When is it too much

[leeds_182]

We all like our cars on this site and a hell of a lot of people on here like modifying them but.................

Where do you draw the line when modifying cars? When does it become too much and you just look back and think "thats sh*t".

Just a bit of a conversation starter if anyones interested.

 

[Ben j]

hard question cus it depends on how u look at modifying. some want subtle mods, some want wild mods, some want no part left untouched

 

[Bryan]

as soon as the external appearance is altered (bodywork & rims)

work on the engine all you like, remove as much of the interior as you feel neccessary but dont make it look stupid IMHO

performance over appearance

 

[R20 CWH]

personally im a fan of the stealth look, dont want to give too much away, which is why mine is stock except for a few minor changes to the comfort - ie sat nav, cd changer and air filter

 

[Tom]

if i have to paint anything then ive gone too far.

 

[Big G]

I want my 182 absolutely standard on the outside, considered tinted window though.

Apart from a nice, shiny exhaust; i imagine the performance mods will still the same - at least until the warranty is out.

 

[tombourne182]

As far as my Clio goes better left untouched...

apart from induction, remap, exhaust, lighter wheels...

...oh I see what you mean

 

[t11mne]

Quote: Originally posted by Bryan on 03 March 2005

as soon as the external appearance is altered (bodywork & rims)

work on the engine all you like, remove as much of the interior as you feel neccessary but dont make it look stupid IMHO

performance over appearance

Cheers Bryan - saved me typing my own reply!!

 

[mrk1]

Have to say i like the 172 MK1 and 2 and 182 as they are. They look right from the word go.

The only thing the 182 has over the 172 which is really nice is the exhaust pipe showing. As for styling they are good as they are. Maybe a little lower but thats it.

I have seen a few clios with kits on and deep spoilers and it spoils the RS ones. K-techs turbo is nice with the carbon bits but not to my taste for a clio.

have to agree with Brian really.

 

[jaf78]

I think it all depends what youre into. Most folks who buy 172/182s are buying a car with ultimate driving experience for minimum cash, and adding bodykits, huge wheels and lowering them too much will just spoil them. Im leaving my cup as near as standard on the outside as possible.

Then again if your buying a car for cruising about and u want your car to stand out then the skys the limit.

Ive seen on other forums that when people start adding kits on cars like 306 rallyes folks start slating them and saying its sacreledge and they should be left standard. At the end of the day you buy the car so u can do what the hell you like with it.

If ive gone off on a tangent i apologise.

 

[andy_leitch]

with my 1.2 16v i dont have many plans. Ive replaced the air filter with a K&N panel filter and ive got a Dension Ice>Link. Im hopefully going to be getting all the components of the Renault Sat-Nav unit. Id change my hub-caps to alloys but to be honest i dont think its worth it as im dead set on getting a 182 in a couple of years. Ill be able to take my sat-Nav and Ice>Link into the 182 so the only thing thatll go to waste will be the panel filter.

I dont really believe in wasting money on things for my car. With a 182 id probably only want to give it the ice>link, Sat-Nav, an ITG panel fitler, remap and possibly lower it.

 

[fizzy_drink]

I saw 2fast2furious stickers on a Clio in Torquay the other day...

That was a bit too much TBH.

(Im ignoring the appalling exterior mods, assuming that it might appeal to some).

 

[Turkish]

Quote: Originally posted by Tom on 03 March 2005


if i have to paint anything then ive gone too far.







ditto

 

[Nick Read]

Quote: Originally posted by Bryan on 03 March 2005

as soon as the external appearance is altered (bodywork & rims)

work on the engine all you like, remove as much of the interior as you feel neccessary but dont make it look stupid IMHO

performance over appearance

Interesting...perhaps youve never considered that the whole reason why people fit bodykits, spoilers etc, is that they are trying to emulate a race car look, however naff that may end up being on a 1.1 Metro?

Im not saying that its ok to put corner splitters, a huge set of quad tailpipes and an ironing board style wing on the roof of a Clio, but there are performance reasons why race and rally cars look the way they do. Big rims and brakes, wide arches, lowering, aero aids etc are all strictly for performance. If they werent, race teams wouldnt modify factory cars in these ways.

Ive got a modified Maxi bumper on mine because I need that amount of open area on the front to fit everything in there - an oil cooler and directly fed air box wont fit behind a normal bumper. I mesh the front because I know from bitter experience that if I dont, I get birds and stones hitting my radiator, my oil cooler and my air filter ducting, which I cannot have. These change the looks of the car but its totally for performance. Ive got a louvred bonnet because at low speed I need to be able to cool the engine bay better than the standard one would allow, and at high speed I need certain airflows through the bonnet to take care of the extra radiator and plumbing I have for the chargecooler system. My brakes and rims are bigger than standard because the speed my Clio can get up to on country lanes, is quite frankly, frightening. It needs huge brakes, therefore it needs 17s to fit over them - simple as that. Id much rather run on 15s if I could, but its just not an option.

Just because a car looks non-standard doesnt mean its no good. Performance and appearance cannot necessarily be separated.

 

[Turkish]

your car is a good example of form following function though Nick, i think the issue is with the 1.2 max power brigade who after saying they cant afford to insure the perfomance variant of their car or a bigger faster car then go on to spunk over 5 time the insurance difference putting snowploughs on the front that wont go over speed bumps, 20" wheels which mean they have no steering lock whatsoever and various other pointless and tacky looking things like neons and flashy lights.

 

[Chili Red]

^^Exactly!!

Racing/rally teams put all those mods on their cars for performance reasons - but have the engine to back it up! 1.2 Fiat Puntos etc with airfix model kits hanging off the front and back just look silly and go even slower than they would without all the crap stapled to them..

But as above, its their car, and they like it - so who are we to laugh/criticise/vomit?

