Is your car 'stock' or 'modified' to suit you?

[Melensdad]

Do you add anything to your cars to personalize them or do you leave them stock? Not just the engine, but I'm talking any modification.

My Touareg, which is my daily driver, has some mods added to suit my driving. I've got a Parrot 3100 Bluetooth handsfree cell phone kit installed. It shows caller ID, my phone book, has voice command, etc and has a small screen with some control buttons and a knob so it can be use either hands free or with some hand controls. I also hardwired in a Passport Radar/Laser detector in front of the rearview mirror. Today I ordered a Dension Dice iPod interface and a Dice iPod cradle that will be added soon. I have XM SkyFi2 but its not hardwired in, if I can find a good spot for it, it will be added, but mostly I use it in my office. I also added a burl wood dash kit, moulded cargo mat, chrome accent trim pieces on the grill and window pillars. Not added by me, but there is also a Curtis hitch and a Jordan brake controller for towing.

My prior car had a hardwired Passport and XM Radio, wood dash kit, upgraded alloys and ultra low profile tires (those suck in the winter). I've often upgraded past radios to either Alpine and Blaupunk head units and speakers.

The lovely Mrs_B got a wood dash kit in her car but is otherwise stock, but that is all she wanted.

When the stock tires wear out I always upgrade those. But I've never "chipped" one of my engines and never had the desire until I got the Touareg because that is a pretty low performance engine. I'd love to find out if 'chips' really do any good! Anyone try those?


Oh, and I have a Hawaiian shirt air freshener dangling from the mirror! What do you do?

 

[XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq]

I had to lift my F250 SD about 3" inches a few years ago to deal with some steep hills I used to drive on occasionally. I put dual shocks on the front. Put Warn Hubs in the front 'cause the old ones were shot.

I just added the Tekonsha Prodigy Brake Controller and put an all weather cigarette lighter/power plug near the rear of the truck.

Nothing too exciting otherwise. I'm not as into performance as I used to be. My Diesel is nice and slow and I haven't had a speeding ticket since I got it (knock on wood).

In high school I had a Dodge Omni GLH Turbo that I doubled the factory boost on, added a race computer, put stiffer springs on, even removed the rear seat and put the battery in the back. Probably some other stuff that I can't remember now. It burned rubber into 4th gear. I out ran the police on the highway and didn't even know they were chasing me 'cause they couldn't catch up (had a nice little reception committee waiting for me at the next highway exit). It trounced a lot of big V8's but it was also a beast to control - tourque steer and front wheel hopping.

 

[Junkman]

I added a right hand spotlight to match the one on the left, and I now have red wig wag headlamps that are waiting to be installed. I also have to do some other minor things to make the vehicle ready for the track next time. Here are my friends at the Bristol Speedway in Tennessee. Mine is very similar to the white on in the lead....

 

[HGM]

. But I've never "chipped" one of my engines and never had the desire until I got the Touareg because that is a pretty low performance engine. I'd love to find out if 'chips' really do any good! Anyone try those?

I really depends on the chip... Some of the chips are designed to help eliminate negative characteristics of a vehicle and "tune" the performance for better feel and economy... Others are out to get maximum performance out of a vehicle and will do it however they can, often causing damage... My preference would be to find a shop/tech that can costomize a chip for your car with a laptop on a dyno... This will assure you(or give you more assurance) that it is righ for your car rather than a generic chip for one vehicle that doesnt take into consideration the differences in that product line(F-250Regular cab vs F-350 CC Dually)..