Pimp Your Ride
Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 12/09/2012 - 16:25The sharp of the sun glint off her sleek curves, and she purrs with delight as you rev up her engine. If you are the type whose heart beats in sync with the accelerator of your car, and every waking moment of your day is spent day dreaming about the luxe beauty, then join the brigade of motor-heads who will go to any lengths to assemble the vehicle of their dreams.
Car modifications are usually done to express individuality - they're often considered to be on extension of the driver's personality. From alloy wheels and side skirls to oversize rear spoilers and leather upholstery, swanky accessories and high-end conversions hove always been quite the rage in the city. What's Up Bangalore gives you the lowdown on auto makeovers, and the best places where you can transform your ordinary ride into a veritable Batmobile.
Inner Tinkering
Internal modifications are usually of the nondescript kind. They're employed by car enthusiasts who are keen on extracting more power for the engine, and are not too concerned about the look of the car. Known as ‘Grease Monkeys', they prefer to focus more on engine performance to ignite that burst of speed. This is achieved by tinkering with car parts in order to see how weight can be shed to gain that extra 1 horsepower or shave off that extra second in their dash to 100 kmph.
Common engine modifications are usually done Through snap on tuning boxes [for diesel cars), ECU remaps , supercharging and turbo charging (applicable in the case of petrol engines), brake and clutch upgrades, as well as suspension, wheel and tyre upgrades to cope with the enhanced performance.
A popular player in this field is Red Rooster Performance. The outfit boasts tuning legends like ace rally veteran N Leelakrishnan and Vikram Mathias who give their valuable inputs along with tips on how to go faster and extract more from engines. Some of the other tuning houses which are making a name for themselves are Pete's, specialising in aftermarket diesel tuning boxes and Skoda cars, and Race Dynamics and Race Concepts, which specialise in tuning and modifications of Honda cars.
Put on a Show
For those who want to deck up their car for showy purposes, without boosting actual performance, external modifications are the way to go. They comprise add-on body kits such as side skirts, oversize rear spoilers, ultra low profile tyres, alloy wheels, racing exhausts, stickers, race livery, hood scoops, see-through bonnets and even the Fast and the Furious fad of underbody neon lights. While external modifications enhance the car's looks, they do little by means of upgrading its performance. These upgrades are often complimentary to engine upgrades and higher states of tuning.
There are several big players in the external car modifications business like Dilip Chhabria of DC Design who customises cars according to the customer's taste. His own designs are also sold as kits for popular cars. There are also car modification specialists like Chameleon and Auto Psyche which offer modifications to suit every palate, ranging from classy and funky to outrageous.
Luxe it up
This is for people who want their journey to be luxurious, entertaining and aesthetically appealing. Whether it's advanced audio and video installations like speakers, woofers, music and DVD players, custom-made leather seals, fur floor mats or maybe even a sun roof, this breed of auto lovers will stop at nothing to jazz up their automobiles. Luxury modifications add that personal touch and cater to individual tastes and fancies. There are plenty of options in the market which allow for that extra dose of self indulgence, such as customised taillights, starlit roofs end stretch limousines.
Art of Armouring
Armoured cars hove a niche clientele in celebrities, Industrialists and government officials. Used by the rich and famous, these cars have an array of high-end, intricate gadgets and modifications like automatic fire extinguishers, adaptive headlights, bulletproof exteriors, tyre spikes, smoke screens and other state-of-the-art technology.
There are no dearth of options to spruce up your car, including car stickers, neon lights and high-powered engines. So it's time to buckle up and drive to the nearest showroom to explore the plethora of choices before you zoom into the sunset.
Car modification is done in the following:
Red Rooster Performance
Mahadevapura Whitefield, T: +-91 80 43403899
Hot Tracks
Victoria Layout, (Next to India Garage Workshop)
T: 080 25361442, 40917608
Race Concepts
168, T.C. Palya Main Rood, Near Reliance Fresh,
Krishnarajapuram, T: +91 9060722389
Race Dynamics India
Chikayllappa Industrial Estate, Jakkasandra,
Koramangala 1st Block, T: 080 40929292
Indiranagar, 2nd Stage, T: +91 9972579102
Ozz One
Chameleon Cars
New BEL Rood, T: 9845301267
6th Mile Customs
Banerghatta Road, T: 9886206265