Auto Trends

*Photo courtesy of Telstar Logistics

Speed shops have the saying: “Speed Costs Money… How Fast Do You Want To Go!”

The big question has always been how to improve performance and gas mileage with the least amount of money. Well, this is like asking Pamela Anderson to model swim wear with the least amount of… well, you get the point!

With todays advanced technology in vehicles, performance enhancement has become slightly less complicated than it used to be—at least the basics of it.

While there is really no substitute for money, there is a basic low cost recipe that has been tried and tested for just about every make and model of automobile. Each of these Big Five performance ingredients involve very little mechanical knowledge to install and promise the possibility of both performance and improved gas mileage.

The BIG Five:

• Free flowing Filter or CAI(Cold Air Induction) set-up $200- This item will take the place of the stock air filter box. Its purpose is to allow more air into the engine to be burned.

  • Popular Brands- Ingen, K&N, AEM

• Free Flowing Muffler $200- This will open exhaust flow to compliment the increased air intake flow from your filter and/or CAI. There will be a slight sound increase with these, but there is always something you must give up to gain elsewhere in the world of automobiles.

  • Popular brands- Borla, Magnaflow, Flowmaster

• Reduction Pulleys $150- These will Slow down engine accessories, allowing the engine to use its horsepower to the road rather than its accessories (alternator, water pump, etc).

• Performance Tuning Software $300- This will take advantage of all the other upgrades you have made by re-mapping the engine software for improved performance.

  • Popular Devices- Superchips, SCT Livewire, DiabloSport Predator

• High Performance Ignition $100- This will allow more power to reach your plugs, burning the fuel more efficiently and also allowing the possibility to open the spark plug gaps to .60 for improved combustion potential.

  • Popular Devices- Accell, Mallory, Screamin Demon

These are the basics ingredients for a nice street performer. All and all you could be looking at performance gains of 20 to 80 horsepower and improvements in gas mileage in the range of 3 to 8 mpg. Not bad for a few simple “bolt-on” upgrades that should cost around $1,000.