Car tuning: everything you need to know

The spectrum of car tuning ranges from simple projects to complex interventions to increase performance and driving behaviour through targeted car tuning. Use the following guide to get a brief overview. By the way: We have dedicated a separate page to the specialised area of chip tuning.

Auto Tuning Copyright: urfinguss @ iStock

What does car tuning mean?

The term tuning comes from the English language and means "to tune". Car tuning is about changing the appearance and technical features of your vehicle to suit your personal preferences.

What visual tuning measures are available?

Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Porsche, VW and other manufacturers offer various options to give your car more individuality. The options for vehicles listed below are popular:

Lighting: Thanks to modern and economical LEDs, front lights, rear lights and indicators are available in many different designs. They are offered as original tuning accessories, so you don't have to worry about registration.
Body tuning: In this area too, you will find a wide range of products on the market to tune your car's bodywork, from spoilers and radiator grilles to sports rims.
The interior: The range includes sports seats, special mats for the vehicle and many other options that have a positive visual effect on the interior. If you are a music lover, you can retrofit your sound system.

Tuners also like to work with trim strips, stickers and other accessories to customise the look of your car as desired. With a little manual skill, you can carry out some of these measures yourself.

Technical tuning: how to give your car a boost

With a lot of love and the appropriate know-how, you will come across tuned vehicles on the road almost every day. In addition to their appearance, they are characterised by technical refinements. In addition to engine tuning for more horsepower, the chassis is also often tuned. The following points are particularly efficient for tuning cars:

Technical car tuning

Lowering: A measure that gives your car a completely different look. In addition, the lower centre of gravity improves handling and enables a sportier driving style.
Exhaust and exhaust system: Sports exhaust systems are often used for tuning. They are visually appealing, but the emission values must be taken into account. When searching, pay attention to the quality of the corresponding vehicle parts.

If you are ultimately looking for more engine power, then tuning via the control unit installed in the car is the right choice.

Which cars can be tuned?

In principle, almost all vehicles can be tuned. These include many models from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and of course the widely used VW Golf of various years. Whether you want to tune the body, the chassis or the engine depends on your wishes. Due to the ever-increasing demand, there are many tuning parts available.

Car tuning - what is allowed?

The recommendation is quite clear: Have complex modifications carried out in a reputable tuning workshop. It is crucial that an expert opinion is available for the parts used for car tuning so that the general operating licence is retained. This is how you proceed:

In many cases, an expert opinion is required for the tuning parts and approval by TÜV and comparable certified companies such as DEKRA.
Once the parts certificate has been successfully completed, a visit to your local registration office is due. This is where the official entry is made in the vehicle documents so that your tuned car is still authorised for road traffic.
This is also an important aspect in connection with your car insurance, as insurance cover may be lost if the work is not carried out correctly.

Tyres and rims for optical tuning

In contrast to classic steel rims, aluminium rims are tuning parts that can be used to enhance the appearance of your vehicle with little effort. We offer a large selection of well-known manufacturers - the same applies to tyres. In both cases, use our easy-to-understand configurators. Alternatively, you can opt for complete wheels consisting of summer tyres plus alloy rims or complete wheels consisting of winter tyres plus alloy rims.

Use our easy-to-understand tyre search function to find the perfect new tyres for your car:

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