Your top 5 mods for a daily driver

[sportyaccordy]

After the public execution here

http://jalopnik.com/5676132/top-ten-modifications-for-your-daily-driver#comments

I'm curious to know what you guys think are worthwhile mods for a daily driver.

For me:

1. Tires- still the best mod and really make a huge difference. More power + better suspensions + brakes are meaningless on shitty tires.

2. Upgraded shocks/springs- manufacturers compromise a lot on these and often leave the enthusiast out of the equation on mainstreamers. A nice Eibach/Koni combo can really spice up a car's handling while maintaining (or in some cases helping by quelling low speed movement and inspiring confidence) good ride quality. Coilovers are overkill IMO, unless you can get a set with good DD rates, which is prob beyond the scope of most enthusiasts. Obviously for some cars (sports cars mainly), sometimes it's better to just stick with stock, but for something like an Accord, good springs and shocks can literally turn a grocery getter into a grin inducing sports sedan (combined with other mods)

3. Intake/exhaust- again, a lot of compromise here, mainly for noise. A quality intake/exhaust will give you more sound, better throttle response and a little top end gain without droning on the highway or waking neighbors. Relatively easy/cheap to install too.

4. Brembo blank brake rotors + sport pads- I've been made a believer by high speed runs in my friends' Altimas and Maximas. NOTHING inspires confidence like brakes that don't fade or shudder during extended 100+ MPH sprints. For most cars this is prob one of the easiest mods to do as well.

5. Stereo upgrade- IDK... I like quality sounds. You don't need a 1000W subwoofer and competition grade components, but for about $500, you can get decent HU w/aux inputs & high voltage preouts, a decent powered 4 CH amp and some cheap component speakers that will rival the best OEM systems have to offer.

So there's my list. Of course driver's school is good too, along with some track time in your car, but overall I think these are solid mods that can really enhance many daily drivers w/o taking away from their comfort and reliability.

[Rupert]

Tires, stereo, lights, brakes, and, um, an actual sports car.

[Rich]

1) Stiffer engine damper - I like to feel as if the engine were bolted directly to the chassis.  I don't like wasted motion

2) Wheels with a lower offset or wheel spacers.  I hate a track that's much narrower than the body of the car.  Makes the car look like it's got muffin top

3) Louder exhaust.  I like a car with a good engine note, and I want to hear it loud and clear

3) Quaife LSD if it's a FWD without an LSD.  Expensive, but worth 2x the money, IMO

4) Haven't done 'em yet, but gauges.  I want to know what my oil and water temps and pressures are

5) Tires.  Amazing how big of a difference they can make.  My car went from razor sharp Miata to Toyota Echo on the highway by the addition of snow tires.

[Onslaught]

Nothing. Not on a daily driver "normal" car anyway. I'd go out and buy one that's got good stuff on it from the factory. Now a sports car is another story. But a DD for me should just be right from the factory. It's why I was looking at an RX-8 R3, BMW 335i and a Infinit G37 sport as my DD cars. They didn't need anything to make them right or feel good.

Good tires from the start so I wouldn't have to worry about it.

A firm but not jarring suspension. You can make something better by changing these things sometimes. You can also fuck up something horribly by messing with it. And if you've never been in a car with the parts you're looking at buying then you've got no idea how it will feel until it's over with. And then it's too late unless you want to do it all over again.

Stock radios are never that great. But aftermarket ones never look good in the dash.And they don't make normal looking stuff anymore. It has to have all kinds of lights and bullshit on them. And now that so many cars make the A/C and other controls all one big unit with the radio it looks even worse when you change one.

You've got to pull apart panels off the car and put them back together without rattles and things like that. And most people just can't do that worth a shit. For a few days I thought about getting a touch screen radio/GPS for my new car. Then I said fuck it.

No to the exhaust too. Unless I've seen it and heard what it sounds like I've got no idea if it's better. And it's a DD so I don't want to have it too noisy in the first place. You can't go by what adds and reviews on-line say. I've done it before and I've got a full $1,200 exhaust in my shop doing nothing now.

