So what do you guys think? Is it rice if you do a bunch of real performance mods to your car with no intention of ever using them? I see body kits, big brakes, tires, lightweight wheels, intakes, exhausts, etc. all discussed to death on here and yet hardly no one goes to the track?? To me (all IMHO of course) that is rice. There are already more Z's on the road in the U.S. than all the MR2 Spyders imported to date (my last car) yet you tell MR2 owners about a track day and tons of them show up, yet to date I have only seen one other Z at the track and very little track day discussion here. Is that what America is now, all style without substance?? Or am I crazy!!!

 

I wouldn't call it rice...

but I'd call the owner a fu*ktard... for wasting all his money.

If it was a cruiser... I'd buy a GS430...

OR... INVEST the cash... Far better return, than mods never to be used.

 

I dont think people are ready to toss around their low/mid 30K car just yet. It's still to early. Probably a year or two down the road you might see more Z participants.

As far as the "rice" thing, neon lights, flourescent color paints, obnoxious body kits/stickers are some things that I label as "rice" even though a rarely use that term. But calling suspension/perf. upgrades with no intent on using them "rice," IMO goes way beyond the common meaning of "rice". Just my $0.02

BTW, this reminds me, I was watching an espn coverage on an auto show and they were talking about the Neon SRT. They said it was going to compete with the "Japanese rice rockets." WTF?! what the hell is that suppose to mean?

 

I don't know if I'd call it rice, but I definitely agree w/ everything else you're saying.

The only thing holding me back from the track is $$$ as I'm trying to end/limit my short-term debt, but soon... real soon... terror will be unleashed...

Michael.

 

Plenty of people own computers with abilities that they never use. I have a old P2 which is fine for what I mostly do, Word, Powerpoint, Internet....

Does this mean that all of us that own the newest P4 have the computer equivalent of rice?

I think the stock Z has more than enough ability for the average driver, anything extra is just for personal satisfaction and bragging rights.

I've seen more MR2's driven by people that wanted a cute convertible than by hardcore track maniacs.

I'd love to take the Z to a track, it's just hard finding one open when there's an inch of snow on the ground.

The current import car mania has little to do with track times and more to do with personal likes and style.

 

so does that make a car collector a "ricer" since he never drives the cars enough????

btw, this isn't a RACE car it is a ROAD car, I plan on getting a shifter cart for the track, I prefer to keep a $35k car nice and new.

btw2, if I have a "touring" not going to the track is OK, but if I had a "track" I guess I would be considered a "ricer"?? do I have that right??

 

Also some things have everday uses that are nice. For example, stiffening up any car's suspension can be nice just for road driving. I personally love the feeling of sliding (not pwersliding but just kicking the back end around a little) around many turns in daily driving, and firming up your ride and reducing bodyroll really makes such experiences more enjoyable. My M Roadster had not too much roll stock, and was incredibly easily to loosen the back end (going moderately slowly) through turns, but had I swapped out the suspension it would've been better. Anyway, I feel that if someone wants to do something to their car that makes them noticeably enjoy it more, why shouldn't they? Sure it's stupid to buy stuff when you only have it to beat people on paper, but for some people just accelerating faster on the entrance ramp is enough to satisfy them. And if they are happy with what they've bought because it genuinely increases their pleasure when they drive, then that's good enough for me.

Oh, and yes, having a computer with too much power is rice, as are wireless video game controllers.

 

I race. Im a little afraid of going to a real track not a dragstrip. goo chance you can crash out there... no insurance on a track. that might be keeping some people away.

but if/when I get some performance mods and Im more secure that my tires dont blow and my suspension can handle some twisties, you bet Ill be out at road atlanta and turner feild tearing it up.

 

Everybody buys the car for different reasons. For example for style, performance, and economics to name a few. Not everyone who upgardes uses the car for track use come on.

To upgrade my car is it rice becouse I dont take to the track? Hell no!

Ill have to diagree with you there. Everyone has their own tastes in driving, safety, and style.

Like koba8 said people buy upgrades for everyday use. I like to canyon carve so supension is important. I not a big track star but want upgraded brakes for safety. I like to have my car look different and I want style (hence a body kit purchase).

Rice is the worst over used word in the indusrty. I think personally people who use it are stereo typical and think they are better then others.

Whatever floats your boat is what I say. I think its pretty lame to put down others because your a so called track star. People do upgardes to suit there own needs.

It not a waste to upgrade or a lame inverstment. My Z is something I use and enjoy everyday its money well spent.

 

I am far from a "track star." But I was really trying to get at a greater point. Why do people put so much emphasis on style? And why in so many cases does this style come with no substance at all? I am not talking about just cars. Music (Brittny, Nsync, Christina Aguilera), nearly all SUV's, Sean Jean clothes ($150 for a fu**ing sweat suit?), tennis shoes, bling bling jewelry, the list goes on and on. In America you can put a turd in a pretty wrapper and people will eat it.

