Why do we mod?

[ersin]

We mod because it is there.

Actually, Brosef gave the best reason for modding.


Cheers.

[Gkap]

I personally just love modding cars.

I have modified every car that I have ever owned.

[z00m]

Originally Posted by Gkap

I personally just love modding cars.

I have modified every car that I have ever owned.

Me too.Nicely said

[UNNATRAL]

I love all your reasons

[AMPowerJ]

Originally Posted by James T. Kirk

I mod to compensate for design weaknesses due to either production cost cuts or USDOT compromises such as:

Orange reflectors
Dull incandescent interior lights
Mis-matched headlamp to angel eye color temperatures
Quiet pipes
Removal of airbag compliance stickers on visors
Tintless windows

In my mind, I'm CORRECTING as much as MODIFYING.

+1

Cars come with too many compromises from the factory. They ride too high, the wheels are not flush, etc. Once you have an eye for what looks right you can't go back.

Honestly, sometimes I wish I didn't care because this hobby is not cheap.

[Gkap]

Originally Posted by AMPowerJ

Honestly, sometimes I wish I didn't care because this hobby is not cheap.

x1000

modding is not a cheap hobby.

[OC3]

Don't forget all the time spent

[J BONE]

Originally Posted by Nelrock

I do it for individuality and looks.

I don't have to deal with seeing many M3's on the road, in my area, as it is...but...there's definitely no mistaking which one is mine.

Totally agree! Plus, what else we going to do with our money? lol

[ooowowizstev]

Modding is cool.

[ec_E92]

Originally Posted by donovan

Question should be, WHY doesn't BMW build a car that doesn't need to be modded?

Impossible! Like evolution of life, modding will find a way!

[mr_yogi]

I've never modded any of my previous cars. I have no intention to with the upcoming M either. However, the more time I spend on the forums, the more loose that intention stands.

Honestly, a lot of it is ignorance. I had no idea what a spacer was until I joined the forums. Yet now, after seeing numerous before and after pics of spacers applications, I am definitely getting them for mine.

The rest of it is preference. A lot of the modded cars I see on here are downright hideous to me (I'm not elaborating further than that ). Regardless, I totally embrace individuality.

As mentioned before, I just don't get to see many E9X M3s around my parts (I wish I did - at least until I get mine ). I think I've seen 2 in the last 2 years. So I know that when my sexy ass LMB ZCP E90 M3 arrives, I'll be one in a million around the way!

Just my 2 pennies. Who knows, my opinion may change when I have the keys in my hand. But for now, knowing that I'll have one of the sexiest and fastest cars that I'll encounter day to day is definitely an EPIC WIN in my books.

[OC3]

The only mod I want to do is change out the OE chrome kidney grilles

[BMWM5NYC]

A lot of people MOD their cars, But how many people "Mod" themselves. I have always felt the first performance mod anyone should make is to take a driver education/track session. I have seen people for YEARS improving the performance of their cars and and they can't "outdrive" the car in its "STOCK" form. It is an OPINION , but I feel you should be able to wring everything out of a car , before you start "upgrading" performance. But then again that is just me.

[OC3]

^

[Chowster]

Originally Posted by Bob86GN

I want to know that the more I do to the car, there are less and less cars on the road that would have similar performance. Basically, my car is faster than your car.

Um...yes, you're right. You win.

[Talk2meg00se]

So here's a question - what modifications are "essential?"

I've had my E92 for 7 months now, and I absolutely love driving it, but the idea of maybe swapping out a thing or two for 5k or less (unrealistic?) in exchange for a real performance bump is almost too intoxicating to ignore. The thing is, however, I can't differentiate between the mods that are just mods for the sake of mods (air filter?) vs. the mods that lend themselves to true performance enhancement (exhaust?).

Take, for example, spacers - what do they really add to the car? I get that the wheels look better when flush with the car's body, but do they really add to the handling characteristics of the E92 M3? Pragmatically, I feel that if the BMW engineers could have enhanced the skid pad performance of the M3 by extending the axles several cm (mm?), they would have done so. So what's the deal? Why pay some shop 2k (more?) to extend the axle by several cm when I might be adversely impacting performance? I didn't buy this car for pure sex appeal (i.e. Corvette); I wanted the "Ultimate Driving Machine." I pains me to think that the semi-needless addition of over-priced spacers might detract from the overall M3 experience.

In the same vein, why would I drop my 18" OEM BBS wheel for something a bit sexier? Take, e.g., the 19" BBS CH-Rs - I absolutely love the black wheel and the 19 would, w/o question, look better than the 18. However, from what I've read, the 19 underperforms on the track relative to the 18". Additionally, the 19" BBS CH-R adds what - at least 10 to 15 lbs. of weight to the car in aggregate? Anyway, you get the idea. These are merely examples - if you're looking to add performance, what do you suggest? Intuitively, I'm thinking:

1) new air filter

2) super light weight 18" wheels

3) spacers (?)

