Your first car mod?

[giant_mtb]

Interior/Accents for me.  Not that I wouldn't be thinking about bigger and better things (like power or handling), but off the bat I'd probably not be in the mood to spend a lot of money, and there are a lot of inexpensive and neat things you can do to your interior to make it so much cooler.

[Submariner]

My car came with a few light mods (ECU, airbox, exhaust) At that point, a lot of money on engine mods would yeild little power.  A blower setup would be the next logical step...for close to 10 grand.

As for the suspension, it's a luxury car, so it's meant to have a slightly softer ride, but it's still more than competent enough for the back roads.

I love the look of the M 18's, and the tires are excellent. 

So what is different?

-Upgraded fog's, high beams, and xenon low beams
-Chrome door locks (from the 750)
-Wood inlay on the overhead console and rear ashtrays (from the 750)
-Chrome surrounds on the console mounted hazard and door lock switch (from the 750)

Some day, If I do decide to keep the car, and have some cash laying around, there is a phenomenal Mercedes restoration/dealership near Boston.  They are experts in upholstery (and full body, engine restorations)  I would love a full leather, two tone interior similar to what you get in a 750. 

[Byteme]

The first mod I did on my first car was replacing the oil bath air cleaner with a paper filter air cleaner.

The second was installing a Lear combination 4 and 8 track stereo tape player.

Car was a 63 Chevy Belaire

[Danish]

Cross drilled brake lines and a radiator insulator

[Danish]

Transmission/Clutch/Flywheel, I want to be able to utalize the power the car currently has.

[giant_mtb]

Oh come on, it's realistic!

[SVT666]

It would be tough to void your warranty by doing tire/wheels, or suspension mods. The dealership has to prove that the mod caused the problem.

I think he meant that the wheels/tires/suspension was all he did because he didn't want to void the warranty.

[SVT666]

The first mod I'm doing to the SVT is the tune.  The tires are shot and need replacing but with fall coming up, I'm going to make these tires last until I put on winter tires and then buy my new tires in the spring.

[Danish]

The first mod I'm doing to the SVT is the tune.  The tires are shot and need replacing but with fall coming up, I'm going to make these tires last until I put on winter tires and then buy my new tires in the spring.

Get an aftermarket clutch belt, I hear they reduce drivetrain losses by 7.27453%

[NomisR]

Get an aftermarket clutch belt, I hear they reduce drivetrain losses by 7.27453%

He needs an engine oil bypass kit

[Raza]

Tires and maybe suspension probably in a year. 

[Laconian]

[Raza]

I suppose I could start a new thread, but what do you guys think of ContiExtremeContacts?

[NomisR]

All Season Tires?? Pshhhhhhhh

[Raza]

All Season Tires?? Pshhhhhhhh

Ultra High Performance all seasons!

Besides, I live in a part of the country that has all the seasons. 

[SVT666]

I suppose I could start a new thread, but what do you guys think of ContiExtremeContacts?

I have the ContiSportContacts.  Tread life isn't great, but they are very sticky.  Mine hydroplane if you spit on them though.  Of course, they aren't the same tires you're talking about though.  I'm getting either the Falken ST115 or the Nitto NeoGen in the spring.  The Falkens have better tread life, but the NeoGens are stickier.  Both are reasonably priced.

[Raza]

I have the ContiSportContacts.  Tread life isn't great, but they are very sticky.  Mine hydroplane if you spit on them though.  Of course, they aren't the same tires you're talking about though.  I'm getting either the Falken ST115 or the Nitto NeoGen in the spring.  The Falkens have better tread life, but the NeoGens are stickier.  Both are reasonably priced.

I had ContiSportContact2s on the Boxster.  That's some serious rubber for your car.

[SVT666]

I had ContiSportContact2s on the Boxster.  That's some serious rubber for your car.

I drive pretty hard...pretty much every day.

[Raza]

I drive pretty hard...pretty much every day.

