Neil Smalley

I've not done a huge amount to my car, but all my mods have been done to either save money, add functionality to the car, or make the car drive to 100% of my preference, as opposed to 80%

For example

The AP 6 pots I bought second hand for 800 quid and I got 4 PD7 wheels for the price of 2.
When buying my STi-7 I sold the gold wheels and brakes for a lot more than AP 6's and PD7's. SO I saved money, got a better brake system and also disposed of the not to my taste gold Wheels.

I hate getting lost and drving while trying to read a map is really dangerous, so I bought a satnav. That greatly reduces the stress of a journey.

I did'nt like the flat spot on the STI-7 and I wanted to save money on fuel, so I got a PPP. Not for go faster power, but for the improvements in drivablity it brings.

The car also felt skittish on cornering and to be honest never gave me the 100% confidence I needed. So as part of buying the wife a Forester XT the dealer gave me a huge discount on the Prodrive suspension kit.

Now the car is exactly how I like it. It's safer because of the braking and satnav, it's easier to drive because of the PPP and allows me to enjoy driving the car at any speed(Suspension)

No fancy bodykits, just changes to the car that suit me. When it comes to resale time(in 3 years or so) i'll still get some money back.

Also, define modified. Even taking out the crummy stereo and putting in a new head unit you've changed the car from standard.




[Edited by Neil Smalley - 12/11/2003 9:30:25 AM]

image doctor

What a fine, fine choice!

Has there ever been a better tin top track car?

id

BT52b

Yes, an Exige
(ok, plastic-top)

[Edited by BT52b - 12/11/2003 9:46:24 AM]

image doctor

Shut up!

A 964 RS is already 10 years old and it would still kick an Exige ***.

I would hate to see an Exige after 10 years (or the repair bills!!)...lol it would be a pile of junk!

id

LG John

My scooby used to have a full scoobysport decat, sti-5 intercooler, dawes, tek2.5, samco hoses and a vta dump-valve. I used to love driving it and thrashing it. It sounded amazing and was very quick. Its now back to standard and is very boring, comparitively slow and frought with turbo-lag. Believe me - mods are VERY worth it.

Oh and I bought the mods for about £900 and sold them a year later for.....................£900

CraigH

Remember talking to MattOz and one of his friends who has a lovely 964RS.

Having a Scoob, I was used to oil changes before and after, brakes, tyres etc every 1 or 2 trackdays.

He'd done a years worth of track days and not changed tyres, brakes or oil (dry sumped as std)

Drive it there, kick most things 4ss, drive home. Bullet proof, not an under engineered thing like a scoob or EVO.

And driven properly, unbelievably fast - scoobs and evos, unless seriously modded aren't even in the same ballpark.

And all from a std, factory, everyday, depreciation proof car.

Never, ever again

CraigH

BT52b

Exiges are great, but not in the same league as a 964RS.

They're a trackday special, with a very untrack worthy engine.

image doctor

Awesome....and check out that interior - thats standard too!





id

what would scooby do

I could stretch to a 968 club sport for track days I guess, but i think it would be taking the **** having 3 cars - one for commuting, one for "The Twisties"TM and one for the track..

what would scooby do

Nacro :-

Please don't associate me with that kind of behaviour.. I DO NOT HAVE GOLD WHEELS ! LOL

"MADDOG"

In my view with regarding "Mods" to our cars, it is down to the individual, of course when it comes to selling it at a later date you will definetly loose a lot of the money, but these things are sometimes done for us putting our own little touches to them to make them more personal and individual to the rest, and not for inherent resale value, and of course the old saying is modifing your cars can....... "Seriously Damage Your Wealth"

regards "MADDOG"

StickyMicky

i think the people who winge about mods only winge, becuase there TO POOR, to pay for more mods onto of there existing fuel/car/insurance payments

hmmm fill the cupboards with no name tins of beans, or buy a set of 25" alloys

dba

Who says standard brakes are suitable for road use? Gossy gets brake fade just going to the Spar and back!

what would scooby do

dba - Gossy would get brake fade reversing off his driveway

I replaced by brakes as the standard four pots are pants (mind you I also cracked and shattered two sets of drilled disks also)

Leslie

I found it very interesting to do the mods to my car. I enjoy the extra performance and handling, and the engine runs more smoothly too. The front tyres don't wear out on the inside edges as they did do before. The handling is improved out of all recognition as well. The mods I did can't really be seen but I know they have been done and I get the pleasure from that.

I have modded most of the cars I have owned and like to improve them where I can.

