A guide to buying performance auto parts

There are a number of performance auto parts that will greatly enhance your driving experience. They help you to unleash the hidden power inside your engine, improve fuel efficiency and handling, depending on the performance products you want to incorporate. Use this guide to see some of the most important performance accessories that you might want to start with.

Performance chips

When your motorcar comes out of the factory, its computer has already been preprogrammed to function under a certain amount of horsepower and torque parameters. So, one of the easiest ways to increase engine power is to replace or recalibrate your computer chip. Performance chips adjust your fuel/air mixture and ignition timing, so the engine works under the most desirable settings. Recalibrating your existing chip may take only a few minutes, but if you need to install a control module or EMS - engine management system - the installation may require a few hours in an auto shop.

Performance air intake

This performance accessory helps to increase engine power by lowering the temperature of the air mixing with the fuel inside the combustion chamber. Depending on your engine size, you may not only add five or more of horsepower to your under hood machine but also see an increase of up to two mpg in fuel savings.

Performance exhaust system

Installing a performance exhaust system can dramatically increase horsepower on your vehicle, up to 40 percent or more, depending on your particular make and model. Although an exhaust system is not difficult to install, you may need some special tools, including a torque wrench. If you are not a home mechanic, you may want to have a muffler shop do the installation for you.

Performance suspension systems

Installing a lift kit for better off-road performance or a lowering kit for better on-road performance will improve your vehicle suspension handling appropriately. Performance suspension systems will ultimately change the way your vehicle corners, steers and grips the road. Thus, it is not unusual to couple the system with an appropriate set of performance brakes as well. In general, performance suspension systems require special tools and knowledge. So, if you are not an experience mechanic, it is better to let a professional automotive shop do the installation for you.