When you see a modified car, 

"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion) 03/07/2018 at 19:18 • Filed to: None

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What queues do you look for to determine if it’s “the business” and not just rice?

This came up today when on my way back from work I got up behind a new, blue Civic Si. Being an Si AND having a huge aftermarket exhaust I quickly assumed this was a fart can/intake build. No surprises, it was also insanely loud.

Buuuuut. But but but. I got up next to the guy at a light and we started chatting. Turns out it’s his daily, and he threw a supercharger on the 4 cylinder because his normal “big boost turbo setups” were too laggy for the traffic he deals with on his commute. Okay. That’s cool. I judged too quickly. He did a few pulls, and damn. That Honda is fast. I’ve heard of them of course, but I’ve never actually SEEN a fast Honda until today...

Anyways, he said something that stood out to me. I’m quoting verbatim here -

“as soon as I saw those headlights behind me, I knew you were the business. Most Miatas seem to be rices out around here”

Huh. Headlights. This is the 3rd person to say something to that affect about my LED headlights. A Civic Si driver, a fellow Miata driver (he has 6 ) and a 997 driver. Never would have picked headlights as a deciding factor in rice-to-race scale. You?

The other thing I get a ton of people assuming my build is “legit” because of the brakes. I guess I can kinda see that one. They’re 11" disks as apposed to the stock 9", and big red calipers with WILWOOD stamped on them.

So what do you look for? For me, it’s tire width and tread. Wider tires goes hand in hand with performance oriented builds (usually) and I’m pretty good at spotting 200tw tires. After that... I normally look for a rollbar and the equipment that goes along with it. That’s a pretty big step to take just for looks. Actually, I should say a properly put together rollbar, with cross braces and not just a single hoop.

On Miatas in specific, hood vents are a huge giveaway, because there is one ideal location for venting, and everyone in the community knows about it. Cooling is also a major issue for our cars. The alignment is also a pretty good way to tell, as well as wheel choice. I’m almost positive I know every wheel that is used in racing (in the 15 inch Miata specific bolt pattern) and that makes it pretty eeasy to say “oh, those are 100% for style, probably weigh 17lbs a corner. Not a performance build”

Okay, your turn. Feel free to get specific with particular models. This is your chance to teach everyone about the car circles you’re invested in!

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > AestheticsInMotion 03/07/2018 at 19:23

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This is a good question. I’ve wondered this a few times. I would say that the person has prioritized function over form? IE, it’s for fun times and not looking good.

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > AestheticsInMotion 03/07/2018 at 19:25

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The more “in your face” mods, the more I assume it’s rice. The more subtle the mods I assume it’s the business.

Spanfeller is a twat > AestheticsInMotion 03/07/2018 at 19:26

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It’s the brakes .... People always cheap out on brakes when you talk about riced cars... Or Porsches... they do love fitting minuscule calipers at back

Y
U
C
K

daender > AestheticsInMotion 03/07/2018 at 19:28

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I think the headlight comment is more about the fact your headlights pop up all the way rather than the lazy eye look. That said, I’m not a fan of most NA headlight modifications except the ones that use FC units or the expensive ones out a of a NA1 NSX.

daender > AestheticsInMotion 03/07/2018 at 19:31

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Wheels and exhaust is a great giveaway. Lightweight designs over bling when it comes to wheels. An exhaust shouldn’t be over-sized (as in I can fist it) unless it’s running a silly engine and turbo setup. A droning, harsh fart can exhaust note is a easy sign of something being bad.

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > AestheticsInMotion 03/07/2018 at 19:31

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It’s the details. Fit and finish.

And mods that are blatantly over the head of the car OR owner. Like my coworker in the IT dept.

Matt Nichelson > AestheticsInMotion 03/07/2018 at 19:32

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Wheels.

The worst offenders around where I live are those who drive Mustangs, Camaros, and Challengers/Chargers. If it has ginormous rims that would look more suitable in a rap video, you’re just showing off and you’re gonna waste all your money replacing those rubber bands you call tires. If you have wheels that make the car look like it belongs on a track or even the stock wheels that are a bit higher up the chain from basics, then maybe you know what you’re doing.

interstate366, now In The Industry > AestheticsInMotion 03/07/2018 at 19:35

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Wheels, ride height, brakes, aero, maybe presence/location of vents. Also, if it has an aftermarket exhaust, the sound it makes. Higher-end ones just sound slightly different in a way I can’t really explain.

