Cars with extra trimming are a common feature on our roads.a. But as it turns out, several car accessories make no substantial impact on car’s performance, while some actually compromise it; these include: *Body kits look impressive; they consist of fiberglass pieces that are attached under the front and rear bumper, as well as long the sides and under the doors. Body kits restrict air flowing under the car and therefore improve stability. However, they only work at speeds in excess of city speed limits, frequently scraping and breaking when u encounter speed breakers.
*Chromed, large-diameter exhaust pipes add bling to your car and generate excessive revving sounds, making you believe that your car is a speed demon, but in reality they do not improve your car’s acceleration rate or speed. In fact, they frequently reduce the pressure in the car’s exhaust system, which results in the engine losing power (making it slower), all through while contributing to noise pollution.
*High intensity discharge headlights provide better visibility; they are usually installed on high-speed touring cars they are driven along motorways with greater speed limits than city roads. As it turns out, their installation, and use, is illegal in Pakistan, because they pose a hindrance to oncoming traffic with their blinding glare.
*Large rims and tyres on small cars pose several pitfalls such as a restricted turning radius, incorrect speedometer readings, a bumpier ride, not to mention, faster wear and tears of suspension components, all of which result in increasing maintenance costs. The same goes for performance tyres; furthermore, beware of used, ‘winter use only’ tyres from Japan. They are noisier and are prone to bursting at high speeds in Pakistan’s hot climate. *Rear wings look snazzy and provide downward pressure on the car, increasing its stability at high speeds. The only hitch is that they function at optimal levels at very high speeds, which make them of little use on Pakistan’s bumpy, usually narrow roads, where traffic jams are a daily occurrence.
By Romano Karim Yusuf