Certainly a reason why we feel "OEM+" can feel like such the right sweet spot. Gives you the satisfaction of making something your own, wrenching with a purpose outside of maintenance, yet simultaneously enjoying parts the factory engineered for your platform that happen to be a slight upgrade from the base/simpler trims within a model. Also this had tech 9 vibes, nice work.
My OEM+ (No tune required boundary) 15 STi Arm rest extention Weather Tech Floormat High wall Sony XAV-AX100 Android Auto / Apple Car Play MTX RT8PT Sub 275/30R19 19x9.0 +50mm 245/40R18 18x8.0 +45 Studded Tire IAG AOS Cylinder 4 Cooling Mod STi Short Shifter Polyurathane Shifter Bushing Kit VSC Engine Mount VSC Tranny Mount VSC Pitch Stop Perrin Firewall bracing / Pitch Mount Perrin Master Cylinder Brace 100k km - Timing Belt Kit / Cosworth Kevlar Belt Fluidampr - Silicon Harmonic fluid balance Damper Spark Plug Replaced 0W40 Rotella T6 / Delvac ESP / Redline Cocktail Redline Lightweight ShockProof Cocktail Rear diff stock fluid All 4 Cylinder Compression Normal STi Front Lip Flow Design Austraila Under Spoiler Verus Engineering - Front Canard / Hood Louver Cooling Primitive Racing - Front Skid plate / rear diff skid plate (Aluminium) STi - JDM Transmission skid plate (Plastic) STi - JDM Aero Splash guard Velossatech Big Mouth Air Intake extention To be added Grimspeed UEL Header Cobb Uppipe IAG Street Oil pan kit STi sideskirt spoiler/ extention Coilover @ stock heigh something Verus Engineering Rear LCA IAG TGV Top feed IAG Phenolic Spacer Set - 8mm
Completely agree. People mod for specific goals or just OEM+. I own an NA miata that’s heavily modded, but I’ve tried to do it tastefully by simply replacing things with better quality parts when it needs it. Some mods are just go faster crap that I liked the idea of years ago that I’ve now grown out of to the point I look at a stock ND and find myself preferring the simplicity of a stock car. I’d know I’d mod an ND too if I got one, but I’d buy the model with the right seats or just get a simple remap and slip diff on the 1.5L model. My NA is a ton of fun, but it hasn’t been reliable and needed far too much attention when I’ve just wanted to drive it.
I’ve never been a big fan of ‘super-modding’ but I’ve always loved the idea of OEM+. Better intake, a (resonated!) cat-back exhaust and maybe a Stage 1 tune. Other than that, keep the car clean and mechanically maintained - if it looks good and is reliable, what more do you need?!
good term. tasteful mods, and ben mentioned something very interesting too. For every mod, there's a drawback and things I never thought about. Obviously the big things like turbo, air intake, etc. But even the motor mounts too. And as someone who has seen a ton of cars get built on youtube that look, sound and perform great, i do wonder after a certain point if people fear driving them.
I like this approach and what I ended up doing with my Focus ST. Most mods I put on the car was to make it easier for me to drive and enjoy. I am short with shorter arms. Short shifter makes it easier for me to use the transmission. I disliked the sound resonator, so I deleted it and changed the intake to give a bit more consistent sound. I added mud flaps to reduce the amount of dirt that wound up on the hatch. None of it actually makes the car faster, and all of it can easily be undone.
Oem+ is the way to go for a daily driver. I only added a couple power mods, got a tune, and then just focused on drivetrain mods to enhance the driving experience. And so far I have no regrets
These ”philosophical” car-scene discussion videos are your best work! I would add one more thing to the mod checklist: Compare the mods to a good condition stock car, this is specially important in suspension, where parts do wear out, and any change can improve the experience.
This video was brilliant. As I've aged, and find myself in a position to afford nicer, faster cars, I find that I have less desire to tweak them. The manufacturers know more about cars than we do. Full stop. Not modifying doesn't make you any less of an enthusiast. It just means you appreciate the way a car comes from the factory and the things that come with that (comfort, reliability, balance, versatility, etc).
@@scorpioassmodeusgtx1811 The whole point of the video is that what you think is in YOUR best interest often isn't. People want a sharper suspension but then hate the stiffness. They want a louder exhaust but then hate the drone. Want camber and wide wheels but then hate the tire bills and tramlining. Want a big turbo but then hate the lag. Want to push their engines to the limit and then it blows up after 10k miles. Unless you're building a car for a specific purpose, then you're better leaving it mostly stock, because hundred of engineers did a bunch of math and found that compromise point for you. If you feel like they did a bad job, then it's very possible they are the wrong group of engineers and therefore you don't own the right car. Many people buying BMWs but wanting Porsches. However, I do agree that small mods here and there to improve slight things are worthwhile, just important to really think things through before pulling the trigger because every single mod has a tradeoff
@@scorpioassmodeusgtx1811 I agree, though there is almost always a drawback unless it's literally OEM parts. Only thing is the smaller the mod, the smaller the drawback. For example, clutch spring on BRZ/86 (super common mod to give the pedal more feel) makes the pedal heavier. I had an E46 M3 with an aftermarket headunit and it drained the battery a little faster. Unless it's OEM parts, I can't think of a single mod that doesn't add even the slightest drawback. That being said, some drawbacks are so small that you could argue there is none perceived
This comment sucks. *marketing* doesn't want you to mod the car, but I don't know a single engineer who has ever said, "don't tinker with what we built, we know better than you"
I think there's another exception you left out.. when a manufacturer keeps improving your specific car for a few more years of the production run after yours. Those mods are no-brainers. But definitely hear your point. I've felt the same way many times in the duration of car ownership.
There's definitely some valuable mods you can do, especially OEM ones that have research backing them. Even some aftermarket mods like new speakers, head units, etc where the OEM options were lacking. But facelifts of newer years of your car are definitely great options for mods without sacrificing too much convenience
These are the mods I appreciate the most. You have to have a keen eye for the car to spot them. For example, the only engine mod I am doing to my camaro is the 01-02 style intake manifold which adds 15 hp to car with the previous style manifold. And yes OEM performance parts are $$$.
I love and hate my 100% stock Evo 4, but I’ve now turned it into a pristine show car, and it’s basically turned completely useless as I’m more worried about damaging literally anything. Awesome vid G&G!
@@turnip5465 A 20+ year old 100% stock show condition car that's very sought after that also is extremely rare to find stock is NOT meant to be driven anyways. That's literally a museum piece in the making.
Honestly, the more I've messed with my Viper, the more I appreciate how it was stock. The biggest daily drive style changes have been suspension and a cam. The suspension isn't that bad and is probably still better in the long run as it's adjustable and can help it feel more stable compared to the stock suspension that could sometimes feel a little wobbly (though one or two of my shocks were leaking, so that might have been why). The cam is really the biggest change I sort of wish I didn't do. It pretty much makes gen 4 power in a gen 3 engine now, but it's not quite as nice to drive around town as it doesn't particularly like low rpm anymore and it's way louder. Tried to quiet it down by putting cats back on it, but they were running so hot I would smell burning rubber or plastic after driving it around town. Granted I really don't drive the car as often as I used to now with hybrid work and a wife with back problems. Everything is pretty much always going to be a tradeoff. Especially with enthusiast cars, the factory typically does a pretty dang good job to make a car that does as much as it can as well as it can. A stock ACR is still basically a race car in street car clothes, but will probably drive nicer than someone buying a base model and putting on all their own aftermarket suspension and aero.
This is often the problem with aftermarket parts designed to suit an aesthetic. They are easily marketed to people who forget that every original component serves an important (and often undervalued) function.
Yep. OEMs aren't going to leave HP or MPG laying there with a filter box design. Some of the stock intake systems have tuning to eliminate dead spots in the power curve (NA Miata intake resonator for example). It makes me laugh when people spend money on a "cold air intake" when the factory setup pulled cold air, and often from a better, colder location than the "upgrade." Forget the real world problems with stuff like having your aftermarket CAI decide it's a shop vac and ingest a puddle one day, destroying your engine. Or that a lot of these aftermarket air filters don't increase airflow significantly but do a noticeably worse job of keeping dust out of your engine (looking at you, K&N).
The problem is that function is usually called "cost efficiency". You can certainly objectively upgrade a car with zero subjective downside, as long as you have the money.
@immikeurnot this is true with modern cars, but many 80s and 90s cars had issues with poor airflow due to CARB restrictions which weren't worth engineering around at the time. You can blame California for CAI and Catback popularity exploding.
Which I totally don't mind because it makes sense. Modding a car too far is a thing. If I have a Silvia S15, I'd just lightly mod it to make it a joy to drive at a touge and on the street. Speed isn't its thing, but more in the handling department I reckon. Drifting? Come on, it can do that well. XD
I appreciate well maintained/restored stock cars, especially rare limited edition cars, way more than insanely built Time Attack cars, keep this content coming! No offense to the fun you guys are having on the track, that stuff is rad too!
This is the kinda stuff I love to see. I’ve been going down a rabbit hole with my STI hatch and this video made me realize it’s NOT WORTH IT! You’re right, I drive the car to work, the gym, and to do “car stuff” with my friends. It doesn’t need to be a rocket ship for me to enjoy it
Great points, but you missed the big one. RESALE VALUE. Most buyers don't care if you have 20k of mods in your car - unless you sell it to the right person. Even then you'll not get near what you want for it and have in it. Most likely, when you are done with the car and want to maximize profits, you end up parting it out and end up with a shell of your favorite boy racer - leaving one less on the roads.
Subarus….. I’ve done it too many times. Parting out someone’s baby because they blew the engine and can’t afford to replace it. Selling it cheap to just get something to drive to work. When you think about it, they could have bought something nicer, newer, and better to commute with. But before they blow their sti up and park it in their yard for a year, they always have the biggest smiles rolling down the street.
I bought my WRX brand new because I didn't want someone's modded up or beat on car - which most WRXs fall into one of those two buckets. The Legacy GT I traded in was my daily driver for 12 years, and I couldn't afford to trade into something that I couldn't trust to get me to work every day.
People who constantly flip through vehicles seem to over look this. If you do modify a car, modify a car you are whole heartedly interested in KEEPING FOREVER. Don't always try to pass off your custom build to someone who will never appreciate it as much as you, especially if you did all the work. There's way too many people who ended up saying" I shouldn'a sold it."
It's like selling your favorite painting. Sure, it's great for you, but it might not be to others. So why would you sell what you like? Keep it and love it.
For those of you who mod your car, just do it for yourself. Don't do it because its something that everyone else does, do it because its something you want. To this date I have yet to do a single mod that doesn't have its draw backs but I knew that going into it so it doesn't really bother me all that much. and pro tip, aside from maybe an intake, coilovers, wheels, and maybe some cosmetic work, don't change anything mechanically on your daily, that will really make life worse. LOL
Great comment. This shouldn't be a trend, because this can set you back financially. I want to tune my car. A 2009 w204 C class, but nothing crazy. It's pretty much perfect, but I want to make some changes. But that's a lot of cars. Manufacturers can't make a car that pleases everyone. Some find stock cars perfect and other feel the need to add some changes. My current car I mentioned is one of my favorite of all time, but I feel it could be a bit better. Another favorite of mine is the M8 competition. It can be heavily modified, but me I feel it's perfect straight from the factory.
