Intake (generic CAI)
Likes: It's a cheap mod for beginners. Makes a bit of power on the top end, and makes your car sound so much cooler
Dislikes: Not a lot of increase in power.
Show value: 2/5
Go value: 2/5
Purchased: local guy
Paid: $40 and used filter I had from my short ram intake.
Would I get it again?: Yes. It's the building block for the N/A engine
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Exhaust (Apex N1 replica + custom piping)
Likes: Moderate power increase on the top end. The car sounds soooo much nicer with a GOOD exhaust. Notice I said with a GOOD exhaust.
Dislikes: Loss of low end torque, hard on the ears sometimes (depends on what exhaust you buy), and you are much more likely to be picked on by cops.
Show value: 2/5. Give the car a nice rounded out look.
Go value: 3/5. It improves top end power at the sake of low end power, but you'll need a good exhaust if you plan on doing much to your engine.
Purchased from: CVT Mufflers in Houston, TX
Paid: $240 for N1 style (replica, not Apex) muffler and piping from the cat back INSTALLED.
Would I get it again?: HELL YES! This is one of my favorite mods yet. The car is still slow, but boy does it sound nice!
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Aftermarket Springs (Nuespeed Sport - 1.8" front 1.5" rear drop )
Likes: Lowers the car's center of gravity and makes it easier to take the twisties without lifting a wheel or rolling your car. Improves the appearance of the car by reducing wheel gap but not so much that my big 17x7.5" rims rub.
Dislikes: Ride goes to crap if you don't get some good aftermarket shocks (I need some!).
Show value: 4/5. You've basically gotta drop your car if you want it to by "showy", but it's not going to totally make people crap their pants by itself.
Go value: 3/5. This is tough. I'd say if you're an average drag racer, the go value isn't all that high, but if you are into AutoX then it's VERY important. 3 is an average here.
Purchased from: Group Buy Center
www.groupbuycenter.com
Paid: $144 dollars shipped, $85 dollars for install (took 30 minutes)
Would I get it again?: Yes, but I might have waited to get aftermarket shocks and a camber kit at the same time because my tires have seen lots of wear from negative camber and my ass has seen a lot of wear from the ride.
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Strut/Sway bars (in my case, upper strut tower brace):
Likes: Stiffens up the chassis and looks neat.
Dislikes: It's not free
Show value: 1/5
Go value: 3/5. Much like the springs, they are an afterthought for your average drag racer, but they are tops on the list of AutoXer's. 3 is an average.
Purchased from: umm...uhh...Autozone...
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Paid: $29.99 + tax
Would I get it again?: If I had $30 bucks laying around, sure. If I were tight on money, I'd pass.
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Body kits (in my case, just a front lip)
Likes: The right kit can look really clean and lower your ride to the ground.
Dislikes: High maintanance. Pieces break, paint chips, you scrape on every little thing in the road.
Show value: 4/5. I was tempted to say 5/5, but I thought about it and it IS possible to have a very showy and clean car without a body kit. Most show cars have them though...
Go value: 0/5. Absolutely ZERO!
Purchased from: local guy
Paid: $100 (just a front lip) $3.59 + tax to paint (did it myself)
Would I get it again?: I sure would. This thing is so simple and cheap, yet it makes my car looks at least twice as nice. Very subtle touch, but it makes all the difference to me. Plus it's made of urethane so if I hit something, it bounces right back
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Larger wheels/tires (17x7.5" Konig Toxxins w/ 205/40/R17 Kuhmo Ecsta Supra 712 tires)
Likes: They be pimp yo! LoL. Seriously though, there's not much you can do to make your car look better than dropping it on some nice 17" rims...
Dislikes: High maintanance. Staying away from curbs and keeping them out of potholes can get annoying when you want to get squirrly in your ride. Replacing tires is expensive. They are pretty expensive for something that (usually) makes you go slower than you did before
h:
Show value: 5/5. If you want a really clean ride, you better not be rollin' on stock wheels.
Go value: 0/5. Heavier wheels make the car acclerate slower.
Purchased from: Discount Tire Company
Paid: $1149.xx for all four 17"x7.5" rims and 205/40/R17 tires mounted and balanced and ready to roll out the store.
Would I get it again?: The same rims? Nope. Rims are the most diverse mod on any car. There are always new ones coming out and chances are you will buy a set and then see others that you like more. With me, I bought my rims when I had just enough money to get SOME rims. I should have waited to get rims I really really really liked. Also, I would go with some 16's instead, because my 17's are too heavy and high in maintanance.
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Hope that helped somebody out