What are the Best First Mods for Your Car?

If you like customizing items to fit your personality, you should have some car customization ideas. When the itch strikes, you must first pick which way to go. Are you seeking more power, better handling, a great appearance, or a killer sound system? Whatever path you choose, there is one step you must take before entering the realm of car modifications. That is maintenance. If you ensure everything is 100% in car maintenance, let’s explore the best first car mods!

What are the Tuning Stages?

Before we discuss what you can do with your ride, let’s clarify something you may have seen online or heard about “tuning stages.” There are two perspectives on this and two explanations.

You may add a cold-air intake kit and an exhaust system, lower the car (or elevate it if it's a truck), and install larger wheels, calling it a "Stage 1." But that's just you; there's no common or explicit reason for the tuning phases people discuss in forums or meetings.

When tuning companies say their components or solutions have "stages," they refer to something altogether different. It becomes marketing lingo, and it all relies on what the tuner brand decides to term its products. Manufacturers may provide bundles, including multiple of their parts in tiers. Stage 1 of a brand's tuning package will be easy and affordable, with minimal power improvements. Stage 2, 3, or 4 versions of those programs will be more expensive, entail more work, and deliver more aggressive effects. 

What are the Best First Mods?

If you want to make your car faster, all you need to do is look at our list of the best first mods for getting started with performance tuning. These car modifications will increase horsepower and torque while improving responsiveness and sound quality. Let’s explore the best first mods below:

Cold Air Intake Kit

Many enthusiasts make their vehicles' initial modifications with a cold air intake kit (CAI) or a short ram intake kit (SRI). Maintenance-wise, it may be regarded as an "investment" because the air filters utilized in cold air intake systems are reusable. It is relatively inexpensive and straightforward to install if you are interested in DIY automobile maintenance.

In numerous engine compartments, a standard air intake system is situated in close proximity to the engine block. If it is not adequately isolated, it is susceptible to importing heated air. The engine will receive colder and denser air if a cold air intake kit is installed, while a short ram kit will enhance the ventilation by eliminating any restrictions. This will enhance the responsiveness of your vehicle, add a few horsepower (or restore some that have been lost), and serve as an exceptional foundation for future modifications.

Exhaust Modifications

Performance exhaust systems enhance gas flow and minimize backpressure to boost power when properly designed and installed. If a factory exhaust system is aggressively modified, the exhaust sound will be louder. Let’s look at different exhaust modifications:

Axle-Back Exhaust: Axle-back exhaust systems are the cheapest and easiest modification. As its name indicates, this is after the rear axle. It has pipework and a better rear muffler (back box for our friends over the pond). Axle-back systems can add a few horsepower, but they work best with other small upgrades like intake kits.

Cat-Back Exhaust: Another choice for upgrading your exhaust is a cat-back system. These systems follow the OEM catalytic converter. By changing more of the system, they enhance flow more than axle-back, resulting in more considerable power benefits. Upgrading to a cat-back system and leaving the standard cat in place does not need ECU tuning for power improvements.

Straight Pipe Exhaust: Straight piping is the cheapest and easiest exhaust upgrade. Straight piping entails welding pipes instead of mufflers or rebuilding your exhaust system with the pipe without catalytic converters. Without oxygen sensors and catalytic converters, this exhaust modification is illegal in 50 states and produces unexpected power gains.

ECU Tuning

With a naturally aspirated engine, ECU tuning may not be needed until you add an intake kit and exhaust system. It is the most cost-effective for turbocharged vehicles since it boosts power and torque.

Several methods tune ECUs. Tuners can simply remap certain factory engine management units, but most current ones don't let them intercept and edit the code. Piggyback tuning boxes connect the ECU and engine sensors. The factory ECU is fooled into altering the air-fuel mixture, increasing power.

Short-Throw Shifter

Short shifters are one of the most cost-effective ways to improve driving performance and pleasure in manual transmission cars. A designed short shifter reduces gear lever travel between changes.

Shorter distances make shifting more pleasant and reduce shift time. Unfortunately, a gear lever with a short shifter kit requires more effort-to-change ratios. Combining a quality short shifter assembly with a weighted shift knob improves the feel. 

Handling and Braking Upgrades

To improve its handling in tight turns, you may install lowering springs and firmer shock absorbers, as well as improved brake pads to increase stopping power. Let's have a look at the initial steps in handling and braking:

Wheels and Tires: Upgrading to high-performance tires and lightweight wheels enhances grip and handling, reduces stopping distances, and improves the vehicle’s responsiveness and overall ride quality.

Lowering Springs: Installing lowering springs reduces the vehicle’s center of gravity, improving stability and decreasing body roll during cornering. This results in better handling performance.

Shocks and Struts: Replacing standard shocks and struts with performance versions enhances damping, providing better control over the vehicle’s movements and improving ride comfort and handling.

Brake Pads and Brake Rotors: Upgrading to high-performance brake pads increases friction for better stopping power, while improved brake rotors enhance heat dissipation, reducing brake fade and maintaining consistent braking performance. 

Stainless Steel Brake Lines and Brake Fluid: Installing stainless steel brake lines prevents line expansion, giving a firmer brake pedal feel. Using high-performance brake fluid resists boiling under heavy use, ensuring consistent and reliable braking performance.

In-Car Entertainment Upgrades

Upgrade your ride's in-car electronics, which are better suited to older automobiles nowadays, increases the fun you experience while driving it. You may upgrade your vehicle with modern technologies like Bluetooth audio streaming, cell phone integration, and better-sounding speakers.

Must-Have Car Mod: Pedal Commander

Whether you go all out with vehicle customization or keep your ride stock, one thing can be installed on any car with an electronic throttle system—the simplest upgrade that immediately improves your driving experience. Of course, this is the Pedal Commander throttle controller! It easily connects to your vehicle's accelerator pedal using the supplied OEM harness, and installation takes only a few minutes. When you turn on the ignition, you are instantly upgraded and ready to go.

Pedal Commander improves your driving experience by eliminating throttle lag from your gas pedal. It also allows you to adjust the throttle response using four adjustable driving modes and nine increments for each mode, for a total of 36 levels. From Eco mode to Sport+, Pedal Commander provides an altogether new driving experience that you can exactly tailor to your requirements.

Check here to learn more about the world’s best throttle controller, and click here to order yours today!