Do you have lots of money to spend upgrading your vehicle for maximum performance? Me neither. But that doesn’t mean we have to settle for mediocre performance. There are ways to go fast on a budget, no matter what you’re driving and what your budget is. Here’s how.
Racing, sadly, is not a cheap hobby – but it sure is a fun one. Having a big budget to finance that hobby makes it much easier to go fast, but unfortunately that’s not often the case. More often than not it’s important to figure out how to go fast on a budget.
Like it or not, emission systems are there for a reason. This straight through pipe may increase power, but it also might not work on newer systems with rigorous emission systems.
Winning races without spending money on performance upgrades is really tough (but not impossible) to do, which is unfortunate for drivers with passion or talent but very limited funds. True, sponsorships can ease the costs, but sponsorship usually comes with wins and wins come with speed, creating a vicious circle. The key to breaking the circle is knowing how to go faster with limited resources – while keeping it legal, of course. And this really is possible.
Whether it’s enhancing the performance of a newer vehicle with an aggressive emission control system, improving the speed of a pre-emission classic vehicle, getting the most from a race car for a certain division or class, or just tweaking any vehicle that would be more fun to drive if it were quicker, there definitely are ways to go fast even when money is a concern. It’s tough to make up for limited racing talent but there are a few tricks to make up for limited racing funds. It really is possible to make a vehicle go faster and make the most of what you’ve got even if you’re on a budget. Here’s how.
Reduce Resistance
In the olden days, it was easy to install performance parts onto any vehicle with minimal problems during the installation process and notice a definite improvement in speed and performance afterwards. That’s just not true anymore. While it’s still possible and relatively easy to install performance enhancing parts on older units, modern vehicles have incredibly sensitive fuel and emission control systems that don’t play nicely with certain performance upgrades. So then the challenge on these newer vehicles becomes going faster and keeping that speed up without offending the sensors or altering the emissions controls and, of course, without going broke in the process. No problem.
There`s lots of ways to go fast but if you’re limited by a small budget spend the money where it matters the most.
One way of doing this, cheaply, is by reducing the amount of power it takes to actually move the vehicle by lowering its resistance as it rolls down the road or track.
A good way to start is by aligning all four wheels to match driving conditions. If you’re going fast on straightaways, make sure the wheels are properly aligned so that the wheels aren’t dragging as they roll down the road. If you’re going to be racing on an oval, consider setting up the alignment – in particular the thrust line – to match the angle of the track. If you have access to an alignment machine this can be done at minimal cost.
If clearance is a problem when driving on to the alignment machine one way to get a lowered vehicle safely onto an alignment rack is by putting long wooden planks by the ramp. I used to keep eight-foot-long planks handy to place in front of the alignment machine’s drive-on ramps to raise the car’s front end up enough to drive onto the hoist without contacting it – cheap and it worked well.
Also, in addition to setting up the vehicle’s alignment for minimal resistance, reduce the resistance of the vehicle’s tires – if there’s money in the budget for better quality racing tires, it will make a big difference. If there’s not enough money to upgrade, make sure the pressures are set correctly. Inflated tires are easy to roll while flat tires create resistance that fights forward motion – try pushing a car with a flat tire if you need proof.
Minimizing the things that work against the vehicle as it rolls along is an easy, low cost way to go faster that can really help if you’re on a budget.
Lighten Up
This one is obvious but true: A sure way to go faster cheaply is by removing excess weight and unnecessary items from the vehicle. Manufacturers have been doing this for years, lightening their vehicles to improve their fuel economy ratings, and there’s no harm using the same thinking to improve overall speed and shave seconds off lap times.
Installing a freer flowing air filter – usually one that isn’t replaced during service – is a cost effective and popular way to go fast on a budget.
Removing cargo and unused items stored in the vehicle is a good start (for free). But if you have a bit of money, you can change out heavy components for lighter ones for great results.
Replacing stock hood or body panels with lighter carbon fibre replacement body panels also will shed a few more pounds and make a difference. Lighter wheels shed a few pounds and also reduce unsprung weight for a double payoff. You can even use a smaller, lighter battery to reduce weight – if that’s a trade-off you’re willing (and permitted) to make.
Reducing the weight of the vehicle is important for newer units with stringent emission controls and super advanced suspension systems, because it makes the vehicle faster without worrying about upsetting any of those control systems. As important as those systems are, they sure make it difficult to modify a vehicle for high speed performance, cheaply. Keeping the hypersensitive emission sensors on newer vehicles from detecting values outside of their ranges prevents a common problem when upgrading to performance parts on newer vehicles – emission and stability systems warning lights and DTCs that work against vehicle performance.
Overall, the purpose of this weight reduction step is reducing the weight of the vehicle so that it weighs the same – or less – than it did when it rolled out of the showroom. One note before you head for the track, though: always be sure to check the weight restrictions and regulations for the category and division you’re racing in. Getting disqualified is never fun.
Lowering the vehicle can make the most of its speed, but clearance issues can be a problem. Adjustable coil-over struts are a cost effective way around this.
Make The Most Of The Power You Do Have
Keeping speed and control in turns is critical when going fast, so it’s no surprise that upgrades to braking and handling systems are common on vehicles intended for high speed use.
