Even when motorcars were the sole privilege of the very wealthy, owners sought to enhance and customise their pride and joys. Consequently, a vast aftermarket industry was spawned, offering virtually everything from performance upgrades to economy improvements. Some of these were very effective; others less so. Yet, one would have imagined that, with fewer owners being willing to get their hands dirty these days and modern cars being so capable, modification businesses would have been killed off years ago. This is far from the case.
Why modify your car?
While today’s motorcars are cleaner, more reliable and even faster than their equivalent forebears of fifty years ago, they remain compromised. If anything, manufacturers are even more restricted than before and have to make decisions on the specifications, including engine output and suspension characteristics, while being bound by not just legislation, such as those laws involving exhaust emissions, but also higher customer expectations. These include issues that one might not imagine, such as clutch pedal weight. Then, they have to do all this within budget.
While some carmakers have had a decent try at letting drivers customise everything from interior lighting ambience to the automatic gearshift speeds, they cannot satisfy everyone. It is also worth considering that, despite our earlier praise, modern cars remain imperfect. As they age, virtually every make and model has weaknesses.
Therefore, modifications need not mean simply customisation – the definition can extend to resolving a weak spot that tends to wear relatively quickly in everyday use.
UPRATED PARTS
Every car possesses parts that wear out faster than others. When quality aftermarket suppliers detect high demand for specific parts, some of them upgrade these weak spots. They may use superior materials than those used originally, or even redesign the component. These parts may be worth considering if your car covers especially high mileages.
Take First Line, for instance. The firm has redesigned over sixty anti-roll bar links in its ‘HD’ offerings, not only by increasing the ball and seat diameters but it has also upgraded the material. The HD range covers models as diverse as the Peugeot 206 and Audi A4 to Mercedes and Vauxhall/Renault/Nissan vans. Meyle is another company that offers a heavy-duty range. As the larger ball pin on a typical Meyle-HD balljoint distributes forces over a wider area, the result is increased service life. The company also has paid attention to enhancing the weatherproofing of certain balljoints, a major reason for premature failure. Meyle-HD bushings are also enhanced, by redesigning the OE bushes at the points where the rubber starts to tear. Hybrid Core technology defines MOOG’s control arms, balljoints, track rod ends and droplinks, which boast an hardened ball pin, combined with a carbon-fibre reinforced housing (as pictured). While it could be argued that these are modified
