{"id":518139,"date":"2010-04-06T16:15:18","date_gmt":"2010-04-06T20:15:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ridelust.com\/?p=42755"},"modified":"2010-04-06T16:15:18","modified_gmt":"2010-04-06T20:15:18","slug":"mr-frugal-presents-the-five-most-cost-effective-car-mods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/518139","title":{"rendered":"Mr. Frugal Presents The Five Most Cost Effective Car Mods"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_42774\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 510px\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ridelust.com\/mr-frugal-presents-the-five-most-cost-effective-car-mods\/bulls-hit-small-2\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-42774\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ridelust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bulls-Hit-Small1-500x375.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"Bulls Hit Small\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" class=\"size-large wp-image-42774\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mazdaspeed springs &#038; swaybars, Flyin&#8217; Miata exhaust<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 5px 10px 0pt 0pt; width: 54px; float: left;\"><a type=\"box_count\" name=\"fb_share\" href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php\">Share<\/a><script src=\"http:\/\/static.ak.fbcdn.net\/connect.php\/js\/FB.Share\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 5px 10px 0pt 0pt; width: 54px; float: left;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/digg.com\/tools\/diggthis.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><\/div>\n<p>Times are tough, and everybody I know is trying to save as much money as they can.  What do you do if you\u2019re a gearhead looking to improve your ride on a budget?  You\u2019ve got a limited amount of money to spend, so what mods will give you the best return for your investment?<\/p>\n<p><span id=\"more-42755\"><\/span>Every car is different, and it\u2019s impossible to cover specifics by make and model.  Still, the information below, general though it may be, applies to nearly all stock vehicles.  Some mods will give you a \u201cbutt dyno\u201d improvement in acceleration, others will help cut your lap times.  If you\u2019ve got any experience wrenching on cars, most of these can be done in your own garage, saving you a boatload on labor costs.  You can do them one at a time, as your budget allows, since all of them are \u201cstand alone\u201d mods that don\u2019t require additional upgrades to function properly.<\/p>\n<h3>Ditch your stock tires for \u201csummer only\u201d performance tires<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ridelust.com\/mr-frugal-presents-the-five-most-cost-effective-car-mods\/6579ku_ecsta_mx_ci2_l\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-42758\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ridelust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/6579ku_ecsta_mx_ci2_l.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"6579ku_ecsta_mx_ci2_l\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-42758\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Most cars come equipped with all season radials supplied to the automaker by the lowest bidder.  These may be fine for commuting, but tires are generally the weakest link in any stock vehicle.<\/p>\n<p>Upgrading to a higher performance tire will give you better braking, better turn-in and will allow higher cornering speeds.  Four new tires, especially good ones, won\u2019t be cheap, but bargains can be found on brands like Kumho or Hankook.  Both build decent tires, but don\u2019t have the inflated overhead of Goodyear, Michelin, Bridgestone or Pirelli.<\/p>\n<p>Save your stock all season tires for winter driving (unless you live where it doesn\u2019t get cold), and your upgraded tires should last you for quite a while.<\/p>\n<h3>Upgrade your exhaust<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ridelust.com\/mr-frugal-presents-the-five-most-cost-effective-car-mods\/2010_1_lg\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-42759\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ridelust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010_1_lg-500x288.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"2010_1_lg\" width=\"500\" height=\"288\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-42759\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>You can spend a little bit of money doing this or you can spend a lot; it all depends on your budget and performance expectations.  Going with custom headers, a low restriction catalyst (or a \u2018test pipe\u2019, for off road use) and a performance muffler will net you the best improvement, but will have the biggest cost.  Chances are good you\u2019ll need to replace an oxygen sensor and you may need to reflash the cars ECU, so it may require a shop if you don\u2019t have the tools and the knowledge to do this at home.<\/p>\n<p>Replacing just the muffler will get you a small gain, probably just enough to feel the difference under hard acceleration.  By retaining the stock exhaust upstream, you reduce the cost and complexity of swapping components that tie into your car\u2019s ECU.  <\/p>\n<h3>Add a cold air intake and high flow air filter<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ridelust.com\/mr-frugal-presents-the-five-most-cost-effective-car-mods\/injen-cold-air-intake_2\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-42760\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ridelust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/injen-cold-air-intake_2-500x361.