My Prelude: race or rice?

gettingoldercarguy > AestheticsInMotion 03/07/2018 at 19:36

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It’s hard to factor anything specific overall, but I’d say taste/quality and the relation of functional to aesthetic mods. When I see cheap cheap tires on wheels with spacers, Chinese knockoff coilovers, exhaust, etc. Cheap items for the sake of being flashy vs expensive items being reserved.

daender > interstate366, now In The Industry 03/07/2018 at 19:38

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I wouldn’t call it race, just clean style of sportiness.

gettingoldercarguy > interstate366, now In The Industry 03/07/2018 at 19:40

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Clean, not overly slammed, looks tasteful.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > interstate366, now In The Industry 03/07/2018 at 19:41

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Looks good. not ricy.

well done!

interstate366, now In The Industry > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/07/2018 at 19:44

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Thanks. A lot of people see the carbon hood and assume it’s fake.

Die-Trying > AestheticsInMotion 03/07/2018 at 19:54

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when you hear the sound of it running, and its not just loud noise, but a crisp, sharp, rumble. when you ask the person in it what its got, and they tell you “nothing too special...... except for the cam, pistons, heads”.... when you see greasy fingernailed hands. wide tires, that fit. a nicely tucked away (out of eyeshot of the rest of traffic)monster tach, with a usable redline( no 13k rpm tach here) ........ whether the guy actually knows about what is in his car, or what has been done to it...... how few un-needed accessories it has........

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > AestheticsInMotion 03/07/2018 at 20:01

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I just look at the mods and ask a mental does it make the car go faster in a straight line or around a corner? If the answer is yes then legit if not then it’s rice/bro. Real go fast mods start at real summer high performance tires and suspension upgrades. Fart can does not qualify nor does a cold air intake.

MM54 > AestheticsInMotion 03/07/2018 at 20:02

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99% of what I see here is pure rice with a seasoning of rust and neglect, so it’s pretty clear. It’s very very rare to see a car >10 years old in decent shape, and when you do it’s almost always something that’s clearly been fully restored (to me a restoration is neither of the categories, it’s just fixing it really well more than being modifications). I get a lot of weird looks in the RX7, the native FB has been rust-extinct for decades around here.

GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo > AestheticsInMotion 03/07/2018 at 20:03

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Wheels/tires, how low the car is, if it has the hallmark ricer mods. A lot of the scene here in Northwest CT is VWs and Subies, complete with too many stickers/flat brim monster hat/vape in hand. Those were the dead giveaways for me. I miss my M3 it was perfectly understated (except for the exhaust).

AestheticsInMotion > interstate366, now In The Industry 03/07/2018 at 20:15

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Is there a big weight difference? My friend has a carbon fiber hood for his Sti which saved a lot of weight... But the available ones are all heavier than the stock aluminum hood on my Miata so a carbon hood is a good indicator of rice for the roadster

AestheticsInMotion > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 03/07/2018 at 20:17

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The dude in the Si told me his car was a total sleeper. I tried to keep a straight face. Like, bro.... This is louder than 99% of the MODIFIED cars out there... It’s not a sleeper.

That’s a good looking M3. Would you buy another one?

AestheticsInMotion > MM54 03/07/2018 at 20:18

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Good restorations, or just super clean old cars is definitely a separate category. Like the impeccable Subaru SVX I see at the local Subaru shop. Looks factory fresh...

AestheticsInMotion > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 03/07/2018 at 20:18

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This is probably the best answer

AestheticsInMotion > daender 03/07/2018 at 20:20

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Good point. I hadn’t even considered that. Most headlight mods, I don’t really like either. I keep seeing NA’s without pop-ups and it makes me so sad

interstate366, now In The Industry > AestheticsInMotion 03/07/2018 at 20:23

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Yeah, it was a very noticeable difference when vs a stock hood. It actually was already on the car when I bought it, but my first 5th gen Prelude had a stock hood and I could immediately tell the difference between them.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > AestheticsInMotion 03/07/2018 at 20:33

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Well the Fujitsubo exhaust is the holy grail of exhausts for my 240Z, it’s basically $1000 for this. One thing I haven’t done is get a 6 into 2 header and then the rest of the exhaust, someone put a larger exhaust on my ca, but I don’t know what it is or what my 6 into 1 header is.

