Earlier this week I wrote a little article about the SEMA show and those weird little auto add-ons that so many people choose to stick all over their otherwise decent looking rides. In it, I contrasted performance add-ons with "auto accessories" and tried to poke a little fun at those little plastic chrome doo-dads and the people who abuse them. It wasn't really intended to be a heavy "think piece." It was supposed to be light, fun and maybe elicit some cheerful agreement from the best and brightest. Nice and easy, right? Hell no. As usual, the TTAC readership doesn't make anything easy…
No excuses, the premise of my article was silly. I said performance add-ons were a good thing and that auto accessories were by their very nature, stupid. Despite that, a couple of you guys took the ball I punted so lazily downfield and ran it right back up the field. The points you made are really good and since my earlier article wasn't intended to start a serious discussion I'm not sure they got the attention they deserved. But you made me think, and when someone does that I figure they might make others think too. That means another article and, hopefully, a fuller discussion.
El Carlismo en Castilla-La Mancha
Image courtesy of www.abc.es
In response to my assertion that performance mods were justifiable while appearance mods were not, Carlismo wrote:
I scoff at mods that looked tacked on, as many of them do. But I understand them. Even a small mod can make your car feel fresh for a little while, and that's a good feeling. Especially when you know your car isn't everything you'd like it to be. And I have a soft spot for underglow that I won't admit to out loud.
Those modders are more honest than those of us who install performance mods. What could be sillier than increasing our car's top speed from 137 to 140mph when we never exceed 80? Oooh, my coilovers save me a second when I drive around in a circle on a loop in the middle of nowhere. Best $1,000 evar! (I did install coilovers on my Miata. I like them, but it wasn't a purchase I try to justify.) In contrast, visual mods make their difference 100% of the time, including when parked, and in heavy traffic. That's value.
Image courtesy of Wikipedia.org
Athos Noble wrote:
Personally I don't care, even in the most offensive of the cases. And I saw plenty of those in Venezuela. Here not so much, but they're still out there… Brembo brake caliper covers anyone? chintzy 20″ chrome wheels? As far as I'm concerned, people can spend their money in whatever they want.
For example, I would use the aftermarket to upgrade my headlamps to projectors, complete with angel eyes. I also would like a fancier stereo and some "sport" seats would spice up my current ride. Some 18″ wheels would make it look more actual too. And retrofitting later model suspension bits would make it drive nicer. A turbo kit would certainly give it more oomph and coupling it with a LPG kit would make that "affordable" to run. I could sort those issues via OEM bits, aftermarket or a wrecker.
There were other comments as well, and while they were all great these are the two I want to focus on. Part of me wants to follow Carlisimo's point to its logical conclusion and decry any form of performance add-on for the street but Athos raises a great point when he talks about improving a lot of your car's basic characteristics through the aftermarket and selective scavenging. It's clearly not the black-and-white issue I tried to lay out in that earlier, sillier article and I am hoping this new discussion allows us to fully explore the topic.
I'm curious, what are good add-ons for the street? What add-ons have you mounted over the years? What did you hope to gain and did the results meet your expectations? I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject.
Thomas Kreutzer currently lives in Buffalo, New York with his wife and three children but has spent most of his adult life overseas. He has lived in Japan for 9 years, Jamaica for 2 and spent almost 5 years as a US Merchant Mariner serving primarily in the Pacific. A long time auto and motorcycle enthusiast, he has pursued his hobbies whenever possible. He also enjoys writing and public speaking where, according to his wife, his favorite subject is himself.
from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com
Put the internet to work for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment