Owning a stock car isn’t for everyone, and for some people the need to go faster will send them researching performance parts and simple upgrades to improve speed. If you want to make your car go faster there are several ways to do it, but you should keep in mind that modifications in one area of your car will effect performance in other areas. Major upgrades can put damaging stress in other areas. Consider the implications of each upgrade and plan your path intelligently to keep your car running correctly.
Electronics
New or tuned computers for your car can help performance overall by changing fuel flow, timing and by disabling environmental controls. Factory tuned computers are usually set for fuel economy and to comply with environmental regulations which, as a rule, will hinder performance. Racing tuned chips sometimes can improve performance and fuel economy, but usually will increase fuel flow to increase speed. There are diagnostic equipment which will let you tun your own computer, but this should only be done by a professional.
Fuel
More fuel means more speed, period. larger fuel pumps, fuel injectors able to spray more fuel to the engine will mean more power for your car. An upgraded fuel system is a significant upgrade but one that may consider when planning the upgrade path for your car. Ensure that your stock engine can handle the power increase as blowing a rod will set back your racing plans significantly.
Exhaust
Just as getting more fuel to the engine creates more power, getting the resulting exhaust out of the engine improves efficiency and produces more power. Your exhaust system starts with the headers, goes through the piping and usually ends with your muffler. Performance mufflers restrict air flow less but produce more sound so if you’re planning to use this car as a daily driver, ensure that the noise your car is now generating is within the legal limit when choosing a new muffler.
Turbos and cold air intakes
Cold air produces more power when your fuel is ignited by the spark plugs. Likewise, air under pressure will create more power in a combustion engine. Cold air intakes simply put the air filter further from the engine block where air is cooler. This is a fairly basic upgrade. A turbo is basically a system that pushes air into the engine under pressure. More pressure makes more power. Turbo’s should be installed by technicians with experience, and the right turbo needs to be selected for the engine you have.