[68_427]

1. Turbo
2. 2 Turbos
3. 3 Turbos
4. 4 Turbos
5. Truck nutz

[Onslaught]

Darn, forgot about truck nutz.

[sportyaccordy]

Nothing. Not on a daily driver "normal" car anyway. I'd go out and buy one that's got good stuff on it from the factory. Now a sports car is another story. But a DD for me should just be right from the factory. It's why I was looking at an RX-8 R3, BMW 335i and a Infinit G37 sport as my DD cars. They didn't need anything to make them right or feel good.

Good tires from the start so I wouldn't have to worry about it.

A firm but not jarring suspension. You can make something better by changing these things sometimes. You can also fuck up something horribly by messing with it. And if you've never been in a car with the parts you're looking at buying then you've got no idea how it will feel until it's over with. And then it's too late unless you want to do it all over again.

Stock radios are never that great. But aftermarket ones never look good in the dash.And they don't make normal looking stuff anymore. It has to have all kinds of lights and bullshit on them. And now that so many cars make the A/C and other controls all one big unit with the radio it looks even worse when you change one.

You've got to pull apart panels off the car and put them back together without rattles and things like that. And most people just can't do that worth a shit. For a few days I thought about getting a touch screen radio/GPS for my new car. Then I said fuck it.

No to the exhaust too. Unless I've seen it and heard what it sounds like I've got no idea if it's better. And it's a DD so I don't want to have it too noisy in the first place. You can't go by what adds and reviews on-line say. I've done it before and I've got a full $1,200 exhaust in my shop doing nothing now.

I'm thinking for something like more of a Mazda6 or TSX.

On a 335i I would prob just throw on some springs/shocks and an exhaust. For me the added handling is worth the slightly harder ride, and I'm sure there are DDable exhausts. But I agree that for a certain class of cars there are diminishing returns on mods. For example I prob either wouldn't touch the suspension on something like an M3 or Carrera, or I would go with an upgraded OEM setup like the CSL or GT3 suspensions...

A lot of it is risk if you don't check the mods out on an actual car for sure and I agree that online reviews are useless. So part #0 is doing research on parts you're thinking about by joining car clubs. In addition to being able to sample parts for free you can get a shit ton of free mechanical help and super cheap parts, plus general insights on your car.

For the cars you listed I agree that in many cases the aftermarket does more bad than good. But everyone can't have a 335i. Some people have to get the base 328i. So for them an exhaust and upgraded suspension might have more payback. I don't think it's right to write off modding DDs for everyone... with the right parts it can really open a car up without making it a pain in the ass.

[hotrodalex]

For El Camino:

Exhaust, cam, sway bars, LSD, and this 

[Onslaught]

I'm thinking for something like more of a Mazda6 or TSX.

On a 335i I would prob just throw on some springs/shocks and an exhaust. For me the added handling is worth the slightly harder ride, and I'm sure there are DDable exhausts. But I agree that for a certain class of cars there are diminishing returns on mods. For example I prob either wouldn't touch the suspension on something like an M3 or Carrera, or I would go with an upgraded OEM setup like the CSL or GT3 suspensions...

A lot of it is risk if you don't check the mods out on an actual car for sure and I agree that online reviews are useless. So part #0 is doing research on parts you're thinking about by joining car clubs. In addition to being able to sample parts for free you can get a shit ton of free mechanical help and super cheap parts, plus general insights on your car.

For the cars you listed I agree that in many cases the aftermarket does more bad than good. But everyone can't have a 335i. Some people have to get the base 328i. So for them an exhaust and upgraded suspension might have more payback. I don't think it's right to write off modding DDs for everyone... with the right parts it can really open a car up without making it a pain in the ass.

Oh, I'm not going to write all of it off. I understand the fun of doing things like that. And it can be done right. But most of the ones I've ever been in hurt things more then helped.
If I was going to throw stuff on say a Mazda6 I'd probably buy Mazdaspeed parts from the factory. You know it fits, it has a factory warranty and won't affect the original one.
And you know it's probably good stuff too. Same thing with other car makers performance stuff too.
However, I don't see the need to buy say a Mazda6 and then spend crazy money trying to make it handle like a BMW. Just save up a little more and get the real thing.

