Want to buy afermarket parts??? Think again!!
My trials and tribulations are more expansive than what I have posted.
NO the SSR wheels were not the right offset from the Tire Rack. They were 43mm backspace, and the inside of the rim hit on the stock, and aftermarket shocks. Only the stock shocks have plastic on the outside so no big deal. On the D2's the rim was hitting metal. So i had to install wheel spacers, and longer studs. When I had Nissan install the longer studs one in the bag of studs sent by HHR was the wrong size and wouldn't fit. So I had to order the new stud mailorder, and had to pay for the whole install over again once the new stud arrived. Wheel stud/spacer cost. $350 with labor.
With the labor, and hotel I had to pay for the clutch install because I was stranded in Maryland, and the labor for all the clutches I have spent $10,000 on clutch related labor and parts as of today.
$10,000.......
Good luck if you decide to change anything. If things go smoothly consider yourself lucky.
The real thruth is that these mods can easilly cost you infinetly more than you ever imagined.
Regards
JET
NO the SSR wheels were not the right offset from the Tire Rack. They were 43mm backspace, and the inside of the rim hit on the stock, and aftermarket shocks. Only the stock shocks have plastic on the outside so no big deal. On the D2's the rim was hitting metal. So i had to install wheel spacers, and longer studs. When I had Nissan install the longer studs one in the bag of studs sent by HHR was the wrong size and wouldn't fit. So I had to order the new stud mailorder, and had to pay for the whole install over again once the new stud arrived. Wheel stud/spacer cost. $350 with labor.
With the labor, and hotel I had to pay for the clutch install because I was stranded in Maryland, and the labor for all the clutches I have spent $10,000 on clutch related labor and parts as of today.
$10,000.......
Good luck if you decide to change anything. If things go smoothly consider yourself lucky.
The real thruth is that these mods can easilly cost you infinetly more than you ever imagined.
Regards
JET
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 690
Likes: 0
From: Louisiana, USA
Sorry to hear about your troubles, but I feel your pain. I've gone through all the troubles that someone probably could go through in dealing with vehicle customization.
When I got my Vette I went straight into mods. Heads, cam, long tubes, suspension...the whole shebang. In the end (and after much tuning and headaches) I have a reliable daily driver with over 500hp at the crank. But the sum of the parts changed the character of the car so much that I simply didn't enjoy it as much.
There are some "truthes" that folks should keep in mind when getting aftermarket gear:
1. Almost no aftermarket parts manufacturer is going to put the time and expense into development and design that the OEM manufacturer already has. It's simply not possible as only a few major manufacturers have the financial infrastructure to support such extensive R&D. Don't let the "OEM is made for the lowest common denominator" be confused with poor engineering. Cars may come detuned for the masses, but all of the parts are as well built as can be. Aftermarket parts may be made of better materials, or look prettier, but they often don't fuction with the same reliability.
2. Anything that involves custom work or customization of any kind will involve failure, cost, and trial-and-error. It is rare and usually only on simple items (like a cold-air box) that the install goes perfectly.
3. Spend the money in the right places. Plan your project. Understand what you want to do with the car (eg. daily driver vs. weekend racer vs. dedicated track car). Don't build a track-car for the street, and vice-versa. It always sounds like fun (and the younger you are the better an idea it always seems). But a track-car on the street gets old after about a month. It's all about what you're willing to put up with.
4. Be realistic. You don't need a 400hp car on the street (I've learned this the hard way). Most folks without formal training cannot handle a car with this much power on the street anyway. Put another way, keep your goals in-line with your actual needs. Someone looking for a fast and fun street burner may get much more out of upgrading the suspension, induction, exhaust, wheels, and stereo than they would building a turbocharged fire-breathing monster with 500hp and a 12-point roll-cage. "Fast" and "fun" has as much to do with "feel" as with performance. At the end of the day, folks typically get more enjoyment out of a cat-back exhaust than they do a turbo upgrade.
5. Custom work involves compromise. The OEM product is usually a perfect balance between comfort and performance (regarding sports cars, anyway). Things like fuel mileage, daily reliability, long-term comfort, build-quality, etc are all compromises and you have to strike the balance that works for you. If you want a race car for the street then it will have poor mileage, it will be uncomfortable, hot, and potentially require more frequent maintenance to maintain daily reliability.
Keep these points in mind when choosing your combinations and you have a better chance of finding a fun, reliable, and relatively stress-free motoring enthusiasm.
Cheers,
-Smoky
PS: Everyone's experience is different. I'm sure the kids with the turbos and the wastegates and the triple-carbon-flux-capacitor clutches will want to disagree with me and encourage the >>**EX-TREME RULEZ**<< attitude. And that's great for them. But the original author's experience is a good summary for others to learn from: EXTREME = FRAGILE
When I got my Vette I went straight into mods. Heads, cam, long tubes, suspension...the whole shebang. In the end (and after much tuning and headaches) I have a reliable daily driver with over 500hp at the crank. But the sum of the parts changed the character of the car so much that I simply didn't enjoy it as much.
There are some "truthes" that folks should keep in mind when getting aftermarket gear:
1. Almost no aftermarket parts manufacturer is going to put the time and expense into development and design that the OEM manufacturer already has. It's simply not possible as only a few major manufacturers have the financial infrastructure to support such extensive R&D. Don't let the "OEM is made for the lowest common denominator" be confused with poor engineering. Cars may come detuned for the masses, but all of the parts are as well built as can be. Aftermarket parts may be made of better materials, or look prettier, but they often don't fuction with the same reliability.
2. Anything that involves custom work or customization of any kind will involve failure, cost, and trial-and-error. It is rare and usually only on simple items (like a cold-air box) that the install goes perfectly.
