How to Transform a Street Vehicle Into a Race Car
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| Street car converted to race car |
Do you have a passion for motorsports? Are you also pretty handy when it comes to tweaking vehicles and improving their performance? If so, why not throw yourself into the task of transforming a street vehicle into a race car? Whether you ultimately decide to enter this vehicle into a rally competition is completely up to you. The number one goal here is to have as much fun as you possibly can while you bring your very own race car to life.
To ensure that you build your race car in the safest and most cost-effective manner possible, be sure to put the advice laid out below into practice.
Find a light car
You would be forgiven for thinking that you need to purchase a street car that has a powerful engine. Of course, it would help if the motor that you work on has a bit of bite to it, but that’s not the be-all-and-all. The size and weight of the actual vehicle is far more important in this instance. More to the point, the lighter this car is, the better it will perform once it has been transformed into a race car.
When you’re ready to delve into the market for a light vehicle, be sure to check out www.autouncle.co.uk. This fully transparent online dealership showcases cars that come with a full service history, which is why you should make them your first port of call if you don’t want to end up purchasing a vehicle that proves troublesome going forward.
Some of the lightest vehicles currently showcased on www.autouncle.co.uk include:
- Chevrolet Spark
- Toyota Yaris
- Mazda2
- Nissan Micra
- Fiat 500
Strip your engine back
You’re going to be sending a lot of power through an old engine, which is why you need to strip it back and start again. By ensuring that everything about your engine is up to scratch, you won’t have to worry about your vehicle breaking down on the track because it can’t hack the intensity of high-performance racing.
When you’ve stripped your engine back and got it in pieces, be sure to replace the following parts if you don’t want gas and oil leaks to ruin your racing fun:
- Piston rings
- Engine bearing
- Oil seals
- Camshaft
- Cylinder heads
Go big, or go home
The car that you are operating on might be small and light in stature, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t go big in your bid to make it race-ready. If you want your vehicle to undergo some seriously powerful changes, you have to fit it with a bigger air intake and even bigger exhaust. If you want to go one step further in this instance, you should fit a supercharger under your car’s bonnet. This will give your vehicle some serious gains out there on the track, that much is for certain.
Squirt some nitrous into the engine
If you’ve seen any of the Fast and Furious movies, then there’s no doubt that you will have heard of nitrous before. Loved by race car enthusiasts (both fictional and real) the world over, this is a substance that gives cars a boost and helps them to perform in a much more efficient fashion.
Once it enters the engine, it cools the air inside the motor and makes it far denser, which in turn provides it with a lot more oxygen for combustion. The end result? The car can reach higher speeds over a more sustained period of time. Should you decide to give your engine a squirt of nitrous, make sure it is just that — a squirt. Pumping too much into your car will more than likely result in you blowing the welds off.
Get some race tyres
You don’t see Lewis Hamilton driving his Formula 1 car using bog-standard street tires, do you? If you want to ensure that your vehicle is truly race-ready, you need to get yourself some racing tires (preferably manufactured by Hoosier). With these specially-designed tires fitted to your car, you will find it much easier to grip the surface that you are racing on. What’s more, you’ll also be able to enjoy some gnarly drag radials.
Are you a self-confessed race car fanatic? If so, why not indulge in your passion for high-performance vehicles by transforming a streetcar into one? Should you decide to take on this challenge, be sure to put all of the advice laid out above into practice.