How To Make My Car Fast – Mods To Go And Accelerate Faster

Have you ever wondered what it takes to make your car fast? It can be draining to drive a slow vehicle (or even the slowest car in the world). If you have ever been disappointed by your vehicle when you needed it most to speed up and drive faster, you should be asking “how to make my car fast? “

Different vehicle models and years have different specifications as to what works when it comes to vehicle modifications. This may leave you wondering how you can figure out what works best for your vehicle.

Making a car fast is more than focusing on things like the maximum horsepower, the engine, and the torque numbers. It involves paying attention to other aspects of the vehicle. We have brought you good news.

As a car owner, here is how to make my car fast. A vehicle’s acceleration never gets old, and with our detailed guide, you will learn what it takes to make your car drive fast.

• Vehicle Performance Additive
• Easiest Cars to Modify
• How To Make My Car Fast
• Best Car Engines To Consider
• Engines That Fit My Car
• Last Words
• FAQs

Before we go into sharing the guide on how to make my car fast, here are a few things to note while trying to answer.

Average Horsepower Of A Car

The average horsepower of a typical car varies from one car to the next. Basically, most compact and midsize mainstream vehicles in the US have horsepower between 170 and 190.

Horsepower itself is considered a unit to measure the forcefulness of a vehicle’s engine. It is basically the rate at which the engine works. Here is a breakdown of the average horsepower of some cars in the US;

1. Compact car: 130 horsepower (four cylinders)
2. Midsize car: 170 horsepower (four cylinders)
3. Full-size sedan: 200 horsepower (four-cylinders) or 280 horsepower (six-cylinders)
4. Crossover: 200 horsepower (four-cylinders)
5. Small SUV: 240 horsepower (four-cylinders)
6. Middle SUV: 280 horsepower (six-cylinders)
7. Large SUV: 400 horsepower (eight-cylinders)
8. Compact truck: 200 horsepower (four-cylinders)
9. Full-size truck: 300 horsepower (six-cylinders)
10. Ford F-Series: 290 horsepower

The horsepower of a vehicle affects its overall performance because the more power a vehicle has, the better its acceleration. Notwithstanding, there are other factors to take into consideration when thinking about how to make my car fast.

Vehicle Performance Additives

Vehicle additives are a collection of additives that are geared toward improving the performance of a vehicle’s engine. They come in the form of fuel additives (hint: we’ve also compiled a list of the best fuel additive), engine oil additives, and gear oil additives.

These additives can increase fuel economy, improve performance, and reduce emissions. They address different aspects of a vehicle’s needs. Fuel additives come in the form of fuel system cleaners, fuel injection cleaners, gas mileage additives, and cooling system additives.

To learn more, check out our write-ups on the cost to clean the fuel system, what fuel system cleaning entails, and the best fuel injector cleaner (with some tips and tricks on how to clean fuel injectors). This is a good option to consider to give your vehicle the boost it needs to make it fast.

Easiest Cars To Modify

According to Slash Gears’s October 2022 publication, here is a list of vehicles that can be easily modified (in addition to our list of the easiest cars to mod), in order of decreasing difficulty:

1. Toyota Supra
   1. (to learn more, we have guides on the Mk4 Supra model years, how much is a Supra, and how much horsepower does a Supra have)
2. BMW 3-Series 
   1. (if you need more references, check out our guide on the BMW 320i vs the BMW 328i, as well as tuning a BMW M3)
3. VW Golf 
   1. (to find out more about the VW Golf, take a look at our comparison of the VW Golf vs the Golf GTI, in addition to the Volkswagen E-Golf)
4. Nissan 350Z
5. Chevrolet Camaro
   1. (for more insight, check out our write-up on the Catfish Camaro, and how to twin-turbo for a Camaro V6)
6. Ford Mustang
   1. (if you want to learn more, do head over to our guide on the top speed of the Mustang GT, and how many miles do Mustangs last)
7. Toyota GR86
   1. (to understand more of what this model is, we have a comparison of the Subaru BRZ vs the Scion FR-S)
8. Jeep Wrangler
9. Ford F- 150
10. Mazda Mx-5
    1. (if you need to find out more, we have a guide on the Mazda Miata 1990, a Miata engine swap, as well as the Hellcat Miata project)
11. Classic Mini

Best Power-To-Weight Ratio Cars

When it comes to answering the question of how to make my car fast, horsepower is not the only factor to consider; the weight of your vehicle is also a key factor. A vehicle that is heavy will require more power to move. Hence, we have compiled a list of vehicles with the best power-to-weight ratio.

