How much more enjoyable do mods make your car to you?

[tucker90]

So I have had my 23 supra for a little over a month now and just hit 2k miles. Been dailying it since I traded in my truck for it, but still trying to find another car to take over daily duties since I never planned on making the Supra my daily.

As soon as I can get another vehicle I planned to start doing some mods; exhaust, intake, new steering wheel, tune, etc. But I started thinking last night, how worth it is all this stuff for the fun factor of the car? I have to admit after 2000 miles so far(yeah I know not a lot) I have felt myself getting kinda bored with it the last few days. I love the car and did my research before buying, but I am now questioning if I should dump a bunch of money into it to make it more enjoyable, or if I should keep it stock for awhile and enjoy it the way it is.

I unfortunately get bored of cars kinda quick, and in the past would mod them right away, drive for 6 months to a year and then end up wanting something different, then fight the urge to trade it in and lose all my mods money. But I have never had car with the platform of the Supra and it's wide range of mods. My WRX was close and I pretty much had it on E and FBO less than 2 months after buying it and never got to really enjoy the gradual increase of power from stock to "stage 3".

I bought the Supra because I thought it would be everything I wanted out of the box, and on paper it does, but damn I can't help but want to dump money into it and make it louder and faster.

So my question, how much more fun do you guys think mods make this car? Those of you that drove it stock for awhile and then changed the exhaust and tuned it, does it feel like a whole new car?
What mods have you done that had the most cost per fun increase factor?
Did anyone mod their car with FBO and tune within just a couple months of having it?

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[D3ad_Hand]

I have driven my car stock for about 13,000 km or about 8000 miles. I have enjoyed each and every ride in my car. I started with downpipe and intake oh and the difference it made my god every time I hit my cold start I get excited, but after a while you will get bored of it. then go for the exhaust etc. However you will hit a road bump depending on how much power you're looking for.

Downpipe, intake, meth kit, exhaust, charge pipe, Ethanol tune this can be done to achieve 500whp and a bunch of other stuff 500 on stock turbo is possible. However at that point if you want to squeeze more out of it you're going to need a turbo upgrade either pure, cts, remnant when they come out with theirs, choose your poison. At this point it starts to become pricey. If u want to push your car over 650-700 whp you need to change your transmission, and at around 700-800 whp you need to start building an engine.

you ask if it's worth it? It's 100% worth every mod it gets. Just tread carefully and do enjoy every mod before introducing the next one. Don't rush thing start it out slow

 

[tucker90]

I have driven my car stock for about 13,000 km or about 8000 miles. I have enjoyed each and every ride in my car. I started with downpipe and intake oh and the difference it made my god every time I hit my cold start I get excited, but after a while you will get bored of it. then go for the exhaust etc. However you will hit a road bump depending on how much power you're looking for.

Downpipe, intake, meth kit, exhaust, charge pipe, Ethanol tune this can be done to achieve 500whp and a bunch of other stuff 500 on stock turbo is possible. However at that point if you want to squeeze more out of it you're going to need a turbo upgrade either pure, cts, remnant when they come out with theirs, choose your poison. At this point it starts to become pricey. If u want to push your car over 650-700 whp you need to change your transmission, and at around 700-800 whp you need to start building an engine.

you ask if it's worth it? It's 100% worth every mod it gets. Just tread carefully and do enjoy every mod before introducing the next one. Don't rush thing start it out slow

Nice! Yeah I am really trying to be like you and drive it stock longer and do mods one at a time so I can enjoy each one more, but like I said damn it's hard not to go hog wild right off the rip lol.

Power wise I am not looking for anything crazy, or at least I say that now who knows. But the car is already fast to me stock, I just want to get from "this thing is quick" to "holy shit it's fast" which I think upper 400s whp will be the ticket.

 

[D3ad_Hand]

Nice! Yeah I am really trying to be like you and drive it stock longer and do mods one at a time so I can enjoy each one more, but like I said damn it's hard not to go hog wild right off the rip lol.

Power wise I am not looking for anything crazy, or at least I say that now who knows. But the car is already fast to me stock, I just want to get from "this thing is quick" to "holy shit it's fast" which I think upper 400s whp will be the ticket.