It's also a very good idea to try and go out with some of the club guys and see what works and what sucks. I put racing beat stuff on my MX-5 because it's it's a well known Mazda brand and has a good reputation. I will be taking that shit off and putting only flyin' miata parts on it from now on. The racing beat stuff ruined my MX-5 in my opinion.

[S204STi]

1. Lighting; good bulbs (+50 or better) without blue coating, aim them properly, and if you're a nut like me, build a wiring harness to power them right off the battery via relays.

2. Tires. Factory tires are nearly always a compromise, designed for the best fuel economy and ride.

3. If possible, a good engine tune by a reputable tuner. Will yield far better results than a loud exhaust and intake, and you'll keep your sanity on long highway trips.

4. Sway bars. A good matched set for the front and rear, along with uprated links if needed, will dramatically transform turn-in, transient response, body roll, and balance, all without a noticeable reduction in ride quality, NVH, and harshness, as is the case with springs and shocks. Sway bars give you the greatest return, dollar for dollar, of any suspension mod.

5. Chassis bracing maybe... not as much of a return, less evident improvement in handling over the sway bars. A spare set of wheels with snow tires mounted.

[Rupert]

I've recently decided that lighting is super important. I've done enough long drives at night with crappy lights, thank you. If you have an older car with sealed beams, get H4 replacements (Hella, Cibie), and put bright bulbs in there (without any stupid gimmicky coatings), like 55/100W. If you don't have sealed beams, but the lights still suck (like the Explorer), add good driving lights and fog lights. For older cars, add fatty wiring and relays, too.

[S204STi]

Btw the original list on Jalopnik was complete garbage.

[Rupert]

Ridiculous ricer shit. I think everyone there knows that, too.

Ya I always gut my interiors. Makes the car double-clutch better.

[S204STi]

I worked briefly with a guy who was into the honda ricer scene with pretty much all of the mods from that article. Healways wanted to race me... I don't street race, but it would have been fun to see the look on his face. His car just managed to be really loud, rough-riding, and still slow.

[sportyaccordy]

However, I don't see the need to buy say a Mazda6 and then spend crazy money trying to make it handle like a BMW. Just save up a little more and get the real thing.

Oh yea I agree. But for various reasons one might just not want the more driver oriented car. For example the Mazda6 might be better suited to carrying 5 people, or is cheaper to maintain/insure. Obv that will never be a BMW, but it's still amazing to see how well a FWD car of moderate size & good suspension config can handle and ride with good parts (and of course still be reliable yadda yadda).

Likewise w/something like a non-sport 3 series, you could save a little $$$ on the purchase and put that money towards more aggressive suspension and tires than you'd get on a car w/the sports package. Etc

[280Z Turbo]

It's impossible to improve anything on a modern car. Better to spend your money on non-perishable food and water for the Cougspocalypse.

[2o6]

1. Tires

2. Wheels

3. Brakes (if you got new wheels........at least better pads)

4. Lighting

5. Light power tuning (ECU remapping/computer chip, cold-air intake, aftermarket muffler)

[Northlands]

1. Tires
2. Headlights
3. Stereo

That's it.

Anything else would involve semi permanent garbage containers or cleaning wipes for messy kid stuff.

Years ago , 4 and 5 would have been Intake and exhaust. Nothing on the loud side with exhaust either. Just a relatively calm bump in horsepower. It's a daily driver afterall..

[SVT666]

Since my SVT Focus already had a great suspension, intake, exhaust, and headlights, she got:

1. Aftermarket Dyno Tune
2. Short Throw Shifter and Solid engine mount
3. Hawk brake pads
4. Wheels and tires
5. kick-ass Stereo

[Cookie Monster]

If I had the money:

1. Suspension
2. Exhaust (subdued though, only slightly louder than stock)
3. Short shift kit
4. Stereo
5. Some appearance stuff

Due to not having money, I'm going to do some appearance stuff to the car (tail light covers to cover up the silly chrome bits in the tail lights, etc).

