Everyone tends to get more out of everything they buy, and cars are no exception. In the case of cars, the only way to accomplish this is to spend some money; either buy an expensive one or modify one to your specifications. Performance upgrades are seen as an expensive ambition that few people, or gearheads, we must say, tend to follow. After all, high-quality parts are typically necessary for improving a car's performance, and these parts can be expensive.
While these gearheads put their ambition over other things to get this done, the average Joe has a lot to consider before getting their hands greased. But thanks to modern technology, a significant increase in performance can be achieved. How? This is a better question. Where you spend regular money on routine car service and maintenance, a few hundred dollars won't break the bank.
There are many options for upgrades and maintenance services that can be done at home and will improve the car's performance and appearance. Continue reading to get a better look at these upgrades.
Suspension
Suspensions are the second-most responsible part that makes your car feel sporty, besides the powertrain. From the amount of traction you have to your car's appearance, these are the perfect parts to be upgraded. For beginners, just lowering your car’s ride height and wheel gap is enough, which is within your budget. If a good set of coilovers will only cost you $1,000 or less, you have no reason to continue being skyjacked.
Even though you won't have the money for anything very competitive, you don't necessarily need incredibly pricey coilovers with a ton of adjustment options that are made to shave milliseconds from lap times. SoloWerks, and ECS Tuning all provide top-notch coilover solutions for about that much. Only height adjustment, damper stiffness adjustment, and potentially camber and caster adjustment are things you need to think about if you want to get exotic. Height adjustment is sufficient for someone who only wants to lower their automobile because of its looks.
Wheels
Putting that power to work is a job that really matters. So, to be sure, upgrading your wheels is another great way of getting a performance boost as well as a visual one. Not only do aftermarket alloys allow you to use wider and slimmer tires, they are also the most eye-catching part of your car, making them a worthy option for upgrade.
If you're looking to replace your car's wheels with an aftermarket set, you can expect to spend around $1,000, depending on the manufacturer and specifications. Brands such as Superspeed, Fast Wheels, Alzor, and Enkei offer wheel options at around that price point.
Exhaust
Unlike the above-mentioned upgrades, modifying your exhaust setup requires some serious cash unless you know where to get the right pipes at the right price. We know Milltek Sport hits the sweet spot because we are the oldest North American distributor for Milltek Sport exhaust. If that doesn’t sound right (pun intended), you can always look at what AWE Tuning has to offer. ECS Tuning is another option worth considering since they have everything from downpipes and catbacks to exhaust tips and even a universal "build your own" program that allows you to make your own exhaust with the same high-quality stainless steel.
In an optimal scenario, it is recommended to select an exhaust system that produces the desired sound while also providing low resistance and efficient scavenging to increase exhaust gas velocity. Doing so can result in an immediate power increase and support future upgrades.
Visual Upgrades
While visual upgrades don’t help with performance gains, they do get noticed a lot. One of the primary reasons people upgrade the visual appearance of their cars is for aesthetic reasons and customization. Many car enthusiasts take pride in the appearance of their vehicles, and upgrading the look of the car can be a way to express their personal style.
The good thing is that you can express yourself all you want and still remain within budget limits. That grille on your car's nose is not quite your style; just get ECS Tuning grilles. From gloss black to matte black and even carbon fiber, there are a lot of options. For the rest of your car, ECS Tuning's front lip spoiler, rear spoiler, diffusers, and/or side skirts will do the job. All these add-ons have been thoroughly tested to ensure that they fit perfectly and are long-lasting, which ensures that the customer gets value for the money spent on improving the car's aesthetics.
Performance Software / ECU Tuning
Now this is the part where things get geeky. A software upgrade is probably the easiest way nowadays to get the most out of your car. 034 Motorsport and IE Integrated Engineering have ECU tuning maps that maximize the performance of Audi and Volkswagen models. APR is an expert in remapping and tuning Porches if they ever need more power. For BMW and Mercedes, Turner Motorsport and Weistec Engineering are here to offer their best services.
What’s cool about these tuning maps is that ready-to-use tuning maps are available for immediate performance gains, regardless of the car's current stage of modification.
Maintenance
A well-maintained car is as good as a lightly upgraded car, so by just getting critical maintenance and service on time, you will be saving a lot of cash. Our Assembled by ECS kits provide you everything you need in a single package to accomplish a project from beginning to end, allowing you to take on projects of any scale. It's simple and inexpensive to use gasket sets, refresh kits for cooling systems, oil service kits, and other items.
Final Words
Yes, of course, you can make significant changes and enhancements to your automobile for as little as $1,000. Here is only a selection of improvements that are within, near, or below the $1,000 budget and would provide you with something to do while you figure out how to spend your weekends.
