A Story On How Not To Modify Your New Car

[rob83ke70]

the manufacturer - especially with new cars - has spent a bloody lot of time and effort and money getting it right...... pretty hard to improve.

 

try and explain that to the ricer boys on redlinegti and you get your head bitten off - "didn't you sell someone brake pads they didn't need today at work? didn't you sell them a brake fluid flush because the fluid is hydroscopic and has 4% moisture? etc etc etc"

 

there is precious little worth modifying on a new car especially a performance car. maybe a chassis brace, slotted rotors and performance brake pads, or slight tweaks to the exhaust. but for goodness sake get it right! and if you aren't confident to do it, pay someone who is capable of doing it.

 

Robert.

[rob323]

But at the end of the day, if you're not happy with the performance and have to mod it to be fully sickerer than before, maybe it shouldn't be the car for you.

So you're not going to come and help me put the supercharger on the Prado then (cause 180kw aint enough for me)?

First driving an excel, then a Toe-rag, and now not modifying cars....You've gone soft old boy! :D

[GJM85]

If new cars were poo, I'd be a car dealer.....

[ke70dave]

it is amazing though that in a day and age where talk of "renewable" energy is such a massive topic topic, and everyone is going on about the environment and recycling, but the item with the most technology and materials that almost everyone (in the western world) has and uses multiple times a day, is designed as a throw away artical?

 

why can't the engines be serviced (machined etc)?? why not make them less powerful but able to last 30yrs, like the corollas that we are all playing with? rather than be the latest wiz bang car for 5yrs, and then have to throw it away.

 

stupid backwards world.

[Redwarf]

So you're not going to come and help me put the supercharger on the Prado then (cause 180kw aint enough for me)?

First driving an excel, then a Toe-rag, and now not modifying cars....You've gone soft old boy! :D

 

 

Says the man rallying a pizza delivery car. ;)

Edited August 18, 2010 by Redwarf

[Trev]

New cars intake systems are generally designed for emissions so people change them since they don't flow good enough for power.

[GJM85]

New cars intake systems are generally designed for emissions so people change them since they don't flow good enough for power.

 

I agree. I just changed the intake on my TS Astra. Now it's full race.

[Redwarf]

Trev, I've had the dubious honour of sitting next to a large cross section of the Australian population. The last thing the vast majority (particularly the bling brigade) need is more power. Agreed intakes and exhaust don't flow perhaps as well as they should, but if you have, for example, and MPS3 with 190kW punching through the front wheels, more grunt will do.... well not a lot. XR5 is the same, ditto GTi.

 

Seriously, I cannot emphasise have ordinary most peoples driving ability is. I've had guys moan because we wouldn't allow them to turn the stability control off. I tell them that I don't have the talent to drive an MPS3 hard with the DSC off, therefore I'm pretty sure you don't. The only person I've seen do it competently is a bloke called Dick who runs a race team out of Yatala somewhere.

 

Then I take great delight in watching the instructors blow them off in a diesel Mazda 3 during the track session.

 

By all means tinker with toys (of which you can never have too many), but I struggle to see a legit reason to mod a 45K car off the shelf.

Edited August 18, 2010 by Redwarf

[rob323]

Says the man rallying a pizza delivery car. ;)

Yep, and that 1.3 litre 63kw pizza delivery car is still faster than the drop kick behind the wheel. More power just makes up for inadequate talent, and that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. :D

[redae71]

it is amazing though that in a day and age where talk of "renewable" energy is such a massive topic topic, and everyone is going on about the environment and recycling, but the item with the most technology and materials that almost everyone (in the western world) has and uses multiple times a day, is designed as a throw away artical?

 

why can't the engines be serviced (machined etc)?? why not make them less powerful but able to last 30yrs, like the corollas that we are all playing with? rather than be the latest wiz bang car for 5yrs, and then have to throw it away.

 

stupid backwards world.

 

i can't remember the exact reason for it, but the engines are physically able to be repaired but due to the sensitivity of the standard computer, it will run like shit and most probably blow up again, we had southside cylinder heads come out today and they said they can straighten the head but will have to take 10 thou off the block deck, (keep in mind they have an open deck) the amount of timing that would be taken out of the enigne by the management system to stop detonation would probably chuck an engine light on and a fair few codes ( as an educated guess). not to mention it is running more boost due to the breathing mods, me personally i would sell the car. it can be rebuilt but for warranty purposes they replace the engine and therefore see no need to supply specs for retail jobs, volvo to.

[ke70dave]

hmmmm yeah i think i still consider that a throw away article.

 

sounds far to highly strung to be working in 10yrs.