# Must Resist!



## S-X-I (Sep 6, 2006)

I went through this stage with my last car as well….Wanting to modify it.

Now I’m not talking your usual BarryBoys effort. More subtle modifications, just little bits here and there to improve the over all look.

Over the past few days I have been looking into what can be done and more importantly the prices!

Options are:

Lowering Springs/Coilovers
Wheel Spacers
Brake Up-Grade
Cold Air Feed ect,. ect….

Now I’m not the kind of person that spends money freely, I look after my money and only splash you if I really want something.

So good people for Detailing World, please tell me it’s all a waste of time and money and that I should scrap all these crazy thoughts lol


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## wilson_let (Feb 11, 2007)

Just go for it, a few simple mods like you have listed will transform the car. Will keep it subtle, but still seperate it from the rest running about.


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## ryanuk (Jun 22, 2007)

you need coilovers  sorry not much help lol


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## Rom (Feb 1, 2009)

What car is it ? (sorry im new !)

If your only after looks. Then you dont need coilovers, if its a small drop you want. Spings and standard dampers will work. Although anything major and youll need proper dampers.

If you want to be able to drive it quicker, then look into coilovers and decent pads. Coilovers will worsen the ride comfort considerably though.

Brake improvements dont need to mean bigger brakes. Adding to the unsprung weight of the car isnt the best move. Bigger discs only help with fade really, its the pads which offer the power. Spending £100 on a set of pads will transform the braking no end.

Spacers are generally not great. Very small ones are livable, but anything to wide puts extra stress on components.
If its for looks, on a normally driven car no worries. But if its something you track etc id watch the width.


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## S-X-I (Sep 6, 2006)

The car is a Fiat Panda 100HP.

I'm really happy with the car in its current state but its just the few little things that tempt me lol


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## Schnorbitz (Aug 18, 2007)

it’s all a waste of time and money and you should scrap all these crazy thoughts


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## minimadgriff (Jul 8, 2007)

Rom said:


> Coilovers will worsen the ride comfort considerably though.
> 
> .


not so. if you buy really cheap ****e ones but not if you buy decent ones!


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## ALANSHR (Jun 29, 2007)

I wouldn't do it, have driven an HP and they are sweet just as they are.

If you do go down this route, remember that with all 'enhancements' there are always compromises in other areas i.e. change of pads, better braking when warm but not so when cold, obviously this is a generalisation but you know what I mean.

From experience, you start and never finish either, i have a supercharger but now need more boost, more boost means better suspension, never bloody ending!!!


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## S-X-I (Sep 6, 2006)

ALANSHR said:


> I wouldn't do it, have driven an HP and they are sweet just as they are.
> 
> If you do go down this route, remember that with all 'enhancements' there are always compromises in other areas i.e. change of pads, better braking when warm but not so when cold, obviously this is a generalisation but you know what I mean.
> 
> From experience, you start and never finish either, i have a supercharger but now need more boost, more boost means better suspension, never bloody ending!!!


I know what you mean about the handling, it is really good so I don;t want to mess with it.

I'll probably just end up creating a Cold Air Feed for it as the current induction source is blocked by the bumper.


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## jamiec (Jan 21, 2008)

Put the pennies into the fund for the next car. Car is awesome as it is. 

A free flowing exhaust or panel filter would be the way to go if it's something small though.


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## S-X-I (Sep 6, 2006)

jamiec said:


> Put the pennies into the fund for the next car. Car is awesome as it is.
> 
> A free flowing exhaust or panel filter would be the way to go if it's something small though.


Already have a K&N filter but I plan on a small mad to improve air flow into the air box.

As you can see in the picture below the current hose going into the air box is blocked by the bumper.










What I am planning to do in the summer is open up a section of the top grill and run a hose from there into the air box therefore the airbox is being supplied with fresh air.


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## Paul-T (Nov 2, 2006)

The obsession with coilovers is more of a fashion thing than anything else, if you really feel you have to mess with the suspension then don't overlook good quality aftermarket springs and dampers from someone like Eibach and Bilstein.


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## dazzlers82 (May 8, 2007)

Shine On said:


> The obsession with coilovers is more of a fashion thing than anything else, if you really feel you have to mess with the suspension then don't overlook good quality aftermarket springs and dampers from someone like Eibach and Bilstein.


i agree with this i run eibach springs an kyb adjustable shocks on the scooby an there good an its still a reasonably soft ride :thumb:


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## 1animal1 (Aug 20, 2008)

yup i agree, having done quite a bit of research on this, coil overs are perfect IF you know how to set them up which most people dont, including garages!! and great if all your doing is driving on 'pot hole' free track....for general road use coil overs will just throw your car everywhere when hitting bumps etc and will most probably lose you handling in a lot of situations on normal roads


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## minimadgriff (Jul 8, 2007)

coilovers arn't like that at all just don't buy cheap and nasty monkey ones and they are fine!! they used to be like that but not these days! 


I have been in cars that have spring and shock kits that are harsher.


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## Rom (Feb 1, 2009)

Eibach and Bilstein are top makes. Iirc, Billy uses Eibach for its springs.

Ive never been in a modified car that doesnt suffer some impact on ride quality. The very nature of lowering / stiffening suspension means it will suffer 'some' reduction in comfort level.

Obviously, you get what you pay for. As said, the mickey mouse kits are horrendous 

Its very easy to ruin a car if you dont know what your doing. The practical benefit for an average user is negligable.
Modification isnt for everyone. 