1. Caparo T1
2. Hennessey Venom V8
3. Koenigsegg One:1
4. Ariel Atom
5. LaFerrari
6. Mclaren P1
7. Bugatti Veyron Super Sport
8. Caterham 620R
9. Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach Package
10. Pagani Huayra

How To Make My Car Fast

Here are some simple pro tips to boost car performance on the road.

How To Make My Car Fast #1 – Get Tires With More Grip

Tires are important parts of a vehicle; they keep it going, regulate the speed of the vehicle, and bear its entire weight. Use tires with more or higher grip to accelerate and get your vehicle to the desired speed.

The absence of a grip would have you slipping and wasting energy. An investment in tires with grip is a worthy one, as it allows you to have more control of your vehicle and take up corners faster.

If you need a more detailed overview, do check out our list of the best tires brands, the best car tires, and the top tire brands.

Here are good options:

• Michelin Pilot Sport 4
• Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
• Bridgestone Potenza S007A
• Hankook Ventus V2 Concept 2

How To Make My Car Fast #2 – Upgrade Your Brakes

You may be wondering why brakes are necessary. If an upgrade isn’t supposed to slow down the vehicle, why do I need one when all I want to learn is how to make my car faster? But you can only go as fast as you can stop.

Upgrading your brakes is essential for maintaining a firm grip on the throttle and stomping your middle pedal at the appropriate times. It also helps you to stop efficiently and quickly resume your driving spree. Hence, it’s why some gearheads stress over carbon ceramic brake pads and wonder whether drilled and slotted rotors are better.

Also, some of the parts made by the original manufacturer have to meet certain standards and quality levels, which you may not be happy with. By upgrading to a better brake, your stopping distance will be shorter, and your brake will work better in harsh conditions. With an upgraded brake, you make your vehicle’s safety a priority.

Take note of all the various stressors you have to put your vehicle through to boost its speed and acceleration. If you want a new engine, nitrous oxide, or turbochargers, you will have to replace your brakes with high-performance ones, such as organic vs ceramic brake pads, instead of the ones that came with your vehicle.

You can improve your brakes by purchasing better discs, pads, and calipers. Determining which performance brake is best suited for you depends on its application. Checking out a car enthusiast forum or website can prove to be a helpful guide.

How To Make My Car Fast #3 – Provide Sufficient Air Intake

If you want your car to be fast, you’ll need air. It facilitates the acceleration of your vehicle. If your question is how to make my car fast, note that engines require a mixture of air and fuel, specifically cold air, as this provides your vehicle with more power.

Here’s why cold air is the real deal for your vehicle’s engine: its denser nature allows it to breathe better and boosts torque and horsepower. It improves fuel efficiency, which propels the ride forward. So, if you want to learn more, check out our guide on what does a cold air intake do, and do cold air intakes work?

Warm air will, on the other hand, cost you your horsepower. Air intake, on the other hand, is controlled by a pipe with an air filter on it. This lets your vehicle take in more air.

How To Make My Car Fast #4 – Upgrade Your Exhaust

Here is another hack for making your car fast. Even though exhausts are generally known to make vehicles louder, if upgraded, they can increase the performance of the vehicle. The exhausts put in vehicles by most manufacturers will not allow you to achieve your desire of making your car fast, and here is why.

They come with restrictive exhaust mufflers that are made to make your vehicle less noisy. This, in turn, reduces the vehicle’s performance by forcing the exhaust air to pass through a smaller hole than what is ideal.

While upgrading, we advise choosing an exhaust system that suits your vehicle’s power band. The web has detailed information on upgrading your exhaust and what is best for your vehicle.

How To Make My Car Fast #5 – Tuning Your ECU

Your ECU is the engine of your vehicle or electronic control unit. ECU tuning involves tweaking things from the original factory settings of your vehicle’s engine to achieve better fuel economy, more power, and more acceleration.

By removing the factory settings, you replace the unit with a custom performance chip, which in turn improves the performance of the vehicle. When tuning is done, it helps you achieve more torque, horsepower, and speed.

Also, vehicle experts project a 20% increase in power from tuning. This is achieved using either a piggyback system or a tuning box. However, it is advised to do ECU tuning with the aid of a specialist.

