Five Fast & Furious Mods

Magna Supercharger SEMA 2001

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If it’s stock, it doesn’t rock — or so goes the prevailing mindset on the streets. Why be satisfied with what the factory built? With a couple of bucks and a few hours’ work, you can make your street machine better, stronger, and faster than it used to be — just like TV’s Six Million Dollar Man. Here’s how:

Intake: Factory air cleaners (and stock-type paper air filters) are often quite restrictive — limiting the amount of airflow into the engine. They are designed at least in part to cut down on engine noise, not maximize power. By switching to an aftermarket high-flow air filter and air cleaner assembly, you’ll gain “instant horsepower” and be able to hear your engine breathe. K&N (www.knfilters.com) is one of the best-known suppliers of aftermarket air filters and air intake systems.

Installing a high-flow air filter and air cleaner assembly will not in any way harm the drivability or emissions legality of your vehicle. Nor will it affect the warranty. And K&N filters are designed to be washable and reusable so you only have to buy the filter once. Swapping in a new filter/air box is one of the easiest modifications to perform, requiring just basic hand tools such as a set of screwdrivers and very little in the way of mechanical knowledge. If you have 15-30 minutes and can follow basic instructions, this one’s a can of corn. Expect to pay about $50 for a low restriction air filter, and $75-$125 for a kit that includes a low restriction air cleaner assembly, in addition to the filter.

Exhaust: Upgrading your car’s intake system is only half of the power equation. The next step is to uncork the slo-mo factory exhaust system by installing a high-performance catalytic converter and low-restriction muffler. This upgrade will deliver substantial power gains (10-20 horsepower is typical) as well as give your car that noticeably not-stock growl when you cruise past the crowds. Since the engine will be operating more efficiently, there’s even the potential for fuel economy gains — if you can keep your foot out of it. Most high-performance exhaust systems also include chromed exhaust tips, too, making it clear what you’re packing even when the engine isn’t running. Borla (www.borla.com) and Flowmaster (www.flowmastermufflers.com) are two of the best-known names in aftermarket high performance exhaust systems. They have complete exhaust kits designed to fit your specific vehicle — and help you get the most power out of your engine.

While it’s possible to install a high-performance exhaust system by yourself, it does require some specialized tools, a bunch of patience and a good bit of experience to complete the job successfully. If you haven’t done much wrenching yourself, this is probably a job best left to the pros. Many muffler shops will do custom exhaust work and there is almost certainly a shop in your town that specializes in this sort of thing. Expect to pay $300 to $500 for a low-restriction muffler, high-flow catalytic converter and pre-bent pipes. Before you buy any exhaust system component, be sure it has EPA or CARB (California Air Resources Board) approval for use on emissions-controlled vehicles. It is illegal in most states to install any exhaust system part that does not have EPA or CARB approval.

Nitrous: Nothing short of a JATO rocket strapped to the roof adds as much power for the money as nitrous oxide injection — also known as “horsepower in a bottle.” Gains of 50 up to 150 or more hp at the flick of a button are common, all for about $500 to $700 installed. Nitrous is not a fuel and does not burn; it’s just a temporary means of massively boosting the amount of oxygen inside the engine’s combustion chambers. The additional oxygen, combined with increased fuel flow (which is part of the process of fitting a nitrous system to your engine) will result in explosive power increases, but only for a few seconds at a time. Nitrous systems are not full-time power enhancers (one of the few downsides) and you'll have to refill the bottle (which is usually mounted in the trunk) fairly often. But the upside is that nitrous oxide kits do not affect in any way the factory-stock drivability (or emissions status) of your vehicle, are extremely easy to install, and deliver the biggest bang for the buck. Properly installed, they are also very reliable and won't harm your engine. Just make sure you get good advice, pick the right system for your ride, and install it exactly as the manufacturer recommends. A good place to begin your search for a nitrous kit is with Holley’s NOS Systems (http://www.holley.com/). NOS kits have been around forever — though cars equipped with them tend to disappear pretty quickly.

Wheels/tires: One of the easiest ways to add street attitude as well as improve handling is to swap up to a larger set of wheels and tires. If your car came from the factory with 15x7-inch inch rims, it is usually a snap to install “step-up” 16x8-inch rims and the wider tires that go with them. These may even have been offered as factory-available optional equipment as part of a “sport” package, in which case they should bolt right up. But don’t go by looks alone. Be absolutely certain that whatever wheels you’re considering will fit and work properly before you buy them.

Be careful to choose from wheels designed specifically to fit your particular car; metric and standard wheels are NOT interchangeable. Use caution when trying to fit wheels built for a different make/model onto your car. It can be extremely dangerous to install rims with the wrong offset or bolt pattern, no matter how cool they may look standing still. Avoid any wheels that require the use of shims or spacers. And be sure to check for any interference (also known as “scrub”) when the larger wheels and tires have been installed. It may be necessary to trim the inner fender wells for clearance.

The advice of a wheel/tire professional is highly recommended and most aftermarket wheel sellers have technical support lines to help you pick the right rim for your vehicle. Big names in aftermarket wheels include American Racing, Cragar and Centerline (http://www.mustangblog.com).

Also be aware that your car's ride quality will likely be changed by going to a more aggressive tire on a wider rim — it’ll feel stiffer — and you may have less ground clearance than before. But you’ll be stylin’!

Ground effects/body kits/cosmetics: A popular way to set your machine apart from the mass-produced herd is by customizing its exterior with aftermarket body parts: bolt-on rear spoilers, hood scoops, fender flares, even full-boogie “ground effects” kits that give the car the hunkered-down look of an autocross racer. Sometimes these parts are functional (as in hood scoops that actually duct outside air into the engine) but mostly they’re just for looks. The key thing is to buy your body parts from a quality supplier to assure proper fit — and find a good body shop to match the new pieces to your car’s existing paint. It’s a good idea to test fit the parts before you get them painted, too. If not, you may mess up the paint trying to figure out how to mount them.

Other popular cosmetic changes include replacing boring factory tail and turn signal covers with clear lenses, adding a new shifter handle, aluminum pedals, and accessory gauges inside the cockpit to monitor engine functions such as oil pressure, volts or turbo boost. It’s also becoming popular to fit High Intensity Discharge (HID) lighting systems that give off a brilliant

blue-tinged beam that’s much brighter than ordinary sealed beam headlights. See http://www.allaboutprius.com or http://www.autotoyaz.com, or http://www.caraddons.com.

That’s a start. If your need for speed isn’t satisfied, there are also supercharger kits, hot cams, and ported and polished cylinder heads. It’s all a question of money: How fast do you want (it) to go?