A
body kit or
bodykit is a collection of exterior modifications to a
car, typically composed of front and rear
bumpers,
side skirts,
spoilers, paint jobs, and sometimes front and rear
side guards and
roof scoops. There are many companies that offer alternatives to the original factory appearance of the vehicle. Body kits components are designed to complement each other and work together as a complete design. Despite this, the 'mix and match' approach is often seen on cars, where the front of one body kit will be matched with the rear of another, for example.
Fiberglass (FRP) composite is very light and is extremely strong according to its weight/strength ratio. FRP material is easier to fix, if necessary.
Polyurethane (PU) is popularized in the manufacturing of some of the highest quality aerodynamic components/body kits ([kits]) for varying automobiles (car, truck, and SUV) on the market. These components include bumpers, side skirts, roll pans, and wiper cowls. Polyurethane allows production of durable components unlike the conventional fiberglass (FRP) that can easily break upon impact. Polyurethane is highly flexible therefore more resistant to damage. Including durability, these body kits when produced by a reputable manufacturer, exhibits less imperfections, are easy to install and maintain, and are affordable. [5] Super-Polyurethane (SPU) is a much stronger- weather proof polyurethane material researched and developed and used exclusively by
JP Tokyo and
JP USA, Co. When fiberglass body kits begin to show cracks, chips from usual wear and tear, a well manufactured polyurethane components have similar durability to a factory installed bumper. As mentioned above, when produced by a reputable manufacturer, tend to have less pinholes and casting imperfections. Flexibility of polyurethane makes them easy to work with. Installation can be completed individually as a "do-it-yourself" project, or can be done by a professional. Maintenance is minimal on many body kits. Pricing varys by manufacturer, but is kept in an affordable range. Although they has many good traits, polyurethane body kits too have their downfalls. Fiberglass or carbon fiber components are lighter in weight than most polyurethane kits. Polyurethane, again is flexible but more material and thickness is most often needed to keep adequate stiffness for road use. For drivers seeking speed for a high performance vehicle, this can become a problem. Also, unlike fiberglass, polyurethane cannot be patched or repaired. Though it is much harder to damage, if damage did occur, the entire component must be removed and replaced. There are varying options when purchasing polyurethane kits.
Xenon,
JP USA Co, and
Kaminari, are reputable polyurethane components manufacturers.
All consumers must be aware of lower quality replicas on the market.
Because of their light weight and the increasing availability of low-cost tuning equipment, economy and compact cars exhibit high performance at a low cost in comparison to dedicated sports cars. As professional sporting and racing with such vehicles increased, so did recreational use of these vehicles. Drivers with little or no automotive, mechanical, or racing experience would modify their vehicles to emulate the more impressive versions of racing vehicles, with mixed results.
Engine tuning[edit]
Main article:
Engine tuning
Engine tuning is the process of modifying the operating characteristics of an engine. In a typical engine set-up, there are various mechanical and electronic elements such as the intake manifold, spark plugs,
Mass air flow/ Volume air flow, etc. Modern engines employ the use of an
ECM to provide the best balance between performance and emissions. Via the
OBD communications protocol, the electronically controlled aspects of the engine can be modified in the process known as 'mapping'. Mapping can either be performed by changing the software within the ECU (chip tuning via firmware modification), or by providing false data via plug-in hardware (
piggybacking). Mechanical components can also be replaced, such as turbochargers or superchargers.
Other standalone engine management systems are available. These systems replace the factory computer with one that is user programmable.
Poorly executed modifications can have a detrimental effect on performance as well as mechanical and electronic components. An example would be the use of an air compressor such as a turbocharger to increase the volume of air used in power stroke of the
otto cycle. In a typical chemical reaction, the air-fuel ratio must be a minimum of 14:1 (see
Stoichiometry). If higher ratios are used, higher pressures and temperatures are observed in the cylinders. Depending upon the build of the engine, such operating parameters can lead to premature failure such as warped cylinder heads and walls (temperature related), cracked connecting rods and crankshafts (excessive torque applied), engine seizing and blowouts.
