If you are not happy with the performance or your factory stock car, you have many options available to get more out of your car. Your first option, of course, is to trade your car in for a new car. That is a very expensive decision if you are looking for high performance car. There is a saying and says “You pay for speed” and that is a very true statement. This is a topic related to auto tuning, car tuning and car modifications.
Many people are attached to their current cars. The like the way they look and they have become very comfortable in the drivers seat. Buying a new car means having to get used to it, and what happens if you decide you don’t like it down the line? You are stuck with it.
The Art Of Auto Tuning
Instead of buying a new car, it may be more appealing to upgrade your existing car to perform as you would like. Where do you start though? Most people will start with the engine. Higher mileage cars will lose horsepower over time as the engine starts to wear. If you are very mechanically inclined and have a garage full of tools most of this work you can do yourself. The first thing to do is rebuild the engine. A new set of pistons, rings, camshaft and valves will go a long way to add performance back to your car.
When you have it tore apart take the block and heads to a quality auto machine shop and have the cylinders honed and the heads milled. Take the crankshaft in as well and have it machined. At this point you have choices. Was your car everything you wanted when it was new or would you like more performance out of it? This is the time to make this decision.
While the block is in the shop you can have them bore the cylinders slightly larger than stock. This will actually increase the size of the engine. When you do that it is best to upgrade you cylinder heads. The best choice is to purchase a new set of heads with a higher airflow capacity. These heads will have larger than stock valves to allow for fuel and air to enter the cylinder.
When reassembling your engine you can really go crazy with the amount of power you want to produce. With the larger bore and heads you will need a camshaft with more lift and duration to open the valves more and keep them open longer. This will allow much more fuel to enter the cylinder. More fuel equals more power. With the larger cylinders you will need to purchase over sized pistons and rings.
It’s a good idea to upgrade the connecting rods and wrist pins at this time as the original ones may have been weakened over time. With these modifications and a good ignition system you car will perform much better than it did when you bought it.
Before you put the engine back together decide if the modifications you have made will be enough or will you want more. For instance if you are planning to install a supercharger (commonly called a blower) you will want a lower compression ratio. If you are planning on a naturally aspirated engine then a higher compression ratio would be preferred. It is all about matching the parts and modification together for optimum performance.
There are also performance items that can be installed on any vehicle whether new or old to boost performance. The most common and least expensive are a free flow exhaust system and a different intake system. The engine has to use some of its horsepower to push the exhaust gasses out of the tailpipe. The more restriction there is in the exhaust system the more horsepower it takes to vacate the exhaust.
There are many, very good companies out there building custom exhaust systems that will bolt right onto your car. Many of them will not void your factory warranty. A cold air intake system is also a common upgrade. Cold air will produce more horsepower than hot air because cold air is denser.
You have your engine just the way you want it but if you put it back in your car they way it is now you are asking for trouble. When you car was new everything was designed to work together in harmony. If you up the power output of the engine, other parts will break as they were not built to handle the extra power.
A good quality transmission rebuild or replacement will be in order. This is a great time to switch out that slipping automatic for a short throw five or six speed high performance gearbox. The drive shaft and U-joints should also be upgraded. When rebuilding or replacing the rear differential, decide whether you want ultra fast acceleration or top end speed.
Now you have the car that you always dreamed about but you are not quite done yet. The more power you add the more you need to monitor your engine while driving. Many expensive repairs can be avoided by catching potential problems early. Invest in a good set of gauges.
Gauges can be installed to monitor: water temperature, oil pressure, volts, boost pressure for turbo or supercharged engines and a host of other functions. Another must have gauge, especially if you opted for the manual transmission, is a tachometer. Using this gauge will keep you from over revving the engine and blowing it apart.
All of the performance modifications that you do to a car will do you no good if you can’t get the power to the ground without destroying your tires in a cloud of smoke. A good set of aftermarket aluminum wheels and a set of performance tires will go a long ways to getting that power transferred to the pavement with minimal wheel spin. In addition to the wheels and tires a good sport tuned suspension is a must.
These systems are very effective in keeping the tires on the ground during hard acceleration. They will virtually eliminate wheel hop. They also are designed to keep a maximum contact patch between your tires and the pavement during hard cornering. The more of the tire that touches the ground, the more traction you have.
The only thing left to discuss is the cars brakes. Again when you add more power and more speed the factory brakes are not designed to handle the additional forces. Factory brakes are typically consist of a rotor and a one or two piston caliper. Some cars even have the old style drum brakes on the rear. The biggest cause of brake failure in high speed cars is excessive heat. With over sized vented rotors on all four corners it will minimize the heat buildup. For optimum stopping power, upgrading to four or six piston calipers will cut your stopping distances significantly.
There are many other options and accessories that can be added for looks and performance. For instance a functional spoiler or wing on the back of the car can increase down force on the rear tires to keep them firmly planted on the road. The faster you go the more down force is created. The same goes for a front air dam or splitter. It will keep the front end glued to the road especially during high speed cornering.
Now you have created the tuning car you have always dreamed about. The art of auto tuning depends on how far you took the build and may end up paying as much as you would for a new car but you will still have that comfortable car that you started with and don’t have to take the risk of not liking it and being stuck with it.
