Mods to Vehicle, Trailers, etc.

[Bayou Tiger]

What kind of headlights?
Bulb type and temp?
How satisfied are you with the light output vs stock when new?

Spyder - 55W Super HID lighting system featuring ccfl angel eye halos.

400% brighter than stock halogen and 30% brighter than regular 35W HID headlights.

These don't put out anymore heat than a 35W system that is common on modern cars now.

pro:

Stylish, very bright...(almost too bright really.)

con:

Expensive, very bright...LOL, seriously, these are probably too bright. When I first got them installed I tested them later that night. I was amazed that they would illuminate street signs way off in the distance. But when you are in an area that has a bunch of street signs, like inside a major city, this can get out of control. It is hard to drive in this situation because every fucking sign is lit up like a neon sign...




The photo on the right is what it looked like that first night. I was on a rural road and was amazed I could now see so much ! Now imagine what it's like to drive in a city with street signs on top of street signs as far as the eye can see.....lit up like a mutha fuka ! It's actually hard to drive at night in a city because of this.







I don't drive that truck at night, in the city, unless I absolutely have to.

 

[Yankee Traveler]

Spyder - 55W Super HID lighting system featuring ccfl angel eye halos.

400% brighter than stock halogen and 30% brighter than regular 35W HID headlights.

These don't put out anymore heat than a 35W system that is common on modern cars now.

pro:

Stylish, very bright...(almost too bright really.)

con:

Expensive, very bright...LOL, seriously, these are probably too bright. When I first got them installed I tested them later that night. I was amazed that they would illuminate street signs way off in the distance. But when you are in an area that has a bunch of street signs, like inside a major city, this can get out of control. It is hard to drive in this situation because every fucking sign is lit up like a neon sign...

View attachment 167964


The photo on the right is what it looked like that first night. I was on a rural road and was amazed I could now see so much ! Now imagine what it's like to drive in a city with street signs on top of street signs as far as the eye can see.....lit up like a mutha fuka ! It's actually hard to drive at night in a city because of this.







I don't drive that truck at night, in the city, unless I absolutely have to.

So...

Is it a bulb issue;
Too bright, too high a wattage or too much glare, too high a color temp?

How is the pattern of the lenses? Good spread, not just focused down the road but illuminates the sides as well?
Low beam has a good cutoff that does not aggravate oncoming drivers?

 

[bamabear82]

Tinted all the lights on muh Mustang over the last couple of evenings after work, gives it a little better, different look imo (did the all the rear lights last night but haven't taken a pic yet). It wasn't terrible to do but it's not for the faint of heart, especially if you're like me and have very little patience.

 

[Tomhusker]

I had intended to do some mods on my 05 Ram 1500, but I'm leaning towards buying a new truck in the spring. I can wait and do them on the new one.

 

[Indrid Cold]

The mods to my FXT have been very mod-est;
Thicker rear sway bar (19mm replacing 16mm??? need to look it up)
LED taillights (from Taiwan, don't remember the company's name)
Shark fin antenna replacing silly pigtail
Paddle shifter extenders

The sway bar made cornering much more fun, but also negatively affected winter handling to some degree.
I have been thinking about trying an aftermarket intercooler as I have to pull the stock one off to change the stinking PCV valve anyway, but I am looking at $700-900 and am not sure if I will be able to notice a difference.

 

[bamabear82]

Went ahead and blacked out the pony badges while I was at it.

 

[mrwallace2ku]

^^^^^^^hey…i have a software program where i can read redacted license plates on the puter.


pull that off next time.

 

[bamabear82]

Haven't really started modding my 2016 Mustang yet. Mostly PpearNce and sound.
GT350 shifter
GT350 wing
GT350 wheels
Ford Racing hood struts
Driver side and passenger side oil catch cans
Corsa Extreme Cat-Back exhaust system
Haven't dyno'd yet. More torque-y than my 2013 was due to 3.55 rear end. 2013 had a 3.31

Future:
Roush Stage 2 Supercharger kit.
Think that all this car needs

Was considering doing the hood struts on mine but I've read that it can push the hood up a little at the mounting point when closed, you had any issues of the sort?

 

[BTHOtu]

Was considering doing the hood struts on mine but I've read that it can push the hood up a little at the mounting point when closed, you had any issues of the sort?

I haven’t had any issues. It’s actually a pretty cool mod and easy to install.

 

[Hank Kingsley]

I used to spend money and time modifying my hot rod Fords (SHO/SuperCoupe).

Now I buy cars already how I want them and spend my time doing fun stuff.....

 

[Rockinkuwait]

Of mine now, my 2014 F-150 just chipped it, more for shift points on towing, but wow, that's scary at the high octane tune.

2013 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited. Tires, and nice bikini soft top for summer.

2003 Mini Cooper S. Was my commuter car, selling now. Nothing but new LED lights (driving at night)


Years ago used to play with Integras. And did some bolt on stuff when I had a 2010 Camaro SS, and a 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 (still my favorite car I have had).

 

[Hank Kingsley]

I found a relatively cheap and easy to install "chip" thingy for my S4 I might put in when my warranty runs out. Would put me up around 400 hp. For $400 US or so. No tools required.....

 

[Rockinkuwait]

I found a relatively cheap and easy to install "chip" thingy for my S4 I might put in when my warranty runs out. Would put me up around 400 hp. For $400 US or so. No tools required.....

Nice! Mines an ECU programmer for my truck. Had something similar for my Mazdaspeed3. But can get them with pre-set packages which I did for both. They just fit into the OBD port, flash the ECU and off you go, no installations.

 

[Hank Kingsley]

Nice! Mines an ECU programmer for my truck. Had something similar for my Mazdaspeed3. But can get them with pre-set packages which I did for both. They just fit into the OBD port, flash the ECU and off you go, no installations.

