Newbie car question
- Thread starter Luke_Bowman
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Soldato
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Completely agree. There's no point trying to make a 1.0 Fiesta faster.
Well, you would be BONKERS spending that sort of money on a silly little 1.0T Fiesta. That IS money in the bank towards a nicer, faster car. Hell, a Focus TDI must make near that sort of power standard, without affecting your insurance.
I would spend the least possible on your current car, and take a couple years of saving up and get a big boys car when your insurance situation allows. ANY modifications made to your vehicle, while your building NCD will likely make a large difference to the premium. And will, ultimately, not be worth it.
Whereas once you have a few years experience, it makes very little difference. My map on my 335d affected only the excess, not the premium. But a few years ago, I was more expensive insuring a Golf GTI 1.8T with a few modifications, than I was on my Audi S4 with a 4.2 V8 that was substantially faster.
If you would like alloys though, by all means, get some. They can make a HUGE difference to the look of a motor. But try to stick to OEM or variations on that theme. For example, many BBS wheels are similar to OEM styled wheels, and can make massive improvements to the looks. There are other manufacturers too though. I would generally stay away from ANYTHING you'll find in Halfords, or on the dicks cars that sit outside Halfords. Focus ST / RS wheels, assuming the fitment is correct, could look good though.
It is also worth noting though that larger wheels don't look particularly great on ANY car without a bit of lowering. And that is something that while likely ruin the drive comfort. It may well look better, and possibly handle better, assuming it's all set-up correctly, but the ride comfort will be trashed, and if you go too low, getting insurance could be problematic. As with anything, stick with quality components though. H&R, Eibach, KW etc...
The single most important thing though, is tyres. DO NOT skimp here. If you can't afford good quality tyres, you cannot afford the wheels, simple. No point in risking your life, other peoples lives, and your car, just to save a couple hundred quid on the only point of contact between your car and the rest of the world.
Goodyear, Continental & Michelin are right at the top tier. After this I like Vredstein and Uniroyal. Then Falken & Avon, then forget it. There is nothing cheaper than these worth considering.
I would spend the least possible on your current car, and take a couple years of saving up and get a big boys car when your insurance situation allows. ANY modifications made to your vehicle, while your building NCD will likely make a large difference to the premium. And will, ultimately, not be worth it.
Whereas once you have a few years experience, it makes very little difference. My map on my 335d affected only the excess, not the premium. But a few years ago, I was more expensive insuring a Golf GTI 1.8T with a few modifications, than I was on my Audi S4 with a 4.2 V8 that was substantially faster.
If you would like alloys though, by all means, get some. They can make a HUGE difference to the look of a motor. But try to stick to OEM or variations on that theme. For example, many BBS wheels are similar to OEM styled wheels, and can make massive improvements to the looks. There are other manufacturers too though. I would generally stay away from ANYTHING you'll find in Halfords, or on the dicks cars that sit outside Halfords. Focus ST / RS wheels, assuming the fitment is correct, could look good though.
It is also worth noting though that larger wheels don't look particularly great on ANY car without a bit of lowering. And that is something that while likely ruin the drive comfort. It may well look better, and possibly handle better, assuming it's all set-up correctly, but the ride comfort will be trashed, and if you go too low, getting insurance could be problematic. As with anything, stick with quality components though. H&R, Eibach, KW etc...
The single most important thing though, is tyres. DO NOT skimp here. If you can't afford good quality tyres, you cannot afford the wheels, simple. No point in risking your life, other peoples lives, and your car, just to save a couple hundred quid on the only point of contact between your car and the rest of the world.
Goodyear, Continental & Michelin are right at the top tier. After this I like Vredstein and Uniroyal. Then Falken & Avon, then forget it. There is nothing cheaper than these worth considering.
A silly little car. Nice one mate, because you don't like it you feel it's ok to belittle him because you have a big boy 335d? lol.
If the OP likes his car and wants to do whatever he fancies to it, go for it! He may not want to pay repair bills like on the "big boys" cars.
I think it'd be interesting to see a 167BHP 1.0 turbo Fiesta giving it some, people see fun in different ways! Keep an open mind
To be honest I can't see why even a few hundred quid on a simple remap is a bad investment.
But alloy wise, you can't go wrong with the new style Fiesta Zetec S wheels, I think they're a nice looking motor!
If the OP likes his car and wants to do whatever he fancies to it, go for it! He may not want to pay repair bills like on the "big boys" cars.
I think it'd be interesting to see a 167BHP 1.0 turbo Fiesta giving it some, people see fun in different ways! Keep an open mind
To be honest I can't see why even a few hundred quid on a simple remap is a bad investment.But alloy wise, you can't go wrong with the new style Fiesta Zetec S wheels, I think they're a nice looking motor!
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Just for reference this is my car as it sits currently.
Wouldn't exactly call it a 'silly little car' but thanks for your input.
Wouldn't exactly call it a 'silly little car' but thanks for your input.
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It's already a good looking car, with nice looking alloys. Without a side by side shot I couldn't tell they weren't zetec s alloys.
If you feel the need to tinker, I'd be looking at a different grill. Whether it look better or not is subject to opinion.
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Funny you mention that, I specifically asked the woman at the dealership three times if the 'Dress up kit' included the honeycomb grill like the Zetec S and three times she told me yes.
It's a slight gripe but I was annoyed when I took delivery
It's a slight gripe but I was annoyed when I took delivery
Soldato
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stock wheels and lower it abit, more fun to drive
Sensitive lot on here eh? Dry your eyes people, then maybe you'll be able to read what was actually posted.
I wasn't saying the Fiesta was a "silly little car", if you actually read what I said, I said I would advise against spending over £2,000 on a "silly little" 1.0T engine to make it as fast as a standard TDI. Not when the OP can put that £2k towards a better car, when his insurance premiums allow (assuming that's the issue here of course).
I have absolutely no hate for the Fiesta at all, my first car was a 1.0 Fiesta, and I did subsequently have a Fiesta Si (admittedly when they were the fastest Fiesta you can buy). And I actually really like the new Fiesta. It looks great, almost like a mini-Aston with that big front grill. So you can your closed minded, "jumping the gun" attitude and keep it to yourself.
The ONLY reason I can see why anyone would want a 1.0T and then want to make it faster, is that they cant insure a faster car at the moment. I mean it looks a relatively new Fiesta, so must be worth a good few grand, which could have easily bought a faster car. I'm not saying that my old 335d was what I would consider a "big boys" car, but anything with a 1.8 litre or above is surely the minimum place you would realistically start with if you are wanting something with a reasonable lick of go about it. And nowadays, to insure such an engine, you either need to be loaded, or a bit older.
Moreover, I am a HUGE fan of remapping any turbo'd motor. Been doing it for years. Justifying any more than a simple remap on an already reasonably slow motor though, is just insane. I've done it before. On a 1.8T Golf GTI. Spend thousands on it, and made it a little quicker, before realising what I COULD have had if I had just sold the standard car and added the mod money to it. I would have had a much faster car, straight out the box, and not lost all that mod money.
Remaps and wheels are different though. A simple £300 remap aint gonna break the bank, and will make a massive difference (normally) to the drive of the car. Wheels can always be sold on, easily enough, assuming you buy the right wheels in the first place, and as long as you keep the original wheels too.
Leave it as stock, it's just fine. Mess with it and you'll break all Ford's good work and make it harder to sell on.
If you want to personalise it get some fluffy dice.
^^^ He gets it...
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