Negative views of tuning

[CSR]

My father is the same. His main point is that the car companies spend billions of dollars on R&D and know what they are doing...

I point out that there is always a compromise between various factors to cater to the average Joe and I'm simply re-stacking the deck with my personal priorities in mind... sure that doesn't usually get us far, but what can you do.

Sounds about right. I throw in mumbo jumbo about emissions savings and legal requirements from manufacturers to detune their vehicles etc etc..

But then I just get called a criminal.

Anyway dad's car is back from HPF tomorrow, i'm going to pick it up and stay there for an hour of dyno'ing..He won't think it's stupid when he realises how much difference it makes to his driveability.

[Spyda]

Do it right and you get nothing but love. My family and friends are supportive and i get mad comments from all sorts, Ferrari drivers all the way through the jap croud to stupid ass dero P platers in VNs.
The most negative comment i receive is its way to low or the wheels are weired/dangerous/redonk but those usually come with a smile on their face or old farts who watch to much today tonight......which is all good the way i see it, it means im doing it right haha.

[Ben J]

My parents give me a lot of ****... "I'm sure the vw engineers knew what they where doing, your destroying a perfectly good car, ect ect". My father simply wont believe anything you do to a car will make it any better in any way, as the magical engineers spent thousands of hours designing someting that is not only the fastest, but most practicle and comfortable. Any gains i feel are in my head apparently, haha.

[Bboy_Sparx]

I cop heaps of **** about wasting money modifying my cars... Not because i'm modifying it.. But because it's a VW. hahaha.

That is too true!

[Bflat]

The only people I've found who dont appreciate chirping third are the gf's..... lol.


Come to think about it, they dont like power-off oversteering as a method of negotiating a corner either...

That right there is quotable. Love it!

[Nathan_B]

Yep i purchased the R32 becuase it was a car i thought i would never modify.. The mrs doesnt mind it as long as i treat her well too, she afterall purchased the Milltek for me

[Flat-Mango]

As long as I'm not borrowing from the bank, or making it illegal, My Dad is ok.
Which is fine. Not into stretch tyres and i can live being only 100mm above the ground

Not sure how I'd get passed smoothing my indicators off my bumper (without having Mk4 Look-a-lights) :S

My parents give me a lot of ****... "I'm sure the vw engineers knew what they where doing, your destroying a perfectly good car, ect ect". My father simply wont believe anything you do to a car will make it any better in any way, as the magical engineers spent thousands of hours designing someting that is not only the fastest, but most practicle and comfortable. Any gains i feel are in my head apparently, haha.

haha, My dad took that same pitch, also adding that they designed the car with understeer for it's easier to counter than oversteer.
but it wasn't an argument, just a 'Keep it in mind, you want the Reliabilty/power ratio more toward the Relability side.

However, i'm yet to modify it yet

[DoggieHowser]

I have been stopped by over zealous cops about 4 or 5 times in my modded Evo. Tomei extractor, elbow, downpipe (full kit), Apexi N1 Evolution cat back exhaust system. Motec M800 PNP. The system was approved by the local ROV (Singapore) so it was more a hassle than anything else. But it did piss off the missus those few times when we were on the way to work. Or dinner.

I think mods in moderation and clear expectations is ok. Don't go crazy with power unless you know what you want to do with it. That means understanding where the car is used. Track day cars should be tuned for sustained driving vs short burst power delivery for sprints vs daily driveability (good flat torque across rev bands etc).

Also, make sure the rest of the car is up to snuff. If the car goes faster, it needs to stop faster. Better pads and steel braided lines are a start. BBKs like Endless or Alcons are almost mandatory if you want a track attack car. Plus suspension and tyre upgrades to match. That's where prioritization is important. A tune, suspension and tyre set up for track isn't as much fun for daily driving.

With turbocharged cars like the R and GTI, there's a big temptation to add more power. And it's very easy to do, often at the expense of balance. Also, for some new turbocharged car owners, there's a need to understand limits to the engine. I had a friend go nuts on his BMW 335i. Stock boost was about 0.5-0.8. I saw an American tune bring that to 1.5-1.6. And he was wondering why his engine oil temp was always in the red zone. I was also unsure how lean his system was running on stock injectors.

The other concern is service cycles. VW may only require 15k kms before servicing on stock cars. With highly tweaked cars, you may want to shorten the cycles.