So there are many blogs and also articles about car upgrade performance and so fort
But are they really worth the price you pay for this modern era??
Here are my top things to invest in a car as people would say "Smiles per Gallon"
1. STRUT BARS
It does comes down to budget of yours however some were advising to install stage 2 but as my personal advice will be install the bars that is needed as companies tend to do as Marketing gimmick to sell it as lump sum. PERSONALLY Stage 1 is more than enough for Daily driven cars.
What does it do? Enhance Stability. I kid you not! It does strengthen the chasis to a certain point but however it's a great start. There are videos on Youtube about strut bar and yes it's not a gimmick. HOWEVER just beware of the rubber bush giving up earlier. Had this experience with my Proton Persona.
2.Good Tires
Why? Cause tires are the item that keeps intact with body of the car and road. There are people whom thinks tires is not important. It does in certain manner of stopping power and so on. In lay man terms, don't be ever stingy on tires. It's all about your safety and love ones. Ignore those with people who says upgrade tires and rims to odd sizes.
Yes there are people who love upsizing rims and tires. There's no right or wrong but however must be within certain specification.
At this moment for 15 inch, the best tires that I've use is Pilot Sport 3 from Michelin. It's about ranging about RM 250 to RM 280 per donut(195/55/R15). This tire is those kaki touge and loves to speed on rainy days. Personally i would rate it 4.5 outta 5. Don't get me wrong, you may have other alternatives such as RE004 which is under Bridgestone. It all depends on your wallet. Seek advise from forums as some of them may have use the tires and give honest reviews about them.
But if you're looking at comfort tires, some says Continental is alright for daily use or Michelin XM2+ if not mistaken. And of course there are some ECO tyres which it's okie but just have to beware during raining season or wet roads. Remember what you invest is what you get.
There are also Semi Slick tyres which I'm unable to review as I've not driven with these set of tires as which is better to read up local forums as lowyat.net
3.Headlamps
This topic would be subjective as I would say. Some would invest and some won't. If your headlight comes with halogen, well there are two options as for my understanding. If you want something cheaper and brighter, i would reckon to grab Night breaker series. Both Osram and Piaa are well known brands for lighting with Philips joining along. And recently Blaupunkt has entered the market as well producing for Nissan cars for Malaysia.
But if you have higher budget, you may opt for LED series but always remember to read the specs. There are always reasons why are they some cheap LED ones vs Premium brand ones.
- Always read the lumens. The higher the better
- Some may last for 3000 hours and some may last even more than 10000 hours
- Warranty also there are some companies offer as 5 years and some only 3 years
So in Malaysia, we have sources stating that the local enforces will summon those who are using more than 6000K in which these days manufactures are creating cars with LED lighting claiming it's better and also brighter than a usual halogen bulb. Indeed it's true that a LED bulb of 12W can produce a similar power of 55w halogen bulbs. Now that's amazing!
The JPJ rules hasn't stated that LED is disallowed however to keep it safe, install those lesser than 5000K bulbs as it will reflect the road better than just Pure white lights(6000K onwards).Yes it may look fancier but upon reading forums on lowyat alot of them have changed it into yellowish to able to see the road on raining day.After all, an upgrade should be better than before bulb
The only illegal lights are banned at this point of time is the HID lights.
4.Rims
So bare in mind that 185/60R15 is normal tires and aftermarket tires for this size is a lil lesser than usual 195/55/R15.
A topic which still learning about it but maybe give you some pointers for those are interested in stability. The image above is a FTUNED CLS which the company target those users for lowering their cars and without sacrificing comfort. In Malaysia it's known as lowered springs and lifespan of a normal coilover it does depend on your usage. At average it will be about 100km.
They are famous brands are also into this market such as TEIN, BC Coilovers, GAB and many more.
Both has it's pros and cons but however it all comes down to budget and self satisfaction. My needs was to lowered the car to obtain more stability. Should I invest in Adjustables? Maybe someday I may upgrade. Below video is an interesting video from my favourite you-tubers named DONUT Media and they explain much
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kef1wXcQYw
To a common man, Engine Oil is Engine Oil. Yes true, won't deny it however engine oil companies are proving day to day that their oil is better than other. This will be recommended for those have finished warranty with companies if they have favourite brand oil to try. For this step is recommended to refer to car manual book and read up on Engine oil as there are many grades of oil.
Key word is Viscosity. I'm pretty sure you have seen such 5W-30, 10W30, 0W20 and so on. The W represent of word WINTER. So in layman term the lower the number, the thinner the oil and the better the oil’s cold temperature. The number after the W describes how thick the oil is at the engine’s normal operating temperature.