I love this video. Really truly. A lot of people I know come to this point. I'm 39 and for many years I was all about building cars and I heavily modified/ruined everything I owned. Not un-ironically, now that I'm established in life, I have 0 project cars now. All of my cars have a purpose - X5 for a daily, an E92 M3 for a summer daily, and a 718 GT4 for a weekend/track car. The only mod on my GT4 is exhaust. The E92 is slightly more modified with exhaust AND coilovers - but it's a very street-friendly compliant setup. I want my cars to work. As I get older and realize the value of time and the fact that my real enjoyment comes from DRIVING the cars - I am much more focused on minor modifications for what I care about (mostly sounds), and thus having vehicles that just work when I want them to. I have found that going heavy on mods usually means you are chasing a different car that you should have bought originally. There comes a point of no return in modifying cars where the rabbit hole just goes so deep that it's basically impossible to recover. All that said, if I had to do it all over again, I'd do probably 80% of it the same. I learned how to work on cars by modifying them, which taught me a lot just in general about how other things in life go together logically, like the components of a house for example. My skills in wrenching on cars that I developed since I was 16 allowed me to have an easier time learning how to fix things on rental properties in my late 20s. Modifying cars has a lot of constructive purpose behind it, and as a life experience there is a ton of value there. Make no mistake about it. That said, the trick is to find the correct balance which gets to the message in this video about WHY you are modifying something. What purpose will it serve? Do not mod just to mod. Really spend time learning about the car, the community and what is possible, and what makes sense for you. If what you want isn't possible with the car, then stop and think "do i want to spend potentially infinite money being a trailblazer for this platform? Or should i just buy a different car entirely that is closer to what I want to do?"
You make a great point. The Cayman GT4 for example is basically perfect from factory for track use. Whereas I'm going to need to add reliability mods if I'm going to seriously track my NB2 MX-5 or WRX STI. Based on your budget and garage it sounds like you chose the correct route. Congrats and happy you can spend more time driving\less wrenching.🙂
@@chron151 I think it goes back to just being sure about what you want to get out of any particular car. an NB2 can be tracked at HPDEs with relatively low investment when compared to other cars. Honestly if I was smart I would have had a car like that long ago. I started tracking 10 years ago with a 135i and spent stupid money on a less than optimal platform in the first place. In one sense I wised up in 2016 and bought an E30 track car that was already set up for like 10k and saved myself 20k in mods and time, however, it was really useless on the street and had to be trailered. For someone like me who only was doing 3-5 events a year, it doesn't make sense. But that also gets to the question of how much are any of us seriously tracking? How many events a year realistically? Are you looking to do spec racing or something or just HPDEs? What I have learned is that when I had less money I was far too eager to try and force the cars I did have into something they weren't, because I couldn't afford higher end cars that do those things natively. I should have probably done minimal mods to scratch the itch and put together a proper savings plan over time to eventually attain better cars. I will be the first to admit I ran into some dumb luck that allowed me to 5x my income and put me in a spot to own what I want - yes it took some work and all that but my point is I didn't have some 10-year plan where I was thinking ahead, and I probably should have. I'd be even better off today if I had done that. I learned that most cars that are sporty - whether it be an STI, a stock M3, an old 350z, etc. are all actually really fun on track if you throw some great pads on, decent tires and keep suspension work modest. I spent over 15 years with cheaper cars and a much lower budget than where I am now, and while I stand by my earlier statements that I'd probably do a lot of it over again the same way, there are definitely some things I'd change. One of those is being very measured about how serious my needs were for a particular thing I wanted to do. You can get some amazingly good fun out of an NB2 and if I had been more realistic earlier on, I'd probably have tracked a car like that for a long time.
That is a beautiful lineup, I would love an E39 M5 and a 981 GT4 some day. The E92 M3 is my fav M3! I think what you said should be pinned, that was a great read.
It’s really nice going from automotive to home improvement or repairs. House stuff is so easy to fix and so much cheaper most of the time. Car stuff is like 1 little thread being damaged can mean that the car is now a 3k lb paper weight until that’s fixed. Rentals are definitely where it’s at.
So many people ask me why I don't mod my NA Miata. This video perfectly sums up the reason! I love driving around the mountains. I love taking road trips in it. Even though I do autocross it, 99% of my time with that car is spent is driving on public roads. If I were to lower it on coilovers, add a loud exhaust, and forced induction, the car would much less fun to drive in the circumstances I mostly use it in. Yeah, it would be faster at autocross, but then I wouldn't be able to take it on rough mountain roads, then it would be too uncomfortable to drive hundreds of miles in. The only mods I've made to the car since buying it have been a Racing Beat cat-back exhaust, stickier summer tires, more aggressive brake pads and rotors, and mud guards. All of these mods I chose to make the car fit my driving style better. The Racing Beat exhaust is quiet, not that much louder than stock, but it makes the engine sound cooler and allows me to hear it better from the driver's seat. The stickier tires let me corner faster. My slotted rotors and carbon ceramic pads stay cooler, longer, and I don't have to think about not using them too much on a long, spirited mountain drive. The mud guards keep my paint nicer when I decide to venture down a gravel road in the country. However, there are still some trade-offs to these mods as my tires don't work well in winter weather, and carbon ceramic brake pads are expensive to replace. But I have another car I daily drive so those sacrifices don't really bother me.
@Spencer LaValle I live in the middle of nowhere, and it was the only nice one in my area that wasn't mutilated by some teenager. Also, I'm sorry to say, but the days of finding any decent sports car under $5,000 are long gone, my friend. If you're looking for a Miata under $5,000, it's going to need at least some work. You can still get a pretty decent one between $6,000 and $8,000. If you want a nice Miata, especially with an LSD, you're going to be spending over $6,000. Though, automatic Miatas are significantly cheaper.
I like to tinkering, so my Miata this spring will be getting the flyin Miata treatment. Vmaxx coils, sways, and the new poly bushings (mine OEM ones are toast) new wheels and tires aswell, then it will sit like that for sometime.
In a perfect world i think all of us enthusiasts would have a couple of every car we like. One to keep stock and drive on the road, one to mod like crazy and take to shows, and one to thrash on the track on the weekends haha. Keep it up yall
I absolutely love these... 'life lesson' videos that you guys put out. I agree 100% that it's all perspective. More importantly, it's to realize you need to evaluate your perspective is the key in either modifying your car or keeping it stock(ish). I have my motorcycles for my go-fast fix, and then my eco-car and SUV are my logistical-vehicles that I know I COULD modify, but they are absolutely perfect the way they are for doing what I intend them to do.
Being closer to 40, I've started appreciating stock well maintained cars more just due to the fact that stock cars are much more reliable. Great video!
I have a 2008 Lexus IS-F that I bought brand new, kept it stock (well besides updated OEM diff from the later models) and daily drive it to this day - I know nothing is going to break because its all been tested through the factory - only tires, oil and gas. Warm it up and drive it like you stole it. Leave you daily drivers stock people.
Amazing how gears and gasoline adaptas to changes and makes videos that are genuinely fun to watch and not monotonous at all. I've stopped caring about every other car channel i used to watch before but watching your videos just makes me excited about learning something new about the automotive world. Also was wondering why tall ben hasn't been in any of the videos recently. Was nice to see you back in a video
I feel like this is part of getting older and a bit wiser, at least as far as tuning goes. 25 year old me would have "upgraded" just about everything I could afford. 36 year old me now drives it stock and identified where I think it can be improved. For example, my '21 WRX I've owned since new. After driving it up in the mountains with some other WRX/STIs, just about the only thing I really felt held it back were the brakes. Even then, I didn't need a BBK, just some better pads/rotors/fluid and a master cylinder brace to improve pedal feel. That's it.
I love that you guys mentioned Ayrton Senna in this video. He is one of my late heroes and he actually died of the year after I was born. Watching all his old racing/cockpit footage like this really shows why hes regarded as one of the best drivers to ever grace the formula 1 circuit.
I needed to hear this. New WRX owner, new to the car community, my WRX is also my daily driver. Definitely have the mod bug, to a degree - but this was a good reminder that performance mods, by and large, just aren’t a good idea for my use case (especially in a WRX)
This video hit different for me. Over the past two years I’ve been building an NA Miata. Started as a stock 1.6 5 speed. The most fun car I’ve ever driven! Bar none! Then I decided it was mod time. I’d always wanted to modify a car. Now I have the time and money, so let’s party. Suspension, wheels and tires were a must. Wheels I wanted didn’t fit, so add a widebody. Car had way too much grip to slide anymore with the wide, sticky tires, so we gotta add some power. Stock motor can’t handle much boost, so might as well forge those internals before adding the turbo. AC is in the way of the intercooler, that’s gotta go. Spring pressure is still kind of boring, let’s turn up the boost. Heater core leaked all over my foot, let’s just loop it out so we can keep testing the tune. Gotta add a roll bar with all this extra power. Stock seats don’t protect your head from said rollbar very well, gotta add some recaros. Added power lead to a game of “whoops, all neutrals!” When the diff quit, let’s add a torsen. Drivetrain slop? Time to stiffen up those mounts! There. It’s done!!! And I hate it. It’s loud, uncomfortable, and nerve wracking to drive. I’d trade my car for the stock car that I admittedly ruined 100 times out of 100. But this whole ordeal taught me one (expensive) lesson. It taught me how NOT to modify a car. I built a streetable track car, when I wanted a trackable street car. I’m selling the car, hopefully to someone who wants to go fast around a track and starting over. Hopefully I’ll get it right this time.
I agree with each and every point. Whenever I throw a new part or mod to the car I can't wait to see the change in the cars feel, handling or comfort. Because sometimes it's bitterly dissappionting and I'll have to reverse it. Sometimes parts compromise too much with minimal benefit. Love the car philosophy you have been sending out.
I love your content, I love the builds and the road trips. But this really goes back to the roots of when I started watching your channel and I love it! Keep up the good work Bens
This video is great advice. My first new car was a Focus and I wanted to make it faster. My friends had some 3 series cars and that was my mod benchmark. I started the planning process and totaled up the time, money and effort to get my focus to keep up with a 335 and it would cost me more in time and money than to just save up and buy a car that is closer to what I wanted. So I saved and got a G35 6MT and it was great, perfect car for my need of a quick and fun commuter car. I moved to snow country and saved for my Mk8 R, which is amazing in the snow. I do really basic mods like wheels, intake, shift knob and mudflaps, and I’m really happy with the daily drivability plus super fun mountain roads. Someday I’ll have room in the garage for a pure project car but my goals are always plan and mod for the mission, in my case daily driver. Mods for the sake of mods are fun, but shouldn’t thought of as a requirement to be an enthusiast.
I know the mods to my GTI don’t make much sense but I enjoy seeing and feeling the changes. It’s fun to research parts and learn more about the car along the way. If something doesn’t feel right I’ll take it off and try something else. If you like modding the go for it. Nothing wrong with a stock vehicle either.
Here's my key points for any "Daily" build; 1. Keep/Upgrade the poly mounts. 2. RACING SEATS ARE A BAD IDEA, instead go with dampening seats or seats from another track built car. 3. Stick to a non-aggressive/adjustable suspension. 4. Keep the sound deadening.
After 30 years of driving and having many modified cars I can confirm that if you want a faster, better handling car, the best option is to save your money and buy a stock, faster and better handling car. It will be more of a pleasure to drive and be much more reliable and most probably hold its value better. 👍
You are absolutely correct, sir I have a $80,000 Mustang that I can’t drive and a new hellcat with a blown engine only putting 800 to the wheels from a professional ha ha shop. Dodge is putting in a new stock motor in that with my Borla, exhaust and cold air intake that is the end of my modifications.
Always have been a firm believer of modify to fix, not modify to hope if that makes any sense, or modify to simplify/modify to fix a factory failure. I like my cars pretty close to stock but there's always improvements you can make and some don't have drawbacks. Like putting a better carb on your old vehicle or upgraded injectors on your late 90s vehicle for better power and fuel economy. This video was a good generalization but theres always going to be some case by case basis. The only mod I've made with some drawback is the momo seat in my Miata makes my legs go numb after 15 minutes or so
Thank you, Tall Ben. I’m glad I figured this out in my mid 20’s. I love my stock S2000, but people still look at me weird for wanting to keep it that way.
This pretty much captures my experience. Started with modifying a Nissan Sentra back in the day for auto-cross purposes then it became drag racing then morphed to being a show car. When I sold that car and bought an 06 STI brand new I realized how that modified Sentra could never be what the stock STI already was. I didn't have regrets on the money/time spent as it was memories that will not be forgotten. But I enjoyed so much having a stock car that performed the way it does that even to this day, I still have the stock 06 STI, never modified (Window Tint and stereo only), and still enjoy it for what it is and I'm not trying to make it something I don't need. 17 years of ownership taught me the enjoyment of a vehicle is a personal thing and means different things for everyone and for me, keeping mine stock gives me the same experience I had when I first purchased it. Thanks for the video!
