Modified cars, how far is too far?

[Caveman]

race clutches are a pita to drive around the street on

[d1 mule]

i think you all need to "Harden the $&#$% up" my thoughts ase this. if you are going to spend all that time ,money , effort etc on a car and not drive it there is no point in doing it unless its a proper race car eg NZV8 etc <10sec drag car etc. my old ae85 had no sound deadening, half cage, locked diff, no stereo etc and i drove it every single day just because i loved driving it.

[Cahuna]

Clarkson has the "Kristen Scott Thomas" test, so I propose a similar type of test for modified vehicles. Namely, "if I was taking the hottest girl in class/at the office on a date would I take her in my modified car?"

Some tips:
* While side intrusion beams are useful in side impacts they are not so popular with girls wearing mini-skirts (although guys watching said egress may beg to differ)
* If you think that Minis require amazing acts of contortion just wait until the back seat has been replaced with double-cross bracing, first aid kit, zetka and battery box.
* Race seats and full-harness belts likewise limit the scope for interaction.
* Loud engines are great for attracting attention going up Queen St on a Friday night; however, trying to attract chicks while you are on a date is generally considered poor form. Verbal communication should not have to be done with the assistance of an intercom.

(disclaimer: if said girl drives an everyday vehicle with more mods than your own car, like a teacher friend of mine, then you can probably disregard the above advice )

Working in a stressful job and dealing with Auckland traffic I prefer a car that is as relaxing for everyday driving as possible - the last thing I need after a hard day is to jump into a noisy, smelly car with jumpy clutch, hard suspension, LSD that grabs the steering and huge blind spots. The toy can be left in the garage for use on the weekends when I can enjoy all its good points without having to curse its weaknesses.

[Mr Revhead]

each to their own.....
but if you have to drive in traffic, real traffic, every day then button clutches and grumpy idles soon become very very annoying. my AW11 was very annoying to drive in traffic, you couldnt slip the clutch, and idle in first was faster than traffic was often flowing.

its not about not being "hard" enough to drive it, its about dealing with the bad traits in less than perfect conditions..... in other words, i agree with cahuna.

[Infinite]

you missed the street cred y0. as im sure there are a few people just after it.

[Looonie]

Clarkson has the "Kristen Scott Thomas" test, so I propose a similar type of test for modified vehicles. Namely, "if I was taking the hottest girl in class/at the office on a date would I take her in my modified car?"

Some tips:
* While side intrusion beams are useful in side impacts they are not so popular with girls wearing mini-skirts (although guys watching said egress may beg to differ)
* If you think that Minis require amazing acts of contortion just wait until the back seat has been replaced with double-cross bracing, first aid kit, zetka and battery box.
* Race seats and full-harness belts likewise limit the scope for interaction.
* Loud engines are great for attracting attention going up Queen St on a Friday night; however, trying to attract chicks while you are on a date is generally considered poor form. Verbal communication should not have to be done with the assistance of an intercom.

(disclaimer: if said girl drives an everyday vehicle with more mods than your own car, like a teacher friend of mine, then you can probably disregard the above advice )

Working in a stressful job and dealing with Auckland traffic I prefer a car that is as relaxing for everyday driving as possible - the last thing I need after a hard day is to jump into a noisy, smelly car with jumpy clutch, hard suspension, LSD that grabs the steering and huge blind spots. The toy can be left in the garage for use on the weekends when I can enjoy all its good points without having to curse its weaknesses.

Summed up perfectly suh

However I have one gripe with that theory, basically rice cars = daily drivers/date getters, race cars = Lonely Driver...

[fxgt race]

my car is still driven on the road and the only thing left to do to turn it into a full race car would be to up grade the springs to harder ones, at the moment it is hard for the road but a little to soft for the track,i drive it to and from every trackday with its no stereo,heaters or sound deading.The quad throttes with the lumpy cams are making one hell off a racket,it's a bumpy ride but i enjoy it.I park it at the local supermarket,it has a huge padlock through the handbrake so theives can't push it away,it is alarmed to the horns,and the bonnet catch is hidden so they can't get under the bonnet to mess with the siren,i say good luck if they can take it in a hurry.It won't idle till it is warm and the clutch is a pain in traffic but its fun.As for roll cages on the road or track i would prefer one.I have seen a race car slam into the end off a concrete barrier [mr2]arse first and rip all three struts out off the car,the guy was very shaken but due to being in a race car he was alrite,and then we go to trackdays were car with 3 times the hp going twice as fast with a guy sitting in a couch with a lap belt on,my car gets checked harder than a road car at trackdays with it's rollcage and harness belts and at the end off the day i know which one i would rather be straped into.It is as far as i can take it to be still driven on the road.I'm a builder so i drive my van all week and i have another car for weekends,so the race car gets driven twice a month on the road to keep things running.

How far is to far for a steet car that is taken on the track without a rollcage ,harness to keep the driver safe,some of these road cars a damm fast with minimal safety

[Stealer Of Souls]

i think you all need to "Harden the $&#$% up" my thoughts ase this. if you are going to spend all that time ,money , effort etc on a car and not drive it there is no point in doing it unless its a proper race car eg NZV8 etc <10sec drag car etc. my old ae85 had no sound deadening, half cage, locked diff, no stereo etc and i drove it every single day just because i loved driving it.