Suspension tuning[edit]
Suspension tuning involves modifying the springs, shock absorbers, swaybars, and other related components of a vehicle. Shorter springs offer greater stiffness and a lower center of gravity at the possible cost of unwanted changes of suspension geometry. Stiffer
shock absorbers improve the dynamic weight shifting during cornering and normally have shorter internals to stop them from bottoming out when shorter springs are used. Stiffer
sway bars reduce body roll during cornering, thus improving the grip that the tires have on the surface by reducing suspension geometry changes caused by roll; this also improves handling response due to faster weight shifting (similar to stiffer springs.) The danger with overly stiff swaybars is the lifing of the inner wheel, which changes traction of that end at a discontinuous rate. By increasing the roll resistance of on end,
weight transfer is concentrated at that end, causing it to slip more than the other. This effect is used to control the over/under steer characteristic as well as to reduce roll. Other components that are sometimes added are
strut bars, which improve the body stiffness and help better maintain the proper suspension geometry during cornering. On some cars certain braces, anti-roll bars, etc., can be retrofitted to base model cars from sports models.
For
offroad vehicles, the emphasis is on lengthening the suspension travel and installing larger tires. Larger tires, with or without larger wheels, increase ground clearance, ride over short obstacles and holes more smoothly, provide more cussioning and decrease ground loading which is important on soft surfaces.
These suspension modifications are in contrast to
Lowriders with hydraulic or pneumatic suspensions. Lowriders use another type of suspension tuning in which the height of each individual wheel can be rapidly adjusted by a system of rams which, in some cases, makes it possible to "bounce" the wheels completely clear of the ground.
Body tuning[edit]
Body tuning involves adding or modifying
spoilers and a
body kit in order to improve the aerodynamic performance of a vehicle. Through the generation of downforce, cornering speeds and tire adhesion can be improved, often at the expense of increased drag. To lighten the vehicle, bodywork components such as hoods and rear view mirrors may be replaced with lighter weight components.
Often, body modifications are done mainly to improve a vehicle's appearance, as in the case of non-functioning scoops, wide arches or other aesthetic modification. Aftermarket spoilers or body kits rarely improve a car's performance. The majority, in fact, add weight and increase the
drag coefficient of the vehicle, thus reducing its overall performance.
Increasing the wheel track width through spacers and wide body kits enhance the cars cornering ability. Lowering the center of gravity via suspension modifications is another aim of body tuning. Often, suspension tuners unfamiliar with
spring dynamics will cut stock springs, producing a harder, bouncy ride. It is also common to lower the car too far, beyond the optimal height for performance, purely for appearance.
Competition cars may have light weight windows, or the windows may be completely removed, as auto glass adds significant weight high up. Plastic windows are much more vulnerable to scratches which reduces service life.
Tires have large effects on a car's behavior and are replaced periodically, therefore tire selection is a very cost-effective way to personalize an automobile. Choices include tires for various weather and road conditions, different sizes and various compromises between cost, grip, service life, rolling resistance, handling and ride comfort.
Electric conversions.:
Most conversions in North America are performed by hobbyists
[3] who typically will convert a well used vehicle with a non-functioning engine, since such defective vehicles can be quite inexpensive to purchase. Other hobbyists with larger budgets may prefer to convert a later model vehicle, or a vehicle of a particular type. In some cases the vehicle itself may be built by the converter, or assembled from a
kit car.
A two-stage vehicle is a vehicle that has been built by two separate manufacturers. The result is a standard, complete vehicle.
[4] In this process, vehicles may be converted by a manufacturer (as was done by
Ford Motor Company to create the
Ford Ranger EV). Alternatively, in a process known as "third-party
(power)trainization", an independent converter will purchase new
vehicle gliders[5] (vehicles without a motor or related equipment) and then perform the conversion, to offer a two-stage vehicle.
In some countries, the user can choose to buy a converted vehicle of any model in the
automaker dealerships only paying the cost of the batteries and motor, with no installation costs (it is called pre-conversion or previous conversion).
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