Car Accessories to Improve Your Ride
Whether going on a road trip or simply driving around the city, you want your car to look and perform at it’s best. And while cars already come well-equipped when bought, you’d still find yourself wanting to upgrade some features such as the appearance, the safety or the performance. And when that happens, these are some of the most useful car accessories you can invest in.
Interior Accessories
When it comes to the interior of the modern car, there’s always room for improvement. This can range anywhere from seat covers, to phone holders, to all kinds of stylish knick-knacks. We’ll go over the essential items you can find at a well-stocked car accessories store.
Seat Covers
These simple and usually inexpensive vehicle accessories protect your seats while increasing comfort and enhancing the aesthetics of the interior. As seats are used every day, the seat material can eventually get damaged and displace the factory cushioning. Not only will the seats be unsightly, but using them will be super uncomfortable too. If this is the case with your seats, you can give your car a treat by getting a couple of stylish and cushioned covers for your interior.
Fabric seat covers are the cheapest, they don’t heat up easily and can be dry cleaned. Leather covers look and feel good while also being very durable. But they do need some care. Nylon seat covers are tough and water-resistant but not as comfortable as leather ones.
Smartphone Holder
Driving is an action that requires a lot of concentration, meaning eyes on the road. Things such as Bluetooth headsets and stereo interfaces help you a lot when you need to make or receive a call, but this means nothing if you have to get your phone in and out of your pocket every time you need something. With that being said, getting a smartphone holder that’s attached to the dashboard is a no brainer. Even if you have to look away from the road, you’ll still have use of your peripheral vision as your phone is right there in front of you. Playing music, taking a call, looking up a GPS map, everything is right there in front of you in reaching distance. It’s cheap, durable and in my opinion, an absolute necessity when car accessories shopping.
Steering Wheel Desk
If you often find yourself using your car as a second office, you may want to consider a steering wheel desk. This interior accessory can make it easy to work with documents, spreadsheets, or perform other tasks on your laptop. Note, doing that while driving is unsafe and will probably get you in trouble.
Performance Accessories
When looking to get an increase in performance, you don’t want something flashy, but something that works. When visiting or browsing a car accessories store, exhaust systems may not be the first items that pop up. But rest assured, when it comes to making a difference in performance, these are the only upgrades worth to check out.
Exhaust System Upgrade
When it comes to exhaust systems, there is more to them than just the looks and the sounds. The exhaust system allows your car to breathe out all the gases it produces in its fuel combustion process. To maintain a healthy engine cycle, the flow of pressure must be in such a way that, the gas produced by the combustion must be extracted from the engine chamber as fast as possible so that the fuel can be injected, thus continuing the process of the combustion cycle after cycle. If this isn’t done effectively enough, it can choke the engine, causing performance issues.
This is where the humble exhaust system comes in. The gas expelled in pulses is sent via the exhaust manifold to the catalytic converter, then down the bent pipes to the resonator, and finally, the muffler and the tailpipe. Stock exhausts are made to be cheap, light and tiny. This is not to say that they are of poor quality, they’re just fine for the Average Joe driving around town. However, if you are in the market for one in any car parts store, keep in mind what an aftermarket exhaust upgrade can do.
Safety Accessories
These are accessories that not only serve a protective function to your vehicle, but also provide assistance in case of damage or malfunction.
Bumper Guard
Bumper guards are designed to protect the bumper from substantial damage. Though not the best-looking parts you can add to your car, they are a better alternative than a bumper maimed by scratches and dents. There’s a wide range of all manners of bumper guards available, depending on which area of the vehicle you want to protect.
Jump Starter
For those times when your car just won’t start because of battery problems, jumper cables are a particularly useful item to have. During the cold season, and for older cars that may have weak batteries, having a pair of jumpers can not only reanimate your car but also give you the tools to help a driver in need.
Dashboard Camera
Remember, not everyone is careful on the road. Some drivers are careful, others not so much and can cause or contribute to roadside accidents. To help you capture what happens in an accident, instal a dashboard camera. Not only does it provide a safer ride, knowing what you see is recorded and stored safely, but you can also use it as an accessory to record the lovely landscapes you’ll be driving by.
Emergency Roadside Assistance Kit
The roadside assistance kit covers some of the most important accessories and tools. It can contain jumper cables, first aid kit, a multi-purpose tool, tire gauge, whistle, flashlight, emergency warning triangle, and more. The choice in tools can be customised, but the important thing is to cover the basics in case of an emergency.
