So yeh, I joined the forum a couple of weeks ago and i've been furiously reading up on each and every mod that is packed in here...aah collective knowledge is a good thing...anyway, i'm beginning to realize that the scope and breadth of such a thing as modifying, tuning, pimping out, making your car look or run better, whatever you want to call it is a very large...A VERY LARGE UNDERTAKING, and yes it will cost moolah...so you can call me a tuner on a budget (no, i'm not hard up for cash, i just want to do this right and not make any costly mistakes money or time-wise)...which brings me to this question that I've been kickin around in my addled brain for a few days now...what kind of mods would you start with?

Performance (You can tune any...ANY car on the cheap)

-or-

Looks (All Show no go...for some of us, not all)

Inquiring about it because i'm beginning to see that which way you go will determine alot of your cost, time, and energy all of which I don't want to waste...

Humble Opinions Requested

Gatz

Hmmm...i just noticed, should I have posted this in the "Performance & Modifications" section?

 

performance 80%, looks 20%

I need to fully enjoy the driving experience to be happy with the car. Could never justify paying ~$800+ for an OEM kit when I could use that same money for coilovers and sway bars, or headers, etc...

 

get something that u will enjoy first like a banging system! then i would do looks and then performance cuz TL are meant to be luxury not racing.

 

I'd argue that a BMW is a luxury car but meant for high performance driving. The TL is close on luxury I'd say, but definitely lacking in performance. I don't race my car, but I enjoy 'spirited' driving and having a car that corners, brakes, and accelerates nicely makes for a very enjoyable experience, IMO.

But thats just my opinion

 

In truth I am pretty satisfied with what my 02 Type S has to offer in performance and styling, I ask because I want to know what part of "modifying" our collective favorite automobile is most important (and most respected) between all of us TL lovers...i mean to say, whats the point of having all these crazy mods under the hood I/H/E/P/S + SC and then making the car look good if all its gonna do is help us find a way to kill our cars faster?

SO, the question remains, Performance First? or Looks First?

oh and I BTW, I love the Premium Bose speaker system in my Type S

 

,

Conversely, you bring up a good point...is it the fact that there is, from what i've seemed to gather as a collective feeling, that the 2G TL...even the TYPE S is still lacking for performance style driving if left as stock?

 

Id say both

 

Personally, i wouldn't try to seperate them when im looking at them. I would look at what you could do and how much each is worth to you. Explore all your options, look at their costs and decide how much they're worth to you. You could do a set of headers first and get a decent amount of HP out of it for very little cost (in the world of modding, its practically free). Or you could go all the other way to the other end of the table and look at your wheels. For me, if i get good rims, ill want to lower it too and probably get new rotors that would look good with the rims. If i lowered it, i would have to get shocks and springs or coilovers. I could easily spend $3k just on this one mod. So there really are lots of options out there, you just need to find how much each of them are worth to you.

All in all, i would just do it one step at a time. Find out which mods sound like you will get the most for your time and money and which ones your car needs the most. Just go from there. Everyone has their own opinion so i wouldn't ask people what to DO to your car, but what you CAN do to your car.

 

I have pretty much every mod available to the 03 TL-S (except for RT High Flow Cat and Comptech SC) so I'm saying this from experience: other than headers and crank pulley... all other "performance mods" are rather costly for the little amount of horsepower they return.

If you're on a budget and you want performance, I suggest you start with headers and a UR crank pulley. Someone found a site selling the XS headers for $130 shipped. UR crank pulley will run you around $200. RT tech Cat is probably the next mod that will give you the most HP for your buck. Then Cold Air Intake, then Thermo Block Spacers, and finally Exhaust.

Also, there are suspension mods I suggest as well: Coilovers, Sways, etc.

And even after all that, you will quckly realize that the 2nd gen TL-S is still all show and no go. LOL.

Personally for me, I've been disappointed with every single Performance mod I've gotten after Crank Pulley and Headers.

But I've never... and I mean NEVER been disappointed with any of the "Exterior/Looks" mods that I've done. Might be just me though.

 

u could pull off looks and performance like REv. i love how luxurious his car looks, yet sporty at the same time, and w ith an engine bay to prove it.

 

go with what is most important to you...

 

Here is the order that I would mod.

Tints
Lower springs & shocks
UR Pulley
Headers
Themoblock spacers
Intake (Comptech Icebox if you can find one)
Performance tires (I personally like the stock wheels).
Sways – I think the rear sway from the 3G fits the 2G
Skip the exhaust – no benefit other than sound

These mods will give you added performance and the tints and lowering will give it a good look.

 

^^^ obviously, you are biased to performance

 

if your gonna break some necks with show...you better have the go to back it up 50/50

 

performance versus looks...


If you ask me youll get a pretty one sided response. I have had both good looking and fast cars, but whenever i modify one, its to go fast, aftermarket appearance just costs too much. You hear people talk about dollar per hp alot, with looks you dont get anything but good looks, exactly what you pay for i guess. I look at it this way. I've had cars with 489 awhp, my 91 eclipse was hands down the fastest car i had regular interaction with, but it didnt look too awesome, just a 1g gsx on 18's, but it was LOUD and fast, but when your costs $5000 built and smokes a new corvette nobody cares what it looks like. When a turbo back exhaust and a compressor housing are all it takes and only costs $800 all together it sure sounds alot better to pay that for 60whp instead of looking good.

Our cars come good looking, why mess with it, mods are cheaper in my opinion.

