Modified cars

[nickyf1]

if i modded a car i would fit performance stuff, new rims, new tyres, replace seats and steering wheel and take it to some track days at knockhill.

now thats okay!

[Kicking-back]

How old are you Nicholas?

[COLIN STUBBS]

im old as well. often used to wonder when i was a kid why the mods used to put all those mirrors and lights on the scooters. a few years later i had a capri with the arse end sky high and a side exhaust.it always seemed to be in primer!! the kids today may be wasting their money on trash for the cars but at least some of em have an interest and not spending it on smack,and most of em earn their money,not nicking stuff to pay for what they need.the cars may look crap to us and their music ransid but thats fashion.police seem more keen to harrass modded cars than a rotten triple valve proton full of drug crazed chavvies but thats life.

[maximus]

A lot of the cars around Pontefract where I live are all show and no go. It makes me laugh when I can beat a modded up to the nines Corsa with my Fiesta, who's only modification is a set of expensive Pirelli tyres on the front!

My cousins Rover 214i is my favourite. He has just fitted subtle touches to it (lowered a bit, stiffened, wider bigger tyres) and it goes really well. Sounds like a BTCC car too, and it has the go to match the sound. The engine is incredible for a 1.4, it has 105bhp!

It does handle well (I can vouch for it) and it has great punch too, I had fun driving it round an airfield for a few laps.

Its funny as no one would expect a Rover to be so quick! Its a great stealth car!

[429CJ]

Depends on modification style, modern tuning culture does not really interest me, old skool customising then, well that's all different thing.

Like this FORD

or this CHEVROLET

or this CHEVY IMPALA

Chopped CADILLAC HEARSE

Would you believe this is a VOLVO?

[Tim Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by redshoes

Earlier you refered to one of your cars as a 'track astra'. Can I assume from that that you've got a track-day modified car rather than the ICE and bodykit modified variety? If that's the case I'm not surprised that your engine swaps were legal. I suspect that track-day drivers tend to be more enthusiasts with some mechanical knowledge that your average Max Power reader.

As I said earlier if we are talking about sensible power, braking and handling mods (for example building a track-day weapon) then I don't have a problem with that.

It's an ex-roadsaloon; to be quite honest I can't understand why anyone would spend money on a car stereo that costs more than a fortnight in the carribean, or why they'd put on a bodykit and slam it so low that any route you take is dictated by where the speedbumps are.
But then I remember the looks I got from my folks when I showed them my track-spec Nova with cage and buckets that made it nearly impossible for them to get in and out of, and how they couldn't understand why I'd sold my "normal car" for that, and just figure that amps and plastic are things that i don't get. I also don't get old-school customising, but have to respect the work and skill that goes into it.
As Colin said, there's something like it in every generation, and most other people just don't understand it - me included! I have an offer to go to Trax tomorrow (a modified car show) but won't go as I know everyone else at the show will be looking at two lasses in bikinis soaping down a body-kitted corsa while i'll be the only one facing the other way wondering how much it would cost to build a track-spec mk1 Golf.
Unfortunately the performance modders and the visual modders all seem to get lumped in together.

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by teej

Unfortunately the performance modders and the visual modders all seem to get lumped in together.

I try not to make that assumption, hence my comments about track-day cars vs Max Power cars.

I guess it's a question of extremes. As a classic car enthusiast I can appreciate a well maintained old car but I don't understand someone who spends hours over-polishing every square inch of an engine bay to achieve concours 'perfection'.

[Joe Taylor]

I am young, this is my opinion:

Why bother to spend 1000s of pounds to make your car heavier and unaerodynamic? Adding huge stereos increases the weight and helps drain the battery, exhausts don't make the cars sound any good, and probably decrease power and spoilers make cars less aerodynamic. Another thing that really annoys me: If I want to listen to music, I'll choose what I want to listen to, I don't want to have to listen to an awful hip hop drumbeat coming from a passing car. One idea I've had is driving past a group with modded cars, in a normal car, blasting heavy metal at them. However, occasionally, modded cars can be funny: the other day I saw a car with only 2 alloy wheels, both on the rear. The owner hadn't even tried to make the car look 'cool' on one side, and the result? It looked ridiculous!

[nickyf1]

Originally Posted by Kicking-back

How old are you Nicholas?

how do you know my name!

look at my profile for hints...

[nickyf1]

Anyway (sorry for Bumping old thread) any more opinions?

[Rockmunky]

Originally Posted by Joe Taylor

One idea I've had is driving past a group with modded cars, in a normal car, blasting heavy metal at them.

That's exactly what i'll be doing! I'm sick of walking home ona friday and saturday night and hearing that rediculous noise coming form half a mile away, with six chavs hanging out of the car going "errrr!! goffik ******!!" and then driving off.

