If you a car enthusiast, you may want to turn your car to a performance car. However, before you start building a performance car, you should understand that a performance car normally goes hand-in-hand with compromise. The modified cars for beginners’ guide will tell you what you should consider in building a performance car and what kinds of commitment and issues you should keep in mind when you do car modification.
Why is it good to modify a car?
You probably heard of someone argue that ‘Why would you modify your car when it may cost more than the automobile of humble origins?’. ‘Wouldn’t it be easier just to buy a car that was engineered from the beginning to go fast?’ Indeed, a car can be a unique reflection of oneself. You can bring an older car back to a state of health with modification and fix up your current vehicle to a satisfying level that will make you happy. Your friend may think the car is good enough, but you may enjoy horsepower than what it is originally. Although modifying a car requires lots of knowledge, changing a vehicle to suit yourself within the law requirement can be an enjoyable thing to do.
1The Compromise And Expectation For a Performance car
The compromise can be the expense and the time that you use to purchase and install the new part, or that can be a trade-off between the improving aspects and suffering aspects.
For example, you may get a suspension part that allows your car to corner faster and more confidently, but it can also make the rider rougher. Similarly, you may get an exhaust system that sounds great and makes higher peak horsepower. However, it may become obnoxious on a longer journey, create excess noise, or may draw unnecessary attention of the corps.
The turbo kit that provides all the extra power you could ever want will generally cost money to both buy and install and will have several hidden costs in the form of needing an upgraded clutch, fuel system, a set of gauges, engine management, and tuning.
The roll bar that increases safety will render the back seat all but useless and maybe more dangerous for street use than if it had never been installed.
Therefore, when you buy a new performance product, you need to understand that most products on the market is designed to make your car do certain things better, but may at the expense of letting certain other areas fall by the wayside.
Before you modify the car to improve an aspect of your car’s performance, bear in mind that you may
- Sacrifice another element of performance.
- Hurt your car’s resale value.
- Part may be expensive or difficult to repair or replace
2Things You Should Have When Modifying A Car
Modifying a car can be time-consuming, and you may expect different issues to arise during the process. It is always a good practice to set up an exit strategy just in case things happen to make you fail to modify the car. For example, parts you order fail to arrive on time, or the parts you ordered is the U.S. version should be Mitsubishi Evo 8 but turn out a Japanese version Evo 7 arrived at your door. Therefore, it may good to have the following when you modify a car:
- Allow extra time to get the car modification project done
- Have additional cash reserves for car modification
- Have an alternate mode of transportation just in case it takes a longer time to finish your projects.
- Able to access online resources to check answers and leads
- Always have a mobile phone with you for any emergency purpose.
3Understand the Legal Legislation
As a beginner to learn how to upgrade and modify your car’s performance, it is essential to understand the legal legislation. There are regulatory bodies and commercial entities interested in how you modify your car from it was originally in the United States. Here are the three core regulations that you should know before changing the car: Federal regulations, local regulations, and motor vehicle code.
Federal regulations
Two regulatory agencies oversee the automotive industry on a federal level:
- EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)
- DOT (Department of Transportation)The EPA and DOT’s regulatory power is primarily about setting and enforcing the regulations dealing with safety and emission equipment that need to be present in cars for them to be sold in the United States.
Local regulations
- We know the federal government has many vehicle standards; however, when the car is on the road, the regulations are enforced almost exclusively by state or local government. Each State sets its rules on how closely, and how often, they will scrutinize a car before issuing a license plate or reviewing the vehicle’s registration. These regulations may be enforced in different ways, depending on which county your vehicle is registered.
- For example, some counties in California require emissions testing every two years, while other counties require only that the vehicle passes emissions when it is first registered and do not require further testing unless the car has been cited by law enforcement as a suspected polluter.
Motor vehicle code
- The state regulatory agencies generally set forth the requirements in the motor vehicle code for each State. Before beginning any modifications, you should acquaint yourself with the vehicle code regulations in your State.
- You can get this information from m your local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) can steer you toward listings of applicable codes. You can get this information from public libraries.