Opening up a discussion on what you guys have done to your cars and what made the most profound change in how the car feels/drives.

For me, replacing the old cavitating power steering pump with a new unit completely changed the character of the car. New suspension is a close second.

Sometimes you don't notice how clapped out something is until you replace it and ask yourself how you even drove the thing before haha

 

good thread! i personally like a car that is immediate and responsive, sooOOooo

my last 87 GXL, the best thing i did was put 205/50/15's on it instead of 205/60/15's, it really woke the thing up. add in an aggressive alignment, and some other little tinkering, it was quite a bit sharper than my friends otherwise identical car.

the S5 vert, didn't really have one thing that worked, it was more a combination of fixing a bunch of minor things (plugged AWS, wrong spark plugs, missing shifter bushings), the only real "mod" i did was to grind the welds down on the exhaust system, and fix the Y pipe, all told it was quite nice.

 

I bought my 89 with the air pump belt removed. I thought the car was fairly quick for what it was! Then was told by my boss that in order for my 5th and 6th port to come in I needed an air pump. Swamped over a low mileage unit, freed up the actuators and WOW! Crazy!

 

I think the best time I spent on the FC was maximizing the ergonomics.
I shimmed the seatbase to slightly change the angle, found a taller (and softer) center console armrest (Mitsubishi, I think). cut down the shortshift lever so now I can rest my elbow on the console and the shift **** is right there, carved a foam pad to raise and soften the door armrest, installed a Mazda 6 steering wheel and a Miata gauge cluster.

I've never owned a car that fit me so well...I've made several one-shot 1000 mile trips in great comfort. Driving other cars- even very nice ones- is just not as easy and relaxing as one that really fits.
Best part was that it's all very cheap to do and the benefits are apparent all the time, whether going fast or just tootling along.

 

I installed the trucklite led drop in replacement headlights and they drastically improved my night time visibility. Adding a 12 inch sub also improved the ride from an audio standpoint.

 

You know me Ivan..
I think the best thing I installed is the Stereo..!!!
The car runs great but having that sound system in there and cruising down the road?...you Can't get a better sense of Happy!

 

agreed! ive been DD'ing an Rx8 for the last 3 years, and i really want a good seat in it, and it needs a softer armrest on the door now that you mention it. the rest of the car is pretty good though

 

Do you remember the alignment specs?

 

yep! its pretty simple.

in the front, i turned the strut tops for maximum negative camber and positive castor, i ended up about -0.5 camber, which is ok in a street car. didn't measure castor, although the change is small.

zero toe in, in the front. i tried a little toe out, and basically on the street performance isn't changed, but it feels best right around zero toe.

in the rear in the rear i played with different toe settings, and the tradeoff is basically the feeling of stability vs turn in. with zero rear toe, turn in is incredible, but it really wants you to be on the gas before you turn in, and i'm stuck behind a prius so i can't be. so i ended up adding 2 notches (the adjustment bolts are marked) of toe in, to split the difference.

rear camber i left alone, at about -1.3.

 

A new convertible top on my first vert, I didn't want a 3000lb shower driving down the street. Although it was good for multitasking on my way to work.

 

Tires. Tires. Tires.

 

I have done too much to list... but suspension and basic maintenance items seem to help the most.

 

Lightweight flywheel on my NA made a huge- totally benign and beneficial- difference.

 

all around: car is now turbo

small things: new seats and new(er) carper- made the car feel and smell new
also got my hands on the elevated center arm rest makes it real comfy now

 

Bridgeport and GT40R I guess.

There are the little things though.

Full Dynamat coverage made an enormous difference in how the car feels to drive. Took away a lot of the heat and road noise, making it feel far more solid.

Brand new carpets!

Going KYB AGX w/RB springs is so light years ahead of the stock suspension that the car now not only rides 10x smoother but also grips 10x better.

Having multiple resonators in the exhaust keeps the noise below 4000 RPM below most muscle-cars-with-flowmasters level.

 

That is good to hear, I have some rb springs on the way to go with agxs. How much did your dynamat weigh? Do you have a dual exit exhaust? I have a vibrant ultra-quiet going into an xr1 and finally the crap generic can that was originally on my corksport knockoff. It is still pretty loud.

 

Didn't really keep track of the weight of the Dynamat. Maybe added 100 - 120 LBs to the car at the absolute most.



Didn't do the doors as I had intended to replace the door panels but haven't gotten around to that yet.

My exhaust is quad exit.

But the relevant parts of it is that I use a Vibrant bottle style resonator after the downpipe, followed by a Vibrant Ultra-Quiet, which then leads to the Y pipe and 2 mufflers. All heavy wall stainless. Heavy tubing makes a massive difference as well.

 

to me it was the Tein-Flex coilovers
it changed the whole experience driving this oL' fc
i can lift it way up in the winter and set soft damper with firestone Winterforse 215/60/15
i get around great in snow and have fun doing it

and in summer i lower it down set it stiff ( but No Bounce )
it rides great but sticks to the road like a F-1 , talkbout fun
with super sticky Hankook RS-3 . 225/45/15 .
RS-3's don't last long and hydroplane a Lot
but on dry summer day i can turn corners in 4'th gear
there for i have 3 sets of wheels and tires
snow , stickies , all season .

another one of my favorites is one that lots of people don't know about a.. . window tint but not just any tint
there's a 3M . black chrome tint that at 20% blocks sun and glare like no other but you can still see everything from inside looking out day and/or night
and from outside it looks like brown mirror

 

20B-REW There are simply no words for the well of power flowing from it, and that's without boost

One-uppery aside, a Taurus alternator is the one mod that has earned its weight in platinum. Never again did I have a dead battery due to insufficient electrical muscle.

 

The LS V8 swap changed the car the most. Aside from that, Delrin front LCA bushings, larger tires and coilovers.

 

I imagine the blood and gobbets of gore only enhanced your pleasure as you ripped the very soul from your FC...very Mel Gibson Aztec-like.

You are a monster.

Albeit a monster with more torque, horsepower and fuel efficiency, but still a monster.
Somewhere an angel has thrown an apex seal, kittens have died and GM cackles with satisfaction but don't let any of that bother you.
Because part of being a monster is never having to apologize.

You do you, Satan.

 

A picture from my last track day.




Satan's chariot awaits you too.

 

Ronin's body kits have really evolved, haven't they.

 

Those last 3 posts are LOL material.

 

This is hard to say. Prior to my ITB install, my lightweight flywheel made a huge difference in driving feel.

My coilovers made a big difference in handling (Although, I plan on putting in softer swift springs as 9/7k is too damn bouncy for some of the roads and tracks in my area).

My TUNE! After I fiddled with my tune for nearly a year, the car feels finally feels alive! For only hitting ~185-190whp, it always feels like its pulling for more (even though there isn't lol).

So I guess, all the differences have been felt in stages since the parts were installed in stages. I was able to notice every difference, which was nice. It makes you feel like your modifications actually did something. Next up is all new bushings, I'm sure that will make a huge difference.