When you decide to modify your car for more
performance, be warned that many of these modifications can affect your
warranty, so preferably don’t do some of these modifications with a new car.
High-flow air filter
You can get high flow
air-filters from K&N or Green Cotton. These come in two kinds. Stock
replacement filters fit directly into the air filter slot in your car. These
are oil-coated mesh filters that allow more air into your engine, allowing the
car to “breathe” better. Other universal cold air intake kits are more
expensive and need some plumbing. Stock replacement filters cost between Rs.
3000-Rs.7000, while universal filters will cost between Rs. 10,000 and Rs.
15,000.
Free-flow exhaust
With a car that breathes better, it needs
to let the gases out equally fast. Modifying the exhaust to a free-flow exhaust
allows for more gases to escape faster. A free flow exhaust needs to be fitted
in entirety from the “headers” or exhaust manifold that comes out of the engine
head, to the muffler and tail-pipe. Some will only add a muffler that makes
more noise but gives not significant performance gains. The catalytic converter
may have to be removed for full performance gains, but then your car won’t meet
emission norms. This modification will cost between Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 30,000.
Engine oil
If you
plan to increase performance of your car, it will likely see a lot of high-rpm
driving. In which case it would be better to switch to a synthetic engine oil
instead of a mineral oil. This will allow for better lubrication and longer
engine life. Synthetic oil will cost you about Rs. 900-Rs. 1000 a litre.
Tyres and wheels
One of
the most important factors in extracting maximum performance from your car is
to upgrade the tyres and wheels. Go in for low-rolling resistance tyres and
light-weight alloy wheels. If possible you can widen the tyre size a little,
but reduce the profile height accordingly. Also read:
Performance spark plugs
For constant high-rpm driving and better
tolerance to heat build up, you will need to replace your spark plugs with
performance plugs (iridium tipped plugs). These spark plugs will cost between
Rs. 1000-Rs.4000 a set.
High-voltage plug wires
To ensure there is no loss of current it
would help to upgrade the plug wires to a performance wiring set. This will
ensure you get the best possible spark at all times, without misfiring. This
will cost about Rs. 2,500-Rs.3000.
Suspension upgrade
The car’s suspension will need to be
stiffened for performance driving. One of the easiest ways to do this is to
install high-performance shock absorbers such as Bilstein or Koni kits that
will add that extra stiffness to the suspension. These cost about Rs.
12,000-Rs.15,000 a piece.
Strut braces
To add more rigidity to a car’s body you
will need to add strut braces. This is a bar that connects the two suspension
struts across the top and prevents the car’s body from flexing (especially in
monocoque designs), adding rigidity and giving better handling. This mod will
cost about Rs. 5000-Rs.6000
Roll cage
Once you’ve got most of your performance
upgrades done, it is a good idea to consider additional safety for your car.
Installing a roll cage (like a rally car) will ensure that in the event of a
crash you are more likely to step out unharmed. A roll-cage will cost about Rs.
50,000 and will require extensive body work (cutting and refitting of the
body).
Performance brakes
Keeping safety in mind, another very
important performance modification is the braking system. If you give your car
20% more power, you will need 20% more stopping power as well. You will need to
upgrade the disc size and the brake pads and calipers. A brake upgrade can be
expensive, with cost ranging from Rs. 8000-Rs.50,000.
Tuning chips
Diesel tuning boxes are now a common
performance modification for diesel cars. There are tuning boxes available for
petrol cars as well, which function in the same way. They “piggyback” with the
car’s ECU and modify some engine parameters to fool the car’s ECU into
injecting more fuel for a given rpm range. Tuning boxes cost between Rs. 20,000
to Rs. 35,000.
Clutch upgrade
If you plan to use your car for rallying,
it would be a good idea to upgrade the clutch as well, as constant high-rpm
driving will involve a lot of clutch wear. Upgrading the clutch, however, can
affect day-to-day running of your car as it won’t be as smooth as you want it
and will respond only to rough use. This will cost between Rs. 15,000 to Rs.
50,000 to upgrade.
Upgraded camshaft
The camshaft is what controls the opening
and closing of the intake and exhaust valves in the car. Upgrading this to a
performance (or high-lift) camshaft will allow the engine to breathe better and
take in more fuel. However, day-to-day drivability will be affected. Camshaft
kits from Piper etc, cost about Rs.30,000-Rs.45,000.
Polishing heads
Polishing the cylinder head will add a
little more breathability to the engine as the ports for the intake and exhaust
valves become bigger. This is not a task for the fainthearted, as it involves
opening up the engine and refitting it. This will cost between Rs.
12,000-Rs.20,000 depending on the car.
Turbo-charging
Normal petrol cars can also be
turbo-charged to make them even more powerful. Installing a turbo-charger would
also mean changing the other parameters in the car. The cost of turbo-charging
a car can vary between Rs.1 lakh to Rs. 2.5 lakh depending on the kind of
turbocharger used.
