There's no need to mince words—eggheads, dweebs and dorks are easy prey for jocks, preps and burnouts. While this world order made sense back in high school, the tables turn as soon as those mortarboards are chucked into the air. The jocks, preps and burnouts probably ended up working dead-end jobs doing less than exciting work for the man. The eggheads, dweebs and dorks likely turned to engineering and computer programming. Armed with those degrees, it's a just a hop, skip and a jump into the high-octane field of performance chip development.

It's hard to imagine, but when boring binary code is retooled by speed-hungry programmers, all those ones and zeros magically transform into little bursts of electrical adrenaline firing in your vehicle's brain. See, a performance chip hacks into your ride's onboard computer system and uploads a new set of behaviors—essentially, they convince your motor to stop holding back and start kicking out the power. And, we're talking serious power. Diesel rigs can squeeze a hundred extra horsepower out of their powerplants, and gas-powered vehicles are looking at double-digit pony bumps.

The best part about performance chips: you don't have to waste a weekend scraping up your knuckles under the hood to install them. Nope. The real genius behind performance tuners is that all you have to do is plug them into your OBD-II port, push a few buttons, then hold onto your hat because you just shifted into the fast lane, my friend. Plus, the performance chip stores your stock tune in case you want to revert back to stock before going into the dealership for service.

When it comes to picking the perfect performance chip, be sure to stick with the industry-leading brands. They didn't earn reputations for excellence by producing bunk accessories. On the gasoline side, the top dogs are Superchips, Hypertech and DiabloSport. For diesels, you can't beat the Edge Evolution or any programmer from Bully Dog—both add serious bite to your big rig.

With gas prices sky high, everybody wants an easy way to save gas. Well, it doesn’t get much easier than purchasing a new air filter for your ride. Whether you choose custom fit air filters or universal fit air filters, installing a new air filter means your engine is receiving cleaner air—and more of it. You know what else it means? It means you get more horsepower and torque from your ride, in addition to the increase in MPGs. What’s more, having a high-quality air filter also prolongs your engine’s life.

In addition to replacing your old, worn out air filter, you may want to consider investing in a pre-filter. A pre-filter protects your air filter from all the crap that accumulates in it and eventually ends up clogging it. Pre-filters work to block moisture and muck before they reach your air filter, so your engine continues to receive the cleanest air possible.

Also, when it comes time to clean you air filter, you may want to think about using a recharge kit. Recharge kits clean out your clogged air filter and refill your essential oils. Even better, they’re easy to use and help your air filter to last a lifetime.

Not all air filters are built the same, which means that some are held to higher standards than others. These higher standards result in better results, like larger power boosts and better fuel efficiency. When it’s time to choose a new air filter, the filter I recommend above all else is the K&N air filter. Other notable brands include AFE, Injen, S&B, Spectre or Volant. These brands have time and time again proven to be some of the best air filter manufacturers in the industry. While other companies try to compete or create knock-offs, these brands don’t cut corners, so you’re guaranteed the very best every time.

It doesn’t matter if the road is dirt, gravel, asphalt or freshly paved cement—there is no such thing as a perfectly smooth road. And, without the proper suspension system, those not-so-smooth surfaces really shake and rattle your ride, but not in the Big Joe Turner kinda way—more like the blow a tire, wear out a shock, your outta luck kinda way. Before your ride turns into a heaving pile of junk, take the time to shield your ride from the vicious attacks the road tosses its way.

Suspensions systems lift, lower, add comfort, increase handling—you name it. So, it doesn’t matter if you’re merely looking for some added comfort to cure your minor motion sickness or you’re seeking a major lowering kit for an aggressive stance and superior handling sure to capture any checkered flag from here to Daytona. When it comes to suspension systems, there are several components to consider – air compressor, coil spacers, coil springs, shocks, leaf springs, leveling kits, steering components, lift kits, wheel spacers and more – and each performance piece has its own function for smoothing out your ride experience. Need to keep your springs sprung? Find the perfect air compressor or air tank. What about lifting your ride up to infinity and beyond? For that, choose quality leaf springs or complete lift kits. And, of course, if you’re just after serious comfort improvements, a leveling kit gets the job done right.

Once you figure out which suspension pieces you want to upgrade, choose from the best names in the business. Be careful when selecting your components from aftermarket manufacturers whose claim to fame is something similar to the lyrics of an overplayed Chubby Checker party song. Stick with the names most trusted in the suspension systems industry: Air Lift, Air Zenith, Edelbrock, Eibach, KONI, Rugged Ridge, Skyjacker, Tokico and more.

Teddy Roosevelt believed in speaking softly and carrying a big stick. But, what's wrong with speaking loudly while carrying a big stick? Absolutely nothing. Unfortunately, the stock exhaust system on your vehicle is both muffling your ride's natural rumble and putting a choke hold on your true power potential, leaving you with a soft voice and a small stick. Here's why:

When auto manufacturers design and build cars, they cut as many corners as they can to improve their bottom line. Exhaust systems are notoriously neglected. At the factory, they use antiquated crush-bending techniques to shape the pipes, and this creates serious backpressure. What's wrong with backpressure, you ask? It creates a bottleneck in the flow of exhaust fumes out of your engine. When exhaust can't escape fast enough because of backpressure, it lingers in the cylinders and pollutes the combustion process—a lose-lose situation. Adding insult to injury, stock exhaust systems also stifle your vehicle's tone with repressive mufflers.

Luckily, there's a simple solution to clunky factory pipes: swap them out with a performance exhaust system. Aftermarket exhausts are engineered for maximum exhaust flow efficiency. Not only are they made using advanced mandrel-bending techniques to ensure an even diameter throughout the entire system, but they also come with throatier mufflers that release your motor's true growl. Most performance exhausts are what's called cat-back—in other words, they come with everything you need to replace the parts from your tailpipe up to your catalytic converter. But, if you're looking for radical power gains, you can also upgrade with performance headers and high-flow catalytic converters.

Be careful when you're shopping around—there are a number of aftermarket exhaust makers out there hoping to sell you an inferior set of pipes. This kind of an investment calls for a respectable exhaust builder, and there are plenty out there to choose from. Some of the biggest cheeses in the biz include Magnaflow, Flowmaster, Banks and Borla Exhaust. All of these manufacturers use premium materials and dyno test their creations.