As an Evo IX wagon owner I definitely hear ya! I am carrying out the basic bolt-on mods to improve power delivery and handling further than what good characteristics it has from the factory. Some, like the stiffer suspension and larger rear sway bar do give it a more firmer ride but I am happy with that trade off as it's not my daily driver (instead I have a VW... on lowering springs... with a tune... and engine mounts hahahha), but other mods like braided brake lines and larger intercooler piping give improvements without a trade-off. My IX wagon also has the unfortunate automatic transmission choice, so I am in the process of manual swapping it, yeeting the smaller 15G turbo and giving it the MIVEC cylinder head it should have had from factory.
@@sumergill1351 One of about 2500 made for the Japanese market only! It's RHD and have it in Canada with me, intention is to take it home to New Zealand eventually.
I understand this from a certain perspective. This makes a lot more sense if you're doing this to your daily driver. That's why everyone should have a beater work car, then something exciting to drive when they feel like it. Because the amount of regret and dissatisfaction is way lower when you don't have to drive it every day.
Again a very good video of its sorts. Thanks G&G for bringing it to us again. One more thing to consider when (not) modifying: the market value. The sales value can even go down when you want to sell it on, and /or the amount of potentially interested buyers can decrease, even though you added value in all the money you spent. Even when the mods were done correctly.
Just got a 370Z and I discovered a new appreciation for every slow car I’ve ever had. Being able to slam a car from 1st to 5th and not even go over the speed limit is pretty fun.
As far as I'm concerned, as long as it looks good and runs good, that's all that matters to me. Some dress up aesthetically and some long term reliability/ durability mods are all I really see as valuable. I know men who have modded the evos they drove everyday happily, till it became a now and again thing because: "racecar". You actually enjoy it less... you have more things to do to upkeep it till, in the end, you just go look for a more stock option that you want to drive every day: the same thing that you just sacrificed in the pursuit of wanting to be fast. I've modded a lancer from carburetor to a turbocharged 1800 motor, converted manual, on coilovers and superpro bushings... and evo bodypanels. But it is for the most part, stock power. Slow? Yes. Enjoyable everyday? Yes... just as much as my mostly stock EVO 7. It's preference, but in the long term you have to know what you want out of it.
Thanks for this video Ben... This actually made me appreciate more my stock 2007 Opel Astra GTC on stock form, I originally planned on getting adjustable suspension, stage 1 tune, full exhaust (even if its diesel) and some bodywork/rims done. But guess I'm gonna enjoy it stock some more until I get enough money for mods. I got to admit that I hate how slow the stock engine is, in a straight line accel is but she's pretty good at fuel economy and she's by no means slow in top speed. I enjoy how she handles on low speed bends and how good the acceleration is out of the corners (diesel torque). Maybe the suspension is hard as rock and I gotta watch for potholes with my stock low profile rims but it is nowhere near as uncomfortable as a adjustable suspension or cut spring setting like some of my friends have... modding my suspension would certainly make the current problem worse even if it greatly improved handling by a long shot. And hey Ben, you truly convinced me with the reliability part, my model is often said to have transmission and clutches which are as fragile as glass, so... I might keep the stock trany and clutch to enjoy it stock for a while. Some things are better enjoyed when in stock form.
I totally feel this, I have an FBO evo 9 with 50k miles and I only take it out when going on road trips or local meets and it’s such a nice street car just how it is but in he back of my head I wanna track the car and make it faster but don’t wanna lose the drivability
Another point is that a lot of car guys will hardly ever push their cars to the limit let alone go to track days that they'd feel the need to upgrade and mod. Especially their daily drivers. If anything unless you're racing then Stage 1 is probably where you'll find the best everyday potential of your car.
Perfect video. I have a Veloster N that I feel is nearly perfect besides wanting to downsize the 19s to 18s and add an intake for more funny noises. 2.5 years and 60,000 miles later and I’m still loving this thing.
I personally own 2 cars and both have modifications. 1 a mk4 jetta tdi and the other an e90 with the n54. The jetta is simply tuned and straight piped both of which definitely helped the drivability as a stock 1.9l turbo diesel from 2004 is quite slow and honestly scary when pulling out in traffic or merging on the highway. The e90 is a different story. It has an intake, exhaust, upgraded lpfp, upgraded intercooler, tuned, and lowered on h&r springs. Honestly the car doesn't need any of it, the stock 300bhp is plenty so have fun between traffic lights. The lowering springs just make the car feel awful on any trips where pot holes and bumps in the road are inevitable. The exhaust is far too loud for having a conversation with a passenger. All of that said the car is an absolute blast to drive "spirited" and I do plan to make some changes like a less aggressive suspension and quieter exhaust. I think any modifications can be perfectly reasonable as long as it meets your own personal liking, but that can for sure cost a little more than you might like when finding the sweet spot.
There used to be a tv-show in Germany in the 70s about flaws and faults in then-new cars. One was a gearbox-issue with certain Fords. A retired engineer developed a few-dozen-bucks fix and offered it to Ford. They declined :| 50 years on BMW has an issue with the Z4 roof control. Again an enthusiast develops an easy solution, this time for a repair, that is far cheaper than what BMW usually does (basically cutting half the car open). BMW declines.
Exactly my philosophy on cars. I have a JDM mk4 Legacy GT Wagon. I bought it bone stock. It was and never became a project car. I knew I wanted OEM STI parts on it but felt confident that I could draw the line after those jobs were done; which was how it went. I’m satisfied. Now and then I do feel a bit bored by it, but I’ll always come back around to how much I just love and appreciate my car as it is. Seen lots of other Legacies that look, sound and likely feel far more impressive than mine. But mine won’t require the compromises that come as a consequence to endless and expensive, continued tweaking; or the stress of having to study and read up on how to approach mods as you should on the Subaru platform (Like what Donut Media didn’t initially do). All in all - I’m happy to enjoy others’ work, and remain happy with my own.
We have the same idea. I have a Datsun 1200 where I'm putting restomod to make it a somewhat modern car soul in a vintage car disguise. And now I am looking for a similar car to mod the heck out of it and see how far that Datsun's carbureted A series engine can go. They have been using the same engine since the 60s all the way to 2012.
It’s so interesting seeing a video explaining how you’ve been feeling lately, I drove a bone stock focus ST and I love it, and I have no intentions of doing anything crazy to it, and that’s just fine
I've been thinking about this a lot with my FoST. I wanted to do a bunch of stuff to it but then remembered I live in NJ and our roads can be dogshit, especially where I work. So I took off the 19in RS wheels and went down to an 18 and I plan on doing some OEM+ mods cause for most people, thats what I think works best.
From one FoST owner to another, a better fmic to eliminate heat soak, rear motor mount to reduce wheel hop, exhaust, NGK 6510 spark plugs, and a tune are all you need to have a lot of fun for not a lot of money. After almost 7 years of ownership, I still have a blast dailying mine. A pedal spacer is also worth it for easier heel-toe.
Modifying cars is a personal preference. The average person does it and steps back from the car happy. CZcamsrs are the only ppl (that I have met) that build cars for the reactions of others.
As these cars get older finding good parts to restore is hard. The market is saturated with cheap parts. I've tried buying 'good' parts that could be classified as 'mod' parts with lack luster results. My opinion is, if its not broke, don't fix and if you do change something buy something you can get as such information on as possible even if its more money. Nothing is worse than chasing your tail. Just my half cent.
preach homie! when I had my C5 z06 the only mods I did were to fix the sloppy shifter, massive steering wheel, oil catch can and better tires. car drove great and made more than enough power stock to keep me satisfied for the 6 years I owned it. that mk4 r32 hit home though, I ruined mine by modifying it into a shell of it's former self. that is probably my biggest car regret haha. I love this video!
Love this! I modify my car to make it more fun. But yeah, I'm one of those guys who put mud flaps on their Subaru and I definitely won't be the last :D
As an s209 owner, I felt this video hard. I love the modification and fabrication industries though. I think they are definitely contributing to car and enthusiast market as a whole . Even if it is for dollars, we get to see some special stuff and people can have their own pieces of art. Mine will stay stock except for some wheels and tires and that’s a risk vs reward thing. Great content🔥🔥🍻
100% agree with your points here Ben. I have a bone stock, 22k mile '94 Miata that, although not as fast as a modified '96 I owned before it, is still very much enjoyable and a better car to just drive around in. The real answer is to own a stock car and a beater/modifed car that you can take out and beat on and go crazy with.
People often modify their cars to make them faster, whilst not having the driving skills to push them to their limits, even in stock form. Instead of those $3000 coilovers, how about you spend it to get a track permit? You'll have much more fun.
As for me, I now care more about a car's handling department than raw power and top speed. I can't go faster than 180 kph anywhere other than the track, so what's the point? Good handling and acceleration on the other hand, is appreciated everywhere. I know cars can get too powerful to enjoy, but so far I haven't heard a car being too good in handling to enjoy (is this even a thing?).
one thing that's often overlooked with "manufacturer spent millions on R&D" is the fact that manufacturer has to cut cost to make more profit, which is where aftermarket can help improving the quality over OEM but otherwise I think this video is a breath of fresh air, as all this social media bs really gets into people's heads (myself included) forcing to do mods just to not fall behind others
Manufacturers don't have to cut cost to make their products. They build to a budget. If you think the cars we buy cost anything close to what they sell them for, I have news for you. A big misconception is that aftermarket stuff is "better quality" than OEM. Often times... it's really not.
That's why I've kept my z32 OEM++. OEM+ means taking parts from different specs/trims of that car(or country models) and putting them on yours. Example is installing a 1LE wing on a SS, or a '99 spec JDM taillight on a '90 Us spec car. OEM++ Is doing minor modifications that still keeps the original design but SLIGHTLY altered. Examples being installing different wheels, changing the car color, or doing minor interior work.
Thank you for this video, could not agree more. Recently got a new GR86 and seeing other owners slamming/stancing them already just blows my mind given how good they feel stock. Important to stop and think before throwing on mods, and no shame in enjoying a car for a few years and modding flaws you find with the car slowly rather than throwing on a ton of parts super quick to be "unique"
"The manufacturer of your car probably did a pretty good job" Me: BRZ with rod knocking fa20 at 85k miles 😑 Well at least the manufacturer of someones car did a good job, thats why a stock K24 is going in mine now.
I'm almost 40 and I have become a restoration fanatic with age. I am a die hard Honda guy and now when I see a beat up 92 Civic 3-door hatch. I don't think "Racecar", I think "Resto". Don't get me wrong, I love my track days. I have a track toy for that. But My daily drivers, like my '06 RSX , are bone stock and I love it. I hope to keep it in that museum floor condition as long as I can.
I had a fiesta st that I modified and absolutely loved, but it did teach me that chasing power and change wasn’t the best. Before I sold it, I missed its silly playfulness it had as a daily driver
This is the only reason I'm doing very small cosmetic mods and wheels and tires to my FRS. Because I know the moment I start modding the internals, I will be losing money fixing, upgrading, and selling it. Everything can be reverted to stock. And most importantly, it's my daily. I want it comfy and practical.
Well, that's why you have two cars to satisfy both goals and demands. As most of normal driver, they just have only car to drive to work and also have some fun after work. Modification is a way to go, to have fun a little bit, to improve the ride quality bit by bit, day by day is a joy too. Thanks for the sharing, btw.
What if you don't mod your car? Answer: immediately lose your man card. Alternative answer: immediately become more attractive to women and less attractive to men.
My favourite car I own is my daily 2010 Mazda 3. It gets me to work fuss free, quiet, comfortably and reliably. It helps me to be able to pay my mortgage, bills, pays for my wife and daughter to have a good life, and if there’s anything left, goes towards my weekender, my 200sx. Modified cars don’t make you money, they cost it. But they give you joy, and the perfect compromise is a standard car. Great video gents
@@your-mom_was_here I’ve got some oil leaks to chase down and a shitty adjustable FPR that keeps leaking. Just the tip of what needs done, but am currently on holiday and will have to talk with my boss about using a lift for a few days.
