Since joining the Scion community i have noticed a few things that i find kind of funny. Now i purely come to these forums to hang out and see what performance mods people have done to their cars. I do this for a few reasons, the first being that i don’t want to spend money on a mod that hasn’t worked for someone else. Another is to see some nice DIY articles etc etc. Now the part that i find funny is when i come to read about mods and all i ever see in peoples mod list are cosmetics. Ok now don't get me wrong i am a guy that pays attention to detail but when like 85 % of the people that have a "Performance list" and in it they include things like lipkits, HIDS, grills, metal gas pedals, shift ***** i think to myself ummm wtf.
I want to see what you have done to the motor not the looks. I want to know what makes it go fast, not look fast. Is it the type of car? Maybe because the car caters to the younger generation? On the same note done get me wrong, i dont see this 100% of the time. I have found some nice write ups about the S/C's and turbos etc but i have to say that the crap outweighs the really informative information.
Now I don’t see it as much on this site as yourscion.com but I still do. I honestly have no desire to post in yourscion.com for this very same reason. It just seems like a bunch of children all hanging out talking about their new momo shift **** and how much better it makes shifting.

Now am I really out in left field here or do others see where I am coming from?
Again i don’t post this to offend anyone but just to state my observation thus far.

 

IMO, not many people have a lot of performance parts in their cars, which would make that list fairly short. And i dont think many people will go that far with modding the motor. mostly just I/H/E and thats it. Suspension is also a nice performance mod... you should also look into that besides just the motor as u stated

Thats my opinion...

 

I forgot to mention that i have also read a lot about suspension and such and i do see that as a performace mod as it helps with traction/handling.

 

Not everyone is into just performance like you.

Some people mod their car solely for looks and could care less about how fast it is, while others don't mind rocking stock wheels, as long as they have a ton of performance mods to make their car faster.

What does it matter if someone's sig says, "Injen CAI, DC Header, HKS Axle Back" or "OEM Lip Kit, OEM Pedestal Spoiler, 18" Axis wheels"

It's their choice to post about what they have/want for their car, like I said not everyone is into performance, and just because they are not into performance doesn't make them any less of an enthusiast as you, they just want something different for their car than what you do.

 

True and you made a very good point. "others don't mind rocking stock wheels, as long as they have a ton of performance mods to make their car faster" That is me to a "T." I would rather my car look/sound as stock as possible but at the same time be faster then the next guy.

i guess its to each his own. The last forum i belonged to (with old car) kind of mocked others for listing things like that in their mod list and i guess i just got use to it but i totally see the other side of it.

 

it all depends on what you value in your scion.

for the longest time, my car looked bone stock, for about two years, all it had was trd intake and exhaust, the interior was awesome, with leather seats and trim, and interior illuminations, but on the outside it looked fresh off the showroom floor.

it was like that because before i make the car look fast and sporty, i wanted it to be fast and sporty. you know the phrase "all show and no go"

now that my tc has some more performance bolt-ons and suspension upgrades, lsd and such, spent some money to make it look cooler, and unique.

what have you done to your tc? looking at your signature, you don't even know the proper color. it isn't black, it is black sand pearl or BSP.

also, listing mods both performance and cosmetic are very helpful because say you have your eye on one of these parts, and you want to know the quality, ease of install, and a look at the final product, you can pm that person and ask for a first hand experience.

believe me, i love performance and high horsepower numbers, but they are expensive, and most of the scionlife in college non-mechanically inclined members don't have the time or money or convience to be able to pull a motor out of their only daily driver and build it up. i know i can't afford very much down time when i'm having my tc worked on, it is my only car.

so just relax, there are some really indepth builds going on with scions, but most of us simply aren't at the level of modification, and probably never will be.

you are looking for a minority among us who take it to that level, plain and simple. but there are lots of cool people to meet on here, and i am happy i have a scion because it has been a serious turning point in my life.

and don't take any of this negatively, it is just text.

 

I don't have any mods listed yet because i haven't done anything to it. I want to put some miles on the motor before i start with my mods.

I could really care less if i had the wrong color on my sig .

 

this thread is funny. the OP does have a point though, but most people don't get that into it. but there are a couple guys on here on a power quest. there is a guy on here who has over 450hp to the wheels and is still looking for more.

 

Silly as it may be putting down over 300 whp on an FWD car, there are people who want to do it just to see if they can do it or to see how far they can go.

But I think the people that put chrome accents or LED lights or aluminum pedals or spoiler as a performance mod are stupid.

