Page 25 - Blog - News and Updates

For as long as cars have existed, car modifications have been huge business. Most vehicles leave the factory equipped for the average driver’s expectations. Since the 60s and the aftermarket modifications to the Minis to the ‘Fast & Furious’ era; we have updated the styles and followed the trends throughout the years. With that in mind, we’re sharing the history behind performance car parts and, of course, custom car parts UK.

1960s car modifications

The sixties were a big year for cars - particularly the Mini. In fact, it was the most successful decade for the model. Another reason this car was so popular was the ease for engine tuning, especially as the mechanics for the Mini were relatively simple - enabling drivers to ‘pull’ their cars apart and build them up to sportier models.

Racing was also gaining fast popularity in the 60s, meaning more people were looking to customise their car to achieve the sporty performance and look. To replicate the racing cars, people souped up their

Modified cars can often be a huge benefit to their owners - particularly if the car modification improves torque performance and fuel economy. Likewise, it also means you don’t have to add any car modifications yourself, which can save a lot of time and money. However, you do need to consider a number of factors when looking into performance parts for cars and whether you should buy a modified car. Modifications can affect the overall cost, but also the reliability, raw performance and value.

Advantages of buying a modified car

Performance parts for cars can substantially enhance the driving experience, handling and power of your vehicle. The one main benefit to car tuning and looking into the services for car modification companies is that they’ll improve the speed and torque performance. Internal car modifications - such as engine tuning - will rarely have a negative effect on the car’s value. When properly installed, they can provide years of decent driving and even improve your fuel

When it comes to getting modified car parts, you may be wondering about insurance and your warranty. While it’s commonly believed that all performance tuners for cars and other modifications void your warranty and cause your premiums to dramatically increase, this isn’t always the case. Today, there are a number of modified car parts that will not affect your premiums or warranty - particularly if they are temporary exterior and interior car mods.

Modified car insurance: is it easy?

In simple terms, you can get modified car insurance. As a general rule of thumb, modified car parts fall into two categories; engine tuning to enhance vehicle performance and power, and styling mods. Permanent car tuning parts and mods must be declared to your insurers, especially if you do need financial protection at some point. If you do end up in trouble and haven’t declared the performance tuners for cars, for example, you could invalidate your insurance, costing you more in the very near future.

When

When it comes to modifying your car, there are plenty of options. The car modification industry is growing rapidly, substantially boosting the economy. Add to that, it can seriously enhance the power and the driving experience, so it’s no wonder car mods are increasingly popular. However, there are a few things you need to be aware of before pimping your ride; namely, car modification laws.

Exhausts

Exhausts are one of the more popular mods, with plenty of petrolheads updating their exhaust systems. However, be aware of the car exhaust laws before you go ahead. Big-bore exhausts are not legal on UK roads due to the excessive noise and emissions, particularly as the UK government are clamping down on the CO2 emissions.

Most brand-new exhaust systems are effective at increasing the engine performance, but just remember those car exhaust laws. If you do want to go loud but live in an urban area, we recommend putting exhaust silencers in place if you do upgrade your exhaust.

Engine tuning

Torque and power are only proportional at the same point in the rev range. For any given engine, the quoted torque and power outputs are peak values, ie the highest torque value and the highest power value regardless of RPM. 

I have annotated a dyno graph of a 1.7 CRDi below, just as an example.

The blue solid line is the torque curve with the Bluespark box fitted, the blue dashed line is the power curve with the Bluespark box fitted.

The red solid and dashed lines are stock torque and power respectively.

The green circle highlights the point of peak power, and the orange circle highlights the point of peak torque:
 

I could (if I wished) make a file that would give identical gains to the above prior to 2500RPM, tailing off to zero gains (matching back to the red lines) by 3000RPM. That would give the same peak torque gain and zero peak power gain. 

Conversely I could make a file that was exactly as the stock (red dotted) plot is, with a gradual increase from 3000RPM