nmlexus4gs

Sorry for the dumb question.
Why people do mods to their car ? specially, I read many people changing struts and springs and lowering the car. Is it because of the looks or for any other reason?
I can understand people wanting to change the wheels to 19" or 20" or chrome or matt finish etc but i never understood the struts and springs and exhausts etc.

jonathancl

eddie420

Struts/springs = Lowering the ride reduces the body roll, makes it more planted to the road. You can also change how soft or hard your car feels on the road, etc. Typically if lowering the car, it reduces the longevity of the struts because of different spring rates.

Exhausts = To make it sound a certain way. Some people don't like how quite our cars are... so they make them sound louder. Louder = more aggressive feeling on the road. Sometimes even used just for showing off. lol.

rmason

All in all it's mostly aesthetics more than performance gains and possibly some insecurities, purely for fun, boredom, wanting to stand out and some immaturity all in the mix.

And in the core it's probably because not all of us can afford something along the lines of a McLaren 720....I haven't seen many of those boys spend too much on performance mods.

AJLex19

I typically mod my car to have something a little more unique. Sometimes a subtle drop, a throatier exhaust or simple aesthetic mods can be done tastefully to stand out from the rest of the boring sea of similar vehicles out there.

SNiiP3R

iTrader: (3)

So it can look sharp and drive like crap!

bclexus

Oftentimes that's the case - the car drives like crap.

A good example is - probably 98% of the people that change springs cause their car to handle worse than it did with the original springs that came on the car.

Coolchuck

So funny....so true.

IndyIS

It's a sickness... once you start, you can't stop. I'm trying hard to not start on this latest car.

ECL

Boomin

Stock height your car looks freighted or you need to walk through a puddle of water and you lift your pants.

charley95

I like stock personally. Only mods. to mine are WeatherTec's & ExPel.

Knucklebus

Mods have been made to anything man comes in contact from the dawn of time. Cave paintings, tattoos, clothes, piercings and our conveniences.

Cosmetic mods give a unique appearance, like a peacock displaying his fan.

Exhaust mods convey a more powerful note.

Wheels, tires, springs, et al show a more aggressive stance, like a cat ready to pounce.

Almost all are designed to attract attention to the owner as evidenced by the reduction in user comfort.

rj4510

I used to religiously modify my cars to make them "better." Looks are subjective and at least from my perspective, my cars looked better. Once moded, there was just no end to the tweaks. Too stiff, too soft, too jouncy, change this, change that, pipes aren't loud enough, too load and kill my ears on the highway. I just leave crap alone and enjoy them now.

It has been stated we do mods to get our cars to ride like BMWs, so we can have reliability with handling in one package....I don't know, maybe I'm just too old, but the GS handles better than most BMWs I've been in. I sold a Z4, before buying the GS and while I absolutely loved that car, it beat the snot out of me in the city. The GS handles well without the beatings, I don't have to worry about the shaking rattling things loose or stress over getting too close to parking blocks.

I put a rear spoiler on mine and tinted the windows. That's where it'll sit till the wheels fall off....They will fall off far later if not shook to death by lowering and rubber band tires.

Knucklebus

Yep, I tinted my windows, put mud flaps on it and swapped in a bunch of LEDs to improve my user experience and/or keep the car nicer. I'm going to put one size bigger tires when it comes time for a new set to improve ride quality. Most of my mods are so subtle as to not even be evident to the uninitiated.