Fuel Saving Tips

This guide helps both beginners to the auto performance part world, and veteran performance parts users, with some key info on common performance parts. Whether you want to add some speed to your street rod, get the mustang cruising 0-60 faster and louder, or just want your car to run better, this guide is for you.

What are performance parts? First of all, they are designed to increase the overall power and usability of your car. They are typically to “soup it up,” improving things like speed and efficiency. If you want a vehicle with a bit more speed going 0-60, or to simply run better in certain situations, performance parts help you do it safely.

So let’s go over some performance parts to rebuild your vehicle the right way.

Air Filters. Air filters may seem to be boring when you want to go from 0-60 in 4.3, but they actually have more upside than most other performance parts. They give you car more power; a racing air filter can up your power by as much as 10%. They’re quite easy to install; this can be done in a day or less. Also, if you ever want to take this air filter out, like many performance parts it’s an easy job.

Cat-Back Exhaust Systems. Cat-back exhaust systems have less upside than some performance parts, but the fact they improve engine life makes them useful.

A racing air filter can improve your engine power by as much as 10%. You can install one in a matter of hours in most cases, or no more than a day. Along with many other key performance parts, it’s simple to remove the air filter.

Another reason to upgrade your air filter-maybe with a racing filter-is that you get better gas mileage. It gives you more engine power, and makes your car even better on the gas! And when you want to rev the engine, the sound created by a good racing air filter is incredible.

Cat-back exhaust systems are quite popular for performance enhancement, using a larger diameter pipe in the stock system. If you want to get rid of your restrictive stock exhaust system, a cat-back exhaust has major upside.

Cat-Back Exhaust Systems. If you really want to “upgrade” your car for speed, sound, and engine life , then the cat-back exhaust system performance part is the answer. These performance parts have less upside than some like the racing air filter, but the benefit of a longer engine life is important. Cat-back exhaust systems are quite popular for performance enhancement, using a larger diameter pipe in the stock system. If you want to get rid of your restrictive stock exhaust system, a cat-back exhaust has major upside.

These are some of the top performance parts for any car, from street rod to monster muscle car. While this is a good start, don’t forget about other performance parts like the carburetor.

Mike Stone is a professional auto writer, former journalist, and a big fan of inexpensive performance parts.

What makes the powerful American muscle car so strong today is the fact you can get them for a fraction of what a luxury car is priced.

The car world is dominated by German and Japanese made cars. That’s not a bad thing, but real American engines are still around. You just have to look for them.

There are some powerful and unique American cars available, especially modern American muscle cars. But what makes these American muscle cars 1) affordable for the common car fan and 2) loud and fast to boot?

An American muscle car of quality should have some “kick” to it, growl loud like the corvette, and fast like a mustang.

Originally, the vintage cars we now call muscle cars were just V-8 engines with a paint job. You put a big engine in a small car. The movement for classic muscle cars drew definite interest from car makers, and we’ve seen new lines rise, fall, and rise again (like the Pontiac GTO).

The Pontiac GTO was the first muscle car, but today we also have the Cadillac CTS-V and the Chrysler 300 Hemi.

In terms of the very best modern American muscle car, there are still some options if you want to race a bit over the speed limit. But the three most important American muscle cars may have just been mentioned, especially the CTS-V for current, and the GTO for its legendary history.

The Chrysler 300 Hemi is a horsepower machine made from the old school with its big grille, but the engine and price are the real stories for this baby. She clocks in around 5 to 5.5 in 0-60 with her 340+ horsepower, and is one of the more affordable American modern muscle cars available, starting at about $23,000.

Next, let’s talk about the Cadillac CTS-V. The pros here are the incredible horsepower, the very best in modern American muscle cars. It’s got a supercharged 6.2 V8 engine, with some incredible horsepower numbers pushing 550. And you can go 0-60 in 4.3. The only clear con to this modern American muscle is the price tag, pushing $60,000.

Next on the list would be the Pontiac GTO, the car that started it all. Again, story was a car designer, sick of driving family sedans from work to home, decided to put a big engine into one of his smaller cars. Hence, we have the creation of the muscle car. Throughout its history, the Pontiac GTO has been top 5 in American muscles cars. And the modern Pontiac GTOs are no exception. It actually has some non-American flavor to it, but an American engine with 400 and up horsepower. While changing sometimes in horsepower, and a bad production run started and stopped over the years, the price is right here, with most models being sold for fractions of the stated value.

The most important American muscle car is? It’s a tough call. For history, the GTO might get it. For sheer power, the winner is the Cadillac CTS. For a combination of price and power, you’ve got the Chrysler 300 Hemi. It’s almost a draw, but since it has the most storied history, the Pontiac GTO is the most important modern muscle car.

Mike Stone is a freelance writer who specializes in modern American muscle cars and enjoys writing articles for Streetside Auto.com.