My previous comments still stand. But I agree with this.
My car has no sound deadener, very little interior. It rattles and pings, it knocks and whirrs, and there's still a disturbing amount of smoke that wisps out from under the bonnet when hot (darn that leaky oil seal). I have a stereo, but that volume knob sure gets turned up pretty high.
But heck. I love it. I miss driving it since it's been getting fixed. And I'm happy with taking it out for my daily stuff (to be honest I don't like driving some of the other cars at my disposal).

Okay... it fails the Cahuna test. But only because I wouldn't want to subject a normal person to the discomforts of my car. But any of my mates don't mind. And actually my ex didn't really mind that much. I taught one girl the basics of driving in the car, and have ferryed around others.

I guess at the end of the day..
Here's a teaspoon of cement. Now HARDEN UP!

[Cahuna]

However I have one gripe with that theory, basically rice cars = daily drivers/date getters, race cars = Lonely Driver...

Damn, so that's why I'm still single. Sounds like I'd better get some neons, quadrophonic subs and some bling 19" chromies for the 'rolla. Dunno about 4" exhaust mounted 5cm from the road though, it might get a few dings on the first stage of the rally... No need to tune the motor though, it may not pull in a straight line but it will surely pull the chicks!

[gmacrae]

i think you all need to "Harden the $&#$% up" my thoughts ase this. if you are going to spend all that time ,money , effort etc on a car and not drive it there is no point in doing it unless its a proper race car eg NZV8 etc <10sec drag car etc. my old ae85 had no sound deadening, half cage, locked diff, no stereo etc and i drove it every single day just because i loved driving it.

Agree for sure. My supra is much more 'mongrel' than when i first bought it, it many situations its a bit of a pig to drive, but i love it. However Ill never let it get to the point that i cant just jump in and disappear for a weekend, or go for a cruise to the piss shop. No bloody way man, streetcar first and foremost.

[BigDon]

Well I have two identical BZ-Gs, one race, one pretty much stock daily driver. I love driving the race car on road and it was my only car up until recently. I don’t care that it has no sound deadening or interior and that it has six points, race seats, rock hard suspension, on/off clutch and is evil in the wet oh and I don’t like leaving it unattended for very long. It goes, corners, stops, and I feel very safe in it (and will do more so when the cage is in).

Girls I know (mostly young professionals) love to hate it, but they dig that its different and edgy and left field for a crazy accountant. Suppose it helps I have something more suitable when really needed for long road trips, but yeah until I spring for a tandem axle and tow vehicle I will keep driving it on the road when possible.

[snwtoy]

5) Your partner tells you it's a track car only, and you have to buy another car to drive him/her around in.

This is the only true indication of how far is too far. You do as much as you can up till that point.

[Punter]

5) Your partner tells you it's a track car only, and you have to buy another car to drive him/her around in.

This is the only true indication of how far is too far. You do as much as you can up till that point.

Or just tell them to walk, they're bloody lucky to get a ride anyway.

[d1 mule]

5) Your partner tells you it's a track car only, and you have to buy another car to drive him/her around in.

This is the only true indication of how far is too far. You do as much as you can up till that point.

Or just tell them to walk, they're bloody lucky to get a ride anyway.

agreed, if THEY ain't happy THEY but their own car with their own money.

[Lith]

I'm personally trying to build my car to be the best all around I can. So far the clutch is the only thing thats a bit of a compromise, everything else has made the car more of a joy to drive than in factory form. In the exhaust noise test I came up 10db under the limit, fuel economy is OK - there are factory turbo cars which come out worse, its comfy, smooth, I'm going to make the suspension "sharper" than factory so that it makes hunting corners addictive BUT not so much that just dawdling around town is a prick.

Basically, something thats fun to drive regardless of the situation - something that'd be quicker than average at the drags or track/good for taking a girl from a cruise if she's a non-car-person, or a hoon that'd give her a grin if she is a car person.... but the obvious compromise is that it'll never excel at any particular performance thing. It'll be perfect for keeping me happy with it though (assuming we can get the damn thing running right).

[skoty]

locked diff, and i drove it every single day just because i loved driving it.

On the road with that? Bit dodgy

[frost]

find the right girl!!!

my girl loves the whole drift package, hard springs, buckets seats 3" 6 point belts, very noisy exhaust, striped interior, on/off clutch,
in fact she taunts me by saying "im gona build a faster ae86 then yours and leave you in my dust, and your friends are gona lol at you"
and the truth is she has the money to do it.... just a pity she cant drive manual!
and here i am complaining the exhaust is too noisy,

[d1 mule]

locked diff, and i drove it every single day just because i loved driving it.

On the road with that? Bit dodgy

yeah every day for about 8 months, even got a WOF with it in lol, na not dodgy just gotta take it slow on corners in the rain. shame i crashed it lol