I understand the urge trust me, but it will pass I promise. What you're aiming for is definitely possible on stock turbo and not that many mods. However, me personally I'm looking for 600 to 650 whp on pure850 or any other turbp upgrade on pump gas, and I'm taking my time going along that way.

 

[Avarela99]

I came from a C7 Z06 to the Supra and stock the Supra was very underwhelming. After i went down the rabbit hole of downpipe, exhaust, intake, tune, e blends, and minor cosmetics i found the car to be more enjoyable than my vette. My goal was to do everything OEM plus subtle things like steering wheels l, wheel spacers, duckbill, etc make the car more visual pleasing without being overdone. And a 93 octane tune with a downpipe wakes these cars up dramatically and if you blend Ethanol these things are seriously fast then. In short this platform begs to be modified and that’s where the joy in it comes from to me.

 

[B58_ hwAyaq]

@tucker90 Part of the modding enjoyment for me is participating in the community/scene.

In a bubble, I can see how one could acclimate quickly to mods.

Going to car meets, getting in weekend/random rolls, going to the drag strip, participating in auto-x, signing up for HPDEs, heading out to a notorious “driving” road, and finding people to “cruise” with during all of these I think is a more fulfilling end goal - with your car purchase and mods being a means to that end.

I just want to get from "this thing is quick" to "holy shit it's fast" which I think upper 400s whp will be the ticket.

Maybe set some objective goals for this. For example, “I want to run a 10.x 1/4 mile or an 8.x 60-130”

If one just wants to go fast when they mash the pedal, buy electric.

Otherwise, consider setting your goals a bit deeper than swiping your credit card for parts. I think that will make the results more fulfilling (or at least you’ll be sure about how much you did/didn’t care for achieving those goals).

 

[MKVMFG]

Since your Supra is '23 it will need to be unlocked (could cost a couple grand). If you're looking for upper 400 you don't need to do much... I personally have a '21 locked ECU and went with the JB4 path. Just the "OTS" JB4 maps will likely get you to 400. However, if you want a little more fine tuning, I'd recommend getting a custom JB4 Map from @Jesse DaBears as it is tailored specifically to your car. The difference between the OTS maps and Jesse's custom tune is out of this world. We just got finished with mine, and man, am I happy! The car would always put a smile on my face, but now, even more so!

 

[SCZ4]

I'm in a similar position as OP, enjoying the car in my honeymoon period, but it's lacking something for sure...

Performance isn't the issue, but the car doesn't have much natural character or drama from factory. I've done a few minor mods, but next step is probably an exhaust, I do think that will help a lot. I've come from an F-Type which was a much more raw driving experience and sounded fantastic. (Supra wins hands down on handling). I'm confident I can get the Supra where I want to be, one step at a time, which to me is the exciting part, an adventure and enjoy planning it.

 

[tucker90]

I came from a C7 Z06 to the Supra and stock the Supra was very underwhelming. After i went down the rabbit hole of downpipe, exhaust, intake, tune, e blends, and minor cosmetics i found the car to be more enjoyable than my vette. My goal was to do everything OEM plus subtle things like steering wheels l, wheel spacers, duckbill, etc make the car more visual pleasing without being overdone. And a 93 octane tune with a downpipe wakes these cars up dramatically and if you blend Ethanol these things are seriously fast then. In short this platform begs to be modified and that’s where the joy in it comes from to me.

Nice, certainly an endorsement for modding this car if FBO and E makes it more enjoyable than a z06! thanks this was exact kind of input I was looking for

Since your Supra is '23 it will need to be unlocked (could cost a couple grand). If you're looking for upper 400 you don't need to do much... I personally have a '21 locked ECU and went with the JB4 path. Just the "OTS" JB4 maps will likely get you to 400. However, if you want a little more fine tuning, I'd recommend getting a custom JB4 Map from @Jesse DaBears as it is tailored specifically to your car. The difference between the OTS maps and Jesse's custom tune is out of this world. We just got finished with mine, and man, am I happy! The car would always put a smile on my face, but now, even more so!

Yessir, I am fully aware of all the tuning options, knowing what I want to do to the car is not my problem haha...it's deciding if I should do it or not. I will probably just go straight to a partial unlock especially now with the BM3 custom rom on the horizon for our cars.