 

mmmmm......shiny, foil-wrapped turds.

Makes me think of Almond Roca.

I think one thing that can be said about Z owners, is that most of us didn't jump on the style/fluff bandwagon. Sure the Z is stylish, but you don't have to pay trendy price for it. Once you get a value like that, you really have to work really hard to make it just a style-mobile.

-D'oh!

 

Awww c'mon Steve, if I were you I'd milk that "track star" thing for all it's worth!

I think what you're finding is that this car is marketed to a different bunch than, say, "some other car".

The Z is still quite new, and there's a lot of pioneering work to be done to find out what products out there really work and those that don't. By pioneering I mean people testing out products with an open mind - people that have the guts to say "I spent $x00 on an exhaust and my car lost power on the dyno" or "I got xyz underbody super stiffening cross-drilled polymer connector brace and can't tell a damn bit of difference".

With other cars these pioneering sorts of which I speak may have been the first folks in line to make the purchase, and within the first few months there may have already been a large body of knowledge on the right brake pads, alignment settings, tire sizes and pressures, etc. I can tell it's going to take a bit longer here...frankly, with such a mass-market car it's something you should have expected.

If I were you I'd be keeping an eye on what Pat Salerno and Carter Thompson do with their cars. They're both Z owners that know how to extract 10/10ths from a vehicle. If they end up with XYZ part on their car it'll be because it gets them around the course fastest, not because it bl!ngs the brightest...

Good luck dude!

 

Well your veiw is more of a sociological point. America is all about image thats where it comes from. People always want something nicer bigger and better.

I think most people get sucked into this. Its the American dream and way of life. Society teaches these kinds of things and all this is bomb barded though the mass media daily.

This is why most people admire stupid things like looks (breasts implants, fake blond hair, nice clothes) and materal wealth (bling bling, ice, fancy exotic cars).

If you really look at a car it takes you from point A to point B. You can only go so fast legally and its is just a mode of transportation.

So what the point to any of this modding right? To see who has bigger ***** on the track? To see who has the nicest car? I say it point blank modding is to done to show off.

Anyway you look at it a car is made for travel all the rest has been developed as a hobby. On the track, on the streets, the exterior etc. Its pointless to some and if itd your hobby you love it.

I like to have people admire my car, I like the to challenge myself & others for bragging rights, and to push limits.

Thats how I see it. Others do too. It all about whos the best, he the biggest and the baddest.

You can run around this point all day. All I have to say is all this rice talk has to go. Its played out stereo typical and subject to opinion.

Quit judging others because not everyone is into same thing. Some poeple like to enhance the looks of the car, some people are all perfomance and some peope like to have it all.

 

Rice for sure. Dont kid yourselves.

 

I don't have a problem with anyone putting aftermarket parts on their car for any reason because the more they sell, the better the prices will be! But, I do think some people do some pretty stupid things with their money. The whole import show scene seems really absurd to me. I see a lot of these cars at shows with fully built motors, suspensions, etc., but at the end of the day they get on a trailer and go home. I don't understand why you would buy this stuff if you don't even use it. I know one guy who has a show car with an almost totally stock engine but he put in a racing clutch just so he could add that to his list of mods. It just seems sort of silly to me. If I put a turbo kit on my car it would drive me insane not to race it!

 

So who do you call someone who goes to the track but can't afford to put all that nice aftermarket stuff on his car? F*ckin poor! Thats me.

 

You're just too hardcore for those folks that you just mentioned.

Admit it, raceboy, that's what you really wanted to hear.

 

Naahh, it's just me. I just don't get certain things like I don't get why you have to wear a tie (that is about the stupidest thing of all).

 

Rice is over glorifying your car with accessories that have no business - (spoiler on a FWD car).

Adding things that just look stupid like Neon lights and LED tailpipes.

Adding performance to your car like Intake, ECU, swaybars, etc is going to enhance the performance of your car and make it more fun to drive. For example, if I add a suspension kit from TEIN to enhance my handling performance and ride quality this isn't rice - this is common sense.

I don't plan to track my car just yet but you better believe I'm going to add as many performance parts as I can. Why? Because it exhances my "driving excitement".

To summarize, performance add on are not RICE... they are performance upgrades. Stupid visual things that do absolutely nothing or just look stupid (neon stuff, over blown plastic bumpers, and other idiotic no use parts).

 

I assure you, the track is MUCH safer than the street. On the street, you have to worry about the drivers that don't know you're "racing." At least on the track, there are emergency vehicles and personnel on the spot.

Furthermore, your insurance should cover your loss (God forbid it ever happening) as track events are non-competitive and considered "driver education."

I would rather tell my insurance agent I totalled my car on a track where I was learning the limits of my vehicle, than tell my insurance agent that I totalled my car and possibly hit other vehicles on the street while "drifting."

Michael.