Most Underrated Mods? 

"DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time" (dc3ls-) 10/14/2016 at 14:18 • Filed to: Mad Mods

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Question after the pic. Or last sentence if it doesn’t load, probably won’t because the Kinja god frowns upon me :(

Also I apologize if this is a repost. I had this scheduled to post at 11:00, but I couldn’t find it posted. I probably just accidentally saved it as a draft.

It seems like a CAI, exhaust, coilovers, wheels, and tires are the only mods on 90% of “tuned” cars have. From my experience the first two don’t really do anything unless the stock design was crap. And plenty of people either mess up the last 3 or just get something that isn’t going to work on the street. Whether the parts are just cheap, sacrifice looks for performance, or are legit race car stuff that only belongs on the track.

I remember when the clutch went out on my ‘92 Civic (Not mine pictured) I was dreading doing the job myself because I’d never done something that major. So to give me a little incentive I bought a lightweight flywheel to put on. After I finished the job I was very impressed with how much of a difference it made. Although it didn’t make it a rocket ship, it made it significantly peppier and responsive.

Anyway to the point.

My question is. What are some excellent mods that many people overlook that make substantial improvement?

crowmolly > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/14/2016 at 14:20

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Quality brake pads.

CB > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/14/2016 at 14:22

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For Sweden is pretty okay. I like Archduke and pauljones, too.

Oh, wait, car mods. I’m gonna add to the number of votes for brakes. What’s the point in going fast if you can’t stop quickly and reliably?

HammerheadFistpunch > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/14/2016 at 14:23

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Life of Brian is a pretty underrated mod, I feel I’m just “rated”

EL_ULY > HammerheadFistpunch 10/14/2016 at 14:24

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+1

RyanFrew > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/14/2016 at 14:24

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I’m not sure if I know the mods well enough to say who is underrated. Is Porsche 9146 still around? Dusty does a good job. Tom (Automatch), is the only one I’ve ever written a post about. Good dude.

[This has been your Friday afternoon Dad Joke/Shit Comment, brought to you by Ryan Frew]

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > HammerheadFistpunch 10/14/2016 at 14:25

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I came specifically to make this joke. Leaving disappointed.

DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time > crowmolly 10/14/2016 at 14:25

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True. I remember a co-worker who had a modified Infinity G36 and one day I heard him say he was going to a junk yards to get brake pads “on the cheap” :/  

HammerheadFistpunch > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 10/14/2016 at 14:26

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I like where this whole thread is going.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/14/2016 at 14:26

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The number one answer to this question is driver mod.

Dollar-for-dollar nothing else will improve the performance as much, and most people overlook it.

RyanFrew > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/14/2016 at 14:26

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Depends on the car. On a lot of Supercharged cars for example, pulley upgrades are the keys to life and happiness. In general, I would say the most underrated would be bushings/mounts. If you really want a car to perform, you’ve got to upgrade to Poly in a lot of places, including the engine mounts. If we’re talking in the same league as exhaust, CAI, etc., I’d say all those mods should come after a new rear sway bar on most cars.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > crowmolly 10/14/2016 at 14:27

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And fluid.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/14/2016 at 14:28

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Cam, though not really under rated is less common just because of the effort you have to put in.

And for those who have clutch fans, Efan.

AkursedX > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/14/2016 at 14:28

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Tires.

I know it’s not a ‘sexy’ mod, but choosing the proper compound for what you are doing with your car makes all the difference in the world.

One thing that I do that’s kind of out of the ordinary is that I prefer a well-researched and matched spring/shock combo over a coilover setup. I like the better ride-quality of a progressive rate spring and with a properly valved damper for the spring I can achieve a nice balance of daily driving comfort on a lower ride height and still achieve better handling.

I do note that more expensive coilover setups can provide the comfort that I like along with better handling and more adjustability, but I find that the cheaper coilover setups tend to be underdampened and harsh versus an equally priced spring/shock combo.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/14/2016 at 14:28

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Probably The Small Faces.

