Overhaulin'

need opinions on modifying a car..?

Hello i am looking to get into tuning cars, and i have no real experience or knowledge of the subject, i am a noob. I would like some advice on good cars, and what is good for a beginner to the hobby. I like the honda fit sport and the nissan altima coupe, i don't know if these are good cars to tune, so if someone can help me on this i would be greatly appreciative. PS- also i need some dos and donts, i dont want to be one of the idiots with a huge spoiler with a too loud exhaust and crappy body kit haha, thanks. Also, with the altima coupe, is the CVT any good, also are 18" rims good? PPS- does it matter if it is a front wheel drive?

Public Comments

1. Man, that's a loaded question. First, you have to pick a car that will accept performance mods okay, without destroying the car. A lot of people choose to get a factory turbo or supercharged car. Because with this you can play with the boost and get more power cheaper. The new thing these days is all wheel drive. But, most people would still prefer rear wheel drive. I have a jetta gli and that's front wheel drive, which I can't stand. But, I love the car. In fact, you should consider looking at jettas. The big thing is, what's your price range? You can get pretty crazy with these cares. Also, pick a denomination of vehicle. Do you like Jap cars, German... American? I prefer German by far. A great car to look at is an Audi S4, the B5 body, around 2000-2004 body style. The came with a twin turbo v6, all wheel drive. You can get an auto or manual. All came with leather, full power everything. Just a really great car, safe, fast and fun. Check em out. For modifications, yea don't do what these other guys are doing. With the big spoilers and big chrome wheels and euro tail lights.... it's all sooo ugly. The best thing is pick your car, then go onto cardomain.com and see what other ppl are doing. This should give you some ideas. Ya see, again I like German cars because they're styled very simply and the Germans are NOT into all that crazy whitetrash ricer stuff. So..... Audi S4, then look at APR performance parts. They specialize in Audi..... so awesome! Well, hope I helped a little, good luck. If you have any questions, email me. I love to talk cars... especially German ones! ;)
2. you are confusing being a ricer with tuning. 18 in rims isnt tuning.
3. first off, what kind of mods r u look @? with the fit you can get into a LOT of mods. everything from changing the engine (swapping the STD engine for a Si, a nice K20 engine. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080811124150AA9tJpl) to a simple skirt fits. with the Nissans,, well they are a bit of a mess.. with the CVT it limits you with the things you can do. dont get me wrong they are GR8 cars, just not made for Xtrm mods.
4. You should find a good rear wheel drive car. Dodge Charger, Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro, Pontiac G8, BMW M3, etc. They have the best possibilities. Some all-wheel drive cars are good as well. The ones you listed are only done by ignorant people that believe the Fast and the Furious is real, it is NOT REAL. For the motor modifications start out simple add a cold air intake, headers, freer flowing exhaust (Catalytic converters, Mufflers, Bigger pips), and reprogram the computer or buy a chip. (Which you do depends on make and model, some are reprogrammable, other must have a chip replaced.) Do a little to the suspension, better brakes, maybe lower it a bit, and stiffer springs and shocks. Do a little for the looks, no matter what a little front wheel drive car will look stupid with modifications. Get some nicer wheels, maybe change the lights, chrome tips for the exhaust, small things that are simple but still make an impact. When you do the wheels get high quality tires they will make a big difference in performance. Good Luck and Enjoy the process and the result. It's not worthy if you do not like the process, it should be half the fun.
5. do you know what tuning is? tuning is working with the ecu for the whole engine, for the how car will perform, what your talking about are mods. tuning is for turbo cars or any car built for race. if your gonna build a race car buy a cheap car thats easy to fix and easy to get parts for, theres no need to buy a new car if your gonna do stuff to it, youll void warranty. and rim's are a big no no. thats just rice. buy a civic or an integra or something in the late 90's save up money build the head and sleeve the block, save money for a turbo kit, pistons and rods, and find a good tuner to make that sucker go fast. tony palo has a 8 second integra, it takes a lot of money to even get those good times, its not just material things that you need if your really going to mod a car, its the internal things and necessary things you need that will separate you from a ricer and a real racer. theres more to it then just buying stuff and slapping it on, you need to research the parts, the car. front wheel drive doesnt matter, i have an integra a race its front wheel drive and ive beet tons or rear wheel drive cars, including skylines, sti's and evo's. its not the car that makes you its how you drive it. you can go turbo, or all motor, headers exhaust that fits the car well, intake manifolds, throttle bodies, fuel rails, things like that will even make a good difference in how the car will drive. if your going to a car just for show then thats a totally different scenario. if your up for the work then itll be a fun process. when i built my motor, it took me quite a few looonnggg months but when its done, it feels great.