The Best Power Wheels Upgrades

Power Wheels, the mini-cars made for kids, come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and designs. The interior and features of the car also vary by model.

If you really like the exterior design of the little car but it doesn’t have the interior features that you want, you might think you’re out of luck.

with some simple modifications, you can create Power Wheels cars that are unique to you.

While Power Wheels are very exciting toys, children can get bored fast. This is another advantage of adding mods to the cars. Keep them interesting by switching up the speed or changing the gearbox system.

If you’ve been thinking about modding your child’s Power Wheels but haven’t known where to start, then you’ve come to the right place! We’ve made this handy guide on many of the great upgrades that you can make to these little cars.

Whether you want to boost the speed of the car or add in a sound system, we’ve coved it all and much more below.

Upgrade Gears to Hardened Steel

If you want to make adjustments to your car, one thing to change is the gears.

This may not sound like a fun job, but it has to be done if you plan on making any other changes to the car.

Most Power Wheels cars have a gearcase designated as 7R, which has five gears:

• The Pinion Gear
• 1st Gear
• 2nd Gear
• 3rd Gear
• Final Drive

Gears made of hardened steel are an absolute must if you are upgrading to a 775 motor or an 18-volt battery or above.

The increased speed and power of the car will cause the original plastic gears to wear out and eventually tear.

If you think that your Power Wheels car is going slower than normal it’s possible that one of the gears is worn out and needs to be replaced.

Be sure to inspect the first gear, since it is the one with the greatest contact with the pinion gear and is the one that is the weakest overall in the gearbox.

Speed Upgrades

If you bought a slower Power Wheels model, your child may be a bit bored after a while.

The speeds at which the vehicles go are normally appropriate for children who are between the ages of two and three.

Even if your child is older than the recommended age range, this doesn’t mean that you have to throw the car away, just boost the speed to match their age and skill level.

Most Power Wheels are sold with either a 6-volt or 12-volt battery and are capable of speeds of 2 to 3 miles per hour.

You can get your Power Wheels to move as fast as six miles per hour by making a few easy adjustments to the way they are designed.

Here are two ways to give your Power Wheels a speed boost.

Upgrade the Battery

Your Power Wheel has either a 6v or 12v battery, depending on your model.

The power of the battery determines many things, including how quickly the car moves and how frequently it has to be recharged.

The vehicle’s speed may be increased by upgrading the batteries to a higher capacity.

If you want the car to last a long time, you will need to make sure that the correct battery is connected to the appropriate motor.

If you use a battery that has a greater voltage or amp capacity, the motor will overheat and cause the car to break down.

However, even though some Power Wheels owners choose to use lithium batteries to boost the speed of the car, these batteries are a safety risk because they have an excessively high discharge rate.

Upgrade the Wheels Motor

Changing the motor is an excellent approach to increase both the speed and the torque of the vehicle.

Keep in mind that the battery must be the correct size for the motor.

If you have improved the battery, you will also need to improve the motor, or else it will overheat and stop working.

The basic 550 motors included as standard with most Power Wheels can only manage up to 12 volts of electricity due to their construction.

Alternatively, upgrading to 775 motors can manage speeds up to 36 volts since they are engineered to withstand higher voltages.

Your vehicle’s top speed will not rise even if you replace the 12-volt battery with a 24-volt one and replace the motor with a 775-watt motor. Doing this might even make it go slower.

If you want to see the most improvement in your vehicle’s top speed, the combination of a 775 motor with an 18- or 24-volt battery is your best choice.

Custom Rims

This is the upgrade that’ll probably take you the longest time. But if you’re up for it, a unique upgrade is to get custom wheels for the Power Wheels.

The most common approach for customizing tires is to make a “deep dish” type rim by using a metal cake pan.

While there are many other ways to customize tires, this is the one that is most commonly used.

To begin, you will need to measure the diameter of the face, then measure the diameter of the entire tier.

This will provide you with a rough estimate of the size of the cake pan that you will require for your tires.

After that, you will need to remove the stock faces, mark the tires, and then begin cutting. After all of that, add them to the tires.

Customized Lighting

You can easily add extra excitement to your Power Wheels car by installing lights in it. This is a pretty simple modification to do.

LED strips or individual LEDs are needed for this task. A voltage step-down converter, a distribution block, a toggle switch, and other hand tools are needed.

It’s also a good idea to think about getting a separate 12V battery and placing it in your car so that the lights won’t cut into the amount of time your car can run normally.

This will keep your battery from dying prematurely.

If the batteries in your Power Wheels car are higher than 12 volts, you should install a voltage step-down converter in series with both the battery and the distribution block.

Change the Seats

You should change the seats of your Power Wheels vehicle if you want it to have the appearance and feel of a luxury vehicle for your child.

Even just by looking at the standard Power Wheels chairs, you know that it’s not particularly comfy.

You could make the seat considerably more comfortable to sit in by making a cushioned pillow with foam and cloth.

