Modding a car...yay or nay?

Another thing I dont like modding is suspension, its a pain getting it set up right, its expensive and again you should just get the right car that has the right setup from the factory that suits you're needs
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However, things like wheels
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thats right, forget making the car drive and handle better, blow your wad on something pointless that at best has aesthetic effect (sans getting wider wheels for more grip).

no car under £20k comes out of the factory better than you could make it by spending £500 on suspension parts. maybe even up to £40k i dont know.
 
Oh FFS, read it properly. I personally woudlnt want to change to aftermarket suspension again because I personally cant be bothered to do so and would prefer to get the best handling car I can for my budget so I dont have to **** about with aftermarket suspension and if I dont like the OEM wheels I would want to change them, so what?

How about contributing to the OP instead of pointing out what you dont like about my personal preference
 
Nickg said:
thats right, forget making the car drive and handle better, blow your wad on something pointless that at best has aesthetic effect (sans getting wider wheels for more grip).

no car under £20k comes out of the factory better than you could make it by spending £500 on suspension parts. maybe even up to £40k i dont know.
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I've only ever been in one car with modified suspension that improved the handling for road use and that was a TVR which was crap to start with. The benefits are there for track use but with our generally crappy roads supple suspension allows you to go quicker.
 
Gribs said:
I've only ever been in one car with modified suspension that improved the handling for road use and that was a TVR which was crap to start with. The benefits are there for track use but with our generally crappy roads supple suspension allows you to go quicker.
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Indeed, especially with coilovers that people fit, they end up driving over speed bumps at 1mph just to avoid grinding out and to avoid losing teeth they drive all over the place constantly looking for pot holes but thats ok because the cars slammed to the weeds fo rael on teh coils so it "looks good" apparently and because its lower it must handle better too :rolleyes:
 
Relentless81 said:
Indeed, especially with coilovers that people fit, they end up driving over speed bumps at 1mph just to avoid grinding out and to avoid losing teeth they drive all over the place constantly looking for pot holes but thats ok because the cars slammed to the weeds fo rael on teh coils so it "looks good" apparently and because its lower it must handle better too :rolleyes:
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You can buy kits that improve handling on the road, the issue is people go too mad, fit coilovers & polybushes which make the car crap on anything other than a smooth track.
 
I've modified most of my cars and tbh while I enjoyed the research on which bits to buy/fit, the end result can be a mixed bag.

My dad always used to tell me that if I wanted a faster car ,just to save up and buy one, rather than wasting money modding a poorer car. In some ways he was right, but then many of my choices were dictated by cash flow. As a student I resorted to modding because I couldn't afford the car I wanted and was incapable of saving.

Today I wouldn't even bother modding a car that needed the mods before I was happy driving it or required the mods to be as fast as a car I should really buy instead.

Oh and definately don't bother modding if you are concerned about losing money.

They way I work it now, if a part requires replacement I generally look to fit an uprated aftermarket item - exhausts, brakes, wheels or suspension. I try to be careful that these parts don't ruin the practicality or the reliability of the car, but sometimes this happens.

One of the main problem with modding is that it can turn in to a money pit - if you increase the power output of your engine, you need to look at other potential weaknesses e.g. your brakes/suspension/gearbox etc. Unless you are prepared for this, disappointment usually awaits.
 
Janesy B said:
You can buy kits that improve handling on the road, the issue is people go too mad, fit coilovers & polybushes which make the car crap on anything other than a smooth track.
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I know, I have used shock and spring set ups a few times, i'm just saying that I wouldnt do it again because the cost for benefit isnt worth it as I mentioned in my first post in this thread. Coilovers are not suited to the road at all, it even says on all the boxes/pics i've ever seen "not suitable for road use"
 
i probably spent abnout £10k on mods for my mk2 and mk4 golfs and although it was great at the time, in hindsight i wished i'd put it away for a rainy day
 
Janesy B said:
You can buy kits that improve handling on the road, the issue is people go too mad, fit coilovers & polybushes which make the car crap on anything other than a smooth track.
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Pah, polys turn a car into a sofa.

Spherical bearings and metallistic bushes on the other hand :D
 
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Ive never been a fan either of modding cars as it doesnt help the value (sometimes can put it down) and can put people off it. If i had a track day car I would be up for modding it any day.
 
Depends why you modify.

I modify car's because I enjoy it. I like doing it, and seeing improvement in performance and looks bring enjoyment.