Upgrading brakes definitely will make a noticeable difference – in both stopping and starting off the line -- but unfortunately this is usually a pretty costly upgrade. Brakes are just all around expensive. If you’re on a budget, a good compromise is using a set of pads with performance material. It won’t make the big difference that lighter brake parts, bigger rotors or bigger and better calipers and pads make but it will make a difference. While you’re on a budget it’s important to make the most of the money you do have.
In addition to improving the braking system, stiffer springs and bushings will also make a noticeable difference at an easier price point. One import tuner I know and respect highly recommends coil-overs with adjustable shocks. He says they offer great value with good results. Plus you can adjust ride height as well as dampening force for road and track use.
One important note about lowering a vehicle’s suspension: make sure the wheels turn freely when the racing tires are installed. If the wheel catches on the body panels it can cause very expensive damage. One customer brought a car like that in for an alignment before a race. Sadly the tires had chunks scraped out from contacting the body on turns and his cheap modification ended up being really expensive.
Brakes, unfortunately, are just all around expensive, but spending some money in this area pays off with brakes that don’t fade when they heat up.
Keeping the speed up into and through the turns can make all the difference in a race – sometimes even making up for a smaller engine – so upgrading braking and handling systems can be a wise investment. Just do some research and planning to avoid expensive (and dangerous) problems.
Breathe Freely
There’s a reason why installing a freer flowing air filter is usually one of the first things recommended to make vehicles go quicker – it’s easy and it works. A replacement air filter (preferably a reusable freer flowing filter that’s cleaned out at service time rather than replaced) usually is quick to install and the difference in horsepower is noticeable.
On older vehicles, this swap is quick and painless, but newer vehicles with incredibly sensitive sensors may not like the difference so it’s important to read reviews and verify that the swap doesn’t cause problems before going ahead.
It might be tempting to install a freer-flowing air box too, but these can be tough to install if clearance is tight and there may be sensors that are difficult to relocate and set DTCs that activate the MIL (which is definitely not good for performance). Engine control and emission systems are there for a reason, like it or not, and we’ve got to make nice with them.
Along those lines of getting more air into the engine, a Cold Air Intake system (in particular one that’s outside of the engine compartment or has a separator around the filter that blocks off the hot air from the engine) can also help a vehicle go faster, relatively cheaply.
Sure they reduce weight, but carbon fibre replacement panels aren’t cheap. If these aren’t in your budget, never fear. There are other ways to get faster that really work.
If you’ve got some money to spend, another way to get performance bang for the buck is installing an aftermarket intake manifold and larger throttle body, something designed for performance. On older vehicles without sensitive fuel injection sensors it’s possible (and very common) to “port” and polish the cylinder heads to improve performance – sculpting the inner passages of the head to improve and direct airflow for more power. It’s also very common to ruin a perfectly good head in the process if you’re not careful. No doubt this takes some skill and practice, so one tip from a big-block fan I know is to get a scrap one, cheaply, and to practice on that one before taking the tools to your good one. Porting and polishing isn’t always possible or wise with newer vehicles since they may set DTCs when the air flow is not what’s expected. Again, these systems are there for a reason and must be respected.
And if there’s room in the budget installing a full exhaust system, something lightweight and freer flowing but still legal and complaint with any catalytic converters will make a noticeable difference. But this upgrade can be a bit more expensive – maybe wait for a birthday and suggest it as a gift.
Smart Weight
It’s so important to keep weight down that if you must leave weight on the vehicle it should be “smart weight” that provides a big performance improvement. And if your vehicle doesn’t have an emission system to work around there are some easy ways to go faster, cheaply, by adding some smart weight.
One of those ways to make a big difference is by investing in a digital ignition system for those vehicles equipped with distributors – a great upgrade since they improve spark and timing for impressive results.
Additionally, lightweight drive pulleys (pulleys and harmonic balancers made of lighter materials) will reduce engine load and increase performance. Again, this upgrade might not be possible on a newer vehicle with a low-tension drive belt even though it’s pretty simple on an older one. And also along those lines, a smaller supercharger pulley (for those vehicles with factory superchargers) or replacing the drive pulley of the blower – if equipped – with a smaller one will increase boost without breaking the bank.
One of the cheapest ways to go fast is making sure the tire pressures are set correctly. These ones aren’t.
And of course, you can always upgrade to a bigger motor if you can find one at a good price – it’s probably a good idea to find out why it’s going at a good price though before you install it.
Conclusion
No doubt it’s easier to go fast when there’s a big budget for upgrades. Installing an aftermarket supercharger kit (if you have a couple thousand to spend) or aftermarket turbocharger kit (if you have a few thousand to spend) comes to mind.
But there are also ways to go fast on a budget, ways which can provide definite improvements with minimal cost. The important things when doing this are understanding the vehicle and how and where it’ll be driven and then spending the money where it’ll make the most difference – and overcoming the challenges along the way from emissions systems and delicate sensors.
Going fast doesn’t have to mean going broke, but it does mean some careful planning and a bit of skilled work. There’s not much that can make up for limited driving ability, but a limited budget can often be overcome with great results. It’s often just a matter of being smarter to be faster.
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