Warren - "tuner" car question for ya....

pre-set

pre-set

Well-known member
I'll preface this by saying that I appreciate the fact that YOU drive a "true" sports car, and might get offended by thinking I'm implying that you're a "tuner".... I don't. You're an enthusiast. However, you might have some insight into this...


Why does every Civic, Corolla, Prelude, Accord, Camry, CRX, Del Sol, Sentra...ect. that is done up as a "tuner" car have a GIANT, L.E.D. lit, coffee can-size Tachometer stuck on the dash, ussually directly on top of the FACTORY tachometer?


What's the point? There's already a tach in the dash.... I understand, it might have a shiftlight hooked to it, but c'mon, is this really neccessary?

On an AUTOMATIC?!?! LOL!!!!


Can you explain this seemingly nimrod concept to me?
 
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Tom Servo

Well-known member
Oooh! Oooh! I'll take this one!

OK, most of them are just because the dork driving the car thinks it looks good. Real performance modifications are expensive, but everyone wants a race car. Fake gofast parts are all the rage, and they only make me laugh at you if you install them ;)


HOWEVER. Stock tachometers are notoriously inaccurate. Doesn't really matter much when you're just toolin' around town in a stock car, but if you're running nitrous or a turbo/supercharger, it's a VERY good idea to know exactly how fast your engine is spinning.

The LED light is a shift light. It comes on at a preset RPM - that way you don't have to watch the tach to know when to shift, just shift when you see the bright light come on.

Like I said, in most cases it's only there for looks, and really it's not the most extreme example I've seen. I saw one weirdo with 3 wings, one stacked on top of the other. Looked like a drying rack. Saw another guy who'd painted a fire extinguisher blue, stuck a NOS sticker on it, then bolted it to the dash, trying desperately to convince people he was running nitrous. Or the kids who take a bolt cutter and cut the springs in the suspension to lower the car - not caring that the car now bounces like a pogo stick. They even sell a little kit that you can stick under the hood that has a speaker and a soundboard in it that makes it sound like you have a turbo.

So while at least 9 out of 10 cars you see with giant tachs, wings, coffeecan sized exhausts, and all the other stupid stuff are fake, every great once in awhile you'll come across one that actually has real performance mods that'll blow your doors off. There's a guy in my car club who's CRX kicks the crap out of V8 corvettes.
 
Baltimore Shooter

Baltimore Shooter

Well-known member
Well said Tom. Although I didn't know about the stock tach issue. We call that crap "RICE" (see Wiki entry here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricers) and I hate that sh!t.

I am thinking of adding a small oil pressure gauge, because for some wired reason, the S2000 doesn't have one, just an 'idiot light', but no massive tach or wing, half-dozen fog lights, product stickers all over the car, NOS sticker attached to a fire extinguisher, etc.

I don't understand how these kids think all this crap even looks good, it's sooooo freking cheesy!

Warren
 
Sportsguy

Sportsguy

Well-known member
I always think it's funny when I see a front wheel drive Neon with a huge wing on the back. Wouldn't they want more downforce on the drive wheels?
 
pre-set

pre-set

Well-known member
I would guess that they want the downforce on the rear because the rear ofthe car might tiend to become "light" at higher speeds due to natural low pressure areas form up the deck lid of the car. That makes sense, but how many Civics are capable of running fast enough for this to be an issue.... But I digress....


Anyone seeing my Jeep would see that I'm obviously not afraid to tinker with things. It's sheetmetal has been cut, a full "cage" welded in, suspension replaced, lifted, axle ratios changed, differentials replaced with locker and spool, snorkled, armored, (most importantly, it's got dents and dings and rockrash!)... But all those things DO something. I just don't see the logic behind spending money and time to install a fake "turbo" .... WTF?
 
