Modifying your car....why?

[Huddleston]

This topic has always been of interest to me as I've made my way through various ownership experiences.

Why would you modify a luxury sedan?
Why would you modify a sports car that came from the factory with x amount of HP?

Why would you modify any car?

Obviously each owner has different taste and that is manifested in how they modify their car - lowering it, tinting windows, upgrading suspension components, re-badging, swapping wheels, headlights, adding cosmetic mods are all great examples we have just in the 2G Genesis world.

I am sure with the various age demographics we have here some feel that a car should not be modified at all from what the factory designed it to be.

Others feel like they improve the car with the changes they make. I do find it interesting that out of all of the cars I have owned the Genesis seems to garner more disapproval with respect to modifying the car. The mean ages of the owners of other luxury cars I have owned are very similar, Lexus, Audi and MB owners have been much more favorable and accepting towards the modification process. Why? Is it the value minded people that may be more likely to purchase the Genesis?

Has anyone else that has experience with other brands and modifying their cars noticed that the crowd here is generally less interested in "builds" or modification beyond window tint or a badge swap?

 

[Mark_888]

Lexus, Audi and MB owners have been much more favorable and accepting towards the modification process. Why?

I think you must be talking about people on forums, which for the above cars is much lower percentage of all owners than for the Genesis. The vast majority of Lexus, Audi and MB owners would not even consider joining a forum to discuss their cars, much less modify them.

 

[Huddleston]

I think you must be talking about people on forums, which for the above cars is much lower percentage of all owners than for the Genesis. The vast majority of Lexus, Audi and MB owners would not even consider joining a forum to discuss their cars, much less modify them.

I think the vast majority of Genesis owners fall into that same category of people that would never modify their cars. However the ones that do seek out a forum seem to fit what I described above.

For those that do join a forum I'd deduce that they would likely be more open to modification simply because they would be more interested in their car.

 

[MoabGen]

I don't mind certain mods as long as they are tastefully done. Not all are. Huddleston has an ongoing thread detailing his mods and I wouldn't mind making some of the same mods (black wheels) to my white 3.8, but would stay away from others such as debadging. Just because I am opposed to debadging or the bike rack doesn't mean I disapprove of others doing the same. Huddleston's mods seem to be well thought out and everything comes together nicely for a clean look.

Now if he were to throw a huge winged spoiler on the rear end, LEDs/neons under the car and a few obnoxious fenders and turn it into a full-sized Honda Civic, that's where I would draw the line.

 

[Mark_888]

I think the vast majority of Genesis owners fall into that same category of people that would never modify their cars. However the ones that do seek out a forum seem to fit what I described above.

For those that do join a forum I'd deduce that they would likely be more open to modification simply because they would be more interested in their car.

Most MB owners would never in a million years think of modifying their car. The purpose of a car is transportation and to impress others. These "old money" owners (and those who aspire to be "old money") tend to think that modifying cars is a lower class thing. These same people also don't join car forums. These represent the majority of MB owners, but they also don't join car forums.

Then there are MB owners with lots of money, but who come from a lower class so they are "new money" (like pro athletes, entertainers, etc) who can afford a MB and can afford to modify the crap out of them to impress the lower class friends and their other "new money" friends. Then there those who want to look like "new money" and spend all their money on fancy cars, and have no retirement savings. All of these are much more likely to join a car forum and discuss their mods (compared to "old money" owners).

Then there the super rich who modify them to add security features.
(bullet proof glass, etc).

 

[Genentec]

the genesis dh is one of those cars that look great stock, but awkward when modified. Maybe its the body style or what not.

 

[daviderle]

I have been around here for a while, and those who may remember my old signature, I moded few sport cars in my time, including last one which was a Trans AM WS6, but most mods. revolved around performance vs aesthetics!

When I got the 2009 4.6 genesis, I never found the need to mod. it in any way (other than adding remote ESC disable, because it annoyed the <r@p out me), even the R-Spec I originally did not do much other than tinting the windows for better sun shade.

Then I saw the Huddleston mod thread which gave me ideas , coupled with the need to replace tires and wheels on the 2009, I thought why not add a little presence to the R-Spec while I was at it...

All the other mod were done purely to add missing functionality or correct a design defect for both G1s...

Although I still enjoy spirited driving and backed up the original ECU cracking efforts, I still am not sure I would go through the hassle of doing it due to minimal reported gains!
Now that 4.6 'charger' project is another story altogether.

Then again it might take some time to make that happen, by which time it might be worth getting the G80 -N- (?supercharged 5.0?") as long as it does not cost an arm and leg...
Otherwise (heaven forbid, just from a reliability factor) get a Hellcat Charger and call it a day...