This would also allow you to add some customization to the inside of the automobile.

Add a Safety Harness

While adding cool design or speed features is fun, you might also want to add some safety features to the car as well.

Most Power Wheels ride-on vehicles are outfitted with a basic lap-and-shoulder seat belt that will keep your child safely seated in the vehicle even while it is in motion.

However, this might not be enough, particularly if you are planning on upgrading the car’s battery and motor to make it faster.

Installing a safety belt is something to consider. Because each Power Wheels model is unique, no one harness installation will work for all of them.

This might mean that you have to make many alterations to the car to get this to fit into the car and to work properly.

Decorate the Outside

A little amount of paint and some stickers may do wonders for your Power Wheels car, especially if you have bought one second-hand.

When you are ready to repaint your Power Wheels, the first thing you should do is make sure that you pick a paint that is both safe for children and durable enough to withstand any type of play that your child may put it through.

Spray paint that dries quickly and is resistant to chips is going to be your best option.

Next, you will need to prepare the car by sanding down any rough pieces, cleaning them, and disassembling the entire thing.

After that, arrange each component in the designated area.

Apply two to four coats of spray paint to each side of each component, waiting for each coating to fully dry before proceeding to the next.

Put the toy back together when it has had enough time to dry, and then proceed to apply the stickers.

Real Key Start

You can give your Power Wheels a more lifelike appearance by including a key start switch.

When a key start switch is installed in a car, the engine will not start unless the key is first entered and then twisted.

This is something that your child will love to do when they are pretending to be a real grown-up driving!

Here’s how to do this mod:

1. For most cars, you will need to measure the distance between the battery lead and the location where you wish to drill a hole. Drill a hole that is the right size for your key switch, and then install it. After that, make sure the nut on top is tightly tightened.
2. Unplug the battery, then cut either the positive or the negative lead, depending on which one is longer. Don’t cut both.
3. After removing a quarter of an inch of insulation from the wires’ ends, put the wires into the housing and crimp them.

Add Trailer Hitch

It’s only natural for our kids to harbor secret ambitions of following in our footsteps.

Adding a trailer hitch to your kid’s Power Wheels could just brighten their day, especially if you are the type of person who frequently pulls anything behind their car (like a boat or trailer, for example).

Remember that the vehicle will go slower if it is pulling excess weight.

On the other hand, similar to the key ignition switch, a trailer hitch can provide an additional layer of excitement and realism to the automobile, as well as teach some valuable skills.

Add a Music Player

Certain Power Wheels have some kind of radio system built into them, but in general, these radio systems aren’t very reliable and they need their own power supply.

Adding a new radio to the car is an easy and inexpensive method to boost the amount of enjoyment your kid gets when driving.

Your child will be able to listen to their mp3 player or stream any music they are interested in listening to thanks to the Bluetooth capabilities and auxiliary wires included in many modern radio systems.

Because there are a variety of Power Wheels models, your one may not have a lot of space to work with when you are typing to install a radio or other sound system.

Because of this, you might have to cut away some parts of the car.

Also, be aware that this mod does require some prior expertise or understanding in the field of electrical work.

Ready-To-Go Power Wheel Options

While some parents may find it enjoyable to make their own modifications to their children’s Power Wheels, others may not have the time, expertise, or desire to do it on their own.

Thankfully, there are a variety of alternatives available online for finished Power Wheels that are ready to be used straight away.

Here are some of the most popular choices for Power Wheels:

12V Kids Ride-on Truck

This ride-on pickup truck is equipped with a two-person leather seat, an MP3 player with Bluetooth, a parent remote to adjust speed, and a meticulous finish.

Range Rover SUV Ride-on Car

This one-of-a-kind ride-on vehicle for children is a Range Rover SUV, and it comes equipped with a 12V charge, a parental remote, LED lighting, an MP3 player, and bespoke black rims.

Mercedes G Wagon

This ride-on automobile is offered in three different colors, and it features four-wheel drive.

It also includes genuine leather seats and an operational sound system, so your child may listen to music as they play.

Ride-on Lamborghini

Your youngster will look like they’re riding in a premium vehicle thanks to the ride-on Lamborghini’s butterfly doors and leather seats. It also comes with LED lights and an MP3 player with an AUX wire.

Made to Order Cars

If you aren’t able to find the alterations you were looking for and you aren’t ready to do the adjustments yourself, you always have the option of having your custom ride-on vehicle manufactured to order instead.

If you choose to do this, you do have the option of constructing a completely exclusive and one-of-a-kind design, but the cost is not going to be cheap.

Read on: How to Convert Power Wheels to Remote Control

Summary

There are many upgrades that you can make to your child’s Power Wheels that make the car go faster, the ride smoother, and the car more unique and noticeable.

You can also add mods that make the vehicle simpler for your child to operate and for you to maintain.

As you make modifications to the vehicle, always keep safety in mind, and don’t forget to make the experience enjoyable for both you and your children at the same time.