The thread I was replying to got deleted, so I posted my response here:
Discuss. If it turns into flaming, I will have no choice but to ban those responsible. We can have a heated BUT CIVIL discussion. That is fine, but NO flaming.
It is impossible to have a wrong opinion. Something people seem to forget these days...
Now, to the topic.
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As far as this JDM vs Kit arguement, give it up. It is all about personal preference.
I used to like body kits until we got into the Darth Vader Combat III/EVO9000 Super JDM downwash style. Of course, it wasn't hard to find poly kits back then either. Now, most of them are 900lbs of fiberglass.
Eventually, if you put enough scoops and louvers in the thing, it is just impossible to make it look good.
Sorry, just an aesthetic opinion. I say the same thing about a lot of old Chryslers that just don't flow. They put styling elements there for the sake of styling elements, not the overall appearance of the car.
FUGLY!
The Pontiac Aztec and all of the other ridiculously cladded Pontiacs come to mind too.
The Element didn't look good until they started painting the plastic...
Overall, I like stock because Honda has a very good knack for making a car that flows well, and ages timelessly. It isn't uncommon for people to think my car is a 2000-2002 when it all cleaned up. Not many 17 year old cars you can say that about.
There are actually a few kitted cars on here that I really like. EXR33 comes to mind. It is actually painted to match, and overall flows very well. And it is actually quick enough to back it up.
Dutchaccord's car is kitted basically. He built his own, which is not only admirable, but it is also 1 of a kind, and just so happens to make his car look badass.
It is all about personal preference. In my mind, it doens't matter what that preference is, as long as it is done the right way.
Unpainted, ill fitting body kits are not the right way.
Color matched kits that actually had some time and money spent on proper fitment and good construction materials, IS the right way.
You can have a rice ass stock Accord IMO. If you cut and hack and chop all of your wiring, or try to race people with no brakes, or try to outrun people on blown struts, you are a ricer. If you buy a cone filter and intake without doing a tune up and valve adjustment, you are a ricer IMO.
A good tuneup on a Honda will EASILY outperform an intake. It is probably cheaper too, if you take the time to actually learn how to do it yourself.
A ricer is basically someone that thinks their car is badass with absolutely no way to warrant that emotion, or back it up.
A ricer is someone who tries to cut in and out of rush hour traffic so they can hear the sound of their "performance" or so they can get somewhere faster, or so they can impress everybody.
Fart cans don't make a car fast. Body kits don't make a car fast. G-Square grills don't make a car fast. One piece headlights don't make a car fast.
An engine makes a car fast. Power to weight ratio makes a car fast. Good suspension makes a car fast. Maintenance and care make a car fast.
You will notice that many domestic drivers fit into the "rice" category. Only, they aren't ricers, they are "wheaters" or "Rednecks."
There is no difference except for the badge on the hood.
As far as JDM, the haters for JDM don't get the advantages to JDM. This advantage has recently been a frequent topic of discussion among some of my friends and I.
Most aftermarket Honda stuff is CRAP. Unless you spend big bucks and do a lot of research, you can pretty much count on it. Even then, it can be iffy.
Honestly, it is a sad state of affairs when you can go pull OEM shit out of a junkyard with umpteen hundreds of thousands of miles on it and beat the performance of any aftermarket part made.
Sad but true.
Why? Because all of the pimply faced kids with no money that drive Accords aren't willing to spend money to actually get something good. Something that actually has some R&D behind it. So the companies oblige, because they want your money.
So what do they sell instead? The magical pink pill for pale people. You know that little $20 resistor that will add up to 20HP?
Yup, that is one of them. Or how about an "intake" that adds no real power, but sure sounds loud? Yup, that is one of them.
Or how about a high quality T-3,000,000 stainless steel intake manifold that "outperforms" everything on the market regardless of state of tune? Yup, that is one of them.
Case in point. Most would rather go have a ricey as mild steel crush bent exhaust bent up with no resonator and a fart can, for $350 than to spend the extra $100-150 necessary to actually get a good decent exhaust system that doesn't sound like shit, and will actually last and produce power.
The average kid says "I don't have that much." or "Mine makes more power."
I have met the average 16 year old pimply faced kid, and they couldn't out engineer the worst engineer on his worst day.
So what do we get? Crap. And the good stuff is so prohibitively expensive, because the market of people who are willing to pay is so small that they can only make money at a high price point. Apexi WS2 and RS*R are good examples. They are absolutely stunning exhaust systems. They sound AWESOME, they fit perfectly, they are quiet but throaty, and they actually are well built and last.
If everybody was snapping them up, not only would there be less of a "ricer" stigma associated with Honda, but the price would actually come down too!
Imagine that, a world where you can have your cake and eat it too.
But if we did that, we wouldn't be able to load our windshields with "shocker" stickies or all of the other various "cool" things.
So what does that have to do with JDM?
JDM parts are OEM. That means they have the quality, the fitment, the R&D, and all of the other benefits that go along with being stock, yet they allow you to change the appearance in subtle, but still attractive ways.
People walk by the car, and they know it is different, but most of them don't know how. They just know that it looks a little more aggressive, or a little cooler.
JDM isn't going to go away as fast, because of the quality and the fact that the stuff works so well.
The part of the JDM "fad" that will go away, are the little stickers and signs etc. The ebay knockoffs should go away too. You can buy authentic replica JDM crap from companies like DEPOT. Then the stuff doesn't fit, and people say they don't understand why their JDM stuff doesn't fit. They can't understand why people with real JDM stuff mad dog.
