It's easier than you might think to make your car or truck better. Performance parts aren't just for racing; many have real-world applications that can improve your vehicle's power, handling, and fuel economy.

Performance parts usually replace factory components on your car or truck to give it more power. The most common are better flowing air filters, intake kits, and exhausts. Most vehicles come with somewhat restrictive intakes and exhausts, so your car or truck cannot perform as well as it could. Once your vehicle has more air in the engine, and a less restrictive path to push it out, it can produce more power and torque. Some air filters, such as the ones from K&N, can also aid in improving gas mileage in most cars and trucks — and they never need to be replaced.

This K&N performance intake kit comes with an open-element filter and everything you need to install it.

K&N filters replace the filter in your factory air box and offer performance gains and better fuel economy.

Free-flowing exhausts, like this one from Borla, allow your car or truck to quickly and efficiently push out spent gases.

Another simple upgrade is an engine tuning computer. These computers usually plug into the diagnostic port found under your dashboard. They change the program that is built into your car or truck's computer to free up hidden horsepower and torque, usually by telling your vehicle to add more fuel or air into the engine to produce more power. These are especially useful when mated with a performance intake and exhaust. They are also very popular with truck and SUV owners, as some offer different programs for power, towing, and fuel economy. They are simple to operate, and many just require answering a few yes-or-no questions.

The Power Programmer III from Hypertech is an easy way to add horsepower and torque to your car or truck.

All of these parts are considered "bolt-on" parts, or things that can be added using simple hand tools. Some are a little easier than others to install, but anyone should be able to tackle the task with some good instructions and a little patience.