# (How) can I soup-up a cheap car? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 1, 2015, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-soup-up-a-cheap-car/713953 "2015-03-01T21:13:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-soup-up-a-cheap-car/713953/21 "2015-03-03T11:51:36Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > You have a reliable 1.6 liter engine. The more you do to it to make it go faster, the less reliable it becomes, let alone the more your bank account suffers. > T At the extreme, Nitrous oxide injection can make it go like it has a 5 litre Mustang engine… For a very short time. There was no turbo for the 5th Generation … you could just go and buy a 6th generation (or just some other car … ) with turbo or heaps of engine volume… ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-soup-up-a-cheap-car/713953/22 "2015-03-03T15:48:21Z")
If you’re interested in improving handling you could see if there are options for beefier, aftermarket anti-sway bars. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-soup-up-a-cheap-car/713953/23 "2015-03-03T16:27:04Z")
I assume since you have a generation of Fiesta we weren’t… fortunate… enough to get in the US that you’re in the UK. The whole “ricer” culture of souping up cheap cars with cheap go-fast parts is somewhat dependent on the fact that most US states don’t have safety inspections (or only very cursory ones.) I suspect a lot of the typical cheap “performance” upgrades are going to run afoul of the MOT test in the UK. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-soup-up-a-cheap-car/713953.md?page=1)