Car enthusiasts around the world constantly make modifications to their cars. Some are simply cosmetic, while others can affect the vehicle’s overall performance. In addition, many car modifications are totally legal and harmless, but others might get the car’s owner a ticket and a fine because the modification isn’t actually legal and according to regulations.
If you’re new to the idea of modifying your vehicles, you might be somewhat surprised to learn that some aesthetic upgrades can land you on the wrong side of the law. But, at the same time, many aesthetic and performance upgrades are no problem at all. In this article, we’ll go through the four of the best simple modifications to improve your car’s performance and aesthetics in a legal manner.
The truth is that an obnoxious paint job might be a crime against good taste, but it’s not an actual offense. Usually, you can paint your car or vehicle however you want or get a paint job effect with a vinyl wrap, as long as it doesn’t look like you’re trying to impersonate emergency or police cars.
However, there are a couple of crucial things you should keep in mind with the process of repainting your car. First, it’s a time-consuming process to have your vehicle repainted by yourself, and it might be expensive to have your car repainted by a professional. So, if you decide to repaint your vehicle on your own, check your local pollution ordinances to ensure that you won’t get cited for the paint and chemical fumes.
On the other hand, if you decide to get your car repainted at a professional painting service, check if the company of your selection has all the needed tools and pieces of machinery like a professional Fuji automotive paint spray gun, special paint booth, paint thinners, an acrylic topcoat, clear-coat lacquer, and more, to ensure that the job will be professionally done and in a timely manner.
As long as you respect the laws and stay within your state’s limits for ride height modifications, an aftermarket suspension system upgrade is entirely legal. Moreover, the right suspension system can be a fantastic way to upgrade your vehicle’s performance. If done right, your car will handle the driving much better, and you can tune the suspension to optimize the vehicle for your way of driving.
It doesn’t matter if you want to press the gas pedal and race or you want to commute a bit more enjoyably; a sound suspension system is a car modification that’s arguably almost always worth the initial investment.
Car seat upgrades are another popular car modification, regardless of whether you’re a novice racer or you just want to look like one. A brand new set of sport seats always look fantastic, and if you select the right ones, they can be much more supportive and comfortable than your vehicle’s stock ones. The new seats can even help you improve your driving position.
Nevertheless, many racing seat manufacturers caution their buyers that these seats are not suitable for regular cars, primarily because racecar seats are intended to be used with race harnesses, which are absolutely not legal for use as an alternative to car seatbelts. Still, many sport seat manufacturers make seats that are legal and intended for regular car use with a factory seatbelt, so when choosing your next car seats, make sure that they are adequate to the type of car you own and that their installation won’t disable any of your car’s airbags or other accessories.
Adding a supercharger or turbocharger to your car is another popular and legal car performance modification. Devices like superchargers and turbochargers practically boost your car’s engine by forcing in more air, creating a lot more power. Unlike nitrous oxide, superchargers and turbochargers are entirely legal as long as they don’t cause your car to fail your state’s emissions check or safety inspection.
Just take a look at California, which is the strictest state in the United States regarding vehicle pollution standards. However, even there, as long as you don’t change your car’s emissions system, all upgrades are approved for use, and if you pass the state smog check, you are all good to go.
People interested in modifying their cars usually do the modifications to have something a little different in their vehicles than everyone else has, to stand out from the crowd in terms of performance or styling. With these ideas and a little time and money, you can legally customize your car and make it more enjoyable to drive and show around.