For Sweden > CB 10/14/2016 at 14:29

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What your judgement is terrible

For Sweden > RyanFrew 10/14/2016 at 14:30

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porsche9146 is the boss who will fire everyone eventually

HammerheadFistpunch > For Sweden 10/14/2016 at 14:30

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It’s the job we ALL want.

crowmolly > RyanFrew 10/14/2016 at 14:31

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I’d say pulleys are pretty well known for being a good bang for your buck.

Better quality suspension bushings is a good one! I’m partial to poly sway bar end links as a top choice.

CB > For Sweden 10/14/2016 at 14:32

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So, should I remove you from the list, then?

TheHondaBro > CB 10/14/2016 at 14:32

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Arch Duke is an Arch Dookie. Everyone knows it’s #Party-viNation

crowmolly > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 10/14/2016 at 14:33

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Starred for taking this in a different direction

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > HammerheadFistpunch 10/14/2016 at 14:33

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Good oppo etc.

CB > TheHondaBro 10/14/2016 at 14:33

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I like Party-vi, but he puts dicks in all my posts, and that makes me sad.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > CB 10/14/2016 at 14:34

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MAYBE YOU DESERVE IT

Tripper > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/14/2016 at 14:35

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Depending on the car, I think short throw shifters are great. The E46 M3's stock shifter has a long, mushy throw.

I went with a short shifter, selector rod, and weighted knob. It was expensive as far as ssk’s go but now it’s perfect.

For Sweden > CB 10/14/2016 at 14:35

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Probs

CB > For Sweden 10/14/2016 at 14:36

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Realistically, I should have put all of the mods up there, comrade.

CB > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 10/14/2016 at 14:36

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I only asked for it once.

DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 10/14/2016 at 14:37

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Yeah I’ve always wondered. With pushrod V8s do you have to pull the engine to swap the cam? That’s why I like my 90's 4 cyl rice burners. Easy access to everything ^_^

Dusty Ventures > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/14/2016 at 14:37

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For Sweden is a pretty good mod

OPPOsaurus WRX > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 10/14/2016 at 14:40

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i did an Efan!!

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/14/2016 at 14:42

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No. The rad, yes.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > crowmolly 10/14/2016 at 14:48

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I originally said The Kinks, but they were never really mod.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/14/2016 at 14:49

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A well-matched stereo.

You usually don’t need anything bigger than the built-in MOSFET amp in a high-quality head unit, as well as high quality speakers. The majority of us spend most of our time commuting, so why not spend a couple hundred bucks on our daily drivers, get a high-quality head unit with bluetooth so you don’t get a ticket and can stream audio from your phone, get some quality speakers that won’t distort at highway volume and subsequently blow, and get some sound deadening to reduce rattles caused by the potency of the new speakers?

I spent $200 Canadian on my mid-range Kenwood Excelon KDC-X500 head unit, and my Infinity speakers cost me $40 used. A setup with the same head unit but, say, matched Kenwood performance series speakers would be about $400 USD counting all installation gear, some stick-on panel deadening, and a specialty trim panel removal kit. Not bad for something you notice and appreciate every day.

uofime-2 > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/14/2016 at 14:50

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It really depends on what you want to do with the car. That is the thing that so many people forget about when they start modding, they really have no goal and therefore no direction other than what is popular/what everyone on that platform does.

A lot of people just like noise/street driving experience, so a catback and CAI is perfect for them

A whole other group just want looks/attention and big wheels, lowering springs and cheap coilovers are ideal for those guys (also LOTS of stickers)

If your goal is performance based then listen to Chris KF and do some driver mod.

I would say that one of the simplest mods that a lot of people don’t really do right/don’t understand is an alignment. Most cars are set up by the manufacture to understeer stock and a lot of time all it really takes to change that is an alignment, you might not even need to buy any “hard parts”and even if you do they tend to not be very expensive.

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/14/2016 at 14:52

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Nope. As stated, the radiator being pulled will usually give ample room.

