If you're looking for a way to spruce up your vehicle for the new year, a few smart upgrades may be in order. You don't always need to purchase a new car to get a like-new driving experience. Consider these upgrades to help your Chevy ring in the new year with a fresh style:

Chevy Performance Chip

A Chevy performance chip is one of the best upgrades you can invest in because it essentially translates into a slew of upgraded features for your vehicle. Today’s vehicles are increasingly becoming controlled by computers. From the air-fuel ratio to the ignition, nearly everything that your vehicle does comes back to that chip delivering essential instructions for its performance on the road.

An upgraded Chevy performance chip recalibrates your vehicle's operating parameters. You can find many different types of performance chips, each tailored to address a different aspect of your vehicle’s performance, such as horsepower, torque, fuel economy, and throttle response. The performance chip communicates with your vehicle's electronic devices and gives it different directions than what the manufacturer originally set.

The performance chip slips in between the engine and computer. It's easy to install and equally simple to remove. Unlike other upgrades for your Chevy, this one won't leave a noticeable footprint, so you can easily get rid of it if you decide to sell your vehicle and upgrade to a new model entirely.

Upgraded Exhaust System

Chevrolet offers a wide selection of upgraded exhaust systems that you can purchase right from the manufacturer. These original equipment manufacturer systems perfectly fit your vehicle, giving you enhanced performance backed by the renowned quality and reliability that you've come to expect from Chevrolet products. Upgrades like this can keep your New Vehicle Limited Warranty intact while boosting your vehicle's capabilities. Some of the options that you can purchase include the following:

• Chevy Colorado 2.8L Diesel Exhaust Tip Relocation Kit: Improve your exhaust tip clearance with this kit that lifts the exhaust pipe, so you can better tackle rock crawling and other off-road adventures. This kit can give you up to two inches of additional clearance, as well as an enhanced exhaust tip angle that's adjusted up to 9 degrees.
• Chevy Colorado 3.6L Single-Exhaust Upgrade System: Designed to enhance the sound and appearance of your truck, this exhaust system kit features 3" diameter piping and a high-polish stainless steel tip.
• Chevy Silverado 5.3L Single-Exit Exhaust Upgrade System: This kit will help reduce back pressure up to 35% to increase performance. It can add up to 7 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and provide as much as four more lb-ft of torque at 4,100 rpm.
• Chevy Silverado 5.3L Dual-Exit Exhaust Upgrade System: This exhaust upgrade kit adds as much as 10 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and six more lb-ft of torque at 4,100 rpm by reducing back pressure up to 41%.
• Chevy Silverado 6.2L Dual-Exit Exhaust Upgrade System: By reducing back pressure by as much as 40%, this upgrade can give you a boost of up to 12 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and eight additional lb-ft of torque.

Air Intake System

Upgrading your vehicle's air intake system essentially helps it breathe better. Delivering cleaner air throughout the system can improve horsepower, torque, and gas mileage. Chevy offers factory-engineered intake upgrades, such as the 3.6L cold air intake system. This installation will reduce your air intake restriction by as much as 20% at peak airflow. The 5.3L cold intake system is another manufacturer part that will improve air flow by as much as 15%. These upgrades are 50-state emissions compliant, and neither will void your New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

Enhanced Suspension

Installing an enhanced suspension on your Chevy will give you a smoother ride that can make even an older vehicle feel like new. Some options that you might want to consider include the following:

• Leaf Spring Upgrade: Leaf springs eliminate the need for separate links, providing a lighter, simpler system with improved handling. They also control axle damping and chassis roll effectively. Rear leaf springs serve as an outstanding towing upgrade on select Silverado models.
• Heavy-duty coil springs: Equipped with shock absorbers right inside the spring unit, this type of upgraded suspension will increase your hauling capacity while providing a smoother ride.
• SuperSprings: SuperSprings engage when your factory leaf springs have hit their maximum load capacity. These springs simply bolt onto the existing leaf springs to instantly improve your towing and handling with heavy loads.

Rear Wheel Well Guards

Rear wheel well guards are an outstanding upgrade for any Chevy truck trim that encounters challenging roads. These guards protect the wheel wells from sprays of dirt, gravel, rocks, and salt. They can keep your suspension, fifth wheel components, and air bag safe in rugged conditions. The rear wheel well guards add aesthetic appeal to your vehicle, giving it a cleaner look all while making it easier to keep clean.

Tire Upgrades

Upgrading the tires is one of the easiest ways for you to give your Chevy a new look and greater driving capabilities. If you've made other upgrades to your vehicle to increase its power and performance, you may find it necessary to also upgrade your tires to really get the most out of your new features. You can often improve your handling with a wider tire that has a greater diameter. This gives you extra contact with the ground and the capacity for a wider tread with more grip.

When you're upgrading tires, always make sure that they're designed for the specific make and model of your vehicle. This will give you the proper fit and ensure that your enhanced tires don't cause any problems or touch parts of the vehicle that they shouldn't.

If you need assistance upgrading your Chevy vehicle, contact our service center at Jim Tubman Chevrolet in Ottawa, Ontario. We can assist with repairs, maintenance, and more. Contact our professionals to learn more about the best upgrades for your Chevy and how you can enhance your vehicle while protecting your warranty. We're on hand to help.

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