Interior Protectors: Auto Seat Covers, Floor Mats and Cargo Liners

Auto seat covers are a great option for preserving your vehicle's seats. They protect against the common threats to seats: friction, moisture, UV rays, kids and pets. Seat covers come in many different materials such as sheepskin, neoprene, poly-cotton, velour, and cotton canvas. The amount of colors available can almost be overwhelming. With some seat cover manufacturers offering 34 different colors, you are sure to find something that matches your vehicle and your taste. Seat covers come in different types of fits including custom, semi-custom and universal. Vehicles with side-impact airbags must use custom seat covers as the semi-custom and universal will obstruct the airbags.

A durable all-weather floor mat will protect your upholstery from anything you may drag into the car or spill during driving such as dirt, debris, road salt, oil, water, soda, coffee, and of course food. Cleaning up a mess with all-weather floor mats is as easy as a quick hose off and a short air dry. Floor mats are especially important during inclement weather as few people are able to get the crud off their shoes during a storm. Most floor mats are custom designed for your specific vehicle. This means excellent coverage and a perfect fit. If you wish to keep the look of your original factory floor mat, there are even protective floor mats that are nearly invisible.

The final and often overlooked area of your interior to protect is your trunk. When you are transporting something that may be a little dirty, smelly or just disgusting, it's probably going to get thrown back there. The last you want is any dirt or moisture to stick around after the mess has reached its destination. An all-weather cargo or trunk liner will offer excellent protection against any mess that may occur back there. Cleaning up is simple. Just remove the liner and spray it off with a hose. Now there won't be any lingering stains or smells. Cargo liners come in custom or semi-custom fit and are available in nearly invisible and carpeted.

If you are serious about keeping your interior clean and happy, go for the protective trifecta of seat covers, floor mats, and cargo liners. The reduction in stains and wear and tear will almost certainly increase the resale value of your vehicle when you finally part ways. Consider it an investment that will pay for itself.

The Benefits of a Cat Back Exhaust System

A cat back exhaust system is a relatively simple power modification that will free up your exhaust gas flow and produce an engine note that is more pronounced than your stock muffler. The term cat back exhaust can be defined as the section of an exhaust system that attaches after the last catalytic converter in the system. A cat back exhaust is typically made up of a rear-pipe, a resonator and a muffler, but depending on the make and model, it can also include a mid-pipe, X-pipe, H-Pipe or a Y-Pipe.

Adding an aftermarket cat back exhaust can provide several benefits, the first of which is more power. Aftermarket exhaust systems are designed to be freer flowing than your stock exhaust, usually incorporating larger diameter piping and higher-grade mandrel bent tubing for a more laminar flow. These changes can result in a reduced level of back pressure at the engine manifold, which means the engine can breathe a little easier and release more horsepower and torque. How much horsepower is gained depends highly on the design of your factory exhaust system and the quality of the catalytic converters in front of it. If the stock catalytic converters are fairly restrictive, then less power can be gained from a cat back exhaust system. If the stock cat’s can flow a large amount of exhaust gas with creating too much restriction, then a cat back exhaust system should offer a nice increase in power.

An increase in fuel economy is often experienced after installing a cat back exhaust system. This is the result of the engine not have to work as hard pushing exhaust gases through the piping. This reduces the total amount of load on the engine, causing higher efficiency and MPG. This increase in fuel economy typically occurs when traveling at freeway speeds, but can sometimes be noticed when driving in the city as well.

Another big benefit of a cat back exhaust system is the sound they can produce. Whether you want just a little more grunt or a full-on growl, there is a cat back exhaust system out there that will satisfy your ears. This is actually a very big consideration when purchasing a cat back exhaust, so make sure to do your homework first. There’s nothing worse than spending a lot of time installing an auto part only to find out it isn’t what you wanted. There are lots of exhaust manufacturers out there, but some of the most popular are Flowmaster, Magnaflow, Gibson, Banks, Corsa and Borla.

For more information about auto parts like cat back exhaust systems, check out the pages dedicated to Flowmaster and Flowmaster Exhaust Systems.