 

[ChrisR]

Quote: Originally posted by omar on 05 March 2005
<!-- ZoneLabs Popup Blocking Insertion -->I saw 2fast2furious stickers on a Clio in Torquay the other day...That was a bit too much TBH.(Im ignoring the appalling exterior mods, assuming that it might appeal to some).


O/T, you from round there, Im in Paignton

Guy who had my 172 before me put an rgm splitter on it, think it suits the car in this colour (black) but would look pap in any other.

 

[Samol]

Anything visible looks s**t!

then youve gone too far!!

under the bonnet is a different thing!!!!

 

[coolspot007007]

I can see why people with 172/182s dont like the idea of sticking a kit on theirs. I think its fair to say the majority of the bodykits for the clio 2 are total bol|ocks, and dont suit the car very well.

One thing I dont get the whole hatred towards lexus lights on here. Some of the clio 2 efforts arent too clever. But for clio 1 owners there were only two options to change the rear lights for years and they both cost over £300. So when you can get some different non standard lights for less than £100 now then of course a lot of people will get them, but hopefully in a finish that complements their car colour.

On the clio 1 does anyone else feel the rear lamps look too widely spaced towards the corners of the car, and too small? Thats why I got the very first style lexus lights, with the large round brake light in the centre, and had them sprayed with a laquer paint mix to blend them with the car.

The clio 1 has some decent kits, mostly by Elia, or the Maxi and Dimma. I also have a maxi bumper like Nick, mainly because I feel it looks the best and is very rare as you have to get the mounts fabricated for it. However like Nick with a turbo under the bonnet its ideal for a chargecooler pre rad, oil cooler and air scoop. Id have got a full maxi kit if funds allowed, but they dont.

I want my car to look different but not ridiculous, Its nice to add the personal touch but sometimes this isnt well thought through and can look like a hash of random stuff lobbed on the car.

 

[yubnub1]

Quote: Originally posted by omar on 05 March 2005


<!-- ZoneLabs Popup Blocking Insertion -->I saw 2fast2furious stickers on a Clio in Torquay the other day...

That was a bit too much TBH.

(Im ignoring the appalling exterior mods, assuming that it might appeal to some).

O/T, you from round there, Im in Paignton

Guy who had my 172 before me put an rgm splitter on it, think it suits the car in this colour (black) but would look pap in any other.





All these people from torbay - there will be enough of us soon to start a meet down here!!

 

[ChrisR]

You here as well?

I was following a 182 on the way back from work in Exeter the other, came all the way back to Torbay.

Off to the willows now to get some fleurs for the mother.

 

[nathanH]

I feel that i spend to much money on my car, especialy when its a 1.2 with 120,000 miles on the clock, but to be honest it was sh*t when i first started fiddling with it, i only resprayed it because i crashed it and my wheels are worth more than the car. If i had a performance car i wouldnt dream of doing cosmetic modification.

But saying that I enjoy doing what i do to it, and its more of a buzz and satisfying when i can say I did that. Im puting all this money into a car that isnt woth it finacialy, but to me its worth every penny.

Its an expensive Hobby.

 

[jaf78]

At the end of the day it comes down to what each person wants from a car and what they think likes cool. What looks ace to one person looks sh*t to somebody else and vice versa, but having the freedom to do what you want with your car is half the fun of having one.

 

[Ben H]

Im a real fan of the "original look", which to me can mean a lot of things - but usually its playing around with the parts of the performance models to make what suits my taste. For example, on a Clio 16V this would mean to me a choice of original Speedline wheels (Turbine, Vega or Willy), Phase 2 mouldings, some colour coding, leather and a touch of lowering. For a Mk2 Golf GTi it would mean BBS wheels and big bumpers, etc etc.

I think that few hot hatches benefit to the eyes of the majority from wild bodykits, unless theyre rally-inspired. Theres also the issue of what looks good to some today will look good to even less people once age and fashion have moved on!

I forsee a lot of 172/182s with Cup wheels, splitters, spoilers - but normal 172 xenons and interior. People usually make what they want out of the "normal" range of parts before turning to bodykits.

 

[Dash]

I think modifications should serve a real purpose, but providing your mods are legal and safe, do what you like its your money and Im not driving your car.

 

[fizzy_drink]

Quote: Originally posted by yubnub1 on 05 March 2005

Quote: Originally posted by omar on 05 March 2005


<!-- ZoneLabs Popup Blocking Insertion -->I saw 2fast2furious stickers on a Clio in Torquay the other day...

That was a bit too much TBH.

(Im ignoring the appalling exterior mods, assuming that it might appeal to some).

O/T, you from round there, Im in Paignton

Guy who had my 172 before me put an rgm splitter on it, think it suits the car in this colour (black) but would look pap in any other.





All these people from torbay - there will be enough of us soon to start a meet down here!!

I go down to Newton Abbot quite often for work, but Im based in Taunton.

 

[Daz]

I drew the line at an engine conversion with my 1.2.. I wanted a quicker car and looked at conversions, but, it just made more sense to buy a Williams.. so I did.

I spent a far bit on my 1.2 tho.. like, a lot but hey.. I loved it.

 

[fmp_]

the only thing i may do to my 182 cup is a set of 4 pot brakes.

i am lucky enough to have a stripped out saxo vts track car, so thats where i get my modifying kicks.

i wouldnt dare take the clio to the same level, as these days its nice to drive a car with some power, but that doesnt make your ears burn, or jar your spine when out on the road!!!

 

[rory182]

Quote: Originally posted by Bryan on 03 March 2005

as soon as the external appearance is altered (bodywork & rims)

work on the engine all you like, remove as much of the interior as you feel neccessary but dont make it look stupid IMHO

performance over appearance

form follows function