Honestly the only reason that i would leave a car stock, would be if it were a 100% stock old car. And i honestly would still prefer to do suspension modifications and wheels. I definitely have a goal in mind for every car i own. Enjoyable (to me) daily driver, track ripper, backroad ripper, drift car, drag car it doesnt matter. I just enjoy cars, modifying cars, and modded cars in general.
I feel that for visual mods it's more of a user preference, when you get a car / a phone / a PC / your own bedroom, sometime you like it but there's that little thing missing, and you add it to make it more apealing to your own tastes, wether it be changing the color of the walls of your bedroom, getting a case for your phone, changing your desktop wallpaper, or even getting that sweet bodykit you always wanted, just to make it how you visualise your perfect car / phone / PC / sleep environement
This film is like a moment in life, when your first car with some cheap DIY mods is pissing you off when it broke down again, and you have a ride in stock, but still quite nice car. Yes, it's best to have daily if you're gonna go far with original project car, or - if you want something enjoyable on a road and still have some comfort during everyday use, just buy performance model like M3, Fiesta ST, 350Z or whatever floats your boat. I only have a Fiesta ST, but still it was a shock for me how much joy I can take from a car without sacrifasing too much.
Honestly a nice message. Many of us strive to modify and make our cars unique. It's an often rewarding process. However, for anyone who is new to the car scene and feels they must jump in and modify straight away to fix nonexistent issues....I would implore everyone to try their car stock. Really find your issues with the car. It will make your modifications feel more rewarding and stop you wasting money!
On my Veloster N DCT, just got a few cosmetic mods, blow off valve for PSHHH, and Cold Air Intake for STUTUTU and I'm as happy as could be. love my car.
Can't say i agree, doing solid mods to your car is rewarding. You can make your car faster without compromising, it depends how much money you're willing to throw down the drain as you are not getting it all back when selling. What a car manufacturer did to the car is obviously not all they could have done, they have to consider many factors like reliability, driveability, profit margin and scale. Improving the car at every turn is what you can do with the aftermarket, however there is a lot of things you should avoid, as a lot of people said, OEM+ is great.
I own a 2011 WRX STI, and the only mods I’ve done to it are the mudflaps and the OZ Ultraleggera gold wheels, but stll in stock size, and I replaced the shift knob with an OEM one from Japan. The next mods I’ll do are just to solve some of the flaws it has from the factory, that’s it. I love my car the way it is. And I’m in Italy, almost nobody drives a WRX STI here, so I feel that my car is pretty special even in (almost) stock form, and it’s great!
This has been my quandary as well. Found an 05 RSX Type S with 85k miles, completely stock at an Acura dealer here in Colo Springs two years ago, and have added a few bits I would consider restomod/Oem+. Can I do more? Yes! But I have realized there is no point in chasing more power by modifying the engine at all, it is what it is, a time machine. Keeping it as it is and just making sure to maintain it as best I can. I will add some sneaky bits like a 5.06 final drive and a limited slip, but that is for my own enjoyment. Always someone faster anyway.
This. I like your approach and mindset. I recently added an 06 to the garage and I plan to keep it mostly stock as well. As cars continue to evolve, it will be nice to be able to step into the RSX and appreciate it for what it is and how it drove when it was made. They never really were fast. But they sure are fun. Also, if you ever do plan to sell it, the closer to stock, the higher the appreciation.
@@Maelstrom8 It has been a learning process. I was more of a V8 guy (94 Trans Am, then an 05 GTO), but along the way I owned an 85 XR4ti and an 03 SVTF. I now appreciate all kinds of cars. In spirit, we are all enthusiasts and the sun is setting for those of us that like to hear an engine roar. I have made mistakes too - I added the subframe brass inserts and Vibratecnics engine mounts and it is definitely on the edge of comfortable, but it drives so much better. Had a hard time finding stock shocks (leaky, were blown) so I threw in Tein Basics along with brand new front/rear control arms. Cheap and closer to a "sport" suspension than anything for true tracking, but work great on the street and spirited driving. The only rusty bit? The stock cat-back, so I researched and installed a Tanabe Medallion. Quiet, extremely high quality. I am sure the 3" make more power, but this keeps it enjoyable and does not draw unnecessary attention.
@@Save_the_Stick_Shifts Thanks for sharing. I was the opposite of you. Started with Japanese 4-bangers. Civics and older accords. Then stepped up to a v6 manual Acura TL, followed by a manual '17 Camaro SS. The Camaro is my first American car and I love the roar of a V8 and the handling for a car of it's size. The RSX was to scratch an itch for a car I wanted in my youth, but couldn't afford then. It's still a gem. Like you, I appreciate a bit of everything. There is something to enjoy in all forms of driving.
A detail I think was left out of the video is that every car has it's own personality, not only by it's driveability but also by how you feel inside of it. A lot of people forget about this, putting an enormous turbo on a car can change the perfectly linear power delivery that an engine had, for example.
this stock build is goated bro. its modified in very right places. also ECU tuning is regulated very differently in different countries. launch beam ng. pick a very stock car. go to a menu to change car parts, change a couple of them. measure your own time on stock and modded. and yo instantly realise how its hard to actually use a lot of power, how it actually feels to have MORE GRIP in tires when everything else is the same, what controls what. nothing of that matters if you're not used to think about anything anyway
Yea, this is pretty important. I have an ST and put all poly motor mounts on. I love it, but can see how other people would think it's stupid on a daily. The vibrations can get rough and I only did it after realizing both upper mounts were going bad. Luckily it turned out how I like it. Can't say the ST was great stock, but it was definitely comfortable. It's a car I'm definitely gonna push till it fails, for both a track a daily. Still need a tune, probably a clutch, and a newer turbo, might even go so far as to rebuild the motor. The stock was underwhelming, but now that I feel the potential, can't say it wasn't worth the mods
This makes me think about how a lot of the time, I just drive unmodified cars in Forza(because my professional career can't even afford getting anything more than a Honda CB150r lol). and this somehow entertains me more than driving a faster version.
Don't over think it. It just personal preference. I totally understand what Ben talked about. I've been thru that. I have a 02 WRX, it was gutted, lowered with harsh coilovers, straight thru exhaust, big turbo(TD05 20g, so much lag, no low end power for street use=sucks)... Now, I put extra sound deadening and most of interior trim back. (good thing I kept most of them) Installed exhaust silencers, installed a set spring/strut assembly instead of super hard adjustable coilovers. Now I'm planning put a stock TD04 back on the WRX and leave it alone forever.
I love that y'all made this video. As someone who loves to see videos about modifying cars (longtime viewer of Mightycarmods), I sometimes feel bad that I don't modify my cars. Be it the lack of time or money, or sacrificing the daily-drivability of them since they are my dailies. This video shines a light on the value of NOT changing a stock car. And for the record, my cars are a '90 Miata (and a rare automatic at that) and previously owned '89 Civic hatchback, two of the most commonly modded cars. You know what could possibly make a cool video? Taking a heavily modded car back to stock, sounds boring but I think y'all could pull it off somehow.
I thoroughly agree with everything you said. In my experience modifying or modified cars seem to be a pain. The mods never fit right and the car is less reliable afterward and most likely less comfortable. If I wanted a raw car I’d buy a track variant from the manufacturer. Which I do love raw cars. I owned an Evo 8 and 85% of the time, I wished it was stock. I honestly have a deep appreciation to see stock cars because in some cases it’s less common than to see a modified one.
If you own a car older than like 15 years old, you should "mod" it as in update basic comfort or reliability components. Like if it's the original radiator, getting a newer maybe nicer one isn't bad, if you still have drum brakes modifying it so it has disc's is a good idea. I for some reason daily an iroc z, I've never driven one stock because this came with a built trans, 4th gen rear with 3:73 gears and bmr suspension. The engine is stock and gets good enough gas mileage, it's fun to drive and isn't horribly uncomfortable. If it was stock it'd be on drum brakes with 2:77 gears which would feel slow and weak while now it's able to get on the highway at a decent speed. The car drives how you'd expect it to drive if it was made today minus the power and thats what I like about it. It's not sucking gas down, it's not on race seats that break your back but the suspension will, it's a fun daily that I can live with driving. I'd change nothing about it other than a 350 instead of a 305 and subframe connectors.
Went through the same thing with my Civic Si. At some point I had an exhaust, intake, and lowering springs. Then I got tired of the noise on long trips, the harshness of the ride every time I drove it. And the feeling that if that (insert aftermarket part) breaks, would I be able to get a replacement as easily or cost effectively as going to Autozone and grabbing a replacement. After that bit of reflection I returned my car to 100% stock form. It's still just as fast and fun to drive. But it also rides better and doesn't annoy me, especially on longer trips. It's true I'm getting older and my priorities differ now than in the past. I've always been a bang for buck time person anyways, always wanting the maximum return on what I do spend money on. I had to accept the fact that I like my car just fine stock. And that truly the most effective way to achieve a faster car if that's what you want is to just go buy a faster car.
When I bought my 2018 ST I had the "must buy" list I wrote up from talking to other ST owners. After a year I realized I didn't really want any performance mods for commuting. Black six spoke wheels, RS brake lights, mud flaps, and a green filter were enough to satisfy me. Even after I did take it to a track finally I walked away knowing at my skill level I just needed a throttle pedal spacer and some better brake pads.
Modding and building your car is half the fun and I couldn’t imagine the automotive scene without it. Stock cars are super fun but I think modding your car to be better at its main use is always better than stock. A modded daily I wouldn’t do but modding a car that’s main purpose is track or drift racing I love even if it is sometimes driven on public streets
So what you're telling me is that starting out with a car that was inadequate from factory (ZX2) is a great reason to modify it. Yay! I want coilovers to adjust suspension damping and a tuner so that I may have a chance at one day getting that glorious 40MPG on my way to work 🤣
Modding with a purpose is important. My drive home from college was close to four hours. My corolla shimmied on the freeway so I lowered it after some research, then did supporting suspension mods. Now it drives smoother than stock and I feel safer overall. It’s different, but not because it was necessary to my existence.
Hurts to see Ben getting old so incredibly fast
Speak up! Quit slouching! Pull your pants up!
Some may say old others may say wise.
Moustache does it.
Sucks there is no rewind button, but confident your support matters @matenemeth85 Words from an OG of the content.
@@biggboysouth *Old AsF
Certainly a reason why we feel "OEM+" can feel like such the right sweet spot. Gives you the satisfaction of making something your own, wrenching with a purpose outside of maintenance, yet simultaneously enjoying parts the factory engineered for your platform that happen to be a slight upgrade from the base/simpler trims within a model. Also this had tech 9 vibes, nice work.
6:27
But ya, I get it. I prefer OEM+
My OEM+ (No tune required boundary)
15 STi
Arm rest extention
Weather Tech Floormat High wall
Sony XAV-AX100 Android Auto / Apple Car Play
MTX RT8PT Sub
275/30R19 19x9.0 +50mm
245/40R18 18x8.0 +45 Studded Tire
IAG AOS
Cylinder 4 Cooling Mod
STi Short Shifter
Polyurathane Shifter Bushing Kit
VSC Engine Mount
VSC Tranny Mount
VSC Pitch Stop
Perrin Firewall bracing / Pitch Mount
Perrin Master Cylinder Brace
100k km - Timing Belt Kit / Cosworth Kevlar Belt
Fluidampr - Silicon Harmonic fluid balance Damper
Spark Plug Replaced
0W40 Rotella T6 / Delvac ESP / Redline Cocktail
Redline Lightweight ShockProof Cocktail
Rear diff stock fluid
All 4 Cylinder Compression Normal
STi Front Lip
Flow Design Austraila Under Spoiler
Verus Engineering - Front Canard / Hood Louver Cooling
Primitive Racing - Front Skid plate / rear diff skid plate (Aluminium)
STi - JDM Transmission skid plate (Plastic)
STi - JDM Aero Splash guard
Velossatech Big Mouth Air Intake extention
To be added
Grimspeed UEL Header
Cobb Uppipe
IAG Street Oil pan kit
STi sideskirt spoiler/ extention
Coilover @ stock heigh something
Verus Engineering Rear LCA
IAG TGV Top feed
IAG Phenolic Spacer Set - 8mm
@@jwkpov734 NO GRIMMSPEED HEADER! go killerB elh! you will need to tune but its more reliable
Completely agree. People mod for specific goals or just OEM+. I own an NA miata that’s heavily modded, but I’ve tried to do it tastefully by simply replacing things with better quality parts when it needs it. Some mods are just go faster crap that I liked the idea of years ago that I’ve now grown out of to the point I look at a stock ND and find myself preferring the simplicity of a stock car. I’d know I’d mod an ND too if I got one, but I’d buy the model with the right seats or just get a simple remap and slip diff on the 1.5L model. My NA is a ton of fun, but it hasn’t been reliable and needed far too much attention when I’ve just wanted to drive it.
