What modifications have you done to your FD that you regret?
Buying those groupbuy 99 spec LED tailights that I had to wait for almost a year.
I'm reminded of this poor decision Everytime I get honked at cause the person behind me cannot see my turn signals.
sigh
I'm reminded of this poor decision Everytime I get honked at cause the person behind me cannot see my turn signals.
sigh
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 3,425
Likes: 489
From: okinawa to tampa
but those led tails look so good.... at night...
this is a great thread. my biggest regret with my first fd is that i didnt take my time with the build which ended up in my part out. i rushed into a single turbo set up before i really knew what i was doing and why i was doing it.
i have second fd now and i realize the full non-seq twins arent that bad. the fd is my first ever turbo car with my background being hondas so to me that car is fast and the twins put out more power than i really can use. i have the boost set at .55 and it tugs up and down the track. im happy with the way my car is set up now.
my best advice is to take it slow and really think about the mod you want to do before you do it. ask yourself whats wrong with the stock (insert part) that i need to upgrade it....
this is a great thread. my biggest regret with my first fd is that i didnt take my time with the build which ended up in my part out. i rushed into a single turbo set up before i really knew what i was doing and why i was doing it.
i have second fd now and i realize the full non-seq twins arent that bad. the fd is my first ever turbo car with my background being hondas so to me that car is fast and the twins put out more power than i really can use. i have the boost set at .55 and it tugs up and down the track. im happy with the way my car is set up now.
my best advice is to take it slow and really think about the mod you want to do before you do it. ask yourself whats wrong with the stock (insert part) that i need to upgrade it....
My biggest regret is purchasing wheels, a smic and a few other things based on their price versus what I would ideally have chosen. With plans to go single in the future, I learned that having a set list of the exact setup I would like and not deviating from it will make me happiest, even if it means extra (agonizing) wait time to make it happen.
I would respectfully disagree. I wanted to try a more meaty look, but I also enjoy a lowered car, and with the wheels I chose, they only look "right" to me if the offset is rather low. I am going to try again when I install wide fenders and revisit the setup soon. In the meantime, I'm 100% satisfied with the current setup and wouldn't change a thing. In either case, different strokes for different folks. It's what makes the world go round, just my preference.
I should have gone with a OEM '99 bumper instead of the plateless replica. I shouldn't have crashed my car by taking it to the track with old tires. I wasn't a huge fan of the de-powered steering rack.
Recovering Milkaholic
iTrader: (7)
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 8,206
Likes: 0
From: Budds Creek, Maryland
Well, my old car is gone but was heavily modified, a few regrets. Removing the A/C probably tops the list. I'd also say the single turbo route was a pointless effort. The car was awesome on non sequential stock twins. It was fun to cut the tires loose but for a street driven car it just wasn't necessary. Tons of time and money sank into three different single turbo set ups when I probably would have been more happy with a good set of BNR's.
I'm about ready to throw in the towel on the liquid to air intercooler. It runs about 10C above ambient when cruising. Spirited driving (12 psi ) will cause the temps to climb. Today the ambient air temp was 22C and I saw 56C after a long fourth gear pull. Measured with a fast reacting IAT sensor mounted in the pipe between the intercooler and the TB elbow. What temps are you guys seeing with what setup?
I regret trying out the silly "engine torque brace" that goes from the body to the UIM. Shook the car stupid with vibrations, and then proceeded to strip out the threaded aluminum hole in the UIM from all the vibrating. And it vibrated against the stock hood. Took it out and threw it in the trash.
I regret that the previous owner put 16kg/mm Tein RA coilovers in the car. They are too harsh for the street and only cause damage to the unibody chassis over time.
Other than those, only regrets are some component paint color choices in the beginning of owning the car, but those were reversed easily enough.
BIGGEST regret of all: Spending insanely stupid amounts of money on my old BMW E39 M5 trying to modify it to run hard and handle well, when I should have just got rid of it and spent the money on the RX7 in the first place. Why was I so stupid to think that BMW was the way to go...??
I regret that the previous owner put 16kg/mm Tein RA coilovers in the car. They are too harsh for the street and only cause damage to the unibody chassis over time.
Other than those, only regrets are some component paint color choices in the beginning of owning the car, but those were reversed easily enough.
BIGGEST regret of all: Spending insanely stupid amounts of money on my old BMW E39 M5 trying to modify it to run hard and handle well, when I should have just got rid of it and spent the money on the RX7 in the first place. Why was I so stupid to think that BMW was the way to go...??
Last edited by SA3R; Jun 25, 2013 at 10:50 PM.
Hotwater labs is the "sleepy eye sleek headight" style, I have em, they a good quality and customer service is good
Best mods
-Quiet coat in the door skins- gets rid of the tin can sound when you shut the door
-super pro bushings (most will fine this bad as it adds noise and u notice EVERY rock and bump you drive over)
-love the manual steering rack conversion
-aftermarket steering wheel - feels much tighter now
Worst mods
-every other mod i did to my car.... but i wouldnt change it. maybe just downgrade the turbo... the bw s366 is a bit too big i for my granny style of driving.. id prefer a s362
I think I'm having issues with the lightweight flywheel the previous owner had installed - she likes to stall with the A/C on when the brakes are applied - can't maintain idle. This is just my theory of course, but something to consider.
1. Buying a "chopped up" roller that i was going to fix.
Guy got it from was going to put an LS1 in it (go figure) and basically cut all the wires and ripped everything rotary out.
I thought i was going to just be able to buy wiring harness and put it back... that car never ran.. pulled the motor i built, bought another roller from DJseven and fired right up and has ran for 4 years.
2. was taking the twins off to put on the APexi Rx6 Single. Ran out of time and car is still in pieces, and it ran fine before i tore it down. if it ain't broke don't fix it.
Guy got it from was going to put an LS1 in it (go figure) and basically cut all the wires and ripped everything rotary out.
I thought i was going to just be able to buy wiring harness and put it back... that car never ran.. pulled the motor i built, bought another roller from DJseven and fired right up and has ran for 4 years.
2. was taking the twins off to put on the APexi Rx6 Single. Ran out of time and car is still in pieces, and it ran fine before i tore it down. if it ain't broke don't fix it.
I regret getting my SMIC instead of a vmount. At the time it was fine but since going for a decent motor build and some decent power, it's going to get hot. Just running in the motor at the moment (large Extend Port, gt35r)
Nothing else really that I regret. I regret leaving my job of 13 years to do study... all my wanted mods have had to be put on hold for a while
Nothing else really that I regret. I regret leaving my job of 13 years to do study... all my wanted mods have had to be put on hold for a while
I reupholstered the interior with fake alcantara a few years back just to have something to do.. Molded in a cheap *** dvd screen in the passenger side...
Should not have gone with the screen, and now the interior has been faded by the sun.. also, some of the glue has worn off or something, so I'm always annoyed by the "bubbles".
this is from when it was just finished:

Will change back to original black (already purchased) or try some flocking...
Also regret buying the low Shine Auto rear light spoiler in fiberglass instead of carbon fiber.. Now everything else is in carbon(front lip, front undertray/diffuser, canards, sidesteps, rear diffuser, roofspoiler), so I'll either buy a new one or cover it with carbon film or something..
Should not have gone with the screen, and now the interior has been faded by the sun.. also, some of the glue has worn off or something, so I'm always annoyed by the "bubbles".
this is from when it was just finished:

Will change back to original black (already purchased) or try some flocking...
Also regret buying the low Shine Auto rear light spoiler in fiberglass instead of carbon fiber.. Now everything else is in carbon(front lip, front undertray/diffuser, canards, sidesteps, rear diffuser, roofspoiler), so I'll either buy a new one or cover it with carbon film or something..
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 2,988
Likes: 0
From: Home of the 305 Boyz(miami)
Haven't really regretted anything. My only regret is buying the damn car in the first place. I've been a rotary zombie ever since. Whatever life I had prior to my 7 has been sucked up by the rotary BORG.
4 Regrets.
1. Tein Basic coilover...love them going around corners and back country driving, annoyed with them the rest of the time. Just to stiff. I now have Apex N1 coilovers, with the adjustable dampers I get the best of both worlds
2. Sprung 6 puck....Its not that much harder to drive untill the 10 minute of traffic and every min. after or until you hit every light signal between point A and point B.
3. All my non carb legal mods...As a Cali owner I'm tired of playing the smog game.
4. Getting a commuter car...If I took the monthly payment of the other car and put it in savings, I'd be able to rebuild the 7 (drivetrain and suspension) every 5-6 years.
1. Tein Basic coilover...love them going around corners and back country driving, annoyed with them the rest of the time. Just to stiff. I now have Apex N1 coilovers, with the adjustable dampers I get the best of both worlds
2. Sprung 6 puck....Its not that much harder to drive untill the 10 minute of traffic and every min. after or until you hit every light signal between point A and point B.

3. All my non carb legal mods...As a Cali owner I'm tired of playing the smog game.
4. Getting a commuter car...If I took the monthly payment of the other car and put it in savings, I'd be able to rebuild the 7 (drivetrain and suspension) every 5-6 years.
Personally I don't like the light pedal feel and harsh engagement, it just doesn't feel "right" like the pedal effort and engagement characteristics don't match each other. Never had any issues with it holding power, it just feels strange to drive.
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 30,807
Likes: 648
From: FL-->NJ/NYC again!
Yup, hated the light pedal effort. Couple that with lack of pedal feel and the on/off engagement nature, and IMO the Spec sprung 6 puck clutch killed my driving experience and basically blew *****. The ACT is a different story, I'm speaking specifically about the Spec. Sorry if I hurt anyone's feelings, notice the 'IMO'