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"injen-cold-air-intake_2\" width=\"500\" height=\"361\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-42760\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Changing out your stock airbox for a cold air intake can generally net you a few more horsepower, plus it makes the car sound a whole lot better.  The downside?  Since cold air intakes are generally located as low as possible in the engine compartment, you need to be careful when driving through puddles.  Sucking water into a cold-air intake is a one time thing, and you\u2019ll get to learn all sorts of cool science about how liquid isn\u2019t compressible.  You\u2019ll also pick up valuable experience in swapping your motor for one that doesn\u2019t have a connecting rod sticking through the side of the block.  Just be careful, don\u2019t drive through any deep puddles and you should be fine.<\/p>\n<p>One more word about performance air filters: it it flows more air, chances are good it\u2019ll flow more dirt as well.  If you want the maximum performance, an aftermarket intake with a high flow air cleaner is the way to go.  If you want the longest possible engine life, you may want to stick to the stock airbox and filter.<\/p>\n<h3>Change your stock springs for lower, stiffer ones<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ridelust.com\/mr-frugal-presents-the-five-most-cost-effective-car-mods\/eibachsrt8springs_3\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-42761\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ridelust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/EibachSRT8Springs_3-500x332.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"EibachSRT8Springs_3\" width=\"500\" height=\"332\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-42761\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Stock suspensions are always a compromise between comfort, handling and crash testing requirements.  If you want better handling from your ride, you need to drop the suspension and firm up the springs.<\/p>\n<p>Most manufacturers have multiple options for each car, ranging from a slight drop and small increase in stiffness to track-only setups, with a radical drop and brutally uncomfortable ride.  It\u2019s your choice, but I recommend going with the smallest drop unless you\u2019re building a race car.  The net result will still be a better appearance and superior handling compared to stock.<\/p>\n<h3>Add stiffer sway bars<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ridelust.com\/mr-frugal-presents-the-five-most-cost-effective-car-mods\/rsxmotorsports_1878_677187\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-42762\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ridelust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/rsxmotorsports_1878_677187.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"rsxmotorsports_1878_677187\" width=\"500\" height=\"326\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-42762\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Sway bars may be the most mis-understood upgrade that people make to their vehicles.  Stiffer isn\u2019t always better; you need to know what handling traits you want before buying sway bars.  Adding a stiffer bar to the front will cause more understeer if the rear is left alone; generally speaking, this results in slower lap times, not faster ones.  Likewise, setting a rear sway on full stiff can result in a poorly balanced car that\u2019s unforgiving at the limit; remember, a fast car is well balanced.<\/p>\n<p>My preference is for a slightly stiffer sway bar up front and a medium-stiff bar in the back.  Compared to stock, this gives me a car that has less understeer and controllable oversteer.  It\u2019s comfortable to drive on the street, yet predictable enough for track trays and autocrossing.<\/p>\n<p>So there you have it, the five best \u201cbang for your buck\u201d car mods.  Let me know if I overlooked something, or if you have other suggestion.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/feedads.g.doubleclick.net\/~a\/_YuxwGXgwgMO9H_e5Vtyml3wPKM\/0\/da\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feedads.g.doubleclick.net\/~a\/_YuxwGXgwgMO9H_e5Vtyml3wPKM\/0\/di\" border=\"0\" ismap=\"true\"><\/img><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/feedads.g.doubleclick.net\/~a\/_YuxwGXgwgMO9H_e5Vtyml3wPKM\/1\/da\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feedads.g.doubleclick.net\/~a\/_YuxwGXgwgMO9H_e5Vtyml3wPKM\/1\/di\" border=\"0\" ismap=\"true\"><\/img><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mazdaspeed springs &#038; swaybars, Flyin&#8217; Miata exhaust Share Times are tough, and everybody I know is trying to save as much money as they can. What do you do if you\u2019re a gearhead looking to improve your ride on a budget? You\u2019ve got a limited amount of money to spend, so what mods will give [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2161,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-518139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/518139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=518139"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/518139\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=518139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=518139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=518139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}