I always worry about everything being under engineered. And not being strong enough to hold on with increased power.

But to basically "clip" something in and get another 70 hp and similar torque increase is tempting.

On the other hand, I can already go really fucking fast in most conditions anyway. Not supercar fast but you get my point. I don't own a cell phone but I've always had a radar detector. Too cheap for a jammer, leary of them anyway.

I know the roads I drive on like the back of my hand. I know where they sit. I drive accordingly.

But another 20% hp?????? Hmmmmmm.

 

[Rockinkuwait]

I always worry about everything being under engineered. And not being strong enough to hold on with increased power.

But to basically "clip" something in and get another 70 hp and similar torque increase is tempting.

On the other hand, I can already go really fucking fast in most conditions anyway. Not supercar fast but you get my point. I don't own a cell phone but I've always had a radar detector. Too cheap for a jammer, leary of them anyway.

I know the roads I drive on like the back of my hand. I know where they sit. I drive accordingly.

But another 20% hp?????? Hmmmmmm.

I was same way. And you talk to one guy and it's the worst thing in the world and someone else says it's fine, and you'll never have an issue.

I shopped a bit, went with a company that's been around a while with the tunes.

I will say I would not be surprised if I ran my pickup in the 93 octane performance/tow mode that I'd do nasty things to it. I tried it with a tank of gas for a bit, and could burn the tires all the way through first and some of 2nd. Raced a buddy with a 2000 Camaro Z-28 and blew his doors off. Then said "yup, this is my daily driver, I won't be doing that anymore." and set it back to the 87 tow mode.

I've seen guys run mid 13's to mid 12's with a tune only on that motor in that truck. I believe it after seeing what it did to mine.

With my speed3 it was noticeable as well. For both really the big part was it wasn't a run up to torque. I had it all through the powerband. The speed3 was a blast with that 6 speed manual and having that.

I've got a detector too, it's served me quite well and I'm same with you on the jammer.

 

[Hank Kingsley]

I was same way. And you talk to one guy and it's the worst thing in the world and someone else says it's fine, and you'll never have an issue.

I shopped a bit, went with a company that's been around a while with the tunes.

I will say I would not be surprised if I ran my pickup in the 93 octane performance/tow mode that I'd do nasty things to it. I tried it with a tank of gas for a bit, and could burn the tires all the way through first and some of 2nd. Raced a buddy with a 2000 Camaro Z-28 and blew his doors off. Then said "yup, this is my daily driver, I won't be doing that anymore." and set it back to the 87 tow mode.

I've seen guys run mid 13's to mid 12's with a tune only on that motor in that truck. I believe it after seeing what it did to mine.

With my speed3 it was noticeable as well. For both really the big part was it wasn't a run up to torque. I had it all through the powerband. The speed3 was a blast with that 6 speed manual and having that.

I've got a detector too, it's served me quite well and I'm same with you on the jammer.

This is from Race Chip.

Somehow it's popping up here as ads.

I watched a Youtube video on install.... Less than 5 minutes.

Supposedly from high 12s to mid 11s.

 

[Cobrabit]

Like with any online chip order, you'll likely see some gains over factory, but they can be dangerous since they're using an average baseline, not one for your actual engine.

Always best to get a dyno tuned chip that is specific to your vehicle. Granted, you're looking at more money, but can be worth it.

Before I added the supercharger to my old Cobra, I waited to do the first tune until I was "finished" with all of the bolt-on mods I wanted at the time. Then after I upgraded to the supercharger/etc., I got it retuned for a couple different settings (daily driver and race tunes). Had to add some fuel here, take some away here, and so on. Not just an across the board like most online chips will provide.

 

[Groo]

https://jalopnik.com/off-road-vlogger-records-his-jeep-wrangler-going-up-in-1829211352

 

[Indrid Cold]

...
On the other hand, I can already go really fucking fast in most conditions anyway. Not supercar fast but you get my point. I don't own a cell phone but I've always had a radar detector. Too cheap for a jammer, leary of them anyway.
...

I interviewed for a job at a company that did electronic warfare work for the us govt and a manager told me that one of the designers drove like a loon and constantly got speeding tickets. He "borrowed" a module from work and did a little tweaking to adjust its output to radar gun frequencies.
I guess the power output was high enough to destroy the police radar and the guy was dumb enough to use it in a situation where he was easily identified as the culprit.
He must have been a valuable engineer as he didn't get fired for sneaking the equipment out, but he did have to bum rides for quite some time.

Worked at another company where a VP crafted up a little pocket device that would disrupt cell communications in his immediate area. He used to wander around a mall near the office and get his kicks from everybody near him shaking their phones and swearing.
I would think a guy worth as many tens of millions as him could find hundreds of ways to have more fun than that, but everybody has their own idea of fun...

 

[Hank Kingsley]

I interviewed for a job at a company that did electronic warfare work for the us govt and a manager told me that one of the designers drove like a loon and constantly got speeding tickets. He "borrowed" a module from work and did a little tweaking to adjust its output to radar gun frequencies.
I guess the power output was high enough to destroy the police radar and the guy was dumb enough to use it in a situation where he was easily identified as the culprit.
He must have been a valuable engineer as he didn't get fired for sneaking the equipment out, but he did have to bum rides for quite some time.

Worked at another company where a VP crafted up a little pocket device that would disrupt cell communications in his immediate area. He used to wander around a mall near the office and get his kicks from everybody near him shaking their phones and swearing.
I would think a guy worth as many tens of millions as him could find hundreds of ways to have more fun than that, but everybody has their own idea of fun...

I like the phone thing.....