In my country there is a hatchback called Suzuki zen which come with a g10 engine , people used to swap g13 or g16 from other cars
Thanks so much to Cheyenne for letting me use her beautiful Evo 8 RS for this video. I lie awake at nights plotting how I will steal it.
better plot than the last 5 F&F movies
@@Weimerica8841 wrong
@@Weimerica8841 everything is a better plot than those
I was wondering if this would end in the punchline: "that is why I bought this one".
@@zhila5958 wrong again
I’ve never been a big fan of ‘super-modding’ but I’ve always loved the idea of OEM+.
Better intake, a (resonated!) cat-back exhaust and maybe a Stage 1 tune.
Other than that, keep the car clean and mechanically maintained - if it looks good and is reliable, what more do you need?!
I like that term OEM+, not over modded but just enough to refine it to your liking.
good term. tasteful mods, and ben mentioned something very interesting too. For every mod, there's a drawback and things I never thought about. Obviously the big things like turbo, air intake, etc. But even the motor mounts too. And as someone who has seen a ton of cars get built on youtube that look, sound and perform great, i do wonder after a certain point if people fear driving them.
I like this approach and what I ended up doing with my Focus ST. Most mods I put on the car was to make it easier for me to drive and enjoy.
I am short with shorter arms. Short shifter makes it easier for me to use the transmission. I disliked the sound resonator, so I deleted it and changed the intake to give a bit more consistent sound. I added mud flaps to reduce the amount of dirt that wound up on the hatch.
None of it actually makes the car faster, and all of it can easily be undone.
Oem+ is the way to go for a daily driver. I only added a couple power mods, got a tune, and then just focused on drivetrain mods to enhance the driving experience. And so far I have no regrets
totally on your side, OEM+ is also the way i like to go, just get the car and in my case bike to suit me and update to a few newer parts
These ”philosophical” car-scene discussion videos are your best work!
I would add one more thing to the mod checklist: Compare the mods to a good condition stock car, this is specially important in suspension, where parts do wear out, and any change can improve the experience.
This video was brilliant. As I've aged, and find myself in a position to afford nicer, faster cars, I find that I have less desire to tweak them. The manufacturers know more about cars than we do. Full stop. Not modifying doesn't make you any less of an enthusiast. It just means you appreciate the way a car comes from the factory and the things that come with that (comfort, reliability, balance, versatility, etc).
This is gold. The engineers knew what they made same with jeeps ffs
I don't , as I learn more I want to start over and just do it better.
@@scorpioassmodeusgtx1811 The whole point of the video is that what you think is in YOUR best interest often isn't. People want a sharper suspension but then hate the stiffness. They want a louder exhaust but then hate the drone. Want camber and wide wheels but then hate the tire bills and tramlining. Want a big turbo but then hate the lag. Want to push their engines to the limit and then it blows up after 10k miles. Unless you're building a car for a specific purpose, then you're better leaving it mostly stock, because hundred of engineers did a bunch of math and found that compromise point for you. If you feel like they did a bad job, then it's very possible they are the wrong group of engineers and therefore you don't own the right car. Many people buying BMWs but wanting Porsches. However, I do agree that small mods here and there to improve slight things are worthwhile, just important to really think things through before pulling the trigger because every single mod has a tradeoff
@@scorpioassmodeusgtx1811 I agree, though there is almost always a drawback unless it's literally OEM parts. Only thing is the smaller the mod, the smaller the drawback. For example, clutch spring on BRZ/86 (super common mod to give the pedal more feel) makes the pedal heavier. I had an E46 M3 with an aftermarket headunit and it drained the battery a little faster. Unless it's OEM parts, I can't think of a single mod that doesn't add even the slightest drawback. That being said, some drawbacks are so small that you could argue there is none perceived
This comment sucks. *marketing* doesn't want you to mod the car, but I don't know a single engineer who has ever said, "don't tinker with what we built, we know better than you"
I think there's another exception you left out.. when a manufacturer keeps improving your specific car for a few more years of the production run after yours. Those mods are no-brainers. But definitely hear your point. I've felt the same way many times in the duration of car ownership.
There's definitely some valuable mods you can do, especially OEM ones that have research backing them. Even some aftermarket mods like new speakers, head units, etc where the OEM options were lacking. But facelifts of newer years of your car are definitely great options for mods without sacrificing too much convenience
These are the mods I appreciate the most. You have to have a keen eye for the car to spot them. For example, the only engine mod I am doing to my camaro is the 01-02 style intake manifold which adds 15 hp to car with the previous style manifold. And yes OEM performance parts are $$$.
I love and hate my 100% stock Evo 4, but I’ve now turned it into a pristine show car, and it’s basically turned completely useless as I’m more worried about damaging literally anything. Awesome vid G&G!
If I had a 100% stock prestine Evo 4 I would litterally store that car as an investment and then get a second one to drive and modify
@@oggan97 this kind of mindset is honestly pretty sad
@@turnip5465 it's just like investing, completely useless until you sell it.
@@turnip5465 A 20+ year old 100% stock show condition car that's very sought after that also is extremely rare to find stock is NOT meant to be driven anyways. That's literally a museum piece in the making.
@@ohhhLuna No it's not, just as art can be a an investment it's not useless until you sell it because it also wonderfull to look at.
Honestly, the more I've messed with my Viper, the more I appreciate how it was stock. The biggest daily drive style changes have been suspension and a cam. The suspension isn't that bad and is probably still better in the long run as it's adjustable and can help it feel more stable compared to the stock suspension that could sometimes feel a little wobbly (though one or two of my shocks were leaking, so that might have been why). The cam is really the biggest change I sort of wish I didn't do. It pretty much makes gen 4 power in a gen 3 engine now, but it's not quite as nice to drive around town as it doesn't particularly like low rpm anymore and it's way louder. Tried to quiet it down by putting cats back on it, but they were running so hot I would smell burning rubber or plastic after driving it around town. Granted I really don't drive the car as often as I used to now with hybrid work and a wife with back problems.
Everything is pretty much always going to be a tradeoff. Especially with enthusiast cars, the factory typically does a pretty dang good job to make a car that does as much as it can as well as it can. A stock ACR is still basically a race car in street car clothes, but will probably drive nicer than someone buying a base model and putting on all their own aftermarket suspension and aero.
This is often the problem with aftermarket parts designed to suit an aesthetic. They are easily marketed to people who forget that every original component serves an important (and often undervalued) function.
Yep I see this all with intake filters
Yep. OEMs aren't going to leave HP or MPG laying there with a filter box design. Some of the stock intake systems have tuning to eliminate dead spots in the power curve (NA Miata intake resonator for example).
It makes me laugh when people spend money on a "cold air intake" when the factory setup pulled cold air, and often from a better, colder location than the "upgrade." Forget the real world problems with stuff like having your aftermarket CAI decide it's a shop vac and ingest a puddle one day, destroying your engine. Or that a lot of these aftermarket air filters don't increase airflow significantly but do a noticeably worse job of keeping dust out of your engine (looking at you, K&N).
The problem is that function is usually called "cost efficiency". You can certainly objectively upgrade a car with zero subjective downside, as long as you have the money.
@immikeurnot this is true with modern cars, but many 80s and 90s cars had issues with poor airflow due to CARB restrictions which weren't worth engineering around at the time.
You can blame California for CAI and Catback popularity exploding.
This channel is not only a build channel, it’s become a philosophical reflection on builds channel also 😂
Which I totally don't mind because it makes sense. Modding a car too far is a thing.
If I have a Silvia S15, I'd just lightly mod it to make it a joy to drive at a touge and on the street. Speed isn't its thing, but more in the handling department I reckon. Drifting? Come on, it can do that well. XD
I appreciate well maintained/restored stock cars, especially rare limited edition cars, way more than insanely built Time Attack cars, keep this content coming! No offense to the fun you guys are having on the track, that stuff is rad too!
This is the kinda stuff I love to see. I’ve been going down a rabbit hole with my STI hatch and this video made me realize it’s NOT WORTH IT! You’re right, I drive the car to work, the gym, and to do “car stuff” with my friends. It doesn’t need to be a rocket ship for me to enjoy it
just had this epiphany with my gc8 I'm actually happy where it is and I'm keeping it that way
OEM+ is always a good medium. Light mods to improve the vehicles short comings. Wheels, tires, better shocks.
Yeah, my car sways like hell when I turn around corners. Getting mods to fix that is a no brainer
Great points, but you missed the big one. RESALE VALUE. Most buyers don't care if you have 20k of mods in your car - unless you sell it to the right person. Even then you'll not get near what you want for it and have in it. Most likely, when you are done with the car and want to maximize profits, you end up parting it out and end up with a shell of your favorite boy racer - leaving one less on the roads.
Subarus….. I’ve done it too many times. Parting out someone’s baby because they blew the engine and can’t afford to replace it. Selling it cheap to just get something to drive to work. When you think about it, they could have bought something nicer, newer, and better to commute with. But before they blow their sti up and park it in their yard for a year, they always have the biggest smiles rolling down the street.
Mods equal ruined ride and most likely driven like race car and not a good buy.
I bought my WRX brand new because I didn't want someone's modded up or beat on car - which most WRXs fall into one of those two buckets. The Legacy GT I traded in was my daily driver for 12 years, and I couldn't afford to trade into something that I couldn't trust to get me to work every day.
People who constantly flip through vehicles seem to over look this.
If you do modify a car, modify a car you are whole heartedly interested in KEEPING FOREVER. Don't always try to pass off your custom build to someone who will never appreciate it as much as you, especially if you did all the work.
There's way too many people who ended up saying" I shouldn'a sold it."
It's like selling your favorite painting. Sure, it's great for you, but it might not be to others. So why would you sell what you like? Keep it and love it.
For those of you who mod your car, just do it for yourself. Don't do it because its something that everyone else does, do it because its something you want. To this date I have yet to do a single mod that doesn't have its draw backs but I knew that going into it so it doesn't really bother me all that much. and pro tip, aside from maybe an intake, coilovers, wheels, and maybe some cosmetic work, don't change anything mechanically on your daily, that will really make life worse. LOL
U forgot exhaust
Great comment. This shouldn't be a trend, because this can set you back financially. I want to tune my car. A 2009 w204 C class, but nothing crazy. It's pretty much perfect, but I want to make some changes.
But that's a lot of cars. Manufacturers can't make a car that pleases everyone. Some find stock cars perfect and other feel the need to add some changes.
My current car I mentioned is one of my favorite of all time, but I feel it could be a bit better. Another favorite of mine is the M8 competition. It can be heavily modified, but me I feel it's perfect straight from the factory.
I love this video. Really truly. A lot of people I know come to this point. I'm 39 and for many years I was all about building cars and I heavily modified/ruined everything I owned. Not un-ironically, now that I'm established in life, I have 0 project cars now. All of my cars have a purpose - X5 for a daily, an E92 M3 for a summer daily, and a 718 GT4 for a weekend/track car. The only mod on my GT4 is exhaust. The E92 is slightly more modified with exhaust AND coilovers - but it's a very street-friendly compliant setup. I want my cars to work. As I get older and realize the value of time and the fact that my real enjoyment comes from DRIVING the cars - I am much more focused on minor modifications for what I care about (mostly sounds), and thus having vehicles that just work when I want them to. I have found that going heavy on mods usually means you are chasing a different car that you should have bought originally. There comes a point of no return in modifying cars where the rabbit hole just goes so deep that it's basically impossible to recover.
