Second In A Three Part Drama About Perfomance Mods

Dec. 9, 2009 - PRLog -- Ceramic Brakes

Performance gain: N/A
Installation: Moderate
Cost: Very High (around £5000)

As you increase the power of your car, it inevitably becomes harder to stop. Therefore it may become necessary to replace the stock brakes, particularly if you have drum brakes as appose disc brakes. The problem with most brakes is that they get very hot and when brakes get hot, they lose a lot of their stopping power.

One way around this is to switch to ceramic disc brakes. Unlike metal disc brakes, ceramic disc brakes don't conduct heat very well. This keeps the brakes cool and stopping power strong. Otherwise you might find yourself running out of road!

The only real downside to ceramic brakes is the cost. Although you can pick up ceramic brake pads relatively cheaply, expect to spend the best part of 5 grand upgrading the discs and callipers.

Advantages: Better more reliable and consistent braking.
Disadvantages: Incredibly expensive.
Verooom value for money rating: 2/10

Spoiler

Performance gain: N/A
Installation: Easy to Moderate
Cost: Cheap (around £100)

As a car accelerates, it generates lift, much in the same way an aeroplane does to take off. While for the average motorist this isn't a concern, performance drivers know that lift limits the tyres contact with the road and in turn, this means less grip and wasted engine power.

The addition of a spoiler causes the air rushing overhead to push down on the car, stabilizing it and making sure more of the engine's power hits the road. And for even more grip a splitter can be added which has much the same effect but at the front of the vehicle.

Spoilers are a cost effective way of increasing grip giving you more power and control at high speeds, but are absolutely useless on non-performance vehicles.

Advantages: More grip, less wasted engine power.
Disadvantages: Look silly on vehicles that simply don't need them.
Verooom value for money rating: 9/10

Chipping & ECU Remapping

Performance gain: High
Installation: Easy to Moderate
Cost: Moderate to High (£250 to £1000)
Due to today's strict emissions and fuel economy standards to which manufacturers have to conform, most car engines these days are controlled and regulated by computers which in most cases, actually limit a cars performance to well below its actual capability. There are however a couple of ways you can remove this limit and unlock your cars full potential.

ECU Remapping is a process by which a cars diagnostic port is used to re-program the ECU to get the best possible performance out of your car. When an ECU is remapped, the program that deals with engine performance is basically being fine tuned. This is usually done with 2 objectives in mind. As well as re-mapping the ECU to produce greater power and torque, drivability problems at lower rev ranges such as flat spots and hesitation issues can also be smoothed out, giving the engine more initial torque making a more responsive and enjoyable drive.

Chipping is basically the same as ECU remapping but instead of re-programming the unit you're bypassing it completely. This is often less effective than remapping because every engine runs slightly differently, and mass produced pre-programmed chips don't take into account an engines subtle differences.

The only downside to ECU remapping and chipping is that a cars fuel consumption can dramatically increase. Also, over time, as the car is performing far beyond its originally asserted capability extra stress on the components means you will find they wear out far faster. You can also expect to have your vehicle serviced more often to keep it in tip top condition, sometimes as much as double the normal rate.
One way around this is having several chips or re-maps and switching between them depending on how you intend to drive. For example, you could have an economy setting for running the kids to school, a cruising setting for motorway driving and a sports setting for those weekend track days.

Advantages: Affordable, high performance gain.
Disadvantages: Increases fuel consumption, parts wear out faster, increased frequency of vehicle servicing.
Verooom value for money rating: 9/10

Cylinder Heads

Performance gain: High
Installation: Moderate
Cost: Moderate to High (£500 to £1500)

The majority of modern production engines have only two valves per cylinder, an intake valve to let air in, and an exhaust valve to let exhaust gasses out.

A good way to get more power out of your car is to upgrade your cylinder heads to a set that has four valves per cylinder. The additional intake valve allows more air to enter the cylinder, resulting in stronger combustion, while the extra exhaust valve clears out the engine's waste faster.

Advantages: More power, reverse-able.
Disadvantages: None.
Verooom value for money rating: 7/10

Exhaust

Performance gain: Small
Installation: Easy to Moderate
Cost: Cheap to Moderate (£50 to £500)

As we already know, a good way to get more power out of your car is to let more air into the engine which results in stronger combustion. An often-overlooked way to improve performance is to help the exhaust gasses get out of the engine.

The exhaust is an engine's way of exhaling. If it's difficult to exhale, the engine can't work as hard. As most performance modifications are designed to force more air and fuel into the engines cylinders, it becomes important to ensure the engine has the ability to expel the gasses efficiently.

Upgrading a car's exhaust system with headers, wider exhaust pipes and free-flowing mufflers will make it far easier for the engine to expel its waste and therefore increases performance.

Advantages: Affordable, makes the most of other performance modifications.
Disadvantages: None.
Verooom value for money rating: 7/10

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About Verooom: Verooom are experts in automotive supplying and fitting of Tyres, Exhausts, Alloy Wheels, Brakes, Suspension and Motorcycle Tyres. Here at Verooom you can expect the highest quality products at unbeatable prices and with a level of service that is second to none. So why dont you give Verooom a call and speak to one of our dedicated staff or drop into our show room in Preston.