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > AestheticsInMotion 03/07/2018 at 21:17

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Like the impeccable Subaru SVX I see at the local Subaru shop.

I wish I could have an impeccable SVX. Other people fanboy over Corvettes, I fanboy over SVXes.

gettingoldercarguy > interstate366, now In The Industry 03/07/2018 at 21:30

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If you have or add a lot of go to the car, BBQ black the hood. I don’t condone street racing though.

GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo > AestheticsInMotion 03/07/2018 at 22:20

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I will one day. First is going to be an R32 or R33 GT-R.

AestheticsInMotion > winterlegacy, here 'till the end 03/07/2018 at 23:06

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You and me both....

AestheticsInMotion > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 03/07/2018 at 23:07

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They do such great work. I’m very sad that I’ll have to ditch mine when I go turbo

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > AestheticsInMotion 03/07/2018 at 23:09

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You got it spot on with tires. People who don’t know any better most certainly will not waste money on good tires. If you’ve got a fun car and it’s on econo all seasons in the summer time, I’m probably going to judge. But yeah 200tw tires on anything will instantly make me feel like I’m among my people. Now I’ve certainly run cars with shitty tires, so it’s just a perception thing not a rule.

Everything else is pretty much assumed rice unless I see it in action.

Long-Voyager > AestheticsInMotion 03/08/2018 at 07:39

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The driver is the biggest indicator of “rice” or not rice to me. Their attitude and how they react to other’s builds make or break it.

Long-Voyager > Spanfeller is a twat 03/08/2018 at 07:42

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Remember, not every car has “better” brake options. In those instances you’re stuck running the best pads/rotors offered and nothing else.

Long-Voyager > AestheticsInMotion 03/08/2018 at 07:44

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Rice?:

t0ast > AestheticsInMotion 03/08/2018 at 11:25

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Wheels/tires and quality track-oriented mods (roll bar, brakes, cooling, etc.) are definitely one of the most consistent visual indicators, but it’s a bit difficult to say beyond that. I tend to mix driver behavior into my initial judgement as well, because practical mods tend to walk hand in hand with level heads, and what’s the point anyway if the vehicle is not even being used well to begin with (like slow/sloppy turns), or worse, abused (like hearing gratuitous clutch slip through a modified exhaust)?

Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! > Long-Voyager 03/08/2018 at 11:31

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Well for the most part I feel your right but, if your crafty enough I think you could get bigger brakes.

Spanfeller is a twat > Long-Voyager 03/08/2018 at 11:32

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If that’s the case just put correct size rims.

Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! > Long-Voyager 03/08/2018 at 11:34

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Awesome sauce.

Long-Voyager > Spanfeller is a twat 03/08/2018 at 12:05

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Idk, I had 17s on my old build, not because I wanted bigger brakes, because I wanted less sidewall flex in corners.

Don’t get me wrong, I was running the best brakes available and had swapped to disc in the rear.

Long-Voyager > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 03/08/2018 at 12:06

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Ever try finding bigger brakes for a 95 Acclaim? https://oppositelock.kinja.com/thought-id-post-up-my-old-acclaim-build-for-everyone-1823032640

Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! > Long-Voyager 03/08/2018 at 13:48

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Why not try brakes off of a Subaru? You would have to make a bracket to hold the caliper and possible bore out the middle of the rotor but your a machinist sooo...

Long-Voyager > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 03/08/2018 at 16:10

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Because then I’d have Subaru brakes? ;)

Honestly, I had no need for bigger brakes. With the drilled/slotted rotors up front and ceramic pads on all 4 corners, I was never able to overdrive my brakes, even on the track.

If I ever get the new project to the point of needing bigger brakes (which will probably never happen), I would look into the Subaru brake idea. I feel like it would be quite easy to make it work.

Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! > Long-Voyager 03/08/2018 at 22:05

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I only picked Subaru because of the large aftermarket and same bolt pattern. And you would only have Subaru brakes if you told people you did ; )

Long-Voyager > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 03/09/2018 at 06:53

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As long as I ground the Subaru off the front of the calipers ;)

Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! > Long-Voyager 03/09/2018 at 11:04

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See, problem solved.