Here’s a driving fact that often evades most of us: once we go out on the roads, we are ultimately under the mercy of a number of consequences, factors, and elements. This is not by any means a jab at our driving skills, but we do have to accept the reality that the moment we are out there hunched inside our cars, we have to be ready to be prepared for anything and everything.
So you might be wondering: “if this is the case, then what’s the best thing I can do to make sure that I keep myself as far away from trouble as possible?”
The answer is simple: car modifications.
Modifications can be grouped into two categories—performance and cosmetic. In this article, we will enumerate all the mods that can help amp up the safety level of your car.
1. Tires
This is a no-brainer, really. If there’s one part of your vehicle that you should invest in the most, it would be the one that is in contact with the ground. Never—and we can’t stress this enough—ever settle on cheap tires. Think of every aspect of your driving as dependent on your tires—your braking, accelerating, everything. So if there’s one thing you have to do for your car first, it is to make sure that you have high-quality ones.
Moreover, it is also recommended that you have a different set of tires for different seasons, specifically during summer and winter. When choosing them, consider factors like how slippery the roads will be as well as the temperature of their surface. Tires are made with specific rubber compounds that work best for different temperature changes.
2. Brake Lights
One of the most common road accidents is rear-ended collisions. Adding an additional brake light, specifically one that blinks to signal the car behind you that you are going to hit the brakes can save you from a lot of trouble (not to mention calls to your car insurance company).
This might seem like a bit too much for some but remember: while you can control how careful you are on the road, you can’t really do the same for others. Providing as many signals as you can to your fellow road warriors is your next best bet.
3. Fog Lights
If you’re going to have mods on your lights anyway, then just throw this into the bucket as well and consider upgrading this as well, right? Kidding aside, fog can be a primary cause of danger for many motorists. Regular headlights might not be sufficient enough to shine through the fog because their beams reflect when they bounce off the water particles in the haze. What you end up with is limited visibility and a whole lot of risks while you are on the road. For more information on types of headlights, you can visit TheVehicleLab.com.
Fog lights, on the other hand, are specially installed below the bumper so their illumination is directed towards the direction of the road instead. The location of fog lights prevents the bouncing back of light since fog usually hovers higher above the road.
4. Window Tint
Modifying window tints may seem like a cosmetic adjustment at first, but it does have some pretty legitimate grounds as a safety feature. Making your tint darker can limit the amount of light going inside your vehicle which reduces glare and gives you better visibility. Another benefit is that it lessens the heat that seeps through the windows so chances of heat exhaustion are reduced.
Before changing your window tint, however, make sure that you are within the limits of the window tinting laws first. Going overboard with your tints can also be a hazard risk because it can affect your visibility at night.
5. Added Mirrors and Blind Spot Detectors
While rear-view mirrors are enough to give you a visual of the cars behind and beside you, they do have blind spots. This is something that can be easily solved by the addition of an extra wide-view mirror or blind spot mirror. Better yet, you can even have a blind spot detector installed if your vehicle doesn’t have it. These detectors use sensors and radars that detect the presence of other cars that are not within your field of vision.
6. Anti-roll bar
Also known as sway bars, this small gear is the on that connects the sides of suspensions together. Their advantage is that they control the body lean of your car when cornering so that the weight of your vehicle is still evenly distributed on its tires during the movement. Go for anti-roll bars that are adjustable, but do make sure to put some time testing and changing its settings to make sure that it provides what your car needs.
7. Brake Pads
Upgrading your brake system will not only improve the performance of your vehicle, it can also keep you safe by giving you better control of it. Upgrading your brake pads setup minimizes fade in caused by hard braking and gives you a better “feel” of your brakes. Improving your brake pads is actually one of the most affordable modifications that you can do—you can even do it yourself if you have enough mechanical knowledge to pull it off. CarCareTotal is a great place to find the right brake pad for your vehicle. If it requires more than just removing the current frame of your brake pads and slipping a new set, however, then it is best to go to a pro to do it. This is especially true if you think you need your brake system adjusted to the other components of your wheel.
8. Better Seats
This might seem a bit shallow, but no, changing your car seats is more than just for cosmetic purposes. Think about it: even if you do a ton of modifications, they wouldn’t really matter if you can’t even comfortably move behind the wheel. We’re not saying that you should switch your car seats into racecar ones (and if you do want to do that, why not?), but it’s better to have a seat that you can easily adjust to your reach and form. Having the right support also makes it easier for you to make accurate adjustments when you are driving.
A lot of motorists have the misconception that car modifications are unnecessary, but they actually contribute a lot to improving the performance of your car and in keeping you safe. When considering the modifications you want to do, however, make sure to check with your car manufacturer (and insurance company!) first to make sure that you’re not doing anything outside of the limits of your vehicle. As good-intentioned some adjustments are, having one that doesn’t fit the limit and capacity of your car can cause you more trouble than good. Not sure about anything? Ask professionals! It can save your life.