What deters you from modification?

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Nothing deters me from modding

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Problem: Voiding the warranty.

the car for me is perfect right now I would do nothing.

 

I can barely keep up financially with keeping my car in top operating condition. I enjoy the car for what it is. However, if my ignition failed I'd have no hesitation with going to aftermarket as I understand the options are similar cost with superiour performance.

Mostly it's just who I am. I've never done mods to my cars. I've had a few that had lots of potential but I guess I go with the thought of, if it aint broke, don't fix it. Plus I'm cheap.

And as William H said, welcome.

 

Depends on the modification.

However, generally, the amount of engineering and development that goes into modern vehicles is substantial. All kinds of load calculations, stress testing and materials analysis are made in order to ensure they work as expected and are safe.

When you start upgrading this or improving that, those stresses change. For example, if you lower the profile of your tires on larger diameter rims, do you now stress the suspension differently? Will it perform as it should? Or, if you add a twin-turbo charging system, what stresses will change internally in the motor? Or, at the transmission?

Change the optimization mix, and you don't know what you get. I've been through this with race cars. You fix what you break, and then you break something else. Fix that, and so on.

CW

 

Would you modify the Sistine Chapel?

I guess it depends on the level of mod - something not so apparent, I'd be ok with. Something gaudy - I'm not ok with.

 

True but nothing deters me.

(Engineered front and rear lift kit for "Stradalization"
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Modified A arms.
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It's part of the lift system we're engineering. Both front and rear will have it.

 

i have seriously modded every car i have owned.
As for the ferraris.............Seriously think, Old man Enzo would not have cared in the least. Especially if you were making it faster

 

I never deter from an enhancement. But I am selective.

 

No the lifters will only be used for speed bumps and driveways and trailer loading. Normal ride height will be as we raced at the Ring about 5 inches.

 

Loss of reliability or drivability can often result from modifications. A modern engine modification requires the ability to properly re-map the ECU and that is extremely difficult to do correctly. Also, modern high-revving vavletrains are very carefully engineered. Cam changes can turn the engine into a hand grenade.

Cosmetic stuff is fine, if that is your thing.

 

As long as " you " take ownership of the effect of said " upgrade " then there is nothing wrong with it. And , knowning your rights when it comes to the Mag.Moss warranty act, you will be fine.
http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus01-businesspersons-guide-federal-warranty-law

It's went a person installs the aftermarket stereo, instrument cluster intergrated radar, and aftermarket suspension. Then comes in because of an electrical issue, cluster failure, and suspension noise, and wants it all covered under factory warranty that it becomes an issue.

My motto has always been, tell me what you have and we will work to help the best we can. If I find out about it and you didnt tell me, I'm charging you double... < wink >

I dont think there is anything wrong with it, look at a few of my previous cars...

S

 

If you know what you're doing this is no big deal. We took a Ferrari GT2 engine from 430 to 530 HP (Air restricted to GT2 standards) and finished a 24 first in class and after that the engine was fine. We did change all internals and bored out the block and used Motec but people do this sort of thing all the time.

A lot of people TT all sorts of motors on Ferrari's/Lambo's etc and they run fine and MUCH faster than stock motors.

 

Napolis,

To be fair, your capabilities are beyond those of most. You can retain qualified engineers to do CAD/CAM/CAE work. You can get time on 5-axis lathes and water cutters for custom fabrication. You can do what many cannot. It's neat stuff, the work you're doing, but that is more bespoke engineering as opposed to modifications, don't you think?

CW

 

Port grinder please!!!!

 

Yes this. 100% agree. I think the stuff Napolis is displaying is *hugely* interesting and incredibly impressive, but lets be clear that this is *not* what is being discussed when people talk about "modding" in 99.99% of cases.

So I guess the answer for the OP would be "because I lack the background and resources of an advanced mechanical engineer"

To me this question seems obvious. Modding is the exception, not the default so a better question would probably be why *does* one mod?

Folks that don't choose to, quite likely simply don't feel that the car they own needs any improvement, or if they do feel it does, don't feel qualified to actually make that improvement. Either because it is too risky, or too expensive, or they just don't have the knowledge and background.

I've never owned a Ferrari, but I can say with many lower performance cars, there is a *rush* to modification almost as a default by "enthusiasts". I think, despite the generally accepted forum "wisdom", in a huge number of cases they *go backwards* and take away from the car. You can never tell them that though. They'd *swear* that their "BBK" and "coilovers" have turned the thing into a world beater. This was the case all the time on the NSX forum where the few long time owners with a ton of track time would try to convince the new owners (flooding in as the car depreciated) to *learn the car* and *improve their skill* before presuming to change something engineered and hand made by some of the best engineers in history.

Most people don't come *near* their cars potential, much less find an area where they can quantify that it needs legitimate improvement. The vast majority of mods you see on the street are either for anecdotally accepted improvement "Brembos = better!" or to get more performance in a straight line (145MPH trap speed yo!). Obviously talking about performance mods here and not appearance or creature comfort which are another matter entirely.

Napolis is obviously an absolute exception to this as are folks who track their car extensively, reach its potential, find areas where they feel it needs tweaking, and then do that tweaking in an educated manner. These are real edge cases though. Few people have that level of expertise and ability (and resources).

Now consider that Ferrari is a car that, out of the box, is already in the top .0x% of performance. And generally with mature owners who will seek to explore their own limits before assuming the car has a deficiency. I don't think it's a surprise that not so many Ferraris are extensively modified. It's a daunting proposition that requires a lot more money and expertise then doing so on a much lesser car that hasn't been engineered for maximum performance potential. A Civic is cheap and disposable and was engineered primarily for gas mileage and safety. It's limits are designed around commuting and reliable transport around town. On a car like that it can be fun, and low risk, to see what it would take to make it into a "high performance" version of itself. A Ferrari 458? Not so much It's already about as much of a "high performance version of itself" as it can get. Unless the "mod" is adding more cup holders to try to make it more pedestrian

 

Were money not an issue - I'd like a 458 with the ALMS body style - interior all in alcantara...