 

since the TL isnt a gutted integra, i feel there are a few worthwhile perf mods.

this is what i had planned for perf:
comptech headers - sold - i dont drive daily and i have acura care plus CPO didnt want to risk it. i live in nyc, how fast can you really go between the red lights and stop signs? 260hp is enough to have fun for me.
thermoblock - sold, too lazy
remove intake resonator - done + free
K&n filter - done
suspension = most important for me. this is where the TL needs help. didnt go crazy since i still want it to be reasonably smooth.
tanabe springs - installing in the next week
tokico blue - installing in the next week
comptech sways - installing in the next week
nice tires - installing in the next week --->oem = crap tires
slotted drilled rotors with satisfied ceramic pro pads - installing in the next week -->oem = the shakes + weak performance. this is a required upgrade if you ask me.

Looks:
35% llumar tint all around - done
trunk lip spoiler - done and cheap
complete audio gut - done ( i hate the blose stock crap, there arent even tweeters!)
get 5k hids when my stock ones go
last , if i can come across a deal ill get the oem kit.

to me the susp and brakes are more important since you DRIVE a car, not wear it. its got enough power for any reasonable situation. its an auto and heavy so there is no point to go crazy. I vote for vehicle performance not really engine perf.

nice clean looks are a plus

 

50/50 gotta have some fun with a bit of speed but like JMAL says in normal driving this car is quick enough, yet looking good is always nice too. Its always nice to hear that your car looks good when you go to a store or something.

 

drive slow homie

alll show


80% show and 20% GO for me

 

Tl is more about luxury with performance.Its more like best of the both world.I would rather invest and make it a sleeper.

 

Oem Kit
Rims and tires
Rotors and Brakes
Drop
Exhaust
Tint
Go Slow!

Thats it for me but I see why there's so many transmission problem threads on this site!

 

with you there but i have a TLp so theres even less go....

 

mods can lower the life of the car? what about headers, resonator removal/k&n filter and lowering? i want my car to last as long a possible.

 

show and go for me

SHOW: 18's, Kit, Dropped, spoiler, Tints, blacked out headlights and taillights, Honda stuff, HID fogs, etc...

GO: I/H/P/E, S TB and Manifolds, etc...

gotta make up for the lack of power the TLp has.

 

It's all a matter of preference. If you like how your car looks right now, then go performance. If you want it to look a bit better, then go looks.

But, I believe both should be combined. Suspension makes the car look and handle better, lightweight wheels look (depending on the wheel) better and add to performance as well. I would recommend the typical I/H/E, then suspension and wheels. That is what I am going to be doing.

Looks come last for me. She looks fine, for now.

Thus far, I have intake and suspension. I did upgrade my sub-woofer, but it was taken from my brothers BMW before we sold it off, so not really an upgrade. Don't skimp out on parts, best to find a deal on quality parts.

 

i just like to cruise so its all looks for me.

 

I'm with you Blazin_TL... I love to roll out and drive about 35- 40mph with the music bumpin and the eyes on the street staring at your ride. Don't get it twisted though, when I punch the pedal to the floor I move, but that's a rare movement for me...

 

I try to evenly distibute mods so it isnt all concentrated in one place. I enjoy quickness, but I want to look good doing it. I like to go to shows, so I gotta have some show, but next is motor where it will be show and go. If I wanted a racecar I would have bought an S2000, if I wanted luxury I would have bought a Lexus or an RL. The TL is a safe medium between the two.

 

80% show
20% go

I like to cruise with the windows down and the base bumping.

But this is just my mind set.

 

90% show 10% go

I will always be able to look at my car appreciate its looks, I'm not able to drive at 200kph all day.

However I believe in nice upgrades. Suspension, brakes, mags, tires.
I don't understand peoples logic who make their cars faster but keep the same suspension and brakes. If it goes faster, it needs to stop faster too.

good thing i'm planning on keeping this ride stock... unless someone is donating coilovers and the Brembo brake upgrade

 

if you got a type s I think thats enough performance, that car is fast enough for a luxury sedan, and it looks good with the fogs and the better looking bumpers then tlp and nicer wheels.Performance and looks wise, lower the car and thst it.if you wanna go racing you pick the wrong car to begin with. just my opinion

 

I'm not doing much of either. I like a clean looking car that stands out from the rest without being over the top. Also, I don't want to give up comfort for performance.

I already have the OEM kit, spoiler, HID fogs, and I'm keepin my stock rims unless I come across a set of 04+Aspec rims for a decent price. I don't think springs/shocks/coilovers are in my future (possibilty though) I definatly still want to tint my windows.

As far as perfomance I have the INJEN CAI, and will most likely install the thermoblock spacers, and if I can find a set of comptech headers for a decent price. I'm leaving the exhaust alone as I don't want it to drone or sound loud. These cars tend to me luxurious than other cars you would consider "tuning"

So for me it's a lil bit of both without being over the top in either area.

 

Wow -- someone dug this out from the dead (well, 5 months ago) LOL.

Mine is more show ... but I consider handling more "go" than "show".

Personally ... there's no point to add more WHP to a FWD car if you can't put it down properly or handle a corner without experiencing major understeer. So no engine mods for me. Instead, I went with sways (best dollar for dollar mod for handling), springs/shocks, front strut bar (which I have sold), rims/tires (questionable ... since that also counts for "show")

As for show, body kit, spoiler, tint (not "tints"), rims.

So I probably spent 60/40 between the two ("go" vs "show"). Basically -- all depends on what you wanna do.

 

All that I have to say is that if my car looks good then I look good.