All that said, if I had to do it all over again, I'd do probably 80% of it the same. I learned how to work on cars by modifying them, which taught me a lot just in general about how other things in life go together logically, like the components of a house for example. My skills in wrenching on cars that I developed since I was 16 allowed me to have an easier time learning how to fix things on rental properties in my late 20s. Modifying cars has a lot of constructive purpose behind it, and as a life experience there is a ton of value there. Make no mistake about it. That said, the trick is to find the correct balance which gets to the message in this video about WHY you are modifying something. What purpose will it serve? Do not mod just to mod. Really spend time learning about the car, the community and what is possible, and what makes sense for you. If what you want isn't possible with the car, then stop and think "do i want to spend potentially infinite money being a trailblazer for this platform? Or should i just buy a different car entirely that is closer to what I want to do?"
You make a great point. The Cayman GT4 for example is basically perfect from factory for track use. Whereas I'm going to need to add reliability mods if I'm going to seriously track my NB2 MX-5 or WRX STI. Based on your budget and garage it sounds like you chose the correct route. Congrats and happy you can spend more time driving\less wrenching.🙂
@@chron151 I think it goes back to just being sure about what you want to get out of any particular car. an NB2 can be tracked at HPDEs with relatively low investment when compared to other cars. Honestly if I was smart I would have had a car like that long ago. I started tracking 10 years ago with a 135i and spent stupid money on a less than optimal platform in the first place. In one sense I wised up in 2016 and bought an E30 track car that was already set up for like 10k and saved myself 20k in mods and time, however, it was really useless on the street and had to be trailered. For someone like me who only was doing 3-5 events a year, it doesn't make sense. But that also gets to the question of how much are any of us seriously tracking? How many events a year realistically? Are you looking to do spec racing or something or just HPDEs? What I have learned is that when I had less money I was far too eager to try and force the cars I did have into something they weren't, because I couldn't afford higher end cars that do those things natively. I should have probably done minimal mods to scratch the itch and put together a proper savings plan over time to eventually attain better cars. I will be the first to admit I ran into some dumb luck that allowed me to 5x my income and put me in a spot to own what I want - yes it took some work and all that but my point is I didn't have some 10-year plan where I was thinking ahead, and I probably should have. I'd be even better off today if I had done that.
I learned that most cars that are sporty - whether it be an STI, a stock M3, an old 350z, etc. are all actually really fun on track if you throw some great pads on, decent tires and keep suspension work modest. I spent over 15 years with cheaper cars and a much lower budget than where I am now, and while I stand by my earlier statements that I'd probably do a lot of it over again the same way, there are definitely some things I'd change. One of those is being very measured about how serious my needs were for a particular thing I wanted to do. You can get some amazingly good fun out of an NB2 and if I had been more realistic earlier on, I'd probably have tracked a car like that for a long time.
Who fucking care
That is a beautiful lineup, I would love an E39 M5 and a 981 GT4 some day. The E92 M3 is my fav M3!
I think what you said should be pinned, that was a great read.
It’s really nice going from automotive to home improvement or repairs. House stuff is so easy to fix and so much cheaper most of the time. Car stuff is like 1 little thread being damaged can mean that the car is now a 3k lb paper weight until that’s fixed. Rentals are definitely where it’s at.
So many people ask me why I don't mod my NA Miata. This video perfectly sums up the reason! I love driving around the mountains. I love taking road trips in it. Even though I do autocross it, 99% of my time with that car is spent is driving on public roads. If I were to lower it on coilovers, add a loud exhaust, and forced induction, the car would much less fun to drive in the circumstances I mostly use it in. Yeah, it would be faster at autocross, but then I wouldn't be able to take it on rough mountain roads, then it would be too uncomfortable to drive hundreds of miles in.
The only mods I've made to the car since buying it have been a Racing Beat cat-back exhaust, stickier summer tires, more aggressive brake pads and rotors, and mud guards. All of these mods I chose to make the car fit my driving style better. The Racing Beat exhaust is quiet, not that much louder than stock, but it makes the engine sound cooler and allows me to hear it better from the driver's seat. The stickier tires let me corner faster. My slotted rotors and carbon ceramic pads stay cooler, longer, and I don't have to think about not using them too much on a long, spirited mountain drive. The mud guards keep my paint nicer when I decide to venture down a gravel road in the country.
However, there are still some trade-offs to these mods as my tires don't work well in winter weather, and carbon ceramic brake pads are expensive to replace. But I have another car I daily drive so those sacrifices don't really bother me.
👏🏻
Where did you find your miata? I'm looking for a cheap NB with an LSD for similar things, but having a hard time finding ones under 5k.
@Spencer LaValle I live in the middle of nowhere, and it was the only nice one in my area that wasn't mutilated by some teenager.
Also, I'm sorry to say, but the days of finding any decent sports car under $5,000 are long gone, my friend. If you're looking for a Miata under $5,000, it's going to need at least some work. You can still get a pretty decent one between $6,000 and $8,000. If you want a nice Miata, especially with an LSD, you're going to be spending over $6,000. Though, automatic Miatas are significantly cheaper.
@@recnepSpencar not going to happen. I bought my 2002 ls with perf package three yrs ago with 70k and it was 5 k. Now that same car is like 10k.
I like to tinkering, so my Miata this spring will be getting the flyin Miata treatment. Vmaxx coils, sways, and the new poly bushings (mine OEM ones are toast) new wheels and tires aswell, then it will sit like that for sometime.
In a perfect world i think all of us enthusiasts would have a couple of every car we like. One to keep stock and drive on the road, one to mod like crazy and take to shows, and one to thrash on the track on the weekends haha. Keep it up yall
I absolutely love these... 'life lesson' videos that you guys put out. I agree 100% that it's all perspective. More importantly, it's to realize you need to evaluate your perspective is the key in either modifying your car or keeping it stock(ish). I have my motorcycles for my go-fast fix, and then my eco-car and SUV are my logistical-vehicles that I know I COULD modify, but they are absolutely perfect the way they are for doing what I intend them to do.
Being closer to 40, I've started appreciating stock well maintained cars more just due to the fact that stock cars are much more reliable. Great video!
I have a 2008 Lexus IS-F that I bought brand new, kept it stock (well besides updated OEM diff from the later models) and daily drive it to this day - I know nothing is going to break because its all been tested through the factory - only tires, oil and gas. Warm it up and drive it like you stole it. Leave you daily drivers stock people.
Amazing how gears and gasoline adaptas to changes and makes videos that are genuinely fun to watch and not monotonous at all. I've stopped caring about every other car channel i used to watch before but watching your videos just makes me excited about learning something new about the automotive world.
Also was wondering why tall ben hasn't been in any of the videos recently. Was nice to see you back in a video
I feel like this is part of getting older and a bit wiser, at least as far as tuning goes. 25 year old me would have "upgraded" just about everything I could afford. 36 year old me now drives it stock and identified where I think it can be improved. For example, my '21 WRX I've owned since new. After driving it up in the mountains with some other WRX/STIs, just about the only thing I really felt held it back were the brakes. Even then, I didn't need a BBK, just some better pads/rotors/fluid and a master cylinder brace to improve pedal feel. That's it.
I love that you guys mentioned Ayrton Senna in this video. He is one of my late heroes and he actually died of the year after I was born. Watching all his old racing/cockpit footage like this really shows why hes regarded as one of the best drivers to ever grace the formula 1 circuit.
I needed to hear this. New WRX owner, new to the car community, my WRX is also my daily driver. Definitely have the mod bug, to a degree - but this was a good reminder that performance mods, by and large, just aren’t a good idea for my use case (especially in a WRX)
I think Gears and Gasoline are going through a existential crisis
And I'm all here for it! Love the videos!
This video hit different for me.
Over the past two years I’ve been building an NA Miata. Started as a stock 1.6 5 speed. The most fun car I’ve ever driven! Bar none! Then I decided it was mod time. I’d always wanted to modify a car. Now I have the time and money, so let’s party.
Suspension, wheels and tires were a must. Wheels I wanted didn’t fit, so add a widebody. Car had way too much grip to slide anymore with the wide, sticky tires, so we gotta add some power. Stock motor can’t handle much boost, so might as well forge those internals before adding the turbo. AC is in the way of the intercooler, that’s gotta go. Spring pressure is still kind of boring, let’s turn up the boost. Heater core leaked all over my foot, let’s just loop it out so we can keep testing the tune. Gotta add a roll bar with all this extra power. Stock seats don’t protect your head from said rollbar very well, gotta add some recaros. Added power lead to a game of “whoops, all neutrals!” When the diff quit, let’s add a torsen. Drivetrain slop? Time to stiffen up those mounts! There. It’s done!!!
And I hate it. It’s loud, uncomfortable, and nerve wracking to drive. I’d trade my car for the stock car that I admittedly ruined 100 times out of 100.
But this whole ordeal taught me one (expensive) lesson. It taught me how NOT to modify a car. I built a streetable track car, when I wanted a trackable street car.
I’m selling the car, hopefully to someone who wants to go fast around a track and starting over. Hopefully I’ll get it right this time.
I love these episodes of G&G. Hopefully more narrated episodes like these are coming in the future.
I agree with each and every point. Whenever I throw a new part or mod to the car I can't wait to see the change in the cars feel, handling or comfort. Because sometimes it's bitterly dissappionting and I'll have to reverse it. Sometimes parts compromise too much with minimal benefit. Love the car philosophy you have been sending out.
I love your content, I love the builds and the road trips. But this really goes back to the roots of when I started watching your channel and I love it! Keep up the good work Bens
This video is great advice. My first new car was a Focus and I wanted to make it faster. My friends had some 3 series cars and that was my mod benchmark. I started the planning process and totaled up the time, money and effort to get my focus to keep up with a 335 and it would cost me more in time and money than to just save up and buy a car that is closer to what I wanted. So I saved and got a G35 6MT and it was great, perfect car for my need of a quick and fun commuter car. I moved to snow country and saved for my Mk8 R, which is amazing in the snow. I do really basic mods like wheels, intake, shift knob and mudflaps, and I’m really happy with the daily drivability plus super fun mountain roads. Someday I’ll have room in the garage for a pure project car but my goals are always plan and mod for the mission, in my case daily driver. Mods for the sake of mods are fun, but shouldn’t thought of as a requirement to be an enthusiast.
I know the mods to my GTI don’t make much sense but I enjoy seeing and feeling the changes. It’s fun to research parts and learn more about the car along the way. If something doesn’t feel right I’ll take it off and try something else. If you like modding the go for it. Nothing wrong with a stock vehicle either.
Here's my key points for any "Daily" build;
1. Keep/Upgrade the poly mounts.
2. RACING SEATS ARE A BAD IDEA, instead go with dampening seats or seats from another track built car.
3. Stick to a non-aggressive/adjustable suspension.
4. Keep the sound deadening.
After 30 years of driving and having many modified cars I can confirm that if you want a faster, better handling car, the best option is to save your money and buy a stock, faster and better handling car. It will be more of a pleasure to drive and be much more reliable and most probably hold its value better. 👍
You are absolutely correct, sir I have a $80,000 Mustang that I can’t drive and a new hellcat with a blown engine only putting 800 to the wheels from a professional ha ha shop. Dodge is putting in a new stock motor in that with my Borla, exhaust and cold air intake that is the end of my modifications.
Always have been a firm believer of modify to fix, not modify to hope if that makes any sense, or modify to simplify/modify to fix a factory failure.
I like my cars pretty close to stock but there's always improvements you can make and some don't have drawbacks. Like putting a better carb on your old vehicle or upgraded injectors on your late 90s vehicle for better power and fuel economy.