Les

john banks

I've modified mine and would do again because it does most acceleration increments I am interested in in less than half the time it did when it was standard, and it stops properly now, and the handling is improved. Apart from a slightly larger looking backbox and 1" larger but lighter wheels (for performance not looks) it looks standard.

BTW, what have I broken so far? One gearbox, one aftermarket turbo that was not up to the spec published. Other than that I have only used consumables.

[Edited by john banks - 12/11/2003 11:58:23 AM]

nom

From the orignal post...
Well, duh, harder springs make the springs harder But a proper suspension mod isn't simply replacing the springs - well set-up coilovers, for example, are far more comfortable as well as significantly improving the handling. Both are very handy on-road (potholes disappear, and the problems associated with finding a pile of damp horse****e halfway round a corner are gone ).
If you're under this impression, I don't think you've driven the car as it was intended!
Agreed
Well... not strictly true. If you're into RR figures (what I'd consider to be 'Max Power and gay') then no; but if you drive the car, it can make quite a difference. Particularly when you go beyond what the standard one can manage (not hard!)
More agreement from me
A big more of a mixed bag than that! Depends on what the exhaust is for... it's quite possible to have 400bhp fully catted & as quiet (& normal looking) as the original pea-shoter, but most of the time the exhaust is changed simply to make the car louder. Not too sure of the point of that meself...
Roll cages work with the better suspension to make those potholes oh so much smoother . And if you do decide to have an accident, a roll cage & proper harness could easily save your life. IMO, all cars (including the shopping type) should be able to take a 'racing harness' as standard as if you're willing to wear one, they are so much more effective that having 47 airbags it's unbelievable.

And... before any Porsche owner gets too diggy about gold wheels, remember that it was Porsche that introduced the things in the first place

Coo, that was a long post!

[Edited by nom - 12/11/2003 12:15:13 PM]

Cosworth427

lol, this thread is stupid - right up there with the classic set of of posts that image doctor makes.

Why modify? Cars from the factory are compromises to meet opposing interests, a one size fits all. Drivers want a little better braking performance, because you can never have too much performance. You might want a little sharper responsive cornering, because road cars are built for comfort, some drivers dont mind that trade off.

Untill you actually pay for the modifications and actually modify my car for me image doctor, you cannot comment on how I want my car to be like.

Scooby96

Well I like the noise my non standard exhaust makes - if you dont then dont fit one to your car and leave those that do want to to do exactly what they want

SiPie

Absolutely hysterical.... PMSL at that load of nonsense

Even on 4 pots they don't stand up to moderately hard road use

LG John

Have to agree with Sipie. With the standard brakes over a fast 10 mile stretch in the Scottish Highlands I managed to push them so far that I got massive brake-fade on approach to a hairpin turn!!! I was approaching at about 90mph and had to get that down to about 40-odd to make the turn. There had been hints of fade the previous corners to I started braking early and I'm glad I did as my foot was pretty much imbedded in the carpet before they started to bite!! There was a 'moment' but I got through it

image doctor

Rally cars sound good, but dont have big exhausts?

The brakes on my Impreza were fine for the road.

NACRO

I've got an old Impreza with 2 pots and uprated pads, fluid, hoses-

3 hardish laps of the 'ring and had no fade. Perhaps I wasn't working them hard enough?

LG John

The ring doesn't (going by the full lap vids I've seen) have the sort of corners where you have to shed 50-60mph one after the other after the other with little time to cool off in between

StickyMicky

ive had my 2 pots on fire with sum enthusiastic road use

why oh why did they fit 2 pots to the early 276bhp wrx`s?
i refuse to upgrade them untill i can afford sum 6 pot hispec monsters

paulwrxboro

Ok two cars side by side youve got 20k to spend both cars are same price and condition one has mods one hasent whitch one do you go for ?

image doctor

standard one

catalunya199

this thread does seem stupid.people mod there cars to suit them ie.exhaust,spiolers,engine mods etc.

i like the p1 front splitter does that mean i have to buy a p1 so its standard.as for 2 pot brakes they are a joke i had black diamond combi discs and pagid pads and got massive fade almost didnt stop at a roundabout when i was setting up a boost controller(the roads were empty)

CraigH

I'd go for the modded one - as long as it had neons, big spoiler, bling bling wheels and lights and a phat exhaust

Some people seem a teeny bit defensive on here - bet you're the sort that stick all those lovely xmas lights of santa and cr4p outside your houses and think it looks nice too

scooby_si

& nom i was of the impression unless yer wearing a helmet then roll cages &/or harnesses are more likely to hurt you in a crash! OMG does that mean i'm argueing for standard
Si (off to shoot himself oh bugger i cant that's a mod )