Body Kits & Ground Effects

You may have a lot of horsepower under the hood, and your car may be fast, but if it doesn’t look the part you’re going to be ignored down at the drive-in. A ground effects kit or body kit will transform your ride from anonymous to famous, and you may even gain some performance. We have a large selection of kits as well as individual components, in all popular materials, so you can either go all the way at once or build your racer incrementally.

Body kits and ground effects kits are based on modifications made to race cars that enable them to slice through the air with minimum resistance and hug the track for traction. Contents of kits will vary according to vehicle and manufacturer, but generally ground effects kits include a front lip spoiler or air dam, side skirts, and maybe a rear air dam. A body kit includes aerodynamic bumpers and side skirts, and may include fenders, a hood and grille.

The valance panel, also called an air dam, front spoiler, or front lip, on a race car reduces the amount of air flowing under the car. More air is forced around the top and sides of the car and the air that does go under the car flows at increased velocity, creating a low pressure area that “sucks” the car toward the ground. For the street, a valance panel is desirable more for the fact it makes the car look like it’s closer to the ground. The front bumper in a body kit usually incorporates a valance panel. Side skirts work in union with the valance panel to achieve the performance and visual “ground hugging” effect.

Another way to win at the race track is to reduce the weight of the vehicle. This has often proven to be more cost effective than spending a lot of money to make more horsepower. After all, if 2 cars make the same power but one has to haul around less weight, it’s obvious which car will be faster. To that end, we offer fiberglass and carbon fiber trunk lids for popular models that are much lighter than the steel panels they replace. Some are even available with built-in spoilers. But even if you never get near the track, a carbon fiber trunk lid will draw plenty of attention on cruise night.

Of course, not all body modifications are aimed at going fast. Side scoops are usually found on race cars to duct cool air to the brakes and oil coolers, but their street counterparts are designed to just look the part. A roll pan is installed in place of the rear bumper and can be the finishing touch on a lowered pickup. Louvers over the rear window were a popular feature on some ‘60s muscle cars with fastback rooflines. Just as those louvers did, the ones we offer look great, but also help to keep the interior cooler, prevent upholstery fading, and thwart the prying eyes of potential thieves.

The most popular body modification may be adding a rear spoiler, and if that’s the way you want to roll the only problem you’ll have is choosing one from our huge selection. If you just want something subtle then perhaps a tasteful lip spoiler adorning the trunk edge may be the way to go. Or if you like the car makers styling then go for a factory style rear spoiler. Rear window spoilers can provide just a hint of performance on the roofline of a sedan, or be more pronounced on a hatchback. But for the ultimate personal styling statement, install a custom style spoiler for a unique look that says this one’s yours.