I'm in a similar position as OP, enjoying the car in my honeymoon period, but it's lacking something for sure...

Performance isn't the issue, but the car doesn't have much natural character or drama from factory. I've done a few minor mods, but next step is probably an exhaust, I do think that will help a lot. I've come from an F-Type which was a much more raw driving experience and sounded fantastic. (Supra wins hands down on handling). I'm confident I can get the Supra where I want to be, one step at a time, which to me is the exciting part, an adventure and enjoy planning it.

Good to know I am not alone. I don't regret my purchase at all, I researched and test drove all kinds of cars for nearly a year before buying this. I knew what I was getting with the Supra but just kinda expected I would enjoy it in stock form longer than I have lol. It's definitely lacking some thrill that I am wondering if an exhaust and intake will satisfy, it's definitely a pretty quiet and refined experience stock. Like I know I am going fast when I step on it but it just doesn't quite feel as fast as it actually is, if that makes sense.

 

[tucker90]

@tucker90 Part of the modding enjoyment for me is participating in the community/scene.

In a bubble, I can see how one could acclimate quickly to mods.

Going to car meets, getting in weekend/random rolls, going to the drag strip, participating in auto-x, signing up for HPDEs, heading out to a notorious “driving” road, and finding people to “cruise” with during all of these I think is a more fulfilling end goal - with your car purchase and mods being a means to that end.




Maybe set some objective goals for this. For example, “I want to run a 10.x 1/4 mile or an 8.x 60-130”

If one just wants to go fast when they mash the pedal, buy electric.

Otherwise, consider setting your goals a bit deeper than swiping your credit card for parts. I think that will make the results more fulfilling (or at least you’ll be sure about how much you did/didn’t care for achieving those goals).

Yeah I definitely need to get myself more into the scene. I am kinda a loner so usually keep to myself but need to force myself to meet some new people in the car community. I have a couple good friends that are into cars, but they have kids and wives so can't afford cars like me so we don't get to really share the hobby.

 

[bushido]

Yeah I definitely need to get myself more into the scene. I am kinda a loner so usually keep to myself but need to force myself to meet some new people in the car community.

and you're in Houston, should definitely be easy to 'get into the scene'. look to see if there's a Houston Supra chat or something. what you need right now are some bad influences

 

[puzzled]

I only do the bare essentials (and whatever floats my boat like CF bits) to make a car mine. If the stock system works, I don't touch that area and just enjoy it the way it is. My mods listed in my sig.

In the recent years cars have become much more compliant so there is less need to mod.

 

[MoTeC_R]

I’ve been in your position so many times. I promised myself I’d enjoy the Supra and I purchased the first one for a weekend car for my wife and fell in love with the car being that I was able to drive it off an on over a period of time. That made me eventually spot the A91-CF which is what I felt had a lot of necessary cosmetic appeal to it off the shelf. Make sure to mod to the point it’s not cumbersome to maintain or drive, but has a power level you’ll enjoy and use. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve modded to the point I’m aiming at dyno numbers and not real world need. If you can’t put all the power down you’re just pissing in the wind. So make sure the car stays as simple and enjoyable as possible, it’s a fine line but it will keep you from tiring from the platform. There’s always something to make it faster but that doesn’t necessarily make it more enjoyable to drive. Appreciate the car for everything it offers and not just the dyno sheet. It’s a head turner, even I like to look back when I park it and give it a glance, and I love the smile it puts on my face every time I go for a drive. Take time to appreciate the car for everything it is and stop worrying about how fast it is or isn’t. I found this hard to do but it’s very enjoyable if you can accomplish this. I know exactly how your thinking and feeling about hurrying to mod but there’s so much to this car to enjoy and it would be a shame to miss out on that.

 

[zrk]

Modding this car takes whatever is left of your garbage soul and flushes down the fucking drain. @Jesse DaBears told me not to, but here we are.

 

[tucker90]

Modding this car takes whatever is left of your garbage soul and flushes down the fucking drain. @Jesse DaBears told me not to, but here we are.

Lol we have different definitions of modding I think. bolt ons and an OTS 93 tune and the insane shit you have going on are two different playing fields...so maybe I can just do some basic stuff and keep my soul? ?

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