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

[bushido]

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?

damn, i'm actually a candidate for this portion.
- mods are fun, this car begs to be modified. not just performance mods, but handling and cooling mods. get the verus engineering turbo heat shield and brake master cylinder brace, thank me later

- i have two tunes, dual map: conservative 93 daily, E50 bananas. yes, the E50 map is a monster compared to the 93, and the 93 is tons more fun than stock

- i put a good number of mods, tuned (ECU, transmission), swapped out tires, attended an autox event, and attending a track event, before my 3rd payment on the car. though if i keep going, when will it stop?

tl;dr: mod it. smile. laugh. mod it again. smile. laugh. laugh.

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[SuupYota]

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.

I understand, I'm quite the loner as well, and it's hard to meet car people. There's an Ap called PUF, or park up front. It has TONS of local meets. Too many tbh haha. That could be a good place to start.

 

[FLtrackdays]

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? ?

Exhaust 1st so she sounds proper. Hi flow or catless dp adds to the experience as well, imo. I don’t mind the CEL however and live in a very non restrictive state (hence my new Florida guy avatar). The JB4 piggy back tune is really nice. Jesse is great to deal with. It’s fun for in town and I can turn it off at the track. My fault not Jesse’s for not doing some hot track runs/logs. Anyways, that extra boost of power is fun as shit

If you enjoy tracking it, get some camber plates or adjustable control arms for added negative camber. That’s fun too. Meet tons of other car peeps that love cars also. Additionally the ability to go back and forth between track or street setup with just an alignment is a beautiful thang

 

[GoldenEye]

@FLtrackdays your aviator literally made me laugh out loud ?

 

[Awales74]

Once you get bit by the bug you can't stop. Mods are ridiculously expensive and many suffer from law of unintended consequences. I also see defects in my own work when I walk past my car. You also have the added reliability factor when you ask yourself just how quality is that part from that company when you're 100 miles between towns in New Mexico desert But it's just fun to pitter around looking, reading, experimenting. Not sure if it makes the car more fun OR if its just fun to do.

My thoughts on Easy Power Path..

Downpipe (catted because I love my fellow man). JB4 with off the shelf tunes. Custom 91/93 octane tune. Flex fuel sensor (allow for low e85/93 mixes). Custom e30 tune. Then you're looking LPFP or Meth and intake for port injection with custom tune.

Each step can be done a few hundred dollars at a time. Come with a boost -- some a little and some a lot. Enough to make it fun each step of the way without getting chased out of the house by your wife.

Intakes, charge pipes, and exhausts do little/nothing for performance. Car gets plenty of unrestricted air to the intake manifold and cat in the downpipe is the only real restriction going out.

You'll never compete in terms of top power or even drivability the guys with real tunes can get. There's only so much the JB4 piggy back can do. But that raises the table stakes making the entire thing much more expensive (admittedly much more rewarding).

 

[Skidsareforkids]

Every vehicle I get, I say "I'm not going to fuck with this one", and every time it lasts maybe a month before exhausts, intake, cosmetic parts, tune... I just can't leave them alone (though I recognize I don't go as crazy as many people do). It definitely makes me enjoy my vehicles more

 

[SCZ4]

Once you get bit by the bug you can't stop. Mods are ridiculously expensive and many suffer from law of unintended consequences. I also see defects in my own work when I walk past my car. You also have the added reliability factor when you ask yourself just how quality is that part from that company when you're 100 miles between towns in New Mexico desert But it's just fun to pitter around looking, reading, experimenting. Not sure if it makes the car more fun OR if its just fun to do.

My thoughts on Easy Power Path..

Downpipe (catted because I love my fellow man). JB4 with off the shelf tunes. Custom 91/93 octane tune. Flex fuel sensor (allow for low e85/93 mixes). Custom e30 tune. Then you're looking LPFP or Meth and intake for port injection with custom tune.

Each step can be done a few hundred dollars at a time. Come with a boost -- some a little and some a lot. Enough to make it fun each step of the way without getting chased out of the house by your wife.