3. Spend the money in the right places. Plan your project. Understand what you want to do with the car (eg. daily driver vs. weekend racer vs. dedicated track car). Don't build a track-car for the street, and vice-versa. It always sounds like fun (and the younger you are the better an idea it always seems). But a track-car on the street gets old after about a month. It's all about what you're willing to put up with.
4. Be realistic. You don't need a 400hp car on the street (I've learned this the hard way). Most folks without formal training cannot handle a car with this much power on the street anyway. Put another way, keep your goals in-line with your actual needs. Someone looking for a fast and fun street burner may get much more out of upgrading the suspension, induction, exhaust, wheels, and stereo than they would building a turbocharged fire-breathing monster with 500hp and a 12-point roll-cage. "Fast" and "fun" has as much to do with "feel" as with performance. At the end of the day, folks typically get more enjoyment out of a cat-back exhaust than they do a turbo upgrade.
5. Custom work involves compromise. The OEM product is usually a perfect balance between comfort and performance (regarding sports cars, anyway). Things like fuel mileage, daily reliability, long-term comfort, build-quality, etc are all compromises and you have to strike the balance that works for you. If you want a race car for the street then it will have poor mileage, it will be uncomfortable, hot, and potentially require more frequent maintenance to maintain daily reliability.
Keep these points in mind when choosing your combinations and you have a better chance of finding a fun, reliable, and relatively stress-free motoring enthusiasm.
Cheers,
-Smoky
PS: Everyone's experience is different. I'm sure the kids with the turbos and the wastegates and the triple-carbon-flux-capacitor clutches will want to disagree with me and encourage the >>**EX-TREME RULEZ**<< attitude. And that's great for them. But the original author's experience is a good summary for others to learn from: EXTREME = FRAGILE
its all about products and INSTALLERS. the product will be as good as good it is installed. there is no compromise.
good installers charge a lot - but in a long run it is worth paying more.
good installers charge a lot - but in a long run it is worth paying more.
Ouch...Just for reference, a clutchmasters stage 3 comes to about $1050 installed at our shop..You really need to be careful when choosing shops, we have seen a flywheel almost come off and shear 4 bolts off in the crank shaft..This was installed by a Nissan Dealer.. 
The bolts were hand tight..
The bolts were hand tight..
alot of has to do with picking the right parts the first time, and doing all the research necessary prior to plunking down the credit card. Second is dealing with someone (be they local or on the other side of the world) that has actually seen, touched, felt and used the mods you are interested in. This goes a long way towards a candid revalation about what is worth it and what isn't. I've got a boatload of money into my car at this point to, but overall do not regret a single mod, and have had a 100% success rate on installs (probably because we did our own)
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 10,740
Likes: 25
From: On a forum dedicated to Boost
coilovers? Koni yellows and some new springs....nothing more, nothing less. Koni yellows are right height adjustable (just not on the fly). Turbo kits....if you want everyday reliability, get a greddy. Turbo kits have come a long way. My turbo accord would leak oil, run rich, check engine lights, and every other problem known to man....but that was over 12 years ago. My buddy has a Fmax kit on a teg w/ Power FC....360Whp and he drives it to work everyday...never had a problem. Pick the right parts and the people who know how to install it and you'll be fine. If you buy the baddest turbo kit out there, you better expect some hick-ups. BIG power never comes easy. As for the clutch. Nothing beat ACT. But I know how you feel. After the turbo on the accord, I didn't want anything to do with turbos. I love nitrous now. Sprayed on my civic for 2 years all the time and that bad boy ran perfect the day I sold it.
Originally Posted by JETPILOT
My trials and tribulations are more expansive than what I have posted.
NO the SSR wheels were not the right offset from the Tire Rack. They were 43mm backspace, and the inside of the rim hit on the stock, and aftermarket shocks. Only the stock shocks have plastic on the outside so no big deal. On the D2's the rim was hitting metal. So i had to install wheel spacers, and longer studs. When I had Nissan install the longer studs one in the bag of studs sent by HHR was the wrong size and wouldn't fit. So I had to order the new stud mailorder, and had to pay for the whole install over again once the new stud arrived. Wheel stud/spacer cost. $350 with labor.
With the labor, and hotel I had to pay for the clutch install because I was stranded in Maryland, and the labor for all the clutches I have spent $10,000 on clutch related labor and parts as of today.
$10,000.......
Good luck if you decide to change anything. If things go smoothly consider yourself lucky.
The real thruth is that these mods can easilly cost you infinetly more than you ever imagined.
Regards
JET
NO the SSR wheels were not the right offset from the Tire Rack. They were 43mm backspace, and the inside of the rim hit on the stock, and aftermarket shocks. Only the stock shocks have plastic on the outside so no big deal. On the D2's the rim was hitting metal. So i had to install wheel spacers, and longer studs. When I had Nissan install the longer studs one in the bag of studs sent by HHR was the wrong size and wouldn't fit. So I had to order the new stud mailorder, and had to pay for the whole install over again once the new stud arrived. Wheel stud/spacer cost. $350 with labor.
With the labor, and hotel I had to pay for the clutch install because I was stranded in Maryland, and the labor for all the clutches I have spent $10,000 on clutch related labor and parts as of today.
$10,000.......
Good luck if you decide to change anything. If things go smoothly consider yourself lucky.
The real thruth is that these mods can easilly cost you infinetly more than you ever imagined.
Regards
JET
Originally Posted by Havok_RLS2
Did you have you car up at AAM the other day? I think I might have seen it while I was having my UTEC installed.
Respect
JET
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