This factor alot of youngsters eventually change rims upon getting new cars. Some of them literally trade in their rims upon receiving their brand new cars! Well don't we have that experience.
The original rims are usually heavy and let's just say ugly to certain consumers. There are few things to learn about rims before just going blindly to the tires shop to change it. There are few reasons to change it as well
- To make the rim and tire wider as more road contact surface means more grip
- If the rims are lighter yes it may give you extra kilometers
- It's a trend!
So bare in mind that 185/60R15 is normal tires and aftermarket tires for this size is a lil lesser than usual 195/55/R15.
My 1st upgrade was to change to 195/55R15 as it will create more road surface contact. However years later I've changed into Enkei rims with 7jj hence the difference being shown on the image above. When there is more road contact, the fuel consumption does increase but negligible.
Up sizing is also common these days where by the rule of thumb is One inch bigger or maximum 2 inch. In market there are various type of models and brands. The lowest grade would say it will be China rims which are usually cheap heavy and not durable. Their finishing for the rim detail is a little off from Thailand and Taiwan. Quality wise is bad in which i wouldn't recommend anyone to use China rims. Taiwan rims are still acceptable and Thailand is also not bad as it's the closest to made in Japan rims.
Japan rims are the most expensive rims you can get in the market and their resale value is amazing. If you purchase a set of rims today at RM3000. You still can obtain at least RM2000 in the market after 10 years later. It is also depends on the rim design and trend during that era. Most of Enkei rims are same design for the past 10 years at least. So yes you're safe to invest with them. Malaysians will not invest on them as they are high prone to be stolen. So most of them settle for Thailand which their cutting is similar to Japan rim
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXOsnJZnCtY
Up sizing is also common these days where by the rule of thumb is One inch bigger or maximum 2 inch. In market there are various type of models and brands. The lowest grade would say it will be China rims which are usually cheap heavy and not durable. Their finishing for the rim detail is a little off from Thailand and Taiwan. Quality wise is bad in which i wouldn't recommend anyone to use China rims. Taiwan rims are still acceptable and Thailand is also not bad as it's the closest to made in Japan rims.
Japan rims are the most expensive rims you can get in the market and their resale value is amazing. If you purchase a set of rims today at RM3000. You still can obtain at least RM2000 in the market after 10 years later. It is also depends on the rim design and trend during that era. Most of Enkei rims are same design for the past 10 years at least. So yes you're safe to invest with them. Malaysians will not invest on them as they are high prone to be stolen. So most of them settle for Thailand which their cutting is similar to Japan rim
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXOsnJZnCtY
You may watch the video above to see the comparison of the rims in detail.
If you feel that you should invest light rims and budget is less, look out for Advanti rims as they are local made and it's very light. An original rim of vios is the same weight as 17 inch Advanti Storm S5. There are alot of car tire shop dealers are dealing with this brand. Go ahead and check it out. If you're not into rims i will suggest to stay stock until the stock rims are bad and it need alternatives.
5. Audio
5. Audio
My favourite factor all time. CAR AUDIO!!!
Some may say meh, I just need a radio and working speakers which is not wrong. I do agree in certain aspects that some people have various hobbies.
At average according to WORLD OF BUZZ, Malaysians spends about 53 mins of their day driving to work. Isn't it madness?
https://worldofbuzz.com/kl-ites-spend-53-minutes-stuck-traffic-jams-everyday-study-shows/
As some may not buy highest spec cars, the items being included for the audio is not very up to standard these days. For example Perodua doesn't invest like Proton but as for Proton it has been well known that they usually give good stuff and it's acceptable for consumers compared to Perodua in which they usually don't focus on that department as they feel it's not important. However lately Proton has been collaborating with Kenwood for their audio sources for their X70 and it's impressive which requires aftermarket modification.
Compared to Perodua, they just rely on Betamek Audio Sources which is just below acceptable quality at times but it does the job of giving radio and speakers.
For continental cars some company does invest on brands as Harman kardon, Bang & Oulfsen, Focal, Fender and many more. I even saw Denon on Citroen!! Companies like BMW and Mercedez Benz these days keep it as optional upgrades.
Some may change speakers but honestly i would rather invest on radio than speakers as they are claim as the brains for audio. Trust me! Changing from stock head unit to an aftermarket ones really makes difference. They can range up from RM 200.00 for single dins right up to RM 5000 double dins and single dins.