 

[Aquineas]

<snip>
Otherwise (heaven forbid, just from a reliability factor) get a Hellcat Charger and call it a day...

Hogwash. Cadillac CTS-V.

 

[Statguy_Actuary]

I'm still new to this forum and being a Genesis owner. But what I find interesting about modifying my 2014 r-spec is the fact that no one knows what the heck it is. Removing the flying H's and putting the wing badges on adds to the uniqueness of the vehicle. Some of the most influential mods don't break the bank either.

I used to mod my vehicles when I was in my 20's, nothing too crazy but made it feel like it was my own. My last 2 vehicles I went away from changing and left stock, practicality and being more conscious of expenses as life went on. Now I'm back in a financial position to have fun with my vehicle, which is why I'm so excited to have bought a Genesis and joined this forum.

To each his own I guess. I recently replaced the center wheel caps and flying H trunk badge with wings. I have a Black Edition OEM Grill being delivered tomorrow, I can't wait to swap it out on my Casablanca White r-spec. All that for around $265. Not bad of a hit to the bank account to make it a little different IMO.

Upcoming mods I'm debating: CAI, paint roof black, performance muffler swap

~ Statguy

 

[daviderle]

Hogwash. Cadillac CTS-V.

Indeed, but CTS-V is getting up there! At that price point, a loaded Tesla 90D or a base P85D becomes very attractive, should the budget stretch that much sometime around 2017/8 timeframe

Doubtful, but one can dream! Then one can do everything in their power to turn that into reality...

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[TbonePdx]

A fox and a scorpion are standing at the edge of a wide, fast-moving river.
Both want to cross to the other side, but the scorpion can't swim and the fox won't be able to see once he's in the water.
The scorpion says "I'll jump on your back and be the eyes for you so we can safely navigate across the river together."
The fox tells the scorpion "But surely you'll sting me!"
The scorpion thinks briefly and replies "Why would I do that? For both of use would drown!"
The fox thinks for a while and seeing the scorpion's logic, agrees.
The scorpion jumps on the fox's back and they plunge into the water.
About half way across the scorpion stings the fox.
As his veins fill with poison and just before sinking under the water the fox asks, "Why? Why did you sting me? We're both going to die!"
"Because I'm a scorpion."

That's why I modify ALL my cars. I'm a scorpion.

 

[Fight4Hemp]

That's why I modify ALL my cars. I'm a scorpion.

Lol man I didn't think you would go there. I don't know if it was ment to be comical but I did laugh for a good 15 seconds, I appreciate that.

 

[84FordMan]

When you talk about those groups that typically do not modify their cars, look closer at that group.

That group of people are those that usually lease (or buy with a short finance period) a new vehicle, they feel they must have a new vehicle every 2 years. They are more attracted to the fact they are driving a new car than making their car stand out from others.

I have a friend in our local chapter that, in the past four years, has owned a BK1 Genesis Coupe, a BK2 Genesis Coupe, BMW 4-series and now an S550 Mustang GT. He does mod them, save for a few bolt-on performance items, it's all visual, mostly in the past it's been wheels, coils/coilovers, tint, badges, intake and exhaust. Sometimes a CF hood or trunk.

For me, I see it as a challenge, so this car has X horsepower, X creature comforts, stops from 60 MPH in X, etc, what can I do to improve each section? It doesn't matter what I am driving, at one point I had a cheap daily of a 2003 Ford Taurus with the basic Vulcan 3.0L OHV V6 in it, I still modified it. The cloth seats were terrible, manual adjustment too:

So I found a previous generation Taurus SHO V8 on Craigslist in my area that was willing to part with it's interior and for $100, I got leather, powered, with lumbar adjustment, front and rear seats. Snipped the air bag connector off my old seat and spliced it onto the SHO seats and ran a new power wire for the power adjustment and lumbar. Now I had seats in a generation of Taurus that never came with them and those seats were like Recaro and La-Z-Boy had a joint venture:

I did other things to that Taurus that you would not expect, but that summarizes why I always modify my cars, there is always room for improvement, be it comfort, be it sound, be it performance.

 

[xiaphin]

You will be seeing a lot more modified Genesis Sedans this year since they are entering a price range that younger individuals can afford. The younger crowd tends to modify their vehicles more. I got my sedan because I love the styling and size of the car, plus hardly anybody had modified one at that time which made it even more of a rare bird. I like having something that no one else has which is why I modify my car. Makes it unique and an extension of one's personality. Now if it was a lease and there are no intentions in actually keeping the car then what is the point.