This video was a good generalization but theres always going to be some case by case basis. The only mod I've made with some drawback is the momo seat in my Miata makes my legs go numb after 15 minutes or so
Thank you, Tall Ben. I’m glad I figured this out in my mid 20’s. I love my stock S2000, but people still look at me weird for wanting to keep it that way.
This pretty much captures my experience. Started with modifying a Nissan Sentra back in the day for auto-cross purposes then it became drag racing then morphed to being a show car. When I sold that car and bought an 06 STI brand new I realized how that modified Sentra could never be what the stock STI already was. I didn't have regrets on the money/time spent as it was memories that will not be forgotten. But I enjoyed so much having a stock car that performed the way it does that even to this day, I still have the stock 06 STI, never modified (Window Tint and stereo only), and still enjoy it for what it is and I'm not trying to make it something I don't need. 17 years of ownership taught me the enjoyment of a vehicle is a personal thing and means different things for everyone and for me, keeping mine stock gives me the same experience I had when I first purchased it. Thanks for the video!
As an Evo IX wagon owner I definitely hear ya! I am carrying out the basic bolt-on mods to improve power delivery and handling further than what good characteristics it has from the factory. Some, like the stiffer suspension and larger rear sway bar do give it a more firmer ride but I am happy with that trade off as it's not my daily driver (instead I have a VW... on lowering springs... with a tune... and engine mounts hahahha), but other mods like braided brake lines and larger intercooler piping give improvements without a trade-off. My IX wagon also has the unfortunate automatic transmission choice, so I am in the process of manual swapping it, yeeting the smaller 15G turbo and giving it the MIVEC cylinder head it should have had from factory.
Damn evo 9 wagon. That is super rare !
@@sumergill1351 One of about 2500 made for the Japanese market only! It's RHD and have it in Canada with me, intention is to take it home to New Zealand eventually.
I understand this from a certain perspective. This makes a lot more sense if you're doing this to your daily driver.
That's why everyone should have a beater work car, then something exciting to drive when they feel like it. Because the amount of regret and dissatisfaction is way lower when you don't have to drive it every day.
Again a very good video of its sorts. Thanks G&G for bringing it to us again.
One more thing to consider when (not) modifying: the market value. The sales value can even go down when you want to sell it on, and /or the amount of potentially interested buyers can decrease, even though you added value in all the money you spent. Even when the mods were done correctly.
Just got a 370Z and I discovered a new appreciation for every slow car I’ve ever had. Being able to slam a car from 1st to 5th and not even go over the speed limit is pretty fun.
As far as I'm concerned, as long as it looks good and runs good, that's all that matters to me. Some dress up aesthetically and some long term reliability/ durability mods are all I really see as valuable. I know men who have modded the evos they drove everyday happily, till it became a now and again thing because: "racecar". You actually enjoy it less... you have more things to do to upkeep it till, in the end, you just go look for a more stock option that you want to drive every day: the same thing that you just sacrificed in the pursuit of wanting to be fast. I've modded a lancer from carburetor to a turbocharged 1800 motor, converted manual, on coilovers and superpro bushings... and evo bodypanels. But it is for the most part, stock power. Slow? Yes. Enjoyable everyday? Yes... just as much as my mostly stock EVO 7.
It's preference, but in the long term you have to know what you want out of it.
Thanks for this video Ben... This actually made me appreciate more my stock 2007 Opel Astra GTC on stock form, I originally planned on getting adjustable suspension, stage 1 tune, full exhaust (even if its diesel) and some bodywork/rims done. But guess I'm gonna enjoy it stock some more until I get enough money for mods.
I got to admit that I hate how slow the stock engine is, in a straight line accel is but she's pretty good at fuel economy and she's by no means slow in top speed. I enjoy how she handles on low speed bends and how good the acceleration is out of the corners (diesel torque). Maybe the suspension is hard as rock and I gotta watch for potholes with my stock low profile rims but it is nowhere near as uncomfortable as a adjustable suspension or cut spring setting like some of my friends have... modding my suspension would certainly make the current problem worse even if it greatly improved handling by a long shot.
And hey Ben, you truly convinced me with the reliability part, my model is often said to have transmission and clutches which are as fragile as glass, so... I might keep the stock trany and clutch to enjoy it stock for a while. Some things are better enjoyed when in stock form.
Glad someone is conveying this very necessary information (that many in my neighborhood need to hear) so eloquently. Well done!
I totally feel this, I have an FBO evo 9 with 50k miles and I only take it out when going on road trips or local meets and it’s such a nice street car just how it is but in he back of my head I wanna track the car and make it faster but don’t wanna lose the drivability
Another point is that a lot of car guys will hardly ever push their cars to the limit let alone go to track days that they'd feel the need to upgrade and mod. Especially their daily drivers. If anything unless you're racing then Stage 1 is probably where you'll find the best everyday potential of your car.
Perfect video.
I have a Veloster N that I feel is nearly perfect besides wanting to downsize the 19s to 18s and add an intake for more funny noises. 2.5 years and 60,000 miles later and I’m still loving this thing.
I dig the video! no one should be pressured to modify their car, it is all about the experience and how the car drives :)
I personally own 2 cars and both have modifications. 1 a mk4 jetta tdi and the other an e90 with the n54. The jetta is simply tuned and straight piped both of which definitely helped the drivability as a stock 1.9l turbo diesel from 2004 is quite slow and honestly scary when pulling out in traffic or merging on the highway. The e90 is a different story. It has an intake, exhaust, upgraded lpfp, upgraded intercooler, tuned, and lowered on h&r springs. Honestly the car doesn't need any of it, the stock 300bhp is plenty so have fun between traffic lights. The lowering springs just make the car feel awful on any trips where pot holes and bumps in the road are inevitable. The exhaust is far too loud for having a conversation with a passenger. All of that said the car is an absolute blast to drive "spirited" and I do plan to make some changes like a less aggressive suspension and quieter exhaust. I think any modifications can be perfectly reasonable as long as it meets your own personal liking, but that can for sure cost a little more than you might like when finding the sweet spot.
There used to be a tv-show in Germany in the 70s about flaws and faults in then-new cars. One was a gearbox-issue with certain Fords. A retired engineer developed a few-dozen-bucks fix and offered it to Ford.
They declined :|
50 years on BMW has an issue with the Z4 roof control. Again an enthusiast develops an easy solution, this time for a repair, that is far cheaper than what BMW usually does (basically cutting half the car open). BMW declines.
Exactly my philosophy on cars.
I have a JDM mk4 Legacy GT Wagon. I bought it bone stock. It was and never became a project car. I knew I wanted OEM STI parts on it but felt confident that I could draw the line after those jobs were done; which was how it went. I’m satisfied.
Now and then I do feel a bit bored by it, but I’ll always come back around to how much I just love and appreciate my car as it is.
Seen lots of other Legacies that look, sound and likely feel far more impressive than mine. But mine won’t require the compromises that come as a consequence to endless and expensive, continued tweaking; or the stress of having to study and read up on how to approach mods as you should on the Subaru platform (Like what Donut Media didn’t initially do).
All in all - I’m happy to enjoy others’ work, and remain happy with my own.
We have the same idea. I have a Datsun 1200 where I'm putting restomod to make it a somewhat modern car soul in a vintage car disguise.
And now I am looking for a similar car to mod the heck out of it and see how far that Datsun's carbureted A series engine can go. They have been using the same engine since the 60s all the way to 2012.
It’s so interesting seeing a video explaining how you’ve been feeling lately, I drove a bone stock focus ST and I love it, and I have no intentions of doing anything crazy to it, and that’s just fine
I've been thinking about this a lot with my FoST. I wanted to do a bunch of stuff to it but then remembered I live in NJ and our roads can be dogshit, especially where I work. So I took off the 19in RS wheels and went down to an 18 and I plan on doing some OEM+ mods cause for most people, thats what I think works best.
From one FoST owner to another, a better fmic to eliminate heat soak, rear motor mount to reduce wheel hop, exhaust, NGK 6510 spark plugs, and a tune are all you need to have a lot of fun for not a lot of money. After almost 7 years of ownership, I still have a blast dailying mine. A pedal spacer is also worth it for easier heel-toe.
Modifying cars is a personal preference. The average person does it and steps back from the car happy. CZcamsrs are the only ppl (that I have met) that build cars for the reactions of others.
As these cars get older finding good parts to restore is hard. The market is saturated with cheap parts. I've tried buying 'good' parts that could be classified as 'mod' parts with lack luster results. My opinion is, if its not broke, don't fix and if you do change something buy something you can get as such information on as possible even if its more money. Nothing is worse than chasing your tail. Just my half cent.
preach homie! when I had my C5 z06 the only mods I did were to fix the sloppy shifter, massive steering wheel, oil catch can and better tires. car drove great and made more than enough power stock to keep me satisfied for the 6 years I owned it. that mk4 r32 hit home though, I ruined mine by modifying it into a shell of it's former self. that is probably my biggest car regret haha. I love this video!
Love this! I modify my car to make it more fun. But yeah, I'm one of those guys who put mud flaps on their Subaru and I definitely won't be the last :D
As an s209 owner, I felt this video hard. I love the modification and fabrication industries though. I think they are definitely contributing to car and enthusiast market as a whole .
Even if it is for dollars, we get to see some special stuff and people can have their own pieces of art.
Mine will stay stock except for some wheels and tires and that’s a risk vs reward thing. Great content🔥🔥🍻
I was literally waiting at the end for another evo to show up that ben bought🤣
100% agree with your points here Ben. I have a bone stock, 22k mile '94 Miata that, although not as fast as a modified '96 I owned before it, is still very much enjoyable and a better car to just drive around in. The real answer is to own a stock car and a beater/modifed car that you can take out and beat on and go crazy with.
Absolutely u can’t daily a project
People often modify their cars to make them faster, whilst not having the driving skills to push them to their limits, even in stock form. Instead of those $3000 coilovers, how about you spend it to get a track permit? You'll have much more fun.
Pal Ive played enough gran turismo and forza im good
@@semicolon101nah, it’s more fun IRL
Good video. The older I get the more I appreciate a stock or OEM+ setup.
As for me, I now care more about a car's handling department than raw power and top speed. I can't go faster than 180 kph anywhere other than the track, so what's the point? Good handling and acceleration on the other hand, is appreciated everywhere.
I know cars can get too powerful to enjoy, but so far I haven't heard a car being too good in handling to enjoy (is this even a thing?).
one thing that's often overlooked with "manufacturer spent millions on R&D" is the fact that manufacturer has to cut cost to make more profit, which is where aftermarket can help improving the quality over OEM
but otherwise I think this video is a breath of fresh air, as all this social media bs really gets into people's heads (myself included) forcing to do mods just to not fall behind others
Manufacturers don't have to cut cost to make their products. They build to a budget. If you think the cars we buy cost anything close to what they sell them for, I have news for you. A big misconception is that aftermarket stuff is "better quality" than OEM. Often times... it's really not.
That's why I've kept my z32 OEM++. OEM+ means taking parts from different specs/trims of that car(or country models) and putting them on yours. Example is installing a 1LE wing on a SS, or a '99 spec JDM taillight on a '90 Us spec car.
OEM++ Is doing minor modifications that still keeps the original design but SLIGHTLY altered. Examples being installing different wheels, changing the car color, or doing minor interior work.
Thank you for this video, could not agree more. Recently got a new GR86 and seeing other owners slamming/stancing them already just blows my mind given how good they feel stock. Important to stop and think before throwing on mods, and no shame in enjoying a car for a few years and modding flaws you find with the car slowly rather than throwing on a ton of parts super quick to be "unique"
I'm buying a 23 Forte GT2 in a week. The only modification I had ever planned for it was a cold air intake. This is making me reconsider.
"The manufacturer of your car probably did a pretty good job"
Me: BRZ with rod knocking fa20 at 85k miles 😑
Well at least the manufacturer of someones car did a good job, thats why a stock K24 is going in mine now.
I'm almost 40 and I have become a restoration fanatic with age. I am a die hard Honda guy and now when I see a beat up 92 Civic 3-door hatch. I don't think "Racecar", I think "Resto". Don't get me wrong, I love my track days. I have a track toy for that. But My daily drivers, like my '06 RSX , are bone stock and I love it. I hope to keep it in that museum floor condition as long as I can.