Don't worry, audio companies has cater for every peoples wants and needs. If unsure about car audio You may hook up with Xcite Audio or Fasmoto. They do have intenational shipping and would be glad to assist you in any manner.
6.Coilovers
Some may say meh, I just need a radio and working speakers which is not wrong. I do agree in certain aspects that some people have various hobbies.
At average according to WORLD OF BUZZ, Malaysians spends about 53 mins of their day driving to work. Isn't it madness?
https://worldofbuzz.com/kl-ites-spend-53-minutes-stuck-traffic-jams-everyday-study-shows/
As some may not buy highest spec cars, the items being included for the audio is not very up to standard these days. For example Perodua doesn't invest like Proton but as for Proton it has been well known that they usually give good stuff and it's acceptable for consumers compared to Perodua in which they usually don't focus on that department as they feel it's not important. However lately Proton has been collaborating with Kenwood for their audio sources for their X70 and it's impressive which requires aftermarket modification.
Compared to Perodua, they just rely on Betamek Audio Sources which is just below acceptable quality at times but it does the job of giving radio and speakers.
For continental cars some company does invest on brands as Harman kardon, Bang & Oulfsen, Focal, Fender and many more. I even saw Denon on Citroen!! Companies like BMW and Mercedez Benz these days keep it as optional upgrades.
Some may change speakers but honestly i would rather invest on radio than speakers as they are claim as the brains for audio. Trust me! Changing from stock head unit to an aftermarket ones really makes difference. They can range up from RM 200.00 for single dins right up to RM 5000 double dins and single dins.
Don't worry, audio companies has cater for every peoples wants and needs. If unsure about car audio You may hook up with Xcite Audio or Fasmoto. They do have intenational shipping and would be glad to assist you in any manner.
6.Coilovers
A topic which still learning about it but maybe give you some pointers for those are interested in stability. The image above is a FTUNED CLS which the company target those users for lowering their cars and without sacrificing comfort. In Malaysia it's known as lowered springs and lifespan of a normal coilover it does depend on your usage. At average it will be about 100km.
FTUNED is a local based suspension company in Malaysia which they are specialize in Adjustables Suspension. There is another company as well named FAWSTER in which I didn't use their services yet however they are specialize in what they do.
They are famous brands are also into this market such as TEIN, BC Coilovers, GAB and many more.
Both has it's pros and cons but however it all comes down to budget and self satisfaction. My needs was to lowered the car to obtain more stability. Should I invest in Adjustables? Maybe someday I may upgrade. Below video is an interesting video from my favourite you-tubers named DONUT Media and they explain much
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kef1wXcQYw
6.Engine Oil
To a common man, Engine Oil is Engine Oil. Yes true, won't deny it however engine oil companies are proving day to day that their oil is better than other. This will be recommended for those have finished warranty with companies if they have favourite brand oil to try. For this step is recommended to refer to car manual book and read up on Engine oil as there are many grades of oil.
Key word is Viscosity. I'm pretty sure you have seen such 5W-30, 10W30, 0W20 and so on. The W represent of word WINTER. So in layman term the lower the number, the thinner the oil and the better the oil’s cold temperature. The number after the W describes how thick the oil is at the engine’s normal operating temperature.
In terms of brands in market, there are from Petroleum companies and also companies that I've used is Liqui Moly. There are companies do have a tie up program with certain companies for existence Proton usually uses Petronas Engine oil and Perodua uses Castrol Oil. Using other brand oil is okie as long it's within same viscosity and it should work fine. Sometimes some engine oil may surprise you in terms of characteristic of engine being much quiet in regards using lower RON petroleum. So everything is trial and error
7. Grounding Kit
It is something we overlook at times we don't really need it until some day. As times goes by, the ground for the car decreases. Alternatively this is the only option to be done to increase the eleccity flow in the car. That is not only reason
The benefits of grounding electric system are as follows:
- Stabilised electric currents
If the electricity is sufficient there will not need extra power from battery which it does saves up a lil of the battery.
- Lesser jerking
Air-cond are the main culprits of draining much electricity and will notice your car lights deem within a second.So by having this grounding, it provides efficient current to all major electrical components and balances out the power usage for most components. Not only Aircond, amplifiers as well if you're into car audio.
- Reduce static shock
Remember those days when you have Proton and sometimes you get that Electric shock? or any other cars? This is because static being produce when two of the materials rub against each other making electrical discharge. The discharge will happen when you touch something metal. So having grounding kit eliminates this!
These are my top 7 things i have to say! Feel free to comment or share!
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