4) new exhaust

5) suspension / brakes (both of which seem to enter the realm of true track enthusiast, which I'm not)

After that you're looking at what? Superchargers / turbos, etc. Both sound very, very expensive to me.

[SlammedR8]

Originally Posted by Talk2meg00se

So here's a question - what modifications are "essential?"

I've had my E92 for 7 months now, and I absolutely love driving it, but the idea of maybe swapping out a thing or two for 5k or less (unrealistic?) in exchange for a real performance bump is almost too intoxicating to ignore. The thing is, however, I can't differentiate between the mods that are just mods for the sake of mods (air filter?) vs. the mods that lend themselves to true performance enhancement (exhaust?).

Take, for example, spacers - what do they really add to the car? I get that the wheels look better when flush with the car's body, but do they really add to the handling characteristics of the E92 M3? Pragmatically, I feel that if the BMW engineers could have enhanced the skid pad performance of the M3 by extending the axles several cm (mm?), they would have done so. So what's the deal? Why pay some shop 2k (more?) to extend the axle by several cm when I might be adversely impacting performance? I didn't buy this car for pure sex appeal (i.e. Corvette); I wanted the "Ultimate Driving Machine." I pains me to think that the semi-needless addition of over-priced spacers might detract from the overall M3 experience.

In the same vein, why would I drop my 18" OEM BBS wheel for something a bit sexier? Take, e.g., the 19" BBS CH-Rs - I absolutely love the black wheel and the 19 would, w/o question, look better than the 18. However, from what I've read, the 19 underperforms on the track relative to the 18". Additionally, the 19" BBS CH-R adds what - at least 10 to 15 lbs. of weight to the car in aggregate? Anyway, you get the idea. These are merely examples - if you're looking to add performance, what do you suggest? Intuitively, I'm thinking:

1) new air filter

2) super light weight 18" wheels

3) spacers (?)

4) new exhaust

5) suspension / brakes (both of which seem to enter the realm of true track enthusiast, which I'm not)

After that you're looking at what? Superchargers / turbos, etc. Both sound very, very expensive to me.

I'm going to try and address everything you mentioned in your post....Air filter is actually a pretty decent mod for the E9x M3, and they are relatively cheap too. a True performance exhaust is not cheap by any means, an Akra full system is well over $5000. So theres a difference between your $75 air filter, and your $5000+ exhaust system.

As for spacers....not sure whoever told you or where you may have possibly read that they will enhance performance. Spacers are 99.99% purely for asthetic reasons, not performance upgrades. BMW has a ton of reasons, just like other car manufacturers to have the wheels sitting well inside the wheel arches (for example, less damage from stones being thrown up against the car). Also, if your not a track rat, which you later mention that you are not. Then I doubt you will ever notice any impact on performance whatsoever.

As for the wheels...well when I first purchased my E93 M3 in June 2008, the car came with the 18" OEM wheels, I didn't mind because I saved 2k and I knew I was getting aftermarket 20" wheels, and I would only be using the 18s for winter/track use. I hated the OEM 18s, I thought they looked awful on my car, and after a few short months I got rid of them and got a set of OEM 19s because I couldn't even look at my car with the OEM 18s anymore. Now, again...unless your a track rat...who cares? I prefer the car look good since 99.99% of its life will be spent on the road, and not on the track. So I don't see why anyone would concern themselves with the weight of the wheels. especially when your talking 19s, not even 20s.

[Sedan_Clan]

I will argue that spacers DO have a performance application as race teams run spacers (..wider track, etc.). Most street-going M3's are rockin' spacers for aesthetic reasons however.

P.S. Talk2meg00se......2k??? Who told you that spacers cost 2k? You won't spend more than $200 for a set of four spacers.

P.S.S. You can't compare a BMW "road" car to a BMW "race" car. The decisions that a manufacturer makes for a road car are full of compromises; a race car isn't compromising. My point? Just because BMW chose OEM offsets for the consumer M3 doesn't mean that those would be the same offsets chosen for a race/track car.

[Gkap]

Originally Posted by Talk2meg00se

So here's a question - what modifications are "essential?"

kidney grills, tinted windows, color matched reflectors
are all essential IMO.

[henryyxyu]

to be cool

[Psylight]

Originally Posted by saeedg48

to make it perfect..
a stock car is never perfect, it can always be improved.

example:
when looking at the stock cat-back exhaust it's sad how crappy it is.

+1

[geneatals]

keep on moddin'..makes the stocker's look unique