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Transforming a Passenger Car into a Performance Vehicle
The speedometer in your car can be tempting and cruel, a reminder that your car can go well over 100mph, but you know you’ll never really get the chance when you’re just driving back and forth to work or shuttling kids around. If you want to live up to that speedometer potential and don’t think the stock parts in your passenger car are quite up to the task, there are several options to consider for performance upgrades. In this article, we’ll analyze three major upgrade categories along with their benefits and negatives, so you can make an informed selection on what you’d like to upgrade your car with to get better performance out of it.
Performance Parts
Performance parts, the physical add-on components you can include on a car to make it more powerful, have plenty of advantages but also have some distinct disadvantages as well. You can’t get any more effective performance boosters, as parts such as turbochargers can supply a car with an additional 400 horsepower and also make the vehicle more efficient as well. Downsides? Performance parts usually run into the hundreds, even thousands of dollars and often take moderate-to-high levels of automotive tech know-how in order to be installed properly.
Performance Chips
Performance chips modify a vehicle’s intake sensor and ECU setup to close potential performance gaps and literally trick the vehicle into enhancing its results. The downsides to performance chips are their direct comparisons to performance parts, but so are their upsides. Though they won’t supply you with an extra 400HP, you can get up to 60 extra horsepower with one. But performance chips are also much less expensive, costing under a hundred bucks (compared to thousands for a turbo kit), and easier to install, as most can be attached in well under an hour’s time.
Body Replacements
Speed boosts don’t only come from add-ons and attachments. Upgraded versions of current vehicle body parts can make a significant difference as well. Stock hoods, for instance, can be quite heavy and overburden a car with its weight. Replacing that stock hood with a fiberglass one can lighten the load and enable the car’s engine to have to work less to compensate for its weight. Items such as air dams and rear spoilers can have a direct impact on the aerodynamics of the car as well and result in improved performance too.
Performance Parts
Performance parts, the physical add-on components you can include on a car to make it more powerful, have plenty of advantages but also have some distinct disadvantages as well. You can’t get any more effective performance boosters, as parts such as turbochargers can supply a car with an additional 400 horsepower and also make the vehicle more efficient as well. Downsides? Performance parts usually run into the hundreds, even thousands of dollars and often take moderate-to-high levels of automotive tech know-how in order to be installed properly.
Performance Chips
Performance chips modify a vehicle’s intake sensor and ECU setup to close potential performance gaps and literally trick the vehicle into enhancing its results. The downsides to performance chips are their direct comparisons to performance parts, but so are their upsides. Though they won’t supply you with an extra 400HP, you can get up to 60 extra horsepower with one. But performance chips are also much less expensive, costing under a hundred bucks (compared to thousands for a turbo kit), and easier to install, as most can be attached in well under an hour’s time.
Body Replacements
Speed boosts don’t only come from add-ons and attachments. Upgraded versions of current vehicle body parts can make a significant difference as well. Stock hoods, for instance, can be quite heavy and overburden a car with its weight. Replacing that stock hood with a fiberglass one can lighten the load and enable the car’s engine to have to work less to compensate for its weight. Items such as air dams and rear spoilers can have a direct impact on the aerodynamics of the car as well and result in improved performance too.
The Dirt Track Program
Heat races
Preliminary races for each class, called heat races, frequently open the schedule. The heat races may determine the starting race position in the main events and usually earn season championship points. The heat races are shorter than the feature races, and not as many cars race in each heat. There are numerous formats for qualifying for the feature event.
In "Progressive racing", the starting lineup for the heat races are randomly selected, and a pre-determined number of drivers qualify for the main event directly from each heat race.
There may be a "trophy dash" during the program to allow the heat winners or the season's top points-getters to compete for a trophy or reward. If the reward is monetary, the race may be called a "dash for the cash" or a "run for the money". Some tracks also use the qualifying dash in place of a heat race to determine where the top cars will start in the A feature.
In most sanctioned races or big races there will be qualifying that will determine the heat race line ups. In many races, the inversion is set at an established number (usually six cars), while other tracks (mostly for the A feature) the fastest qualifier will participate in a random drawing where he a number determines how many cars will be inverted.
B Feature/Main
There may be a semi-feature where unqualified racers may race their way into the remaining open starting positions in the feature event. Depending on the number of cars in each class, there may be more than one feature race (C feature; 3rd place heat winners, B feature; 2nd place heat winners, etc.) with the winners moving up through to the main feature (A feature). Other tracks utilize multiple semi-features with a predetermined number of cars from each semi-feature qualifying for the feature. Cars that qualify through the semi-feature usually start in the back of the feature in the order that they finished in the semi-feature.
Feature/Main
The A feature or main feature race is held for each division. The top cars from the event compete in the race. The starting positions may be determined by the season's point standings, or by a combination of the heat/trophy dash/semi-feature finishing positions. It is usually the longest race in the program. Points, a trophy, and frequently a purse are generally awarded, with the amount of each is determined by finishing position. The winner of the feature event is considered the winner of the event.
Preliminary races for each class, called heat races, frequently open the schedule. The heat races may determine the starting race position in the main events and usually earn season championship points. The heat races are shorter than the feature races, and not as many cars race in each heat. There are numerous formats for qualifying for the feature event.
In "Progressive racing", the starting lineup for the heat races are randomly selected, and a pre-determined number of drivers qualify for the main event directly from each heat race.
There may be a "trophy dash" during the program to allow the heat winners or the season's top points-getters to compete for a trophy or reward. If the reward is monetary, the race may be called a "dash for the cash" or a "run for the money". Some tracks also use the qualifying dash in place of a heat race to determine where the top cars will start in the A feature.
In most sanctioned races or big races there will be qualifying that will determine the heat race line ups. In many races, the inversion is set at an established number (usually six cars), while other tracks (mostly for the A feature) the fastest qualifier will participate in a random drawing where he a number determines how many cars will be inverted.
B Feature/Main
There may be a semi-feature where unqualified racers may race their way into the remaining open starting positions in the feature event. Depending on the number of cars in each class, there may be more than one feature race (C feature; 3rd place heat winners, B feature; 2nd place heat winners, etc.) with the winners moving up through to the main feature (A feature). Other tracks utilize multiple semi-features with a predetermined number of cars from each semi-feature qualifying for the feature. Cars that qualify through the semi-feature usually start in the back of the feature in the order that they finished in the semi-feature.
Feature/Main
The A feature or main feature race is held for each division. The top cars from the event compete in the race. The starting positions may be determined by the season's point standings, or by a combination of the heat/trophy dash/semi-feature finishing positions. It is usually the longest race in the program. Points, a trophy, and frequently a purse are generally awarded, with the amount of each is determined by finishing position. The winner of the feature event is considered the winner of the event.