It is expensive, it would probably be better to buy a better base car, but then it would have the feeling of "I built that".

Why don't you just buy an already -well- modified car. It is much better value for money than doing it all yourself.

As for coil-over's not suitable for road use. Why don't you buy coil-overs that are decent rather than the highly marketted one's? I bought cheap one's for my 200sx S14a along with locking collars and it was the best 'mod' I ever made. Handling was incredible (for a RWD). It was bumpy but then I didn't mind it, however the wife did. So whether something is 'suitable' is down to personal preference.

If your just after a fast car, unless you are really into Fiesta's/Ford's just try something else that gets good reviews and is faster to start with. Obviously if you start with a Forced Induction car, making it faster will be a doddle.

Have you considered getting a BMW's diesel turbo with a remap. Been very impressed recently by them, but obviously handling won't be the same as the Fiesta.

Whatever you get, if it's fast and handles well, you'll have to compromise comfort at some point.

Personally, unless your prepared to spend big money getting a charger kit done properly on your car, I wouldn't bother. The last thing you want is a blown engine because you cheap'd out.

Good luck with whatever you get :-)
 
Generally you'll find people on this forum don't like modding but lots of them seem to have money to splash about on better/faster cars which not everyone does.

Modding is a hobby and as long as you realise you'll not get any money back on those mods then go for it.

At the end of the day it's your choice. I've probably spent close to £10k on my RX7 (including the car), alternatively I could've have bought a nearly new car with about 4bhp, way higher road tax etc. I know which I'd rather have ;)
 
Scougar said:
As for coil-over's not suitable for road use. Why don't you buy coil-overs that are decent rather than the highly marketted one's? I bought cheap one's for my 200sx S14a along with locking collars and it was the best 'mod' I ever made. Handling was incredible (for a RWD). It was bumpy but then I didn't mind it, however the wife did. So whether something is 'suitable' is down to personal preference
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Exactly, personal preference, and lets be honest the S14A has awful standard suspension ebay sleeves would be an inprovement and fitting with the thread I sold my S14A because of the amount of money it would cost to change the suspension to get it to handle the way I would want
 
Relentless81 said:
Exactly, personal preference, and lets be honest the S14A has awful standard suspension ebay sleeves would be an inprovement and fitting with the thread I sold my S14A because of the amount of money it would cost to change the suspension to get it to handle the way I would want
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By awful do you mean it has some body roll and suspension travel? That's a good thing for our crappy roads and it makes it much easier to drive as the limits are much more obvious. I kept mine on fresh standard suspension (other than a few poly bushes to replace worn ones) and on a couple of the meets I went to I was comfortably able to keep up with people with "uprated" suspension and more power. On the track it was a different matter.
 
Gribs said:
By awful do you mean it has some body roll and suspension travel? That's a good thing for our crappy roads and it makes it much easier to drive as the limits are much more obvious. I kept mine on fresh standard suspension (other than a few poly bushes to replace worn ones) and on a couple of the meets I went to I was comfortably able to keep up with people with "uprated" suspension and more power. On the track it was a different matter.
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Theres body roll and suspension travel and theres P&O ferry's, the S14A leans to the latter, literally.

Poly isnt designed to move as much as it would on a road car, makes me lol when people fit them too, just buy new OEM bushes that are designed for the road and the car will feel tighter anyway as guess what, new bushes have replaced old bushes shocker
 
MrLOL said:
whats so funny ?

far too many people just buy the most expensive kit there is and just have it set up wrong and make the handling on average roads even worse than before.

Yes some do get it set up properly, but most wont.
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Agreed a lot of people buy expensive components and then have no clue how to set it up, but this is a different issue to the components being the problem in the first place.

I have coilovers on my car, along with poly steering rack bushes and a full set of adjustable arms with firmer bushes. The difference they made after fitment (by a mechanic who knew what he was doing) was incredible. It is by no means 'useless for the road' whatsoever.
 
Relentless81 said:
Theres body roll and suspension travel and theres P&O ferry's, the S14A leans to the latter, literally.

Poly isnt designed to move as much as it would on a road car, makes me lol when people fit them too, just buy new OEM bushes that are designed for the road and the car will feel tighter anyway as guess what, new bushes have replaced old bushes shocker
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The suspension wasn't TOO bad when it was fresh. The problem is the newest S14as are now 10 years old, and a lot of the rubber bushes are totally shot :(.
 
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