What modifications will decrease the time for a car to get from 0-60 mph?

The time it takes for your car to get up to 60mph from a dead stop depends on a wide variety of factors. If you are an experienced mechanic, there are many alterations that you can do to shave time off this number. However, even for the inexperienced, some quick changes may yield significant results. Read on to find out from some car enthusiasts what they recommend.

Software upgrades

There are some modifications that can instantly improve your 0-60 mph times. If the car is still under warranty, and you want to protect that coverage, an exhaust system is the easiest upgrade. [This change can bring] less backpressure and a slight bit more power plus a better-sounding exhaust note. If you want to go further, depending on the age and model of the vehicle, there are plenty more upgrades.

For street cars, take out the extra pounds. Get rid of things you carry with you every day. There are also software upgrades that change the air-fuel mixture and can change the boost on turbo-charged engines if you are looking to build a car, you can race and drive daily, which I have done for years. This [upgrade] will impact the resale value and void the factory warranty.

Starting with the easy-to-do items.

Increasing a car’s 0-60mph speed can be a complicated task, which is why I suggest starting with the easy-to-do items.

Reducing the weight of the vehicle is the number one thing that can be done by anyone, even an unskilled person. Reducing the weight is also very cost-effective compared to modern-day tuning. The simplest things to do to reduce weight are to remove items such as car speakers and rear seats. After that, you can reduce weight further by [removing] any interior door trims and plastic that is not needed. Losing the spare wheel can save you 10kgs. I would say that it is entirely possible to reduce weight by around 70 kgs. These steps alone could save you up to half a second on your 0-60mph time and yet cost you nothing.

10 tips for increasing 0-60 speeds for your vehicle:

1. Reduce any and all non-essential weight from the vehicle (spare tires, jack, tools, racks, rails, rear seating, door panels). Lighter equals faster.
2. Open up the exhaust. If it’s legal in your area, delete catalytic converters and exhaust mid-pipe and resonators. If deletion is impossible, then add high-flow exhaust at all points.
3. Add a supercharger. There are aftermarket kits for nearly all applications. In general, you can see 20-50% more power out of any engine [with a supercharger.]
4. Stiffer suspension and bushings. [Reducing] the time your car spends swishing under load, the more power gets diverted to the wheels.
5. Change your tires to a stickier compound.
6. Re-tune or chip your fuel injection mapping if it is fuel injected.
7. Open up or jet your carburetors if carbureted
8. Open up your air intake for a higher induction draw, or simply remove your air filter for a quick and dirty boost.
9. Change your gearing. Shorter throw gears are way quicker, but you lose top speed.
10. Add a limited-slip differential or Torsen rear end. Less time with your wheels spinning equals more time launching forward.

Reduce the size of the wheels

You can speed up your car’s 0-60 MPH by reducing the size of its wheels. Larger wheels require more force from a car engine to rotate, leading to a decrease in acceleration.

Car and Driver magazine actually tested this [fact] by comparing the 0-60 MPH time of a VW Golf on 15-inch wheels to one on 19-inch wheels. The vehicle on 15-inch tires achieved 0-60 MPH in 7.6 seconds, while it took the car on 19-inch tires 7.9 seconds.