1. Remap Your Car or Install a Tuning Box
One of the easiest ways to make a car faster is to remap it or install a tuning box. This process simply overrides your car’s factory ECU in order to maximise its performance. When it comes to choosing between a remap or tuning box, it really does depend upon whether you want the tune to be permanent or not.
Remapping your car with a “custom” tune by a professional that takes into account all the other modifications can make for excellent gains. However, there are many companies that simply tune your car with a generic remap, which won’t unleash all its potential power.
Tuning boxes on the other hand have improved massively over the years and many come with selectable modes that allow you to choose between the different tunes. However, the main bonus, when compared to a remap, is the fact that it isn’t permanent and you can simply unplug the tuning box when it’s no longer needed.
Regardless of whether you choose a remap or tuning box, you’ll want to use/buy from a reputable brand.
2. Exhaust System Upgrade
Replacing your stock exhaust with a performance-based system is a great way to boost performance and also unleash a beautiful exhaust note. Of course, when talking about performance exhausts, this isn’t just replacing the exhaust tips.
A performance cat-back system that replaces every part of your exhaust from the catalytic converter backwards is recommended. You could even go a step further by de-catting the car and upgrading the downpipes. This reduces any restrictions and helps to achieve peak performance (particularly for turbocharged vehicles).
3. Upgrade The Turbo or Supercharger
Installing an upgraded or hybrid turbo is another great way to vastly improve performance. Depending upon the turbo you choose, many only require a few modifications to the mounting brackets whereas others may require further work in regards to the fuel injectors, fuel pump and other components.
For those that drive a car that’s supercharged, the simplest way to increase power is to upgrade the pulleys. This will help spin the blower faster for extra boost and it’s also a relatively straightforward modification too.
4. Replace The Engine Altogether
Depending on your current engine, it may not be easy or cost-effective to tune and replacing the engine altogether would be the easiest way to make the car faster. Whether you choose a larger engine from the same manufacturer or do something completely unique, it’s completely up to you. When replacing the engine, you will need to also upgrade the car’s ECU, gearbox, suspension (if it’s a much larger engine) and many other components too.
5. Help The Car Breathe
One of the cheapest ways to make your car faster is to help it breathe in the form of a performance air filter. They come in a whole range of shapes and sizes with some of the best coming from the reputable K&N brand. The reason why an air filter improves performance is due to the fact the engine doesn’t need to work as hard to bring in air and it can also bring in more air in order to inject more fuel. If you want even more air, you should look into installing an induction kit.
6. Remove Unused Weight
If you want to make a car faster for free, stripping your car of unused components is the best way of doing so. Some of the components that are ideal for removing from your car to reduce weight include:
- Heavy or old sound-deadening material
- Air conditioning systems
- Car seats
- Bulky audio components (subwoofers, rear speakers etc)
- Spare wheels
If you are happy to spend money to reduce your car’s weight, you may wish to upgrade certain components. For example, you can replace the sound-deadening material with a lighter alternative, car seats can be switched with aftermarket bucket seats and the spare tyre can be replaced with a car tyre sealant for emergency use.
7. Get More Grip
Once you have achieved peak engine performance, you’ll want to be able to put the power down. Therefore, there is no point in putting budget or “ditch finder” tyres onto your car. Instead, by investing in premium tyres, the additional grip matched with the improved performance will then certainly make your car faster from a standstill.
8. Maintain Your Car
If your car hasn’t been serviced appropriately, performing basic maintenance tasks such as changing the car’s engine oil, filters, spark plugs and other service items can certainly make a difference.
However, if the car has been neglected for a long period of time, you may have to perform more extensive maintenance such as cleaning the fuel injectors and much more.
Conclusion
There are so many ways that you can make a car faster but it all depends on how far you actually want to go and spend. Of course, if you are upgrading the car’s power and torque to make it faster, it’s paramount that you also ensure the rest of the car is upgraded. This includes upgrading the brakes, suspension, aerodynamics and other components.