 

I would like to add my opinion on this topic. See ever since I got my Scion (almost a full year ago this coming 13th), Scionlife has been the only forum I ever go to...mainly because of the diversity of the level of "car" knowledge (for the lack of a term) each member holds. This is actaully good because those who know more are ALWAYS more than willing to give the rest of us their opinions/suggestions. But the bottom line is, the one thing that binds us all in this site is the overall appreciation and "love" for our Scions--may them be Tcs, Xbs, et. al.. To be honest I have learned a lot from Scionlife and I hope those members who are car-enlightened would continue to stick around and share their knowledge. And I have seen and experienced myself how helpful some guys (and gals) here are; like when someone stole my stock antenna (pathetic, I know!) a lot of people were offerring their extra antenna at no charge! So I say more power to Scionlife and I hope it continues to grow more diversed than ever.

 

Thats why the forums are divided, mouse over forums top left and pick which one ur interested in, quit hating

 

okay here's my take. in our profiles, there are sections for each different types of mods. IF someone puts all of their cosmetic mods under the performance category instead of body, wheels, or other (etc etc.), then that is silly. otherwise, i don't see a problem. i mean cmon now. if someone handed me 100k dollars and said spend it on your tC, my tC would be fast as heck and would be completely customized in terms of cosmetic appearances. seeing as how most of us have pockets that end somewhere, we can't do ALL of what we may want to do to our cars. we pick and choose. that's the nature of something called finite money supply. take me for example. i absolutely LOVE cosmetic mods. if i had the money right now, i'd buy a lip kit, new tails, badgeless grills, HIDs in projectors, and i'd fix the small but annoying ding in my rear quarter panel... not to mention completely tricking out the interior in every possible way. unfortunately, i'm spending what will amount to be about $6,000 in my quest for turbocharging (only a few hundred left to spend). what can i say? i cannot wait to feel the power i'll soon have. it's going to be amazing. i also ordered a rear sway and TRD lowering springs. i'm excited to have a slightly better suspension setup. that being said, if i had spent all of that cash on cosmetics, my car would look sweet as hell. it's just personal preference, and i think this topic is, for the most part, just something that will instigate an argument. SL is a fantastic community with a wealth of knowledge. we got that way by having people with different preferences come together to add their personal flair to the community. let's value that instead of trying to belittle it. $.02

 

I think its a mute point.
Not everyone is you, so not everyone wants a fast car. i dont see how that can even be questioned. just because you might like cheerios in the morning, and someone else doesnt, does that mean something is wrong?
People own cars for different reasons. People have different budgets. The Scion world is fairly new. Prices are still high. This isnt a Civic site where a kid can take $10,000 buy a civic hatchback for $1,500 and drop $9,000 under the hood and have a fast car.
This is a car where you first have to drop nearly $20,000 just to get the car, then find money to make it fast or whatever it is. Alot of people cant afford to do that.

The forums are dedicated to what YOU want. If you dont like show, then click on the Forced Induction section. Its all about fast in there.

 

mmm boost

 

the tC is not a fast car to begin with. It looks good with exterior mods.

 

indeed. the scion brand was made to be customized. i dont think performance was an intention. sure they have the trd stuff, but its still all minor with the exception of the s/c. if you wanted performance, the tC shouldnt have been a choice.

 

I have no problem with people putting aluminum pedal pads, a spoiler, etc on their car and having no performance mods. Hell... it's their car, let them do what they want with it. In my book, engine performance mods are a waste of money on a car like the tC. Why not take the money you are going to spend on performance mods and buy something like a Lexus IS and autocross it???

Besides... the highest speed limit where most ScionLifers live probably tops out at 65mph anyway. Use the racetrack for your engine mods.... not my street as I am backing out of the driveway.

Just a rant, but probably going to get flamed for this one:
I notice a lot of the bullchit posters on here are 18-25 males with a lead foot that drive their car everyday like it's the Daytona 500.... then they whine and wonder why their car is making some funnyass noise after they redlined the motor a few times racing some dork in a Subaru.

 

 

This is almost as good as "let me post my mods in my sig". Isn't that what your "profile" is for?

 

it is also no slouch. Before I bought mine (tonight) I test drove a SI civic, and I can tell you the 160hp in our cars matched the 198hp in the si. I think mainly b/c it hits the power band later. really most of the cars the tc should be compared to are 130hp tegs 100 hp civics and others such as that.

a shift **** is not a performance mod at all. unless you get faster track times from it.