There’s nothing wrong with upgrading your car. It’s a great way to show your individuality, to make you stand out from that crowd. And that’s great. What’s not great, however, is fitting a vast array of tacky, horrid upgrades to your car. As such, we’ve picked out five budget upgrades that are actually worthwhile. Wallets at the ready? Then we’ll begin...
01 A better stereo and speakers
Ours cars are also our sanctuary, but we seem to forget that sometimes. Do you have a knackered TV with crackly speakers in your lounge? Of course you don’t. So why should your car have a crap entertainment system? Gone are the days of car audio being expensive.
For £100 you can get a new head unit that will connect your phone, and new speakers (though admittedly only front speakers for £100). All you have to do is fit them, which is the work of an hour or two. And in return, you can listen to prefab Sport to your heart’s content.
02 Decent tyres
People overlook tyres, and that is just downright daft. Tyres are the bits of rubber that connect your car to the road, so they’re pretty damn important. As such, don’t drive around with worn or mismatched tyres.
ALL new tyres have to meet certain safety standards, so don’t think you need brand name to make a difference. A set matched, balanced budget tyres is better than old, mismatched brand namers, trust us.
Save money by fixing your car with our wide range of manuals, both in digital and print
03 Brakes
Unless you’re weird, slamming your car into a tree, or a wall, is not a fun thing. Brakes are important. Good job then that for not a lot of money, you can up your stopping power considerably. There is no shortage of companies that will sell you better disks (drilled and/or grooved) and better pads with stickier compounds.
And the best thing is you don’t need to be master mechanic to fit them. They fit in the same way as standard stuff, so you don’t need to modify anything, you don’t need to change callipers, nor do you need to mess around bleeding brake systems. It’s just a few nuts and bolts. A small price to pay for added safety.
04 Induction kit
The factory air filter on your car is a pretty restrictive thing, so binning it off in favour of something a bit more free-flowing is never a bad thing. Unless you drive a car from 1909, you’ll be able to buy an induction kit.
It will see to it that your car’s engine gets more cold air sucked into it, and as such, you’ll get a few more ponies to play with, too. Plus, we’ve yet to encounter an induction kit that doesn’t sound awesome. Plus, even the most technically timid motorist can fit one in about ten minutes. And all for about £150. Bargain!
05 Lowered springs
Lowering your car isn’t just for the kids in McDonalds car park on a Friday night. It has real-world benefits. Firstly, if you’re driving an older car, it won’t hurt to change the springs. They wear out over time and get softer.
So if you are going to change them, why not go for something a bit sportier? You’ll lower the car by 30-40mm, which will bring the centre of gravity down and help the handling a bit.
Plus, the car will be a bit firmer, so it’ll corner better and respond to steering inputs faster. Basically, some lowered sports springs will transform your car, but all without ruining it. And for most cars you can get a set, with warranty, for about £120.