Modding your DD - where's the sweet median?

[Porcupint]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

I'm in New Orleans, which does probably have the worst streets in the state.

However, my job takes me to every obscure corner of the state, and nowhere is exempt from bad roads. This entire state has an infrastructure problem. I have lived in eight states and driven in more than 30, and I've never seen anything quite this bad overall.

You're certainly not exempt from ugly roads in BR. Plank Road, Winbourne, Choctaw, Greenwell Springs... BR has pretty much given up on keeping the pavement glued down in that area of town. Airline Highway is a fucking disaster north of I-12. If you continue north on it and take the "scenic" Highway 61 out of town, you'll be lucky to have all your teeth by the time you reach the Mississippi border.

The state government here ought to be embarrassed.

I hate going to Nola unless I take the jeep. And yep we certainly not exempt here in BR. That's why I mostly say on the south end of town which has slowly gotten redone over the last few years. One of the many reasons I want to leave Louisiana is the terrible road system.

[themadscientist]

Originally Posted by Decay107

My girlfriend hated riding in my stock car

My wife loved the one I rented even at twice the speed limit on mountain roads. That is what actually sealed the deal for me on the car I was already digging.

[Bergen23]

Originally Posted by Smoke Destructer

How has no one mentioned the girlfriend/significant other test yet? Just keep modding until your gf hates riding in your car with you, then take off the last mod you did. Boom, perfect, most highly modded DD allowed.

No girlfriend, no problem. Really, the only girls in my car are one of my friends, and the girls from Tinder that I pick up for "dates"

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Bergen23

No girlfriend, no problem. Really, the only girls in my car are one of my friends, and the girls from Tinder that I pick up for "dates"

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[Bergen23]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

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[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by Porcupint

I hate going to Nola unless I take the jeep.

My other vehicle is a Cherokee, which is actually kind of fun to bounce around on these streets. It's about to get a lift, frame stiffeners, front and rear axle upgrades and new steering. I'm sticking with 31s for now, but I probably need 33s to really be comfortable "urban offroading" in NOLA.

Rock crawling? Nah, just a grocery run.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

My other vehicle is a Cherokee, which is actually kind of fun to bounce around on these streets. It's about to get a lift, frame stiffeners, front and rear axle upgrades and new steering. I'm sticking with 31s for now, but I probably need 33s to really be comfortable "urban offroading" in NOLA.

Rock crawling? Nah, just a grocery run.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

There used to be a place in the road around the corner where I could actually do that if I went fast enough. The road had floated during Katrina and settled... wrong. It was right next to a rather prestigious Catholic boys' high school that has produced a bunch of judges and politicians. Parents who needed 4x4s to pick up their kids didn't like it.

THAT road got fixed.

[Vracer111]

To me for a daily driver...seats are #1 priority followed by debadging! The stock seats are okay in the FR-S for daily but suck for long distance driving. I've yet to see any stock affordable vehicle that got seats right. I have a Recaro Ergonomic seat that would have been put in the car from day one except for one major issue...it would raise the seat height, and the stock seats are already too high. I need to drop my seating position at least 2" lower than factory height to be in a proper seating position... There are very few options for seating which will work for daily driving (Bride Stradia or Recaro Sportster CS) and I'm not willing to pay the money for them.

Other than seats, I like changing anything that will not mess with the reliability of the car (I've yet to do any engine mods to any car I've had). Anything upstream of the throttle body and downstream of the cat is fair game to me for a daily driver. And for wheels tires I always go with lighter, lower MOI design wheels than factory on better than factory rubber sized appropriately for the car, usually of a slightly smaller than stock diameter. When parts wear out I will replace with more performance orientated parts designed for DD duty. For example when it's time to change out the clutch, I will be installing the TRD lightweight flywheel and clutch/pressure plate. When the suspension needs replacement I'll go with Bilstein H6 dampers, undecided on springs, but I want the same F/R rate ratio as stock on the FR-S with minimal drop if I ever do go away from the stock springs... the suspension setup difference is one reason I bought the FR-S and not the BRZ.

