Your thoughts on modifying cars or your own.

[guayaballer]

alots been running through my head ever since i bought a toyota celica gt-s. I am planning on adding scissor doors just cause they are sooo cool, some nice rims, and tints. I dont want to add too much for fear of my car getting stolen. so yeah have any of you modified your cars in any way? are any of you afraid of getting your car stolen or broken into?

 

[Bible_Belt]

There is looking fast and there is being fast. Women don't know the difference. Personally, I would rather drive a fast car that looks slow than the other way around. I like embarrassing other drivers who think their car is fast and want to race. Turbo that Celica and you will smoke most mustangs and camaros.

http://www.turbo-kits.com/celica_gts_turbo_kits.html
http://www.celica-gts.com/resources/suspension.html

 

[TurboLover]

Make your first mod a hidden kill switch for the starter, fuel pump, etc. Or put those lambo doors on it, either way its not getting stolen.

 

[Monster]

Don't be one of those ricers

 

[Magma]

OP, I think it's great that you have a vision for your project. The hard part is trusting that vision when you're sitting there with the angle grinder ready to start grinding off tabs and brackets.I chopped a bike and it was awesome to see the vision in my head come to fruition.

I agree with Bible Belt. Performance should be your primary concern, then cosmetics second. Who cares what a b1tch thinks about the look of the ride. When you step on the gas, THAT is what is going to ignite her loin fire. Engines are just one big air pump: air in, air out. Like BB says, get the turbo kit and a modded exhaust.

It's probably the best upgrade (% gain-wise) you can make for the least amount of dough. And don't worry about it getting stolen. It's a risk, but as long as your investment is protected, then don't worry about it.

Good luck with your build and have fun with it!

 

[Redsand426]

I wouldn't buy a turbo unless you plan on learning about and spending A LOT of time and money on your car. You're going to have to build your engine and buy much more than just a turbo kit to get it running safely and smoothly. It would be sick though.... and is a great option if you have the time and money.

Exhaust/intakes/headers are other performance upgrades you can consider... but you definitely won't be making big HP w/out a turbo on a celica.

If I were you I'd get a tint, some nice light weight wheels, a decent audio system and call it good. Scissor doors would definitely be entertaining, but not a good way lol

And I would think about moving somewhere else if you're always worried about your stuff getting stolen...

 

[Rhoto]

FWD fails. Theres not much left in a GT-S with out a big investment. And even then you'll only be faster than other "premium" economy cars.

 

[bud_2005]

I have a 2007 Chevy Cobalt which I bought new last year. Right away I put in a K&N Tygphoon Cool Air Intake and a Magnaflow Exhaust. It now has a nice growl. Next I'm thinking of putting in eibach lowering springs.

I agree that whats under the hood is way more important than how it looks. if you live in a bigger city their should be performance shops around town. Just go to them and ask their opinion.

Debadging or painting the badges on your car is a cheap way to improve your exterior.

 

[PRMoon]

There is looking fast and there is being fast. Women don't know the difference. Personally, I would rather drive a fast car that looks slow than the other way around. I like embarrassing other drivers who think their car is fast and want to race. Turbo that Celica and you will smoke most mustangs and camaros.

http://www.turbo-kits.com/celica_gts_turbo_kits.html
http://www.celica-gts.com/resources/suspension.html

That's pretty much my car exactly, different brand turbo, and my sports suspesion is race grade. I got SMOKED last night by a modded camaro though. I think the guy was pushing like 600 horse but it wasn't even a competition in the quarter mile. I'm sure I could handle him in a course race though. My car is way lighter and my suspension is pin point, so I can duck and weave better then some cars that need traction control.

If you guys decide to mod your car make sure you do it to suit your driving style and know what you're getting into. Asside from two DUI's I don't have any moving violations because I drive fast but smart. Still I have a special savings account that I have just for excessive speed and driving should I get knocked with a ticket. I keep up the sometimes agonizing maintainace on my vehicles (my truck is modded too) to assure that I don't have failures at criticle moments. At high speeds some thing small that happens can kill you.

 

[oakraiderz2]

Gas cost $4 a gallon, adding a turbo wouldnt be the wisest thing to do...IMO.

