Want to Pimp-Out Your New Chevy? You Need These Five Accessories

With the thousands of car parts and accessories floating around the market, you might be wondering what you need to add in order to “pimp-out” your new Chevy. It is 2017, after all. These days, compact cars, small-to-midsize sedans, and hatchbacks are reigning supreme. It’s what all the cool kids are driving nowadays, and you want to be a cool kid, right? Well, driving that type of vehicle just isn’t enough. Your car also needs to look, sound and feel the part. That’s where these five accessories come in. At a bare minimum, you’ll want to tack on these five plus a cool paint job or decal details. Then, you’ll feel like you’re driving something right out of a Fast and Furious movie.

Let’s take a look at what suave and savvy consumers choosing to trick out their rides…

Window Tint

Dark tint windows are a must-have, especially if the vehicle you’re driving has a black or white paint job. A darker tint will complement both the black or white paint nicely, and also looks particularly nice on dark red and blue vehicles as well.

Now, it’s important to note that in some states having a window tint that’s too dark might be illegal. It varies from state to state, so make sure to check up on your laws first. Thankfully, window tint shades are measures by VLT (visible light transmission), which is the percentage of light that ends up passing through the windows.

Tint shades range from factory glass (clear), to 70%, 50%, 30%, 20%, 10% and 5%. 5% is (obviously) virtually no light passing through, which looks extremely dark on the windows. However, 50% or 30% will provide more than enough of what you’re looking for. Even 70% might be dark enough for some.

But these tints don’t just make your car look cool. They also help keep out light, which reduces the interference of sunlight while driving. They even give you extra privacy, if you so desire it.

Undercarriage LED Lighting – “Underglow” for Short

Maybe you’ve seen it less on the streets and more in the movies, but if you know the right colors to get, then you can have some pretty cool underglow, thanks to LED lighting coming from the undercarriage.

I say find the right colors, because some colors are regarded as illegal — at the very least, frowned upon — to have coming from underneath your car. Neon lights that produce yellow and amber are okay, and you could even get away with green, pink, and other oddball colors. But, colors like red or blue (used by emergency service vehicles) are typically outlawed unanimously across the country. The exact colors might vary slightly based on state, but it’s a safe bet that red and blue won’t be allowed where you’re located.

How do you get undercarriage LED lighting? By having an underglow kit installed. Where do you get one? Most-likely online or a specialized parts store. However, some dealerships do have connections. McCluskey Chevrolet in Cincinnati, OH, for example, has no issue setting you up with undercarriage LED lighting for your vehicle.

Underglow is not just limited to a hatchback, sedan, or compact car, either. Even if you’re driving a truck or SUV, you can find an underglow kit that will work with it.

Sound System

You hear it all the time when driving around in 2017: bass being dropped on the streets harder than rocks falling off a cliff. For those who might not understand that reference, I’m talking about the loud “bump bump” you hear coming from cars as they drive by.

How is that possible? It takes a great sound system, with upgraded subwoofers. Basically, take that old-school receiver and powerful speakers, compact it, and stuff it in a car, along with tweeters and subwoofers, and there you have it.

Instead of just playing music, now you have more control over a range of resonance, such as boosting the bass, pitch, etc. The process is just like tuning a receiver with that surround sound system you used to have in your house or garage. It’s quite cool, and you can find sound system upgrades (or kits) all over the place.

I suggest starting off basic, grab a cheap sub with a set of tweeters (produces high frequencies), subwoofer, and some speakers. Worry about upgrading the DAC (digital analog converter) and music player later on. If you get really into it, throw in an equalizer as well. You’ll turn your car into a mobile DJ’s paradise.

Performance Exhaust

No, I’m not talking about shoving a Folger’s industrial size coffee can on the back of your car so that it produces flatulence instead of engine noises. I’m talking about grabbing yourself a performance exhaust, which will not only help with the performance of your vehicle, but also make it sound better.

Primarily, the intent of an OEM or aftermarket performance system is to free some of the power in your engine. This will increase the horsepower and torque produced slightly, and give you a boost in power. Nothing crazy, but enough that you’ll notice it.

On top of that, you’ll notice a subtle but distinctly aggressive change in the sound coming out of your exhaust. It will be a little more throaty and robust when accelerating, and just barely noticeable when idling, which is exactly what you want.

Wheels

Whether you get OEM wheels from the manufacturer’s website (and they really do have some cool designs now) or you get some aftermarket spinning rims — you need to do something about your wheels. They do more than you initially think for the aesthetic appearance of your vehicle, and pairing the right design with the right color truly makes your vehicle pop, and can bring the whole design together.

For example, if you drive a dark Red Camaro with a 50% or 75% window tint, throwing on some beefy wheels with thick spokes that are just as dark as the window tint would look phenomenal.

Thankfully, a lot of those wheel designs are available to order right through the dealership, much like a lot of the items mentioned on this list. And if they aren’t available as OEM parts through a dealership, the dealership should at least point you in the right direction – if they have the connections, that is…