Taking your vehicle’s performance and handling to the next level often means upgrading with aftermarket parts. These parts are designed to offer better performance than stock components, making them a popular choice among car enthusiasts.
Just as you can enhance the interior of your car with aftermarket parts, you can a component or two under the bonnet. t. But the engine bay isn’t the only area where upgrades can boost performance—your vehicle’s undercarriage and body also offer room for enhancements with performance car parts.
Exhaust
While not the most obvious performance upgrade, a new exhaust system can dramatically change how your car sounds and performs. Although the performance boost isn’t as noticeable as installing a new turbo, upgrading your exhaust is still a worthy investment. A performance exhaust allows you to select each component of the system, resulting in a fully customised setup that maximises your engine’s power output while delivering that distinctive performance roar.
Cold Air Intake
Internal combustion engines require air to burn fuel, and this combustion process works best when the air is cool and clean. Cold air intakes are designed to supply cooler air to the engine’s cylinders, improving combustion efficiency. The result? A slight increase in power and a longer engine life, particularly when the air is cleaner than the hot air typically circulating inside the engine bay. Cold air intakes are a simple yet effective upgrade to enhance your engine’s overall performance.
Coilovers
Shifting focus to the undercarriage, coilovers are an excellent option for improving your car’s handling. These components combine a coil spring and shock absorber into one unit, offering a versatile solution that lets you adjust rebound, damping, and ride height. Every manufacturer has a guide on how to adjust their coilovers best for different types of driving and once set up you can feel a difference, especially on backroads.
Body Kits
Your car’s body is more than just a shell; it affects both appearance and performance. Body kits offer a way to enhance the car’s aesthetics, making it look more aggressive, while also improving handling and stability during high-speed cornering. Body kits come in various styles and sizes, depending on how much of the original trim you want to replace. In addition to looking sharper, a well-designed body kit can improve aerodynamics, leading to better acceleration and a more efficient drive.
Tyres
Nothing is more important than grip and the only way you can have it even in the most adverse weather conditions is with a good set of performance tyres. The likes of Cup 2’s and P Zero’s are the ones you should consider.
These types of tyres are made to provide the most amount of traction no matter the compression your car is experiencing without sacrificing the ability to move water out of the way. Of course, dimensions also matter as much as the thread pattern with performance car parts of this nature. If you get the tyres right you essentially have your handling issues cut in half or completely gone depending on your suspension setup.
Brakes
Sitting close to the tyres, the brakes are one of the most important performance car parts in terms of safety as they are the only ones that can stop your car safely. Discs and pads are what you should upgrade in this case. Drilled and/ or slotted discs should be on your radar as well as ceramic brake pads since when the two are coupled together, even the heaviest of vehicles can stop in a matter of seconds. Of course, this depends on your reaction time too.
Bushings
For an even more stable and safer vehicle overall you should look to invest in some polyurethane bushes. These types of bushings are tougher than the rubber stock bushes which make for a more comfortable ride but also a wobbly one. Poly bushings help keep your car more predictable even through high-speed corners and uneven surfaces.
Intercooler
All that power and high-revving gear shifts need proper cooling especially if your engine is turbocharged. In fact, an intercooler is made exactly for the turbocharger as its design is created so that the turbo stays cool no matter how fast it spins and for how long too.
Intercoolers come in different sizes and these performance car parts rely either on air or coolant. Know that those that use coolant and offer the largest surface area for it to pass through perform the best, meaning they keep the turbo cool under all and any conditions. Well, unless you start losing coolant that is.