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Tom Servo

Well-known member
Sportsguy said:
I always think it's funny when I see a front wheel drive Neon with a huge wing on the back. Wouldn't they want more downforce on the drive wheels?
Click to expand...
At the speeds a neon is going, a wing isn't going to help on acceleration. However, if you get it on the track, a wing can help keep the rear end down while you're going through a turn.

But here's a dirty little secret. 90% of the wings you see on street cars are neutral lift - - just there for decoration. They don't create any downforce at all. That goes for Camaros and Mustangs as well as the compacts.

And yeah Warren, we call it rice here too ;)
 
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Tapeape

Active member
What Tom said. I saw a limo with a wing once. Made me laugh. They were a real fashion statement for awhile there in the 90's. I remember even Grand Ams came with the things, and there's a car that does not EVER need to worry about creating downforce at high speeds.

And even on race cars, even dragsters, those wings aren't to help them accelerate. They're to keep the back end planted once they're up to speed - If the wing falls off a top fuel dragster, lack of acceleration is the last thing you worry about as the rear of the car lifts and pivots up and around the front, ending in a firey rollover.
 
Buck Satan

Buck Satan

Well-known member
Mmmmm barbeque..... But I digress

Why tachs? Why the big Folgers coffee can mufflers? Why pimpin neon undercarriage lights? Why low profile dubs with cut springs so you have to flare your fenders using a baseball bat? (Odd that its reminding me of some VW commercials) Remember, its all about "style"...

Rice Rice baby...


SR20VET!!
 
McFly

McFly

Well-known member
My goal is at least for my car to be able to hang with or beat a tuned ricer with a whale tail...

And soon...
 
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Tom Servo

Well-known member
Buck Satan said:
Mmmmm barbeque..... But I digress

Why tachs? Why the big Folgers coffee can mufflers? Why pimpin neon undercarriage lights? Why low profile dubs with cut springs so you have to flare your fenders using a baseball bat? (Odd that its reminding me of some VW commercials) Remember, its all about "style"...

Rice Rice baby...


SR20VET!!
Click to expand...

From the way you talk I assume you're not driving an X-Trail. . .so what did you swap that motor into?



Since we're having so much fun making fun of rice. . .



My favorite rice picture of all time. Yes, those are rain gutters he used to make the "body kit."

And just to prove that it's not just the kids in Civics who get into rice. . .



Note the Porsche Turbo badge the guy put on his Ferrari 355 ;)
 
T

Tapeape

Active member
I know the guy who did the first one Icarus - -it was a joke, to make fun of the real ricers ;)

you want some crazy stuff, check out what some guys in Japan are doing to their vans:





 
cameragod

cameragod

Well-known member
A guy I know bought a Japanese import with cool looking Japanese writing painted on its side, he thought it was grate until the director I was working with who spoke Japanese said it roughly translated to “Insane cars of death.”
 
Buck Satan

Buck Satan

Well-known member
From the way you talk I assume you're not driving an X-Trail. . .so what did you swap that motor into?

A man can have a dream can't he!! :)
 
Buck Satan

Buck Satan

Well-known member
naw, a 69 road runner w. a 383 commando, 4speed and no power steering, no power brakes. BTW the ricers are looking to emulate the Superbird, right...
 
CHIEFPHOTDOG

CHIEFPHOTDOG

Well-known member
Toys

Ricers, offroaders, American Muscle, classics, lowriders is only going to make sense to gear heads. If your the kind of guy that looks at the sticker and compare miles per gallon rather than horsepower, your never going to get it. It's all about being the Alpha in your pack. From Turbo's to NOS, even the dumb ass lit up exhaust tips it's all about being different.
Maybe your sitting there questioning whether or not your a gear head.
- If you have more bird crap on your car than tires, your not a gear head.
- If and when you park you don't look back at your whip at least once your not a gear head.
- If you haven't taken pictures of your car, your not a gear head.

But, I will agree, that if you have a four door, a racing strip and a 3" exhaust tip makes you look like a dumb ass, the worst thing is I bet that's your moms car.
 
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