I also like doing custom work to make the vehicle visually flow/and more functional from a performance perspective. Currently working on custom fabricating a single, central exit catback exhaust, will then be able create a custom diffusor. Have real GT racing mirrors to custom mount (need to make the body plate for attaching - 7075 .090 aluminum most likely) which will slim down profile from the freaking DUMBO ear stock ones and still provide adequate visual checking for daily driving with a convex lens of the same width but about half height - I don't need to see half the sky in my mirrors like with the stock ones! Will also be adding perforated Alcantara to the doors and dash trim pieces (buying the material and custom fitting myself). I like a coordinated exterior look of clean stock body with no kit add on's but changes better suited to aesthetics (like getting rid of the fake factory diffusor/reverse light on a dark colored car to slim down the rear look) and want the interior to feel higher end. Want to add fog lights and create a custom grille with brake cooling ducts to either side in the front opening as well.

Basically I want to refine the car, not remake it into something else - its really good stock, just needs so minor tweaking to get it where it needs to be visually and performance wise.

[Porcupint]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

My other vehicle is a Cherokee, which is actually kind of fun to bounce around on these streets. It's about to get a lift, frame stiffeners, front and rear axle upgrades and new steering. I'm sticking with 31s for now, but I probably need 33s to really be comfortable "urban offroading" in NOLA.

Rock crawling? Nah, just a grocery run.

04 wrangler. 4" lift on 33's. Steering upgrades, full I/H/E, clutch, dampers, springs. Literally feel nothing in nola with it. But curbs feel like speed bumps so potholes really aren't much challenge.

It's also my new DD for a little while, since the BRZ got hit tonight.

[Wise]

Originally Posted by Vracer111

To me for a daily driver...seats are #1 priority followed by debadging! The stock seats are okay in the FR-S for daily but suck for long distance driving. I've yet to see any stock affordable vehicle that got seats right. I have a Recaro Ergonomic seat that would have been put in the car from day one except for one major issue...it would raise the seat height, and the stock seats are already too high. I need to drop my seating position at least 2" lower than factory height to be in a proper seating position... There are very few options for seating which will work for daily driving (Bride Stradia or Recaro Sportster CS) and I'm not willing to pay the money for them.

Other than seats, I like changing anything that will not mess with the reliability of the car (I've yet to do any engine mods to any car I've had). Anything upstream of the throttle body and downstream of the cat is fair game to me for a daily driver. And for wheels tires I always go with lighter, lower MOI design wheels than factory on better than factory rubber sized appropriately for the car, usually of a slightly smaller than stock diameter. When parts wear out I will replace with more performance orientated parts designed for DD duty. For example when it's time to change out the clutch, I will be installing the TRD lightweight flywheel and clutch/pressure plate. When the suspension needs replacement I'll go with Bilstein H6 dampers, undecided on springs, but I want the same F/R rate ratio as stock on the FR-S with minimal drop if I ever do go away from the stock springs... the suspension setup difference is one reason I bought the FR-S and not the BRZ.

I also like doing custom work to make the vehicle visually flow/and more functional from a performance perspective. Currently working on custom fabricating a single, central exit catback exhaust, will then be able create a custom diffusor. Have real GT racing mirrors to custom mount (need to make the body plate for attaching - 7075 .090 aluminum most likely) which will slim down profile from the freaking DUMBO ear stock ones and still provide adequate visual checking for daily driving with a convex lens of the same width but about half height - I don't need to see half the sky in my mirrors like with the stock ones! Will also be adding perforated Alcantara to the doors and dash trim pieces (buying the material and custom fitting myself). I like a coordinated exterior look of clean stock body with no kit add on's but changes better suited to aesthetics (like getting rid of the fake factory diffusor/reverse light on a dark colored car to slim down the rear look) and want the interior to feel higher end. Want to add fog lights and create a custom grille with brake cooling ducts to either side in the front opening as well.

Basically I want to refine the car, not remake it into something else - its really good stock, just needs so minor tweaking to get it where it needs to be visually and performance wise.

I love the stock seats. Especially the alacantara leather ones. Very comfortable on long drives, not as constricting as a bucket, but not as loose as a standard seat.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by Porcupint

It's also my new DD for a little while, since the BRZ got hit tonight.

Damn. Sorry to hear that.

[Ghost of Akina]

Originally Posted by Porcupint

It's also my new DD for a little while, since the BRZ got hit tonight.

Dude that sucks! Sorry to hear that about the BRZ

[tennisfreak]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

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