Without sounding harsh, youve got to realistically think what you expect to achieve. Doing 1 thing isnt going to change the car drastically.


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## Bero (Mar 9, 2008)

Go for braided brake lines...

Cheap to do and make a nice difference (I was not convinced untill i fitted them a couple weeks ago), just make sure you get a flair end wrench, a standard one WILL NOT WORK!

The girlfriend was elping me bleed the brakes after.......i could not understand why noting was coming through the lines.....looked round the car a number of times looking for a big leak but could not see anything.....tried again but nothing coming through.....then the girlfriend said 'oh,wait, it's not the brake i'm pushing!' :wall: :wall: :wall:


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## martyp (Oct 24, 2006)

Bero said:


> The girlfriend was elping me bleed the brakes after.......i could not understand why noting was coming through the lines.....looked round the car a number of times looking for a big leak but could not see anything.....tried again but nothing coming through.....then the girlfriend said 'oh,wait, it's not the brake i'm pushing!' :wall: :wall: :wall:


LMAO! :lol:

I did braided lines on my last car and I'd say it made a bit of a difference too - even using OEM Volvo pads and discs.

Only thing I'd remove from your list is the wheel spacers. Just my opinion/preference though. :thumb:


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## alan_mcc (Oct 28, 2008)

Like jamie said, you could get a panel filter, they make a pretty nice noise :thumb:

could debadge it if thats your thing?


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## Tomm (Jan 14, 2009)

sorry if you have already stated but what is it we are dealing wit here? 

There are man things Top of my list would be coilovers and a nice set of wheels. 

If you want to start of more subtle then how about minor simple things, Some mild window tints, or even some lowered springs? De-cat or a exhaust? 

There are many many ptions but one thing i will say.... 

Research into what yo have and what can be done with it, each car marque has is own individual way it should be modified,for example aset of JDM Rota wheels would look stupid on a mercades and a set of merc AMG wheels would look stupid on a land rover. In a more subtle way and its very very easy o make your car look cack!

I have owned many things, from jaguars to fiats and toyota's to minis ad none of them have been standard! 

If you let me know what you are drivingi am sure i can find some inspiration for you some where!

EDIT 

Just seen the above post! 

That has a lot of potential! Personaly i would say get out there get some coilovers and some BBS RS splits and you are deffinatley onto a winner!


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## n_d_fox (Apr 18, 2007)

If your happy with the way the car looks and goes then i wouldnt spend too much.

Maybe go for an exhaust to give a bit more of a sporty sound (but not too loud) and sort out the cold air feed for your filter box.

Then depending on how long your keeping the car maybe upgrades the disks / pads and maybe the suspension.

You'll be surprised how much gain being able to brake late and corner faster will give you.


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## Teddy (Dec 15, 2007)

Coilovers do have a reputation for poor ride quality but that's just down to the spec of the spring that's fitted. Cheap coilovers don't have the R&D put into them and so they are more likely to just have a spring 'x'% uprated (with a bit then added on to make them harder) over standard. The big brands put lots of development to get the spring and damper rates perfect for their intended use.

Another misconception is that coilovers make a car handle better than springs and dampers. This isn't true either. If anything, £ for £ the normal fixed height dampers and springs will be better because you'll get a higher quality damper.

Coilovers also don't really allow you to have lower ride heights. They have the same suspension travel and hit the bump stops just as hard as normal dampers.

Unless you really will fit coilovers and experiment with different spring rates (new springs of different rate and length are cheap to buy) and sort the corner weights (the real reason coilovers were invented) then just go for a quality normal spring and damper kit from Eibach, Koni or better still Bilstein (espcially the Sport dampers). 
Crusty coilover threads aren't nice either on an all year round used road car.


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## ChazBEmodified (Nov 23, 2008)

my advice

take things off, not put things on

looking better is a case of removing locks, door trims etc, smoothing it all in, and it will look pukka

my site will tell yuo all that

www.tcc-uk.net


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## Daffy (Dec 15, 2005)

SXI I think the mods will improve the car but would not bother with wheel spacers. Also I think you are the first person I have come across who realises that power is all well and good but you need to be able to stop. You never see threads on other forums saying which calipers should I buy it is all about re-maps. I would hazard a guess and say on your average car upgrading the brakes to 4 or 6 pot calipers would reduce a lap time by more than a re-map.


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## S-X-I (Sep 6, 2006)

Thanks for all the comments guys but having thought about it I have decided to keep the car standard.

Yeah its all good and well throwing money at it but I would never get any of that money back.

The car really is great as it is and I wouldn't want to go and ruin it.

I have a few subtle low cost ideas though but nothing major.


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## T4_ANNI (Jan 28, 2009)

Teddy said:


> Coilovers do have a reputation for poor ride quality but that's just down to the spec of the spring that's fitted. Cheap coilovers don't have the R&D put into them and so they are more likely to just have a spring 'x'% uprated (with a bit then added on to make them harder) over standard. The big brands put lots of development to get the spring and damper rates perfect for their intended use.
> 
> Another misconception is that coilovers make a car handle better than springs and dampers. This isn't true either. If anything, £ for £ the normal fixed height dampers and springs will be better because you'll get a higher quality damper.
> 
> ...


Agree with most of your points but coilovers do allow you to have significantly lower ride heights and whether there is contact with the bumpstops is down to the individual kit and setup, ride height etc. Can't go wrong with a set of Eibachs or KW's or the like imo


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## Mike Hunt (Jan 31, 2008)

Coil overs = the ability to reduce the approach, departure and break over angles, nothing much else to say really.


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