safer? huh? no. you are doing mods like a cam gear without tuning. you are more liable to screw something up andwithout proper tuning it's not worth anything.
the only thing thats really worth anything is going F/I or high horsepower NA with major internal and headwork modifications.
F/I is the best bang for the buck, turbo and supercharager are the only ways to go to feel positive gains.