Custom Fit Your Vehicle

Part of the fun of owning a car is giving it your own look. Sure, some cars come fully equipped with all the bells and whistles, but they lack one thing: your personal touch. Starting back in the 1950s when customizing cars really took off, enthusiasts have been modifying their cars to suit their own purposes. Let’s take a look at some ways you can make your car a real stand out.

The most obvious customizing for your engine compartment is a cold air intake, designed to increase power to the engine. A cold air intake changes the appearance of your car’s engine bay with custom colors such as rad red, silver, chrome, powder coated blue, and more.

Hood protectors, also known as car bras, will give your car a bold, aggressive, and cool look. Other ideas include installing hood scoops and vents.

Fender flares, bumper protectors, front fascia, and head light covers are all the rage. Add in custom fitted fog lights and you have a real show stopper on your hands.

Paintable rear side window covers will distinguish your model from all cars out there. Paintable side skirts are another crowd pleaser.

Altezza style tail light lens assemblies, which are available in chrome or paintable black. Some motorists are opting for paintable or blacked out tail light covers too for that special look. Adding a spoiler or a rear skirt are two additional awesome looking accessories for any car.

Performance exhaust systems are all the rage. They are expensive but worth it in many driver’s eyes. Increased performance, a better look, and a million mile warranty are some of the appeals of this mod.

Who said floor mats or floor liners have to be boring? Custom fitted Highland floor mats or Husky cargo liners give your interior a clean, sharp look and protect expensive carpeting and flooring. Seat covers, shifter knobs, and gauge covers are all popular add-ons with owners today.

Some cars are now custom fitted with wheel spacers which permit wheel stance to be widened, thereby improving handling. Wheel dust shields are also popular to help keep alloys and tires clean.

So, there you have it. Manufacturers of custom fitting accessories have been burning the midnight oil to bring to you products that can truly change the appearance of your car. Indeed, some models -- including the Honda Civic -- have over 200 custom designed accessories available. The more popular the car, the more likely your choices will be greater.

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Improve Your Car’s Power

I can hear it now from the Prius loving, gas sipping, and bike riding crowds: a more powerful car is environmentally irresponsible. Balderdash! Not that anyone should care what others think of them, but this thought pattern is totally incorrect. Thanks to advances in automotive technology, virtually every performance part on the market will yield greater fuel mileage for your car as well as give you more power. A true win-win result; let’s take a look at four powerful performance enhancing parts for your vehicle.

1. Power chips and programmers. Whether your replace your car’s computer chip or enhance it with a power programmer, in either case you will achieve noticeable gains in horsepower and thrust. By overriding the factory limitations imposed on your vehicle you can get more power for a small amount of money.

2. Reusable air filters. Now this is a part that the tree huggers love: air filters which can be used over and over again. That’s right, no need to clog up our landfills with paper filters once a year. Instead, air filters built for race cars can be put in your car and reused. Your engine breaths better and better breathing engine sucks up less fuel. Guess what? Your fuel economy improves!

3. Cold air intakes. That growl coming from underneath your hood is your engine telling you that it loves its new air intake. Designed to suck up colder, denser air a cold air intake delivers the “fuel” that you engine wants. Again, your engine runs smoother and fuel economy increases. The best part? A cold air intake is an awesome looking addition to your engine bay!

4. Performance exhausts. Yes, your stock exhaust system just doesn’t cut it. For starters, it works against your engine and not with it. Specifically, power flow is inhibited and your engine works harder and sucks up more gas in the process. With the wider pipes found in a performance exhaust system you can get more horsepower, achieve greater torque, and watch your fuel economy rise as your engine and exhaust work in harmony.

What many motorists do not understand is that some stock parts are not the best parts for your car. Manufacturers, in an ongoing bid to save money, will often opt for those parts that cost less to hold car prices down. Unfortunately, your car is the biggest loser as power is restricted and fuel economy drops. With the right parts installed by you the trend can be reversed without significant increases in exhaust pollution; your car will still pass its emissions test and it will runner faster and more efficiently.

Of course, the big question is this: aren’t performance parts expensive? They can be if you do not shop around. Visit the web site of a trusted online wholesaler and compare prices. Do the work yourself and your saving will more than cover the cost of having someone install stock parts for you.

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GM Brands: 1 or 2 Too Many?

A lot of people are speculating on the future of GM. If you take the heart to press reports, one would think that General Motors in life. Frankly, the opposite is true especially when you look at the overall picture. In 2005, "the lawyer" has sold over 9 million cars worldwide, the first time the automaker has reached the figure by 1978. Yes, U.S. auto sales are down and some are calling for GM to reduce its many brands, currently numbering eight. While GM should let go? Or should, General Motors stick with the game plan and keep all 8 brands?

For the record, eight GM brands: Cadillac, Buick, Pontiac, Chevrolet, Saturn, GMC, Hummer and Saab. You could remove the package, such as the Swedish car maker Saab (although wholly owned by GM) is building some cars in North America. Still, GM's Saab provides a marketing scheme that we keep them in your love of the subject.

It 'clear that GM's Cadillac luxury division, Chevrolet has a budget or "All American" division, even if the GMC truck division. Furthermore, most of the division confusing, but Buick is a creator of "near luxury" cars (Cadillac lite) and the Hummer division of GM has specialized trucks. Saab line is a bit 'confusing as it was once true in continental Europe. Now, for the most part with rebadged GM and Subaru vehicles with little original interpretation. Finally, Pontiac and Saturn duplicate much of what the other departments, even if the mystique of Saturn's "no haggle pricing," which gives a light to it. That leaves Pontiac.

Pontiac, Oldsmobile as the name caught recently, is probably one of the most vulnerable of the true "American" does. Saturn survive because its peaks dealer network and consumer satisfaction ranks up there with Lexus.

Ultimately, the name Saab is the first chance of death. Outside the United States, especially in Europe, Opel and GM as known to make important. It is said that part of the production Saab will move to Germany and some rebadged Opels begin to sport the name Saab. Let's just say once they occur, there are few reasons to continue to Saab. Let the Saab name die with dignity. Why spoil it with the sale of Saab as a rebadged Opel?

Personally, I think GM should leave well enough alone with its other U.S. brands. I was not in cahoots for Oldsmobile and I'm not in favor of killing trustmark. GM is retooling its operations to kill the old and new models or models revive step in Chevy Enclave to help their respective services to arouse renewed glory. I'm living a pipe dream? Maybe, but at least my imagination is going in a positive direction.

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