 

[PRMoon]

Gas cost $4 a gallon, adding a turbo wouldnt be the wisest thing to do...IMO.

I barely pay over 120 amonth with the turbo in my four banger. Most people know can't achieve that driving regular and I race alot. Gas prices aren't horrible, it's the people who don't have great cars who suffer

 

[Wiesman44]

compared to the UK right now, $4 gas is a deal. Unfortunately, Crude is at $126 right now on the NYMEX, and the $200 oil speculation certainly doesn't help. We could be seeing $8 in the not too distant future.

Thank god I work from home....thats all I have to say

 

[bud_2005]

My Cobalt gets 34 mpg about what would a turbo drop my mpg to?

 

[Rhoto]

Depends on boost level, AF mix, and your driving style.

Either way, the expense goes up.

 

[Bible_Belt]

The expense of adding a turbo is the high initial cost and added wear & tear on the engine. It would void a typical factory guarantee. If you do it, be smart about how much boost you add. Don't be a "boost-happy idiot." Too much boost and you blow engine internals. Most stock internals can't take much boost anyway. You can get a lot more power out of forced induction if you upgrade internals, but obviously that is not cheap, either.

Hey PR, remember when we were talking about Dodge Stealths? I sold my FWD Stealth and bought a 92 AWD Twin Turbo with new turbos and only 75K miles - 320 horsepower of twin turbo bliss...

 

[PRMoon]

Hey PR, remember when we were talking about Dodge Stealths? I sold my FWD Stealth and bought a 92 AWD Twin Turbo with new turbos and only 75K miles - 320 horsepower of twin turbo bliss...

Steaths and 3000GT's harass me all day. I can beat them...but I'd need a head start of at least 2.5 seconds to be competative. Twin turbos are gonna be come more and more common factory built. I would KILL for a Nissan GTR. I wouldn't have to do anything to the car and I'd be able to eat people. I'd race for slips all f*ckin day at the track and never have to work another day in my life.

I should also add if some of you others are intrested in turboing a vehicle, make sure you get the engine walls reinforced. Again, like everything else about turboing a vehicle this is often expencive. I have a legit mechanic who gives me a break on my maintence for my vehicles because i come to him so much. If you don't know some one dipping into your pocket is a garuntee.

 

[Bible_Belt]

The gtr is highly respected, but the guy I bought the Stealth from had one and ended up selling it out of frustration at the high cost of getting high hp out of one compared to his friends with Mustangs and Camaros. It is a lot cheaper to get a high hp number in a large-displacement engine. He also only got 12 mpg in the gtr after upgrading the injectors and fuel supply.

I am loving the AWD twin turbo, especially on my crappy and frequently wet rural roads. It's about impossible to spin the wheels, and I don't notice much when I do, you still go straight when you peel out. I plan on upgrading the fuel supply, probably killing my mileage but oh well, speed is not cheap. With bigger injectors and pump, and the 3sx eliminator turbos already on it, the car should dyno 400+ hp to the wheels even with the power loss from the crank to all four wheels, which I think is 25%. A carbon fiber drive shaft would help lower that number; one is on my wish list. I am getting used parts cheap off of the 3si forums.

 

[Rhoto]

Don't stealths share the same obscene weight as the 3kVR4?

 

[Bible_Belt]

Yep, about 3900 pounds due to the AWD, that is the weakness of the car. There's not many light cars made these days due to crash regulations. The 3s cars suffer on an autocross course due to weight, but on the street they are fairly normal. They don't weigh much more than an F-body Camaro. It's also very easy to drop a couple of hundred pounds in weight reduction. The driver's seat alone weighs like 80 pounds - racing seats are about 20 pounds.

One of my next car projects will be dropping a big block V8 into a 1970's Nissan Z car, a 240/260/280. That engine in one of those light cars should run 9's in the quarter mile. By comparison, a 3s car (Stealth or 3000gt) will run 14's, and 12's with some mods. The very fastest 3s cars run 9's, but they have had $80-100K dropped into them.

 

[Rollo Tomassi]

I'm in the process of doing this to my 300.

http://www.btgmotoring.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=XN12501&Category_Code=BRND_XENON_CHRY_300