How To Make My Car Fast #6 – Service And Maintain Your Car

Regular maintenance of your vehicle (alongside knowing how to reset maintenance light on Toyota Corolla) will keep it performing at its optimal level. This could include changing filters, spark plugs, and clogged catalytic converters. Even though servicing your vehicle does not guarantee an increase in horsepower, it will prevent your vehicle from losing the valuable horsepower it has.

It is also a good idea to take your vehicle for tuning as part of routine car servicing.

How To Make My Car Fast #7 – Nitrous Oxide

To answer your question on how to make my car fast here is one thing you need to do after tuning your engine. Your vehicle’s power can be increased with nitrous oxide for a relatively low cost.

Nitrous oxide increases the amount of air in your engine. These short bursts of oxygen give the engine more power. Nitrous has been shown to boost the power of most vehicles that can’t be tuned and to make turbocharged vehicles go faster.

However, you must find out if it is considered illegal in your state and also take into consideration that the amount of air you’re pumping in is proportionate to the ratio of gas and fuel. Another caution is to be wary of too much intake of nitrous by your engine to avoid the risk of it blowing up.

How To Make My Car Fast #8 – Make Your Car Lighter

Making your vehicle lighter will get rid of all the extra weight that is holding it back from running at its best. Aside from doing away with overloading your vehicle, here are other things to consider putting away to make your vehicle lighter: carpets, an air conditioner, a sound system, and a spare wheel.

Make sure that your car’s weight is distributed evenly as you add and remove components.

How To Make My Car Fast #9 – Upgrade Your Suspension

Your vehicle’s suspension is one of the parts of your car that affects its ability to turn. Also, if you want a smooth ride, make sure your suspension is up to the task. If you want to make your car fast, you can’t do that with a suspension that makes it difficult for you to navigate through difficult terrain.

Here are a few things to do in order to upgrade your car’s suspension:

#1. Upgrade your tires: One outstanding way to upgrade your suspension is to upgrade your tires. The quality of your tires will improve the overall feel of your car and enable you to handle different kinds of terrain.

#2. Upgrade the shocks and struts: Shocks and struts are parts of the suspension system that help with your vehicle’s ride and handling. By upgrading your shocks and struts, you improve your car’s ability to be stable in bumpy terrain, while braking, or while accelerating.

#3. Suspension Rebuild: This entails getting a new suspension for your car. For some people, the above-listed options will not suffice unless a new suspension is obtained for their car. However, before getting a new suspension, you must ensure that you get the perfect match for your car based on the make and model. Consulting a mechanic will also be helpful.

How To Make My Car Fast #10 – Engine Transplant

Aside from tuning, an engine transplant is one way to increase the speed of your vehicle. It involves removing a car’s original engine and replacing it with a new one.  When an engine is old and its parts are worn out, it will certainly affect the performance of your car.

This is not the only reason an engine transplant is considered necessary to make your car fast; switching to a diesel engine for improved fuel economy would also boost the performance of your car. That is if your car’s engine does not fall into that category.

An engine transplant will bring your car back to life, and you can bet on enjoying better speed and acceleration than with a worn-out one. For more context, check out our write-ups on a Mazda RX8 motor swap, a Honda engine swapping, an RX8 LS engine swap, and the cost of an engine swap.

Take note of these things before swapping your engine:

#1. A like-for-like exchange: This kind of transplant involves replacing an engine with one built specifically to fit into that car. Here, minimal modifications are required.

# 2. Non-factory-specific swap: This requires more technicality and modification to get the engine fitted into the car and functional.

Best Car Engine

Here is a list of astounding car engines currently in production, as compiled by hotcars.com, as well as our own list of the most powerful engine in a car:

1. Ford Supercharged 5.2-Liter V8
2. Ram High Output Turbocharged 6.7-Liter Inline-Six
3. Mazda SKYACTIV-G 2.0-Liter Inline-Four
4. Ford High Output 3.5-Liter Twin-Turbo V6
5. Volkswagen Twin-Turbo 4.0-Liter V8
6. Chevrolet 6.2-Liter V8
7. Dodge Supercharged 6.2-Liter V8
8. Ferrari Twin-Turbocharged 3.9-Liter V8
9. BMW Twin-Turbo 4.4-Liter V8
10. Audi Turbocharged 2.5-Liter Inline-Five

Engines That Fit My Car

If you want to know how to make your car faster, an engine transplant is one possible solution. Hence, you need to understand which engine fits your vehicle. In determining which engine fits your car, there are a few things to consider.