Plus the cars look rediculous, especially the ones that are normal cars with no mods, except the exhaust, i've neve runderstood why they do that. "HEY!!! look at me!! I'm driving a piece of $$$$, and you can all hear it!!"

If i were him, i'd be sunk very low in my seat from embarrasment.

[Truckosaurus]

Originally Posted by nickyf1

Anyway (sorry for Bumping old thread) any more opinions?

Now Then Nicky, has your own taste in modified cars changed over the past year?

[nickyf1]

I dont know, but I have got into drifting, which is moddifiing in a way, but I hate Neds going about in cars playing rediculous music in a car that is over weight and has fake bonnet Clips!

[maximus]

I had some kids in one of those crapmobiles shout at me "get a car!" as I was walking home with some mates from a night out, we just shouted back "get a good car!"

Of course they miss the irony that A. I have a very good car thats miles better than theirs and B. I wouldn't be able to drink and have a good time if I was driving would I?

[Mike_Wooshy]

as someone who owns a fiesta XR2i 16v thats lowered on spax 60 mm suspension I get the looks that im a chav, but i dont have a sub or a decent stereo. I like to modify cars make them better I see modifying as personalising your car in away. if people want to add things like stereo's and stickers and silly body kits thats upto them but when they get blown away by me down a dual track and around island's I can just sit in my big comfy recareo seats and laugh away there burbery !!

[strider]

I suppose my car is modified, although I don't see it that way, because it as it was when first delivered. It's an RB5 Impreza, which I have had since new, over 7 years ago now.

They came in two versions, the standard one, which basically had cosmetic improvements or one with a Prodrive Performance Pack. They both had better wheels and tyres than standard at the time and (for Subaru) a better interior, but I opted for the Prodrive version. It has a stainless steel performance exhaust and an upgraded engine management system and that's it, apart from the slightly dubious high level rear wing.

It is not built beautifully in the way that BMWs and Audis are, but it is built with great care and integrity. There are still no rattles or squeaks and to me it drives as well as it did when new. I don't think you can ask for more than that.

[Matski]

My 5 series was dropped by 40mm and it did help cornering quite a bit, unfortunatley the roads round my way are pretty poor and doing <ahem> the national speed limit <ahem> led to a pretty bumpy ride.

There is a general rule I live by: It's not what you drive, it's how you drive it.

Warning, what follows is a rant and does not necessarily represent the opinions of Ten-Tenths. (To be honest, it probably doesn't even represent the opinions of the poster when they aren't ranting.) On the whole I hate modified cars. I hate it when people ruin a good car (an M3 for example) and I hate it when they spend money on junk piles (ford escorts for example).. I love following 'slammed' cars through towns, the way they race between speed bumps, but have to slow right down to go over them, and then it turns out that on the open road they are not actually able to outrun you because although their car corners with less body roll than yours, they had to buy cheap tyres to fit their lo-pro's as the higher performance tyres were too expensive, and consequently they are understeering by half way through the bend, just are you are apexing... of course, thats assuming you're trying to get from A to B as fast as possible, I have been fortunate to have at least 2 BMW's at any one time for a number of years now... and the benefit of Michelin Metrics and 3 speed auto boxes in old heavy RWD cars is that with a twitch of the big toe you're looking out of the passenger window to see where you're going, and then with a flick of the wrist your looking out of the drivers-side window, trying to straighten up - in fact this happens quite often - even when you don't want it to. We now return you to our normal ramblings.

[BillyT]

I love all the generalisations on this thread

Joe Taylor & Rockmunky I noticed that you both shall be playing heavy metal, because of this I will presume that you both take drugs along with any other person who likes heavy metal.

People are free to do what they want to there cars, just because you don't like it its no excuse to cause offense and call them ****** is it?

People say that young people in modified Saxo's look stupid, the same could be said for a 40/50 year old man in an Impreza with gold wheels.

[Mike_Wooshy]

100% agree to that billy good post !
I mean about generalization in the thread ......

[Rockmunky]

Originally Posted by BillyT

I love all the generalisations on this thread

Joe Taylor & Rockmunky I noticed that you both shall be playing heavy metal, because of this I will presume that you both take drugs along with any other person who likes heavy metal.

People are free to do what they want to there cars, just because you don't like it its no excuse to cause offense and call them ****** is it?

People say that young people in modified Saxo's look stupid, the same could be said for a 40/50 year old man in an Impreza with gold wheels.

Sorry, what i mean is that i'm sick of the attitude which the majority of these drivers and passengers have anytime after 10pm, why should i have to put up with being called names by complete strangers?

And whether or not i take drugs is none of your business

[Mike_Wooshy]

the over 50's out in there impreza with there gold wheels shouting abuse what is this world coming too

[Rockmunky]

Yeah, i know what you get up to!

[Bluebottle]

Ok, I'm bored now.