Most people buy their first car soon after getting their driving license. For many, a car is simply a tool for getting them from point A to B. For others, a car is a direct representation of their personality, hence will go to greater lengths to choose one, care for it, and even customize it to fit their preferred style and performance. Is it possible to customize your car without damaging it? You may ask. The short answer is a resounding yes. Outlined below are some of the simplest ways you can customize your car.
1. Invest In Better Brakes
Brakes are an essential part of any vehicle. While most OEM brakes will serve the purpose well ( for light applications), they certainly aren’t designed to handle heavy loads for extended periods. Most of these brakes will not be as efficient as they were when new and will often struggle when slowing down or stopping the car at high speeds.
Upgrading your car with better brakes, especially if you live in a hilly area, or do high-performance driving, is thus recommended. This is also advisable if you recently got your car tuned for better performance and speed. Better brakes mean improved braking power, keeping you safe on the road. You can, however, choose to upgrade the entire brake system or just some part of it. This can be anything from upgrading the steel brake lines, brake calipers, or brake pad material to suit your specific needs.
2. Create Your Own Decals
Do you wish for your car to stand out in the crowd or hide in plain sight? Decals are the way to go especially if looking to get that humorous sticker or elegant linework on the body. Thanks to technology, you can now create custom decals from the comfort of your home or garage.
There are plenty of capable tools that one can use to create their decals. Graphics design programs, such as Inkscape and Photoshop, are some of the best tools you can use to create decal designs on your tablet or PC. If freehand is more your thing, then programs such as Scan2CAD should make it happen. You can get even better and precise results if you convert the designs to G-code for your CNC machine.
3. Get A Better Sound System
Most car sound systems have a mediocre sound quality; what better way to customize your car than giving your sound system an upgrade. Nothing is more fulfilling than a great sound system on your crisp, clean, and well-customized ride, especially for road trips.
Although some of the newer cars have great sounding sound systems and might not require an upgrade, most definitely do. Any true audiophile out there will trade anything just to have excellent entertainment and sound system in their cars. While you don’t want to go for the most expensive sound system out there, you definitely should get an affordable high-end sound system. There are numerous reasons and articles outlining why you should consider replacing car factory speakers with better aftermarket ones.
4. Upgrade Your Car Seats
Don’t just focus on the car’s performance and sound system; you too want to be comfortable all through. Although most standard car seats are OK, they still aren’t as comfortable as everyone wishes. While the seats may have all the comfort features installed, you sure can change how they look for better aesthetics and practicality. Consider switching from the generic grey and black color schemes to more vibrant and exciting themes. Seat covers would come in handy if working with a limited budget. You could also change all the seats entirely if looking for improved comfort and luxury.
If you will be riding with kids, you want to ensure they too are covered. Don’t just go for the standard child seat, but rather something more comfortable and stylish. The market is already full of various options for you to choose from.
5. Add A Good Quality Sat-Nav
Although newer cars today come equipped with sat-nav as standard, many older models do not. With road networks constantly improving and becoming more complicated, more and more drivers depend on sat nav to find their way around. The law also requires new drivers to be able to use sat nav without it distracting them. That said, it would be advisable to upgrade your car’s sat-nav with the latest equipment you can find/afford. Although this might not be necessary for new generation cars, it definitely is for older ones. Explore the different types of sat nav on the market, and choose the best and easiest one to use.
6. Customize Your Lighting
Creative lighting is part and parcel of car customization. This is usually the first step most people take when looking to make their cars ‘different’ and exciting. You can thus choose to customize both the exterior and interior lighting.
A lightbulb conversion kit will come in handy when/if looking to upgrade your headlights. This kit makes it possible to alter the headlight’s color or marque. You might also want to change from the standard halogen lightbulbs to LED ones or flood lights if looking to be extravagant. One of the best ways to customize your car’s interior is to include/add tiny LEDs (mimicking the sky) to its ceiling. Use your creative mind to create something unique and breathtaking at the same time.
7. Personalised Number Plate
One of the quickest ways to customise your vehicle is by investing in a custom number plate. This can even be a good investment in terms of making some money. Personalised number plates generally increase in value over the years. Take a look at newreg.co.uk
to find good value number plates.
8. Upgrade Your Wheels
Stock wheels (rims) on most cars are only meant for the job, nothing fancy. You, however, want to switch from the dull-looking OEM wheels to higher performance and better-looking ones. Finding great ones shouldn’t take much of your time with thousands of aftermarket wheels to choose from.