I had a fiesta st that I modified and absolutely loved, but it did teach me that chasing power and change wasn’t the best. Before I sold it, I missed its silly playfulness it had as a daily driver
This is the only reason I'm doing very small cosmetic mods and wheels and tires to my FRS. Because I know the moment I start modding the internals, I will be losing money fixing, upgrading, and selling it. Everything can be reverted to stock. And most importantly, it's my daily. I want it comfy and practical.
Well, that's why you have two cars to satisfy both goals and demands. As most of normal driver, they just have only car to drive to work and also have some fun after work. Modification is a way to go, to have fun a little bit, to improve the ride quality bit by bit, day by day is a joy too. Thanks for the sharing, btw.
What if you don't mod your car? Answer: immediately lose your man card. Alternative answer: immediately become more attractive to women and less attractive to men.
My favourite car I own is my daily 2010 Mazda 3. It gets me to work fuss free, quiet, comfortably and reliably. It helps me to be able to pay my mortgage, bills, pays for my wife and daughter to have a good life, and if there’s anything left, goes towards my weekender, my 200sx. Modified cars don’t make you money, they cost it. But they give you joy, and the perfect compromise is a standard car.
Great video gents
Lack of money + Laws= My car will stay stock forever
I just lack the motivation to fix it. Its too cold outside.
@@mathiastheapprentice yea( at least my car is not broken)
@@your-mom_was_here I’ve got some oil leaks to chase down and a shitty adjustable FPR that keeps leaking. Just the tip of what needs done, but am currently on holiday and will have to talk with my boss about using a lift for a few days.
@@mathiastheapprentice just another day in car ownership
@@you_can_fuck_your_own_ass_69 LOL
Honestly the only reason that i would leave a car stock, would be if it were a 100% stock old car. And i honestly would still prefer to do suspension modifications and wheels. I definitely have a goal in mind for every car i own. Enjoyable (to me) daily driver, track ripper, backroad ripper, drift car, drag car it doesnt matter. I just enjoy cars, modifying cars, and modded cars in general.
POV:
You have no choice to not mod your car because you have no money.
I feel that for visual mods it's more of a user preference, when you get a car / a phone / a PC / your own bedroom, sometime you like it but there's that little thing missing, and you add it to make it more apealing to your own tastes, wether it be changing the color of the walls of your bedroom, getting a case for your phone, changing your desktop wallpaper, or even getting that sweet bodykit you always wanted, just to make it how you visualise your perfect car / phone / PC / sleep environement
What if you don’t workout?
What if you don't sleep?
Bruh
This film is like a moment in life, when your first car with some cheap DIY mods is pissing you off when it broke down again, and you have a ride in stock, but still quite nice car. Yes, it's best to have daily if you're gonna go far with original project car, or - if you want something enjoyable on a road and still have some comfort during everyday use, just buy performance model like M3, Fiesta ST, 350Z or whatever floats your boat. I only have a Fiesta ST, but still it was a shock for me how much joy I can take from a car without sacrifasing too much.
Honestly a nice message. Many of us strive to modify and make our cars unique. It's an often rewarding process. However, for anyone who is new to the car scene and feels they must jump in and modify straight away to fix nonexistent issues....I would implore everyone to try their car stock. Really find your issues with the car. It will make your modifications feel more rewarding and stop you wasting money!
On my Veloster N DCT, just got a few cosmetic mods, blow off valve for PSHHH, and Cold Air Intake for STUTUTU and I'm as happy as could be. love my car.
Can't say i agree, doing solid mods to your car is rewarding. You can make your car faster without compromising, it depends how much money you're willing to throw down the drain as you are not getting it all back when selling. What a car manufacturer did to the car is obviously not all they could have done, they have to consider many factors like reliability, driveability, profit margin and scale. Improving the car at every turn is what you can do with the aftermarket, however there is a lot of things you should avoid, as a lot of people said, OEM+ is great.
I own a 2011 WRX STI, and the only mods I’ve done to it are the mudflaps and the OZ Ultraleggera gold wheels, but stll in stock size, and I replaced the shift knob with an OEM one from Japan. The next mods I’ll do are just to solve some of the flaws it has from the factory, that’s it. I love my car the way it is. And I’m in Italy, almost nobody drives a WRX STI here, so I feel that my car is pretty special even in (almost) stock form, and it’s great!
This has been my quandary as well. Found an 05 RSX Type S with 85k miles, completely stock at an Acura dealer here in Colo Springs two years ago, and have added a few bits I would consider restomod/Oem+. Can I do more? Yes! But I have realized there is no point in chasing more power by modifying the engine at all, it is what it is, a time machine. Keeping it as it is and just making sure to maintain it as best I can. I will add some sneaky bits like a 5.06 final drive and a limited slip, but that is for my own enjoyment. Always someone faster anyway.
This. I like your approach and mindset. I recently added an 06 to the garage and I plan to keep it mostly stock as well. As cars continue to evolve, it will be nice to be able to step into the RSX and appreciate it for what it is and how it drove when it was made. They never really were fast. But they sure are fun. Also, if you ever do plan to sell it, the closer to stock, the higher the appreciation.
@@Maelstrom8 It has been a learning process. I was more of a V8 guy (94 Trans Am, then an 05 GTO), but along the way I owned an 85 XR4ti and an 03 SVTF. I now appreciate all kinds of cars. In spirit, we are all enthusiasts and the sun is setting for those of us that like to hear an engine roar. I have made mistakes too - I added the subframe brass inserts and Vibratecnics engine mounts and it is definitely on the edge of comfortable, but it drives so much better. Had a hard time finding stock shocks (leaky, were blown) so I threw in Tein Basics along with brand new front/rear control arms. Cheap and closer to a "sport" suspension than anything for true tracking, but work great on the street and spirited driving. The only rusty bit? The stock cat-back, so I researched and installed a Tanabe Medallion. Quiet, extremely high quality. I am sure the 3" make more power, but this keeps it enjoyable and does not draw unnecessary attention.
@@Save_the_Stick_Shifts Thanks for sharing. I was the opposite of you. Started with Japanese 4-bangers. Civics and older accords. Then stepped up to a v6 manual Acura TL, followed by a manual '17 Camaro SS. The Camaro is my first American car and I love the roar of a V8 and the handling for a car of it's size. The RSX was to scratch an itch for a car I wanted in my youth, but couldn't afford then. It's still a gem. Like you, I appreciate a bit of everything. There is something to enjoy in all forms of driving.
A detail I think was left out of the video is that every car has it's own personality, not only by it's driveability but also by how you feel inside of it. A lot of people forget about this, putting an enormous turbo on a car can change the perfectly linear power delivery that an engine had, for example.
this stock build is goated bro. its modified in very right places. also ECU tuning is regulated very differently in different countries.
launch beam ng. pick a very stock car. go to a menu to change car parts, change a couple of them. measure your own time on stock and modded. and yo instantly realise how its hard to actually use a lot of power, how it actually feels to have MORE GRIP in tires when everything else is the same, what controls what. nothing of that matters if you're not used to think about anything anyway
Yea, this is pretty important. I have an ST and put all poly motor mounts on. I love it, but can see how other people would think it's stupid on a daily. The vibrations can get rough and I only did it after realizing both upper mounts were going bad. Luckily it turned out how I like it. Can't say the ST was great stock, but it was definitely comfortable. It's a car I'm definitely gonna push till it fails, for both a track a daily.
Still need a tune, probably a clutch, and a newer turbo, might even go so far as to rebuild the motor. The stock was underwhelming, but now that I feel the potential, can't say it wasn't worth the mods
This makes me think about how a lot of the time, I just drive unmodified cars in Forza(because my professional career can't even afford getting anything more than a Honda CB150r lol). and this somehow entertains me more than driving a faster version.
Don't over think it. It just personal preference.
I totally understand what Ben talked about. I've been thru that. I have a 02 WRX, it was gutted, lowered with harsh coilovers, straight thru exhaust, big turbo(TD05 20g, so much lag, no low end power for street use=sucks)...
Now, I put extra sound deadening and most of interior trim back. (good thing I kept most of them) Installed exhaust silencers, installed a set spring/strut assembly instead of super hard adjustable coilovers. Now I'm planning put a stock TD04 back on the WRX and leave it alone forever.
I love that y'all made this video. As someone who loves to see videos about modifying cars (longtime viewer of Mightycarmods), I sometimes feel bad that I don't modify my cars. Be it the lack of time or money, or sacrificing the daily-drivability of them since they are my dailies. This video shines a light on the value of NOT changing a stock car. And for the record, my cars are a '90 Miata (and a rare automatic at that) and previously owned '89 Civic hatchback, two of the most commonly modded cars. You know what could possibly make a cool video? Taking a heavily modded car back to stock, sounds boring but I think y'all could pull it off somehow.
I thoroughly agree with everything you said. In my experience modifying or modified cars seem to be a pain. The mods never fit right and the car is less reliable afterward and most likely less comfortable. If I wanted a raw car I’d buy a track variant from the manufacturer. Which I do love raw cars. I owned an Evo 8 and 85% of the time, I wished it was stock. I honestly have a deep appreciation to see stock cars because in some cases it’s less common than to see a modified one.
If you own a car older than like 15 years old, you should "mod" it as in update basic comfort or reliability components. Like if it's the original radiator, getting a newer maybe nicer one isn't bad, if you still have drum brakes modifying it so it has disc's is a good idea. I for some reason daily an iroc z, I've never driven one stock because this came with a built trans, 4th gen rear with 3:73 gears and bmr suspension. The engine is stock and gets good enough gas mileage, it's fun to drive and isn't horribly uncomfortable. If it was stock it'd be on drum brakes with 2:77 gears which would feel slow and weak while now it's able to get on the highway at a decent speed. The car drives how you'd expect it to drive if it was made today minus the power and thats what I like about it. It's not sucking gas down, it's not on race seats that break your back but the suspension will, it's a fun daily that I can live with driving. I'd change nothing about it other than a 350 instead of a 305 and subframe connectors.
That's why I like my rusty STi hatch with mudflaps, roof rack, lowering springs, wheels and an exhaust. It's simple and fun to drive every day.
Went through the same thing with my Civic Si. At some point I had an exhaust, intake, and lowering springs. Then I got tired of the noise on long trips, the harshness of the ride every time I drove it. And the feeling that if that (insert aftermarket part) breaks, would I be able to get a replacement as easily or cost effectively as going to Autozone and grabbing a replacement. After that bit of reflection I returned my car to 100% stock form. It's still just as fast and fun to drive. But it also rides better and doesn't annoy me, especially on longer trips.
It's true I'm getting older and my priorities differ now than in the past. I've always been a bang for buck time person anyways, always wanting the maximum return on what I do spend money on. I had to accept the fact that I like my car just fine stock. And that truly the most effective way to achieve a faster car if that's what you want is to just go buy a faster car.
When I bought my 2018 ST I had the "must buy" list I wrote up from talking to other ST owners. After a year I realized I didn't really want any performance mods for commuting. Black six spoke wheels, RS brake lights, mud flaps, and a green filter were enough to satisfy me. Even after I did take it to a track finally I walked away knowing at my skill level I just needed a throttle pedal spacer and some better brake pads.
Modding and building your car is half the fun and I couldn’t imagine the automotive scene without it. Stock cars are super fun but I think modding your car to be better at its main use is always better than stock. A modded daily I wouldn’t do but modding a car that’s main purpose is track or drift racing I love even if it is sometimes driven on public streets
So what you're telling me is that starting out with a car that was inadequate from factory (ZX2) is a great reason to modify it. Yay!
I want coilovers to adjust suspension damping and a tuner so that I may have a chance at one day getting that glorious 40MPG on my way to work 🤣
Modding with a purpose is important. My drive home from college was close to four hours. My corolla shimmied on the freeway so I lowered it after some research, then did supporting suspension mods. Now it drives smoother than stock and I feel safer overall. It’s different, but not because it was necessary to my existence.