What Are the Benefits of Customization?
Customizing your car, truck or motorcycle has benefits that extend beyond its visual appearance. Customization allows you to make the vehicle into exactly what you want, and in many cases, tune the vehicle precisely to your needs. Most customizations made to vehicles aren't done with economy or practicality in mind, but in some cases, that's the final product.
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Better Appearance
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Modifying the appearance of your vehicle sets your vehicle apart from the millions of others on the road and gives you a great feeling as you drive. Though this is a purely psychological benefit, it can be the highlight of a bad day. Some of the most attractive appearance modifications for any vehicle include two-tone paint schemes, body kits and cowl induction hoods.
Improved Performance
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Performance customization of your vehicle has a more visceral effect on the driver than visual customization. Many vehicle owners take pride in squeezing as much power as possible out of their vehicle's engine so that they can either tow more or go faster than other vehicles on the road. However, performance customization isn't limited to adding power. Better performance also encompasses the cornering ability of the vehicle and how well the vehicle stops. Unlike adding power, these also contribute to the safety of the vehicle. Coil-over shocks, upgraded disc brakes and stiffer anti-roll bars contribute more to the way a vehicle acts on the road than even engine performance modifications such as superchargers, turbos and cold-air intakes.
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Better Fuel Economy
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A segment of the automotive customization field that's only just beginning to realize its potential is improving the economy of the vehicle. This can be done by adding engine performance modifications, low-rolling resistance tires and aerodynamic modifications. The idea behind improving the economy of your vehicle is to stretch every tank of gas as far as it will go. This is often called "hypermiling." Although hypermiling is primarily practicing economical driving techniques, it cannot be taken to its maximum effect without customizing the vehicle.
Possible Lower Insurance Premium
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Heavily customized vehicles that are not driven daily are not insured or registered the same way that other vehicles are. Most insurance companies consider modified vehicles that are driven less than a few thousand miles per year recreational vehicles. As such, they are rewarded with a lower insurance premium. Likewise, some states consider modified vehicles collector vehicles, meaning that you can buy special license plates. Although these plates aren't always less expensive than traditional license plates, sometimes they are, depending on what state you live in.
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References
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