Yeah, but with that kind of treadwear, there's no way running those tires could be cost effective.  And it's not like the Focus has an overabundance of power.  And don't you get some pretty bad weather up there?  I wouldn't want to run summer tires on a car year round in Canada.  Unless all those stories of -40 degree winters is just to keep us Americans from getting at your superb fudge. 

Even with the power on the Wolf I'm not looking at summer tires; high performance all seasons, sure, but not summers.

[TBR]

I am sure he runs a separate set of snow tires.

[SVT666]

Yeah, but with that kind of treadwear, there's no way running those tires could be cost effective.  And it's not like the Focus has an overabundance of power. 

What does lots of power have to do with those tires?  It's all about handling and keeping the tires planted in the corners.

And don't you get some pretty bad weather up there?  I wouldn't want to run summer tires on a car year round in Canada.  Unless all those stories of -40 degree winters is just to keep us Americans from getting at your superb fudge. 

Where I live, we get 3 months of winter.  We don't get a lot of snow right in the valley, but if I want to leave town I have to climb 3000 ft, so I run dedicated snow tires in the winter.

Even with the power on the Wolf I'm not looking at summer tires; high performance all seasons, sure, but not summers.

Power has nothing to do with tire choice.  Different widths, yes, but not the tires themselves.

[280Z Turbo]

Power has nothing to do with tire choice.  Different widths, yes, but not the tires themselves.

Wut?

[SVT666]

Wut?

What's so hard to understand?  Picking an Ultra High Performance Summer tire for the SVT Focus makes sense.  The handling abilities justify it.  In fact the Continental ContiSportContact came stock on the car.  The stickier the tire, the higher the performance capabilities.  If my Focus had 300 hp I would pick the same tire but in a wider width.  The tires on my short list for next spring are the Nitto NeoGen and the Falken ST115.  Both are Z-Rated Ultra High Performance tires.  During my research on tires I focused on:

1. Dry Traction
2. Wet Traction
3. Cornering Stability
4. Steering Response
5. Resistance to Hydroplaning
6. Quiet
7. Price

It turns out these two tires excel in all these areas.

[280Z Turbo]

Having a sticky compound is pretty important when you have a lot of power too.

[SVT666]

Having a sticky compound is pretty important when you have a lot of power too.

Never said it wasn't.  I said, you don't have to have a lot of power to justify a tire of that caliber.  My post wasn't clear on that...I apologize.

[Raza]

Never said it wasn't.  I said, you don't have to have a lot of power to justify a tire of that caliber.  My post wasn't clear on that...I apologize.

Ah, I see. 

And do you run winter tires as well?

The treadwear rating on the ContiSport3 is 280.  I guess that's not that bad. 

Although, I'd like to see the grip differences between a tire like that (280 AA A rated) and a tire like the ContiExtreme (400 AA A). 

[SVT666]

Ah, I see. 

And do you run winter tires as well?

The treadwear rating on the ContiSport3 is 280.  I guess that's not that bad. 

Although, I'd like to see the grip differences between a tire like that (280 AA A rated) and a tire like the ContiExtreme (400 AA A). 

280 is pretty soft.  It will wear faster then your bank account might like if you drive pretty hard.  The Nitto NeoGens that I want to get are a 260 rating which is even softer, though the Falkens I'm also looking at have a 320 rating so they should last a lot longer, though they won't be quite as sticky.

[r0tor]

140 tread wear here 

[Raza]

My front MXV4s lasted 12K and they were 400 A A.  And those were shit tires. 

I think the tire rating system needs an overhaul.  Is there a company/magazine that torture tests/reviews tires?  Other than some consumer reviews on Tire Rack, there isn't much out there if I want to learn about tire characteristics.

[Secret Chimp]

My very first were my road-illegal Hella H4s (choosing between seeing pedestrians and street signs and blinding people lol) but I usually go with cone-n-tube intake. It equals 4-cylinder dong enlarger under the hood. Every car I get is losing its factory intake, unless it has carbs with an air cleaner on top, in which case that bitch is wearing a cone filter like a fez.