From his experience as a mechanic, the cheapest and simplest way to increase performance is to remove weight! Everything that is unnecessary would be stripped! By losing weight, the car would naturally become faster!
Miles entered the cockpit. The leather seat comforted him as his hands rested on the steering wheel. Looking around the interior, his keen eyes identifying countless "useless" parts.
"I start now."
Saying this, Miles grabbed his tools, and started prying open the interiors!
Air-conditioner? Removed!
Glove-box? Removed!
Passenger seat? Removed!
Even the carpets were not spared! As long as it is not related to performance, to the bin they go! Under Miles' ruthless weight reduction process, countless parts were stripped. After an hour of intense work, the interior had nothing more than bare bones! Only the metal frame remained intact.
Wiping the sweat, Miles exited the vehicle. He inspected from outside, trying to find more ways to cut weight. Arrive at the trunk, his eyes landed on the rear bumper. He smiled instinctively, because the rear bumper is an easy way of losing weight!
"Wait, wait wait. What're you doing?" Reina asked, her voice trembling.
"Weight reduction? I'll remove the rear bumper."
"Ah?! But…"
"Rear bumpers weigh anywhere from 10 to 20 kilograms! If it's removed, you gain 10 horsepower!" Miles blurted out, adamant.
In all his years of experience, if your want to cut weight, rear bumpers are the go-to things for removal! You sacrifice slight durability in exchange for better acceleration! It's a tradeoff you'll take every time!
Reina hesitated, but after a while could only quietly agree.
Getting approval, Miles quickly got to work. His hands navigating the rear side with experience: Unplugging the rear-lights, loosening the bolts, and removing the rear bumper.
Throughout the process, the usually quiet Reina was making an awful amount of noise. So much so that Miles could barely concentrate! His first thought was; did I do something wrong?
"Mmmm….. ahhhhh…. Hiyah!…. gentle!~~~"
Lowering his head, Miles quickly finished the job, tossing aside the rear bumper. Not once did he consider the reason why Reina protested.
Satisfied, Miles walked around the car, getting a good look. He grabbed some tape measure, and recorded the dimensions of the vehicle.
"What're you doing now?"
"Making the front and rear wing, I need your measurements."
"oh…"
After memorising the numbers, Miles rushed to the storage room. When he was inspecting the store earlier, he found some metal sheets. These were left behind by third uncle when he was still working. Miles never thought they would come in handy so soon!
Grabbing a plier, welding torch, as well as safety equipments, Miles dug in. His idea was to make a massive rear wing, one that maximises downforce. However, remembering Reina's desire to increase speed and acceleration. He decided to scale down and only make a ducktail spoiler.
In the back of the workshop, the sound of power-drill, welding torch, and hammering were constant. Under Miles' hard work, the outline of the spoiler came into shape. After what felt like eternity, Miles smiled happily with his finished work.
Using the welding torch, Miles expertly attached the spoiler on the trunk. It was sleek and elegant, perfectly ready to be put into use. During high-speed, the ducktail spoiler will increase downforce, reducing the chance of losing traction. In fast corners, the spoiler will increase grip, preventing slip.
With the remaining metal sheets, Miles simply made it into a front spoiler. This was much simpler, so he finished and attached it within half a hour.
"How is it?" Miles asked, admiring his work.
"Ah!… it's good, I think?"
Miles picked up on the doubt from her tone. With confidence, he explained. "The effect is very discreet, but you'll feel the difference during cornering."
"Umm."
Miles raised an eyebrow. Why is this girl acting so weird? Questioning everything he do, and barely giving a proper reply. Eh. Girls… so confusing! He shook his head and moved on.
"For the last modification, I'll do ram air-intake."
"Oh. okay…"
Moving to the front of the car, Miles popped open the hood. He quickly identified the air-intake. Formulating a plan in his head, he quickly got moving.
Grabbing screwdrivers, Miles started…
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Reina shouted, startled.
"Improving the air-intake, what else?"
"But…. what does that have to do with my headlight?!"
Miles was speechless. How does a car not understand such basic principles? Calming down, he explained.
"By removing the headlight, we've got a direct path for cool air straight into your engine. You'll sacrifice some vision, but as long as you don't drive during the night, the effect is negligible!"
Reina was stunned silence. Never in her entire life had she heard such modification, but it also kinda made sense?! Thinking it through, Miles' explanation is very found, leaving her no way to counter. Will it cool the engine? Yes! But the cost….
Reina fell into a long silence, as if deciding something very important. Miles could only wait by the side, confused about the hesitation. "Isn't it just a headlight?" He whispered to himself.
After a long silence, Reina could only grind her teeth and shout. "Fine! Let's do it!"
With a smirk, Miles quickly performed the task.
He used his screwdriver, removing the headlight under lightning speed. Next, he detached all the wirings connected to the lights, tucking them away in a safe place. With a glaring hole in the slot, Miles used the spare metal sheets he found, mending the interior so the air flow directly into the air intake and engine bay.
The entire process, Reina was extremely quiet. Which was in sharp contrast when he was modifying her previously. Which left Miles slightly confused, but the thought quickly dissipated form his mind.
Doing a few last finishing touches, Miles was left smiling in satisfaction with his work. Now, the car before him looked like a menacing beast, with aggressive front and rear spoilers, intensive weight reduction, and even a headlight intake. The performance would've have improved without a doubt.
Oh!
He activated his skill: Eyes of Truth!
[ Skill activated! ]