The market is full of car parts that can help drivers customize the looks and performance of almost any vehicle. The best performance parts for cars can often be even more expensive than OEM parts, however, the price is usually not as important as the improvements the car owner will notice.
The aftermarket includes almost every performance part you can imagine that will improve the power or handling of a car. These parts include anything from high-performance wheels that reduce the car’s weight to performance engines that have significantly more power than the stock engine.
The real question is which performance parts are worth investing in and installing in your car. In this article, we’ll try to answer this question.
What Are Performance Parts For Cars
A performance part is meant to improve the car’s power or handling, and in most cases, an original part is replaced by an aftermarket or performance part in order to improve a certain aspect of the vehicle. Aftermarket performance parts will make a difference in handling, braking, or acceleration, depending on the part itself.
One of the most popular car modifications is reducing the ride height. This alone will improve handling and cornering at higher speeds. It will also improve the aesthetic of a car, especially if bigger wheels are fitted. This can be done in three ways. The first includes replacing the shock absorbers and springs with aftermarket performance parts (such as an adjustable coil-spring setup) that provide a fixed ride height, lower than stock. The second way to achieve a lower height is by using adjustable suspension components which allow fast and simple adjustment to the ride height. This is a particularly popular option because a family car can be turned into a track car within an hour. The third option includes using air suspension. This is the most expensive way of lowering your car, and it usually isn’t used as a performance upgrade, but rather as an aesthetic upgrade. By controlling the suspension by remote, the driver can increase or decrease the height of the car in a matter of seconds.
A cold air intake is another popular car modification, and it requires a couple of aftermarket performance parts to provide the expected effects. These parts usually come in pre-assembled kits which makes installation easier. Cold air will help the engine “breathe”, thus increasing power, and in some models, increasing fuel efficiency. Although a cold air intake alone won’t make a huge difference in performance, combined with other modifications, it can significantly increase the engine performance.
Weight reduction is one of the most important aspects of high-performance vehicles. The best performance parts for cars will not only replace stock parts but are made from materials that are lighter than the ones originally used. Performance parts used for weight reduction include performance lightweight wheels, carbon-fiber body parts, bucket seats, and much more.
Even a performance chip or computer programmer is considered a performance part. It’s used to alter the software in the ECU controlling the engine. With performance chips and programmers, one can easily increase the power of the car by 20 to 25% without any other modifications whether by re-mapping the fuel injection system or manipulating timing and other engine aspects.
Of course, replacing a stock part with a performance part will help you achieve better performance.
Performance Parts That Are Worth The Cost
Every car has a number of shortcomings that the drivers tend to fix with aftermarket parts. Whether it’s a lack of power, handling, or looks, there are some performance parts that just aren’t worth installing to any car. However, there are those considered the best performance parts for cars that are worth every penny. Here are a few aftermarket performance parts worth the cost.
Cold air intake
Cold air intake kits are a popular upgrade, and most people consider the upgrade worth it. Cold intake kits will allow the engine to get denser air with more oxygen. The more oxygen an engine gets, the better it performs and the less fuel it needs. Cars with a cold air intake system also have a slightly more aggressive sound even without changing the exhaust.
Brakes
Performance brakes and pads are also worth the investment, even if you don’t increase the power of your car. Every driver should be aware of how important high-performance braking systems are, not for performance reasons, but for safety reasons. Manufacturers such as Power Stop offer aftermarket kits that can be installed on almost any car.
Wheels And Tires
Lightweight wheels and performance tires are commonly overlooked, even though they play a significant role in performance and safety. Having high-quality tires on your car will not just increase the safety by preventing the car from sliding uncontrollably, but they’ll allow you to drive faster around corners if you use them on your track car.
Suspension
High-quality suspension is also worth investing in. With a slightly lowered suspension, your car will look 10x better, but more importantly, it will perform much better around the corners. With a lower center of gravity, your car is less likely to understeer or oversteer, which improves safety, and shaves off precious seconds around the track.
Parts to Avoid
The aftermarket segment is full of performance parts for basically every make and model, however, there are some performance parts that just aren’t worth the investment.
Spoilers
One of the aftermarket performance parts many people use, but have no effect on a front-wheel-drive car are spoilers. These wings, as many call them, create downforce on the back wheels, increasing the stability and traction at high speed. In front-wheel-drive cars, the spoilers are just an aesthetic upgrade that doesn’t do anything regarding performance.
Cheap knock-off junk
Aside from performance parts that won’t improve your car, you should always avoid getting lower-quality parts for your car, no matter if they’re intended for regular maintenance or improving performance.
If you’re thinking about improving your car and its performance, JEGS has an impressive selection of performance parts for a wide range of vehicles. Some of the most prestigious manufacturers are listed, and finding the parts for your car is easy as it gets.
