Table of contents
Introduction
Modifying a car for performance is every car enthusiast’s dream. Enhancing the driving experience or the aesthetics brings joy to our hearts. Within the realm of car modifications are parts with high promises that yield no results. Eliminate the guesswork in car modifications with PowerShift Auto’s list of the greatest high performance car modifications!
#1 Tires
Nothing sets off a well-built car like a set of meaty tires! Tires control the vehicle’s dynamics and maintain grip on the roadway. Performance tires help set up your vehicle for success in a race and keep your car safe on the road.
For a performance oriented car, summer tires or low treadwear tires are your best bet. These tires reach optimal temperature faster than all seasons so peak grip comes sooner. If you really want to go for a street-able race tire, look into 200 Treadwear tires.
I’d recommend checking out TireRack as they break down tires into categories and you can filter them according to size and spec. Additionally, you can consult our article covering the best tires should you need further assistance!
#2 Coilovers
Coilovers are the premier suspension component in the modification world. Adjustable coilovers provide ride height and dampening customization for your preference. If you are into slamming a car to the ground, there are also options for this!
Now, you will be tempted by cheap coilovers on the market. Do not give in. A high quality set of coilovers from a reputable company is a must. These reputable companies like Fortune Auto and Tein provide warranties, rebuilding services, and years of R&D to back their product. No sense in cutting costs with knock off coilovers with terrible ride quality and performance. Click here to read more about coilover suspension and why you should consider it for your car!
#3 Custom Tunes
Tuning a car has a multitude of approaches. A tuning device, such as a Cobb Accessport or Diablosport InTune, provide the ability to change parameters in the vehicle. Often times, these devices come with tunes from the factory to upgrade your vehicle immediately. These factory device tunes do not take advantage of everything and are nothing in comparison to a custom tune.
Fortunately, there are tons of custom tunes available. I took advantage of this through JST performance to custom tune my ST. Datalogging and providing readings to your tuner will allow them to take advantage of your modifications. Essentially, these custom tunes really give you the power you desire.
Hit up your forums and google searches and you can find many reputable tuners. Take the time to work with them and see how much performance you can squeeze out of your car!
#4 Forced Induction
Now, this should come to no surprise. Turbochargers and superchargers have been pumping up horsepower numbers for years. Nowadays, it is incredibly easy to piece together a turbo or supercharger kit. If you aren’t one to fabricate parts to make a kit work, complete kits are also available. For instance, Flyin’ Miata has a turbo and supercharger kit available for the ND Miata. This kit not only provides forced induction power, but is also California SMOG compliant! Take advantage of these kits and turn up the boost!
#5 Performance Brakes
As fun as it is to go fast, it isn’t as fun not being able to stop. Performance enhancements to brakes can come in many shades. Simply swapping out the brake pads for high performance ones are a budget-friendly but rewarding modification. Going more in depth with brakes typically involves upgrading the rotors, brake lines, and calipers.
One of my favorite ways to modify a car’s brakes is to look at larger OEM brake setups. This provides OEM quality and fitment for a better price compared to Brembo or Wilwood kits. Should you choose to go with a big brake kit like a Wilwood or Brembo kit, expect to pay. The kits are expensive but the capabilities are insane!
#6 Ethanol (E85)
Fuel options are often a consideration with big power vehicles. However, today’s technology allows anyone to up the power with a change in fueling! Ethanol or E85 is often the go-to solution for more power. Forced induction cars especially benefit from Ethanol! We break down what E85 fuel is in one of our articles and explain why it is a great option.
My experience with Ethanol came from a 30 percent Ethanol blend tune for my Focus ST. The tuning from JST Performance allowed me to have mixed fuel for performance gains. While it was annoying to do math to fill up, it provided huge benefits to the driving performance.
Look into your vehicle and see if FlexFuel kits are available for your car. Alternatively, an ethanol blend like I did could be the way for you! Regardless of how you do it, make sure the car is tuned properly to avoid any potential issues.
#7 Exhaust
Upgrading a car’s exhaust is more than just a noise modification. An upgraded exhaust eliminates restriction for the engine and decreases back pressure. Modifying an engine’s exhaust will typically include headers, a cat-back exhaust, and a downpipe if you have a turbocharged car. Both naturally aspirated and cars with forced induction see awesome benefits from an aftermarket exhaust. The best part about exhaust modifications are they are relatively inexpensive. You can contact your local exhaust shop and get a custom cat-back exhaust for significantly less than an aftermarket kit.
#8 Lightweight Wheels
Weight reduction is always a topic of conversation with car enthusiasts. Fortunately, there is one performance mod that creates huge weight savings and adds to the appearance!
Lightweight alloy wheels provide enthusiasts tons of options for customizability and performance. Whether it’s adding width for bigger tires, or cutting down rotational mass, aftermarket wheels can do it all. Rotational mass weight savings are huge for a car’s performance and only provides negative benefits.
For example, switching over to wheels that are 5 pounds lighter than your OEM wheels provides 20 pounds of weight savings! It is a performance boost you will actually feel right away. Fitment Industries provides a wide array of aftermarket wheels for your car! Along with a wide range of wheels, they provide you with all of the specs, including weight!
#9 Bracing
Strut tower braces, subframe braces, and other parts can provide a significant handling improvement. On the more extreme side of bracing, a roll cage can be welded in to stiffen up the car. In my opinion, you’re going to want to freshen up the other suspension components to really see the benefits of the bracing.
I took advantage of adding performance bracing to both my Acura CL and my Focus ST. I used various combinations of strut tower bracing and lower chassis bracing with positive results!
If you want to explore your options in performance bracing, CarThrottle provides a great breakdown of your options!
#10 Seat Time
The absolute most underrated modification is a driver mod. Taking performance driving lessons through SCCA or other schools is huge. In these classes you’ll learn about the driving dynamics of your vehicle and fundamental driving techniques. While these schools can be pricey, the return on investment is huge! Check out the SCCA school options and get some seat time!
Conclusion
Not all car modifications are alike. The ones listed above will give you the best bang-for-your-buck performance without the gimmicks. These modifications all have years of testing and development behind them. Every year, new car modifications come out promising insane horsepower gains with a simple plug-in install, but those are all snake oil. Stick to the mods on this list and you will have an improved car ready to take on the track.
If you wish to dive in more with car modifications, please visit our beginner’s guide to car modifications.