[BimmerM3]

1. Tires
2. Brakes
3. Suspension
4. Stereo

That's everything I've done to the Accord and likely everything I will do to it.

[Payman]

Wheels. Not too many factory wheels that I like.
Set of matched rims/snow tires.
Borla or similar exhaust.

That's about it.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

1.Better headlights
2.Remote start.
3.A nice stereo w/input for my MP3 player
4.A lite window tint.
5.A good set of all season tires.

[thewizard16]

1. Headlights -I'm a big fan of HID conversion kits, they're extremely easy to do (I've put three in), and the difference it makes is phenomenal. I hated driving rental cars with cheap halogens (some newer family cars have decent headlight systems, but even then...) after having driven nothing but HID for the past few years.
2. Remote start/keyless entry if a car doesn't have it.
3. Stereo upgrade if needed- a lot of new cars don't need it (IMO), but I had to upgrade my head unit so I could get an integrated XM receiver. Now that I've had XM for five years, I'm not sure I could get along without it (even though I really should since I don't drive much/far these days)
4. Tires- I'm not as picky as most, but I want something with good grip and as smooth/quiet a ride as possible

I don't really have a 5th since I've never done any significant performance upgrades to a car, but I'm sure there are plenty of good things I would appreciate if I did them.

[S204STi]

I have sort of a problem with most aftermarket HID conversions...  while they seem nice for the guy behind the wheel, the additional glare they create is blinding to other drivers. Plus the way so many people buy bulbs on the blue/purple end of the color spectrum they aren't doing themselves any real favors in inclement weather or at all for that matter.

Unless you are installing/upgrading the projectors to something designed optically for HID bulbs you are doing it wrong.

[Rupert]

I don't have any experience with HID kits, but the knowledgeable-person hearsay I, uh, hear, is that they mostly just create glare for the other driver, which is obviously a bad idea. The amount of light is nice, but the aiming is really the most important part.

[Rupert]

I think lighting is probably the most myth-prone area of automotive knowledge. Automotively smart people that I know are into Silverstars, and such ridiculousness.

[S204STi]

Yep. So true.

The two main problems are that even when aimed properly the optics aren't designed for the location of the arc in the bulb, nor for a bulb that puts out in some cases twice as many lumens. So you have twice as much light going in all the wrong directions.

The other problem is that a lot of people choose bulbs in the 6000k or higher temp range which is way more towards the blue/purple end of the spectrum than OE HIDs which are closer to 4000k-5000k. Blue light is known to refract more readily than light in the other end of the spectrum, so even the driver sees less of a benefit since much of the light he's casting causes eye strain and glare for himself in snow or rain.

Of course you know this since you and I are big into Daniel Stern, but not a lot of people know this so I figured i'd share it.

[rohan]

Vented plasma induction coils.
Bio-nueral gelpack circutry.
Variable geometry pylons.
Supercharger.
Ablative hull armor.

[Rupert]

Yep. So true.

The two main problems are that even when aimed properly the optics aren't designed for the location of the arc in the bulb, nor for a bulb that puts out in some cases twice as many lumens. So you have twice as much light going in all the wrong directions.

The other problem is that a lot of people choose bulbs in the 6000k or higher temp range which is way more towards the blue/purple end of the spectrum than OE HIDs which are closer to 4000k-5000k. Blue light is known to refract more readily than light in the other end of the spectrum, so even the driver sees less of a benefit since much of the light he's casting causes eye strain and glare for himself in snow or rain.

Of course you know this since you and I are big into Daniel Stern, but not a lot of people know this so I figured i'd share it.

x2

I actually emailed with him about the Porsche's lighting, and he linked me to some really cool isocandela diagrams of light distribution from a bunch of different H4 halogens. Cibie = the shit, basically. I really appreciate his emphasis on data and good methodology in an area full of straight up ridiculous claims and trends.