84fordman - Was it strange to have all leather except for the armrest? Guessing the part out cars armrest was damage.

 

[Aquineas]

Those Taurus seats look awesome!

I believe in mods to a point. Years ago I had a 2003 Altima V6 that I modded with Hotshot Headers, Magnaflow Exhaust, underdrive pulley, and Frankencar CAI, tires, wheels, etc. Even with being a noob at the track, I got it down to a 14.2 @ 99mph in the 1320. It was then that I found out about the joys (and pain) of modding.

Unfortunately, the increase in performance came at the cost of daily livability. In a word, the car was loud. It wasn't Harley loud or anything, but it sounded like it was always ready for a street-race. In the beginning it was intoxicating, listening to that VQ growl and snarl like a Wolfman during a full moon, but after about 15,000 additional miles with the mods, it, well, wasn't. My training-wife confessed that she hated riding in my car, and if I was honest with myself, I did too, about 70 percent of the time. I realized then there was a happy medium of performance, reliability, livability, sound, fuel-efficiency, and generally, the engineers do a pretty good job with the trade-offs. I love a car that's fast, handles as well as the physics allow, and is near silent on the inside. More Grand-Touring than autocross or SCCA.

So I take a somewhat conservative approach to modding that does as little to compromise the livability of a vehicle as possible. I want maximum benefit with little drawback. If the springs are too hard or make my tires rub on the roads and driveways I drive on routinely, that's not acceptable in my eyes, whether aesthetically pleasing or not. If my car ends up significantly louder on the inside for 5-15 extra HP, then that too isn't an acceptable compromise for me, though I realize that works for others, and I'm okay with that, too .

I will in the next couple of years be buying a sports or sporty car, and I'll mod the crap out of that. My daily driver on the other hand, I want as smooth as a newborn's butt.

 

[Huddleston]

Most MB owners would never in a million years think of modifying their car. The purpose of a car is transportation and to impress others. These "old money" owners (and those who aspire to be "old money") tend to think that modifying cars is a lower class thing. These same people also don't join car forums. These represent the majority of MB owners, but they also don't join car forums.

Then there are MB owners with lots of money, but who come from a lower class so they are "new money" (like pro athletes, entertainers, etc) who can afford a MB and can afford to modify the crap out of them to impress the lower class friends and their other "new money" friends. Then there those who want to look like "new money" and spend all their money on fancy cars, and have no retirement savings. All of these are much more likely to join a car forum and discuss their mods (compared to "old money" owners).

Then there the super rich who modify them to add security features.
(bullet proof glass, etc).

So according to this the only reason people modify their cars is because they want to impress other people.....

It sounds like you feel that anyone that modifies their car is doing so because they want others to perceive them a certain way and they are doing it to the detriment of saving for retirement or making sound financial decisions.

I thought most people modified their cars because that's what they like and couldn't care less what others think about it.

 

[Nikgen]

So according to this the only reason people modify their cars is because they want to impress other people.....

It sounds like you feel that anyone that modifies their car is doing so because they want others to perceive them a certain way and they are doing it to the detriment of saving for retirement or making sound financial decisions.

I thought most people modified their cars because that's what they like and couldn't care less what others think about it.

I agree with your last statement - most folks I have known that heavily modded their cars did it for their own satisfaction.

However, I'm sure there are some (and I've seen a few) that fall into your second paragraph description.

 

[Huddleston]

I agree with your last statement - most folks I have known that heavily modded their cars did it for their own satisfaction.

However, I'm sure there are some (and I've seen a few) that fall into your second paragraph description.

I agree - I have seen that as well. I do think that the majority of people do so for their own satisfaction. It is far too expensive to invest in the hobby for the wrong reasons.

 

[guybo]

I'm 44 and this is the first car I have modified. There's a performance level goal I want to achieve and it's a new hobby for me too. IMHO it's bad to get stuck in your ways as you get older. I wanted to do something I had never done before so I decided to throw a bunch of aftermarket performance parts at my Genesis Coupe and make the car go faster, look better and sound meaner.

So far so good, but it'll never be done any more than anyone is ever done at any other hobby.

 

[Huddleston]

I'm 44 and this is the first car I have modified. There's a performance level goal I want to achieve and it's a new hobby for me too. IMHO it's bad to get stuck in your ways as you get older. I wanted to do something I had never done before so I decided to throw a bunch of aftermarket performance parts at my Genesis Coupe and make the car go faster, look better and sound meaner.

So far so good, but it'll never be done any more than anyone is ever done at any other hobby.

that's geat guybo! very cool!