Getting Your Ride Ready for the Road: Winter’s Over, Now What?
As the snow melts and winter turns into spring, it’s important to clear your ride of the last bits of salt, grime, and other undesirable effects from the harsh winter season. The brutal cold months left their mark on your car, but spring’s arrival means it’s time to set your ride free–free from salt, slush, and the worn/beaten vibe that winter always seems to leave on vehicles. For true enthusiasts, spring is about more than the changing of the seasons and warmer days; it’s also about reigniting the potential of your ride, and we know it needs it as much as you do.
There is a small catch, however. Truly prepping your car for the now-thawed roads is more involved than a quick run to the car wash. It’s actually an opportunity to completely refresh, restore, and prepare your car for the challenges ahead. It survived the salt, grit, and freezing temperatures, now it’s time to get back to treating it like the high-performance machine you know and love. Ready to hit the road? Let’s get started.
The Road to Spring Starts Now: Get Your Car Ready
The salt, dirt, and sludge might be history, and now it’s your ride’s turn to shine. It’s not just about cleaning the grime off your car, it’s rediscovering your car’s full potential for the coming seasons. Whether you’re looking for a smoother ride, more power, or better handling, it’s finally time to give your vehicle the refresh it desperately needs. Winter is gone and it’s time to make your ride feel brand new, so we’re here to break down the steps to get you back on the road, revved up and looking amazing.
Clean and Clear: Washing Away Winter’s Mess
After a long winter, it’s more than likely your car is coated in a thick layer of road salt, grime, and dirt. Getting your car clean after winter is an essential first step to getting your car ready for the next driving season before diving into different mods to boost your performance. Salt and other chemicals used to treat the roads can corrode your paintjob and more importantly, your undercarriage. If left unchecked, they can lead to rust and long-term damage to your important components.
You can start by giving your car a thorough exterior wash, especially focusing on the underbody. Using something like a high-pressure wash to blast away built-up grime and salt that can damage your suspension parts, exhaust systems, and even your brakes. After that’s done, you might want to consider applying a protective underbody treatment to keep your ride shielded from the elements in the coming months. Keeping your car clean doesn’t just make it look better than the other salt-stained vehicles on the road, it’s an actual investment in preserving some of the most essential components of your car, ensuring it stays in tip-top shape for the rest of the year.
Boosting Your Engine’s Efficiency
Spring is the perfect time of year to give your engine the fresh start it deserves. After the long months of winter, your engine’s performance can really suffer from sludge buildup, thickened oil, and compromised air intake systems. One way you can start is by swapping out your old engine oil for a high-performance synthetic oil to give your ride smoother operation and better horsepower. A fresh oil change lets your engine run cooler, reduces friction, and improves overall efficiency to give you the best drive possible.
A good next step would be to check your air filters. The various debris in winter that we’ve talked about can clog up your air intake, which in turn limits airflow to the engine and affects your power output. By replacing a dirty filter with a newer, high-performance option, you’re making sure that your engine gets the airflow it needs, improving throttle response and fuel efficiency. These small but mighty upgrades work together to make sure your engine runs at its peak, giving you the power and performance you’ve been waiting all winter to unleash.
Suspension Check for the Road Ahead
One of the most brutal challenges your suspension can face is Mother Nature. Snow, ice, and rough roads can really wear out your shocks and struts, leaving them far less effective for spring driving than you’d prefer. Now that winter’s moving away, it’s time to carefully inspect your suspension components for signs of wear and tear. Checking for leaks around your shock absorbers and struts is a great place to start, as this could indicate that they are in need of replacing. Having worn-out suspension parts lead to poor handling, increase the wear on your tires, and an overall rough ride. These are definitely not something you want to have happen as you head into a season of more aggressive driving.
If you’re looking to step up your game, making an upgrade to your performance suspension system can make all the difference. Installing coilovers or a performance shock absorber kit that will enhance your vehicle’s handling, cornering stability, and overall comfort. A trustworthy suspension not only improves your ride but allows you to push your car to its limits, with better control and responsiveness, all while maintaining a smooth, performance-driven experience.
Intake System to Breathe New Life to Your Engine
The engine on your ride may be a powerhouse, but even the toughest machines need the proper fuel to perform at their peak. That’s where your intake system comes into play. A stock air intake might limit airflow, which robs your engine of the real power it’s capable of. Making a change to a high-performance intake system is one of the easiest ways to unlock that hidden potential. A cold air intake can provide a more direct and efficient path for air to reach your engine, boosting throttle response and increasing horsepower.
But it’s not just all about the extra power–it’s about that exhilarating, aggressive sound that comes with a new performance-based intake. With a higher-flowing system, you’ll hear your engine breathing easier, which turns every press of the pedal into an exciting new experience. If you’re looking to make your car feel like a completely new machine this spring, an intake upgrade is an incredibly simple yet effective way to feel the difference from day one.
Shop All Performance Upgrades to Prep Your Ride for Spring at MAPerformance!
We’ve covered some great areas to focus on making sure your ride is ready to go for spring, which means your next step should be to find the upgrades you need to make at MAPerformance! Don’t forget that we offer class-leading customer service, quick delivery, and amazing financing options to help make your turbo purchase more affordable than ever before. Right now we have some amazing financing options that can help make your purchase easier and more affordable than ever. With all these amenities, upgrading your ride for some thrilling spring driving will be easier than ever before!
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