Dressed for Speed – Pimping your Ride

Most of us were impressed with the cars in the movie Fast and Furious. But we don’t normally see cars looking like those on the streets.  Actually, those cars are just stock racecars dressed-up to enhance their looks.

The body kit is a very basic look enhancement option. The kit consists of pieces of body parts usually made of fiberglass and aesthetically designed. These body parts will be added to the stock body of the car or will replace some stock parts to enhance its look. A body kit usually includes a front bumper, side skirts, rear bumper, wing, or spoiler.

Installing a body kit can normally make the car look bigger or wider than its regular size. The more aerodynamic the design is, the more impressive the car will appear. It is advisable to have body kits installed by qualified people in case alterations will be needed for a perfect fit.

The car’s base color is a significant factor achieving a head-turning look for your car. If you don’t plan to change colors, make sure you match your body kit with the color of the rest of your car. If you do change colors, choose the color that would match both yours and your car’s personality. With the availability of high quality automotive paints, computer controlled paint color mixing, and highly skilled painters, it is now easier to customize the paint job of your car.

Body graphics can add to the look of your car. A lot of companies make car graphics made of vinyl and spray-painted for a smooth finish.  More popular car graphics kit include, body flames and stripes. Vinyl graphics though durable and ideal for outdoor use, may still fade in time.

Other car enthusiasts who have extra budgets to spare have their car graphics spray-painted directly unto the car. Spray-painting graphics to the car creates a more unique and personalized effect. There are professional and qualified people who do spray-painting jobs on cars. Some specialty car shops provide this kind of service, too.

Regardless of how your graphics are placed on your car, it is important to match colors to the car’s base color, or you can create a color contrast, depending on your personal preference. If you are following a theme for your car’s look, then be consistent.

Just like a woman’s eyes, when properly made-up and groomed, a car’s lighting system can also make it stand out in a crowd. Clean and clear headlights can not only enhance the car’s appearance, but also give you more visibility during night rides or bad weather. Some enthusiasts change their headlight bulbs to brighter and whiter ones like Xenon HID lights. Xenon HID lights can burn up to ten times longer and consumes lesser power than ordinary halogen bulbs. Before changing your headlight bulbs, make sure that the brightness of your headlight bulbs you are planning to buy is within the legal limits of area.

Other lighting system modification includes changing the brake light, parking, and turn signal indicator light bulbs with colors other than the stock bulb. Lenses of light assemblies can also be changed to other colors and designs as long as they will fit the base. Just make sure that changing all these components will not cause any damage to your electrical system that may lead to accidents. Again, be mindful of legalities in using aftermarket products to modify your car’s appearance.