Intakes, charge pipes, and exhausts do little/nothing for performance. Car gets plenty of unrestricted air to the intake manifold and cat in the downpipe is the only real restriction going out.

You'll never compete in terms of top power or even drivability the guys with real tunes can get. There's only so much the JB4 piggy back can do. But that raises the table stakes making the entire thing much more expensive (admittedly much more rewarding).

I think you're missing the point of the OP post and my thoughts too. It's not necessarily lacking power, that gets boring and always chasing your tail as you say. The underlying is the car doesn't have characterful engine, drama or much excitement in standard form. Adding power alone doesn't solve that, need sound.

 

[tucker90]

Thanks for all the input everyone, definitely helps to know I am not alone haha. Will try to reply to everyone later with more thoughts once I slow down at work.

 

[suicidaleggroll]

The underlying is the car doesn't have characterful engine, drama or much excitement in standard form. Adding power alone doesn't solve that, need sound.

Adding power absolutely solves that. This post tells me you haven't actually bumped up the power on your car yet, because once you throw a downpipe and E50 custom tune on there, you'll never again say that it doesn't have character, drama, or excitement. That's not to say that an exhaust isn't fun, it is, but an E50 custom tune on this car makes it wild on the street (damn near 700 ft lbs of flywheel torque at 3k RPM will do that). Throw some suspension goodies on there as well to tighten up the disconnected "BMW" feel and you're set.

 

[YellowJackit]

Thanks for all the input everyone, definitely helps to know I am not alone haha. Will try to reply to everyone later with more thoughts once I slow down at work.

You should take your stock car to the track before touching anything, you'd be surprised how ample it is. If you're just cruising the streets, I wouldn't add more than a downpipe and intake....maybe an exhaust....maybe. But taking it slow is key....

 

[SupraDC]

I had my 2020 for about a year before I got a 93 tune and it completely changed the car. So I feel you OP... now I'm looking at downpipe, charge pipes.

Maybe someone here can assist me as I latch onto this post.... if I'm a tuned 2020, should the next step be the downpipe? And I see costs ranging from $600-$1400. Is the $1400 that much better? Catted is my only option where I am. Thanks in advance.

 

[kaj]

So far, I've tracked my car once and THEN tried a downpipe (to reduce heat and back pressure and hopefully take some strain off the turbos and engine), JB4 (sound like a cheap way to get more horsepower), wheels and tires, and brake pads/fluid (obvious track day modifications).
Like you, I bought this car because it should do what I want it to with few mods.
None of the stuff I did to the car make it more enjoyable to me other than the tires/brakes needed for track duty.
I'm trying to get this car back to my local track for an apples to apples comparison on lap time vs my other car. I had a lot of work into that thing, I think this will be pretty much just as fast out of the box.
I would like a single exit exhaust, though. That's it.

 

[kaj]

I had my 2020 for about a year before I got a 93 tune and it completely changed the car. So I feel you OP... now I'm looking at downpipe, charge pipes.

Maybe someone here can assist me as I latch onto this post.... if I'm a tuned 2020, should the next step be the downpipe? And I see costs ranging from $600-$1400. Is the $1400 that much better? Catted is my only option where I am. Thanks in advance.

I have a cheap cated DP for sale, if you says interested. $250 plus shipping. VSRF brand.

 

[Awales74]

I think you're missing the point of the OP post and my thoughts too

Meh, I dunno. OP appeared to want thoughts on modding the car to keep it fun while complaining of the cost of doing so. I think my easy power path fits in that vein. Even if its not, it's not the most ridiculous non sequitur on this forum. And as I did not quote your comment, my comment is not a direct response allowing me to take a different perspective.

 

[NitroYellowMKV]

Thanks for all the input everyone, definitely helps to know I am not alone haha. Will try to reply to everyone later with more thoughts once I slow down at work.

I love modding, but now I am not focusing on power as much as I am nice sound, good looks, solid suspension feel etc. Love my intake and exhaust, love the wheels and hks suspension, nice front and rear lip, interior stuff etc etc

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