When putting a new engine in your vehicle, you need to make sure it works with the transmission (if not, you have to account for how much is a transmission swap – you can learn more in our look at the Infiniti Q60 manual transmission), suspension, and chassis as a whole. Consider these tips to determine which engine is suitable for your car:

1. Type And Size Of The Engine

The size of the engine will determine how much fuel your vehicle uses and how much power it has. Check to see if the engine is a V6 or a V8 (and compare between a V6 engine vs a V8 engine). Is the cylinder four or eight?

2. Condition Of The Engine

What is the state of the engine? especially if it is not an entirely new one. Has it been well maintained? Make sure the engine is in good shape so you don’t end up spending more money on repairs.

3. Engine Warranty

One thing to consider is the warranty of the engine you want to get for your vehicle. Compare the warranty with others and know what is covered and what is not.

On a general note, check out the engine mounts and transmission mounts. Ensure that they work perfectly. The assembly should be the same length as the engine.

Last Words On How To Make My Car Fast

If you have followed through to this point, then you have gone through our ten carefully selected guidelines in our caption, “How to Make My Car Fast.” Stick to these guidelines, and you will have your vehicle transformed to achieve the kind of speed and acceleration you desire.

This is to say that your dream of making your car fast is attainable regardless of the make, model, or age of the vehicle. You can always contact a professional to help you through each of these guidelines. Drop us a comment if this was helpful to you.

FAQs On How To Make My Car Fast

How Does A Car Engine Work

A car engine works with what is known as an internal-combustion engine. This is a heat engine that converts energy from the heat of burning gasoline into torque. This torque is what is applied to the wheels to make the car move. A car engine contains what is called a piston. These pistons move up and down inside metal tubes called cylinders. The pistons link to the crankshaft. These pistons consequently spin the engine’s crankshaft, which in turn powers the wheels of cars.

How Much Hp Does A Turbo Add

A turbocharger can add up to 70 to 150 horsepower. The power it adds can increase or decrease depending on whether it is a single turbo or a twin-turbo. If it is a single turbo, it can add up to 30 to 45 hp. While a twin-turbo adds somewhere from 100 to 250. However, you must ensure that your car is modified to accommodate the additional power being added to it.

How Hot Does Cars Engine Get

A car engine can get as hot as 195 to 220 Fahrenheit. This may not be displayed on the temperature dashboards of some cars. On the temperature gauge, however, there are marks for cold and hot temperatures, with the normal temperature in the middle. For most cars, the exact figure that tells how hot a car is may not be shown; instead, different colors of light will be used. The color blue is used when the engine is cold, while red and yellow are used when the engine’s temperature is way beyond normal. At this juncture, it will be in your best interest to turn off your car and seek professional help.

How Fast Can A Car Go

This is not conclusive, because there are many factors that limit the speed of a car. However, the average speed of modern cars is approximately 120 mph.

How To Get More Horsepower

There are a couple of ways to increase the horsepower of a car. For the sake of this post, here are things to note if you want to increase the horsepower of a car: upgrade the air intake, upgrade the exhaust, do some car tuning, and reduce the weight of your car.

Is Getting A New Engine Like Getting A New Car

This question is quite an objective one. You may discover that the cost of purchasing an engine is comparable to the cost of purchasing a car. This is probably why some car lovers would propose getting a new car instead. Getting a new engine may appear to be a better option because it restores the value of your vehicle. However, this may appear to be the case if all of the other components under the hood are in good working order. If you get a new engine and other parts of the vehicle are malfunctioning, your problem isn’t entirely solved. On the other hand, having a new engine might help your car run like a new one, but it is still not the same as getting a new car.

What Does A Car Tuner Do

Tuning basically increases your car’s torque, horsepower, and acceleration. Tuning makes your car run better by adjusting the engine chips, spark plugs, the timing of the ignition, and air-to-fuel ratios.

How Much For A V8 Engine

This type of engine comes in a variety of configurations. To determine the price of each V8, you need to be more specific. A V8 engine will cost anywhere from $7000 to $10,000.

What Is Horsepower In A Car

Horsepower is basically the power an engine produces. It is the metric used to signify the power output of a car’s engine.