Wheels and tires

The desire to fit alternative wheels and tires is the most common modification. You can’t see a lot of... modifications, but wheels and tires are very visual.

Changes to your car’s wheels and tires can alter its behavior on the road, so it is recommended you only fit wheels and tires that are listed on the tire placard or in your owner’s handbook, and always make sure your tyros are in good condition.

Modifying wheels and tires can improve a car’s road holding, but an incorrect tire and wheel combination or a tire [that is too wide] can affect the track of the vehicle and make it unroadworthy.

Exhaust Systems

The rumble of a hotted-up V8 as it thunders down the road makes a pretty loud statement. Enthusiasts can pay thousands of dollars to fit a larger exhaust system with the idea that it improves gas flow and derives more power from the engine.

The whole aim is to reduce the restriction in the exhaust to maximize performance but the reality is it doesn’t deliver huge gains and it’s more about the noise than anything else,

Modified exhaust systems are popular in the 17–25 age group. People say, ‘What’s the point of having a V8 if it doesn’t have the noise?’, It’s partly an ego trip, partly personality and partly the show-off factor.

The statutory limit for exhaust noise is 90 decibels for cars made after 1983, with fines ranging from Rs3500 to Rs.15000 depending on how far the exhaust noise exceeds the limit.

Seats

Car enthusiasts modify seats for a few reasons: comfort, support, safety and aesthetics. But if you don’t know what you are doing, forget it. Unless you’re fitting seats that are optional extras for your vehicle, you’ll need an engineering certificate.

“If a seat is incorrectly fitted the potential for it to dislodge in the event of a crash would be increased. “Also, if you fit a new seat and it ends up too high or low, it could compromise the driving position of the car.”

“If your car has side airbags you shouldn’t modify your seats or use seat covers, as they could interfere with the deployment of airbags. Sports type seat covers can buy for Rs.1500-upwards in Sri lanka.

Engines

Engine modifications tend to be more complex and include either modifying the existing engine or fitting a new engine.
Adding turbochargers, superchargers or after-market fuel injection systems are the most common modifications,

“There’s not a lot people can do these days to greatly increase the output of an engine short of spending thousands of Rupees. You can buy a power chip, which is an after-market chip that goes into the vehicle’s engine management computer and changes the mapping of fuel and ignition timing to increase the peak power the car can put out, but it’s expensive and the net gain isn’t that great. and you will need a qualified engineer to fix it.

The only engine changes you can do without consulting an engineer are those where “the capacity increase is less than 15 per cent above the maximum size engine available for the vehicle, providing no major structural modifications are necessary and, where noise and/or exhaust emission ADRs apply, all standard equipment… relating to noise and emission control are retained and operate correctly”.

In other words, don’t modify the vehicle if it is likely to affect engine management, the catalytic converter, oxygen sensor or the mufflers in the exhaust system.

A few manufacturers provide an option to boost the power under the hood as an added extra. These include the Mini Cooper S, Subaru WRX, Holden and Toyota among others.

Suspension

Modifications to the suspension with stiffer springs and shock absorbers and lowering it may improve handling, but a shoddy job can adversely affect the vehicle’s handling capacity.

here are strict regulations about how low you can go. Distance from centre headlight to ground must be 59 cm and there must be at least 10 cm of ground clearance under the car. (these are worldwide standards. but we have to increase the ground clearance at least up to15cm.

“A lot of cars come from the factory with a sports pack you can order and you can lower the suspension a bit and improve handling, but once you go outside the manufacturer’s guidelines, you run into problems, like a bumpy, unstable ride. 4WD owners does not raise suspension as it increases the high centre of gravity and the chance of a rollover.

Another trend is to put air bags or hydraulic bags in place of the springs. This allows the driver to control the car’s height from an interior switch that pumps up the bags to raise the car or deflates them to lower it.

The only suspension modifications the RTA accepts as owner-certified are the handling enhancing suspension components such as roll stabilizer bars and upgraded shock absorbers.

Sound systems

Installing a huge sound system is almost mandatory for many young drivers, and it is one modification you can do at home. If you own a sedan and want to cut holes for speakers in the rear parcel shelf be careful as you could inadvertently cut out the child restraint anchor point, which is against regulations.

As a guide, if the sound can be clearly heard outside the vehicle and contains low frequency noise (eg doof music), it is likely to be offensive.

If that sounds like your car, you could get a Rs.4500. fine and lose two demerit points if you’re caught.

Lights

Neon underbody accent lights that cast a surreal glow may be available for purchase, but it’s important to remember that strict laws govern the placement and color of all car lights.

“Lights that are shaped or located in a way that causes confusion to other road users, or reduces the effectiveness of standard lights and reflectors fitted to the vehicle, are not permitted. This includes devices such as under body glow kits. there are 2ytpes of auto neon's. the original type of neon 1feet tube will cost 1500 rupees. but there is another type for less than 1500 per feet. but it is made by fluorescent technology.