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/14/2016 at 14:59

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Most underrated mod? party-iv

Xyl0c41n3 > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/14/2016 at 15:00

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Excellent mods ... that make substantial improvement?

:)

DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 10/14/2016 at 15:00

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Yes! I recently bought an Integra and the only mod the car had was the sound system. It’s absolutely amazing to the point were you can hear stuff in songs that you never noticed before.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/14/2016 at 15:09

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And even aside from the sound quality, it’s a $368 fine and 4 demerit points if you pick up your phone while driving in BC, and $490 if you do it in Ontario, so it’s way cheaper to upgrade your stereo to something with bluetooth than to get a ticket.

CobraJoe > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/14/2016 at 15:23

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Best mods?

It really depends on the car, the quality of the mods, and what exactly you want it to be like.

MGW and Steeda Tri-ax shifters were amazing on my RWD Fords, but I really doubt an aftermarket shifter will help my Subaru Legacy GT. The Legacy GT saw some decent gains from a downpipe and an etune, but my old CVPI saw zero gains from a tune. Mazda Protege5? Nothing would help. The ECU could not be tuned and there wasn’t much aftermarket support, and everything else was pretty decent for a cheap hatch.

Whatever you do, I suggest to not cheap out if possible.

Glasspacks sound good, magnaflow can sound better. Cheap lowering springs can break or sag. Find a tuner who knows what he’s doing for an email tune instead of an off the shelf one. If nothing else, it’s a great feeling installing new parts that fit exactly where they should.

Roundbadge > CB 10/14/2016 at 15:49

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Was disappointed I didn’t see one of these responses sooner...

Glad to find the low-hanging fruit was picked. ;-)

Urambo Tauro > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 10/14/2016 at 15:53

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^ This is the correct answer. Practice practice practice.

yamahog > Dusty Ventures 10/14/2016 at 15:56

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You’re a pretty good mod yourself

For Sweden > Dusty Ventures 10/14/2016 at 16:20

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Gross

For Sweden > Xyl0c41n3 10/14/2016 at 16:20

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Wait who is Climaco

Xyl0c41n3 > For Sweden 10/14/2016 at 16:27

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Kinja tech. He’s like Ernie.

For Sweden > Xyl0c41n3 10/14/2016 at 16:30

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Cool, because Ernie is Bae

Xyl0c41n3 > For Sweden 10/14/2016 at 16:30

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Definitely.

AfromanGTO > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/14/2016 at 16:37

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Brake pads, stainless steel brake lines, and good brake fluid.

Die-Trying > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/14/2016 at 17:33

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machine work........... balancing the whole assembly with flywheel, clutch, pulleys. decking/squaring the block. spending money on good quality lightweight parts(then you KNOW that your engine should hold together at higher rpms). none of which is glamorous............

DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time > Die-Trying 10/14/2016 at 17:43

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This is something I very much want to get done on my ultimate dream project car one day.

Preferably an old muscle car that has a huge market for chasis stuff like K-members, modern control arms and linkages, brakes, etc. Throw an LSD on and modern (in family) V8 all motor build.

Like Eric the Car Guys Fairmount, but a high revving NA 4.6 instead.

DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time > Die-Trying 10/14/2016 at 18:14

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wadya know. He released a video on engine balancing today!

Die-Trying > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/14/2016 at 18:15

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yeah, they are the kind of mods, that you dont bother to tell people about when they ask what you done to the engine......... up until they tell you “but it sounds different, crisper, sharper somehow”......

and it sure is nice to feel like youre not going to die, while cruising down a back road with the suspension upgrades..........

Die-Trying > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/14/2016 at 18:19

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this is good stuff............

Nimbus The Legend - Riding on air like a cloud > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/14/2016 at 20:16

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the most underrated mod...

wait for it....

wait for it....

wait for it....

LEAVING IT STOCK!!!!!!!!

JK, haha i know its hard to do

but seriously though....

UPGRADING TO REALLY GOOD TIRES AND BRAKE PADS

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/14/2016 at 21:50

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1) regular maintenance