor on the shortest route possible.

• • Cold air intakes usually include an adaptable air filter with a larger exchange surface. As a result, the flow and air flow into the engine will become larger and larger.
    
  • A thermal insulated system helps prevent engine heat from heating the intake air.
  • The colder the air, the better its oxygen content. Therefore, the combustion inside the engine will be more efficient, and will develop a higher power.

3. Opt for a larger exhaust manifold.

If air intake equals inspiration for an athlete (your car), exhaust represents expiration. There is no shortage of choices when it comes to modifying a car’s exhaust system. Many owners prefer to replace the original piping that goes to the exhaust silencer with an adaptable pipe after the catalyst. It is also very common to modify high-flow catalytic converters, upstream pipes, and even exhaust pipes. The complete replacement of the circuit (from the pipe to the silencer) will improve the performance of the engine.

• • A larger diameter of the manifold and higher flow rate exhaust systems will have more noticeable effects on a car with a supercharged engine. A higher flow also facilitates the operation of the turbocharger.
  • Some countries have strict regulations regarding the modification of catalytic converters. Check on the website of the relevant administration before modifying or replacing the catalytic converter of your car.

4. Reprogram the engine control module. 

The role of this accessory is to operate the engine correctly. It adjusts the ratio of air to fuel to achieve good combustion, regardless of the ambient temperature and the air density (altitude). If the mixture is too rich in oxygen, the module will add fuel to maintain equilibrium, and vice versa. The equipment adjusts many factors for the plant, such as reducing gas emissions and improving reliability. You can use a programmer, or ask a specialist to adjust your module to promote better performance, increase engine power and lower consumption.

• • On some vehicles, the module can be reprogrammed by its OBDII on-board diagnostic input, using a programmer adapted to the vehicle, or a chip that you can install yourself.
  • Some programmers allow the use of multiple programs or profiles. Thus, you will be able to switch to more interesting consumption and mixtures, and even use a fuel with a lower octane number.

5. Install high-performance tires.

These accessories are extremely important for driving your car. Good traction makes good use of the power developed by the engine. It also makes the difference when it comes to starting correctly instead of wearing the tires on the asphalt. This is why many people choose tires that allow both good handling and the evacuation of water streams.

• • Pay attention to the speed rating of the tires you buy. A simple letter indicates the tyre class, the maximum speed the tyre can safely support. Generally, cars are fitted with S tires, which allow them to travel at a maximum speed of 180 km / h. Race cars wear Z tires to achieve speeds of more than 240 km / h.
  • Some high-performance tires produce more noise than regular tires.

6. Replace the spark plugs. 

They produce the electric spark which ignites the mixture of air and fuel in the engine cylinders. Over time, they can wear out or become unusable due to poor mixtures of air and fuel. Defective candles limit combustion and create misfires. Before purchasing, do an online search or consult your supplier to make a wise choice. Replacing the spark plugs is part of routine maintenance operations and eliminates the need for corroded or worn spark plugs.

• • The candles include many different materials. Copper electrodes are the best, but spark plugs have poor corrosion resistance. To avoid this inconvenience, many people prefer performance, and choose iridium candles that work as well, but last longer.
  • Be sure to read your service manual before adjusting and installing your spark plugs. This involves fixing the space between the electrodes to create the arc necessary for ignition at the right time. Improper play results in poor combustion or lack of spark.

Method 2: Improve car driving

1. Replace your shock absorbers. 

Install high-performance items instead. The shock absorbers and springs are designed to ensure maximum comfort while driving. Thus, thanks to the suspension, the wheels move up and down to reduce the oscillation of the car when it rolls on a bump. By replacing these components with others, stiffer, you will decrease your comfort while driving, but the additional stiffness will promote better contact of the wheels with the ground, which will result in stronger traction during acceleration, braking, and turns.

• • Adjustable shock absorbers give you the option of lowering the vehicle and stiffening the suspension depending on your preference and the way you drive.
  • Many suspensions also lower the vehicle and its center of gravity, which improves driving.

2.Install larger stabilizer bars. 

These bars connect the two sides of the vehicle to the front and rear to increase the rigidity of the body. Therefore by replacing the original bars of your car with bars having a larger diameter, you will increase the rigidity of your vehicle. This increased rigidity will reinforce the contact of the tires with the ground and improve the tractive effort. When buying stabilizer bars, it is preferable to take them in pairs, so that the front and rear of the vehicle have the same resistance to torsion. By doing so, you will also ensure the stability of the car during fast starts or tight turns.

• • Stabilization bars are also called anti-roll bars or stabilizer bars.
  • Often they are made with high strength steel tubes, and in this case they are preferable to solid bars, which can be extremely heavy.

3. Replace the rubber bushings with polyurethane bushings. 

Your car suspension has some rubber pads that separate the moving metal parts. These pads help reduce vibration and maintain a good distribution of the weight of your car.  However, rubber tends to lose its qualities over time. Polyurethane linings are much harder than the previous ones, and their lifespan is longer.

