The best vehicle upgrades to take your sport compact to the next level, from performance mods to suspension improvements and everything in between.
The fervor of the early 2000s tuning scene may have waned, but a strong base of sport compact performance enthusiasts still exists. Like every other segment of the market, it’s taken a hit from the popularity of SUVs and crossovers. But stalwarts like Honda and VW are still keeping the hot hatch market alive, and even Toyota is trying to revive its performance reputation with the rally car-inspired GR Corolla.
In terms of sport compact cars which are more sports car oriented, the Miata is still going strong and the GR86 and BRZ are arguably even better cars. For a little more money, you have the return of the Nissan Z, and the continued improvement of the Supra. All of these cars are popular with tuners and are keeping the aftermarket industry going.
For the most part, new models still prioritize cheap, fast fun but they’re doing so with decidedly more sophisticated features and styling on tap. (Not to mention some really impressive and higher-end performance trims, as well.) Basically, the hot hatch scene is all grown up. And, as a result, the modifications these enthusiasts are reaching for have too.
Aftermarket Potential
Whether you're seeking increased horsepower, improved handling, or just a sharper-looking ride, these aftermarket upgrades can help.
Tires
It doesn’t matter how much horsepower you have, how big your brakes are, or how much you spent on those 4-way adjustable coilovers, if your tires aren’t up to the task, nothing else matters.
Some car manufacturers have seen the light and are now equipping all their performance cars with good tires straight from the factory. Others put great tires on their cars in the first few months of production, when they are being reviewed and tested by journalists, but once that time period is over, they switch to cheaper rubber.
In the early days of sport compact cars, OEMs used smaller tires than other performance cars. This limited consumers’ tire choices to just a few manufacturers who were producing specifically for the market. Today, most of the sport compact cars and even the economy cars they share platforms with, are using more common tire sizes found on sports cars and larger sedans. Top-tier tire manufacturers offer their best tires in sizes that fit cars like Civics and GTIs, so enthusiasts can’t use availability as justification for skimping on good shoes.
Wheels
When vehicle manufacturers are specifying wheels for a car – even a performance car – they’re faced with several compromises.
A factory wheel has to be strong enough to not bend or break even if run into a curb at reasonable speed. The width is usually on the narrower side for the specified width of tire to protect the wheel in automated car washes or when curbed. The offset has to keep the outside edge of the tire a certain distance from the fender lip per government regulations.
All of this adds up to a wheel that is heavier, narrower, and with a less-than-optimal offset. Obviously, a set of aftermarket wheels can fix all of that.
A high-quality set of wheels will prioritize performance over practicality. A wider wheel with the same size tire will improve steering response by lessening sidewall deflection. It’s common for an aftermarket wheel to be substantially lighter than a factory wheel, too. (Now that it isn’t uncommon for a sport compact to come with 18- or 19-inch wheels from the factory, taking up to 10 pounds of unsprung weight off each corner isn’t unheard of.) It’s also possible to use an offset which will optimize the track width of the car. In some cases, an aftermarket wheel will even allow owners to fit a wider tire and bigger brakes.
Software
Electronic fuel injection opened up the tuning industry to the computer nerds. (We say this with appreciative reverence.) In the late 80s and into the 90s, “chipping” a car involved removing the car’s ECU and replacing its EPROM. Short for Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory, this chip stores the programming for operation of the car’s engine. Changing the software allowed tuners to adjust fueling, ignition timing, rev-limiters and even speed limiters.
By the late 90s, some tuners had figured out ways of flashing a car, which is reprogramming the ECU without removing the EPROM. At the same time, turbocharging was becoming more common and suddenly, gains of 20% more power with one simple modification were commonplace.
Today, some tuners will sell a customer a handheld flasher (it looks like your smartphone) or even just a laptop cable, which plugs into the OBDII port and allows enthusiasts to flash their cars in their garage. Some companies have a variety of programs you can download for free, once you buy the handheld tuner. Others want a certified shop to do the initial ECU flash, but then provide a cable so you can switch programs on a whim.
Software tuning is almost always the biggest bang for the buck modification on modern turbocharged cars. For naturally aspirated cars, the power and torque increases won’t be nearly as big. However, since almost everything is electronic throttle at this point, changing the response maps can make it feel like a different car. Things like disabling auto start/stop, making Sport Mode the default, and even reprogramming automatic transmissions are possible to greatly alter drivability.
Suspension
Up until roughly 2005, it was easy to see big handling improvements from suspension modifications. This is because before then, it was common practice for car manufacturers to give North American versions of cars a dumbed-down version of suspension components compared to the rest of the world.
Spring and damping rates were softer, ride heights were taller, and sometimes, we even received cars with thinner anti-roll bars and softer bushings. Replacing dampers with sport versions and installing a set of sport springs took a couple of hours, but returned huge results.
Today, most sport versions of cars have the same suspension components globally. Also, car companies are much better at suspension tuning, so it is hard to see a big increase with stiffer and lower springs.
As such, most enthusiasts now choose adjustable coilovers for their ability to adjust ride height to exactly what they want. This is more aesthetics than performance at this point. Another challenge comes from so many cars now having electronic active suspension. Owners of cars with active damping will sometimes just upgrade springs. There are even kits that allow for some ride height adjustment, like KW HAS or H&R VTF, which basically turn the factory active shocks and struts into an adjustable coilover. Again, this is as much about looks as it is performance.
Although factory suspension tuning has gotten far better over the years, most manufacturers still lean towards acceptable tire wear instead of all-out performance when it comes to alignment settings. Adjustable arms and suspension mounts will usually make the biggest improvement in handling on modern cars. There are very few factory setups that couldn’t use a little more negative camber to optimize grip. Even stiffer upper mounts on MacPherson struts can make a huge difference in both grip and response. Companies like Whiteline make aluminum adjustable control arms for sport compact cars that are stiffer and lighter than factory pieces, while also offering far greater adjustability.
Exhaust
Upgrading the exhaust on your sport compact car is one of the easiest modifications, and kits are readily available for most cars. In the 80s and early 90s, it was easy to get an 8 - 12% horsepower increase with an aftermarket cat-back exhaust. A few more horses would show up with an exhaust manifold, especially if a test pipe was used in place of the catalytic convertor. The aftermarket parts were usually quite a bit lighter than factory, and it was possible to make a car sound pretty decent.
About the time of the Fast & Furious frenzy, enthusiasts started using cheap universal mufflers and as much straight pipe as possible. The emphasis was on noise more than performance or making the car sound good. It was dark days for the tuning industry.
Today, factory exhausts are pretty good. It’s become harder to find such significant horsepower gains from a cat-back exhaust. Some aftermarket systems still sound better than factory, but with 90% of sport compact cars now using 4-cylinder turbocharged engines, it’s become difficult to make them sound good. Some tuners are even offering active systems which allow owners to bypass mufflers with a button push so different sounds and noise levels are possible, just like on more expensive cars.
Companies like Borla and Magnaflow are making kits for more cars than you can imagine. These are made with high-quality components and usually have a great warranty, but can be considered generic to those seeking a more individual setup. If that’s the case, try a tuning shop that focuses on just one or two car brands.
Like most things in the tuning world, you get what you pay for. So, avoid no-name exhaust kits, as most will drone, rust, and require replacement in a short amount of time. Additionally, before you purchase a system, try to find someone in your area that has the same one and give it a listen. Ask if it drones or booms inside the car. Then, ask or check how it fits, as even some big-name brands are famous for their bolt-on kits requiring some amount of work. And remember -- just because a car is loud, doesn’t mean it sounds good.