• • However, they will squeak more if they are not properly greased during assembly.
  • You can replace them one by one. The operation can be carried out in one go if you buy a complete kit.
  • To remove Some jacks can use a press.

4. Install a tie bar. 

This bar is mounted under the hood, between the head of the right shock absorber and that of the left shock absorber. It directly connects the spacer on the driver’s side to that on the passenger’s side, and contributes to reinforcing the rigidity of the car and improving road handling, in particular by hectic driving. This bar perfectly complements the adaptable stabilization bars. It also reduces the tilt and torsion of the car during turns.

• • You may not have access to the rear shock absorbers to install such a bar.
  • Probably, you will have to dismantle it to work on your engine later.

5. Improve your braking system. 

This system is very important while driving a car. However, good quality brakes allow you to wait before slowing down to turn, which means you will be traveling at high speed longer than your competitors. There are several ways you can improve your brakes. You can, for example, buy better fittings, or replace the entire system with a more efficient and robust one.

• • This adaptable gasket effectively improves the brake. Generally, they are very suitable for city driving, and their dimensions correspond to those of the components of the original brake system of the car in question.
  • Compound seals can be used for different purposes. Ask your spare parts supplier which options are right for your vehicle.
  • It is possible to buy kits to replace the brake calipers and discs with larger parts, to increase the friction surface and reduce the braking distance. You will need to verify that your wheels are wide enough to allow modification of your brakes.

Method 3: Use overeating and nitrous oxide

1. Install a turbocharger.

It is a pump that works with the exhaust gases from the engine. These gases turn a turbine which drives a compressor, which sucks in the outside air and delivers it to the engine. This installation allows more air to be sent than in a normal assembly. Most kit turbochargers come with more powerful fuel pumps, a programming module, a higher pressure fuel pressure regulator, and even injectors. These kits should match your car unless you are an experienced mechanic, in which case you will be able to make the necessary adaptations.

• • Many cars are also equipped with an intermediate air cooler (intercooler), installed between the turbocharger and the intake to cool the air and increase its density.

The installation of a turbocharger requires careful adjustments to the mixture of air and fuel. Therefore, it is best to go to a mechanic to do them.

2. Take a mechanical compressor. 

This machine works similarly to that of a turbocharger. Unlike the latter, which uses the energy of exhaust gases, the mechanical compressor is driven by a belt, like the air conditioner or the pump in your car’s steering system. It is for this reason that this device is less efficient than turbochargers. However, it has the advantage of being independent of the flow rate of the exhaust gases from the engine. Because of this difference, many people prefer to install a compressor to immediately have sufficient power. The installation of this device involves modifications to the fuel system similar to those required for turbochargers.

• • The assembly of lobe compressors is different, but the drive is carried out by belt. Generally, these compressors are fitted to vintage cars fitted with a carburetor.
  • In the case of supercharged cars, the fuel must have a higher octane number to increase the stability of the mixture between air and fuel in the engine.

3. Opt for nitrous oxide injection. 

It is a gas that is richer in oxygen than the ambient air. As a result, injecting it into your engine’s air intake system will have the same effect as boosting it with a turbocharger or mechanical compressor. Instead of increasing the oxygen level by mechanically driving more air into the engine, the same result is produced by introducing more oxygen molecules into the same space usually occupied by air. Dry nitrogen kits do not mix nitrous oxide directly with the fuel. These kits are not as efficient as the wet kits, but they can be extremely advantageous to obtain an immediate gain of power.

• • With this method, the improvement of the power is only possible when the device is in service. This will reduce engine wear compared to operating with a turbocharger or mechanical compressor.
  • When the system is starting, you control the flow using a push-button, or a switch that activates when you accelerate.
  • Some dry kits have a fuel pressure regulator to compensate for the effect of additional oxygen. However, this is not a general rule.

4. Install a wet kit.

These kits serve the same purpose as dry kits, but they inject the product directly into the fuel intake in the engine. For this reason, they are often considered more reliable, because they do not disturb the ratio between the air and the fuel that you have fixed, even after the addition of nitrous oxide. Compared to dry kits, this balance favors higher power, and a much lower risk of pre-detonation. As in the case of turbochargers and mechanical compressors, the use of nitrous oxide could require adjustments that are beyond the reach of a DIY mechanic.

• • You can activate such a system using a button, as for a dry kit.
  • Nitrous oxide is not spontaneously flammable as you see in the movies. To burn, it must be mixed with fuel.
  • Nitrous oxide can work with turbochargers or mechanical compressors.

Advice

• Hoping this blog can give some useful guidances to modify your car. Also there are many online communities share information and experiences about similar vehicles. Considering studying in detail a site or publications from an online community dedicated to the model of your car. This will give you a better idea of ​​the options you can choose to improve the performance of your car.