It isn't for everyone, but then again neither are black painted OEM wheels, faded paint and electrical tape all over the lights.
Nor are body kits.
I don't like MOST kits because they either 1) don't flow with the car or 2) are made out of materials that preclude real use as a daily driver and they 3) typically are an aerodynamic downside.
Well engineered kits are a different story though. And they are also not dirt cheap.
Believe it or not, I want a WW lip kit for my future NSX, and the WW Mugen Style kit actually makes an EF look better.
I am tired of the stupid "WHHAAAAAA" you aren't like me, so I am going to flame and hate and ridicule.
I am glad I am not like you.
Discuss. If it turns into flaming, I will have no choice but to ban those responsible. We can have a heated BUT CIVIL discussion. That is fine, but NO flaming.
It is impossible to have a wrong opinion. Something people seem to forget these days...
Now, to the topic.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As far as this JDM vs Kit arguement, give it up. It is all about personal preference.
I used to like body kits until we got into the Darth Vader Combat III/EVO9000 Super JDM downwash style. Of course, it wasn't hard to find poly kits back then either. Now, most of them are 900lbs of fiberglass.
Eventually, if you put enough scoops and louvers in the thing, it is just impossible to make it look good.
Sorry, just an aesthetic opinion. I say the same thing about a lot of old Chryslers that just don't flow. They put styling elements there for the sake of styling elements, not the overall appearance of the car.
FUGLY!
The Pontiac Aztec and all of the other ridiculously cladded Pontiacs come to mind too.
The Element didn't look good until they started painting the plastic...
Overall, I like stock because Honda has a very good knack for making a car that flows well, and ages timelessly. It isn't uncommon for people to think my car is a 2000-2002 when it all cleaned up. Not many 17 year old cars you can say that about.
There are actually a few kitted cars on here that I really like. EXR33 comes to mind. It is actually painted to match, and overall flows very well. And it is actually quick enough to back it up.
Dutchaccord's car is kitted basically. He built his own, which is not only admirable, but it is also 1 of a kind, and just so happens to make his car look badass.
It is all about personal preference. In my mind, it doens't matter what that preference is, as long as it is done the right way.
Unpainted, ill fitting body kits are not the right way.
Color matched kits that actually had some time and money spent on proper fitment and good construction materials, IS the right way.
You can have a rice ass stock Accord IMO. If you cut and hack and chop all of your wiring, or try to race people with no brakes, or try to outrun people on blown struts, you are a ricer. If you buy a cone filter and intake without doing a tune up and valve adjustment, you are a ricer IMO.
A good tuneup on a Honda will EASILY outperform an intake. It is probably cheaper too, if you take the time to actually learn how to do it yourself.
A ricer is basically someone that thinks their car is badass with absolutely no way to warrant that emotion, or back it up.
A ricer is someone who tries to cut in and out of rush hour traffic so they can hear the sound of their "performance" or so they can get somewhere faster, or so they can impress everybody.
Fart cans don't make a car fast. Body kits don't make a car fast. G-Square grills don't make a car fast. One piece headlights don't make a car fast.
An engine makes a car fast. Power to weight ratio makes a car fast. Good suspension makes a car fast. Maintenance and care make a car fast.
You will notice that many domestic drivers fit into the "rice" category. Only, they aren't ricers, they are "wheaters" or "Rednecks."
There is no difference except for the badge on the hood.
As far as JDM, the haters for JDM don't get the advantages to JDM. This advantage has recently been a frequent topic of discussion among some of my friends and I.
Most aftermarket Honda stuff is CRAP. Unless you spend big bucks and do a lot of research, you can pretty much count on it. Even then, it can be iffy.
Honestly, it is a sad state of affairs when you can go pull OEM shit out of a junkyard with umpteen hundreds of thousands of miles on it and beat the performance of any aftermarket part made.
Sad but true.
Why? Because all of the pimply faced kids with no money that drive Accords aren't willing to spend money to actually get something good. Something that actually has some R&D behind it. So the companies oblige, because they want your money.
So what do they sell instead? The magical pink pill for pale people. You know that little $20 resistor that will add up to 20HP?
Yup, that is one of them. Or how about an "intake" that adds no real power, but sure sounds loud? Yup, that is one of them.
Or how about a high quality T-3,000,000 stainless steel intake manifold that "outperforms" everything on the market regardless of state of tune? Yup, that is one of them.
Case in point. Most would rather go have a ricey as mild steel crush bent exhaust bent up with no resonator and a fart can, for $350 than to spend the extra $100-150 necessary to actually get a good decent exhaust system that doesn't sound like shit, and will actually last and produce power.
The average kid says "I don't have that much." or "Mine makes more power."
I have met the average 16 year old pimply faced kid, and they couldn't out engineer the worst engineer on his worst day.
So what do we get? Crap. And the good stuff is so prohibitively expensive, because the market of people who are willing to pay is so small that they can only make money at a high price point. Apexi WS2 and RS*R are good examples. They are absolutely stunning exhaust systems. They sound AWESOME, they fit perfectly, they are quiet but throaty, and they actually are well built and last.
If everybody was snapping them up, not only would there be less of a "ricer" stigma associated with Honda, but the price would actually come down too!
Imagine that, a world where you can have your cake and eat it too.
But if we did that, we wouldn't be able to load our windshields with "shocker" stickies or all of the other various "cool" things.
So what does that have to do with JDM?
JDM parts are OEM. That means they have the quality, the fitment, the R&D, and all of the other benefits that go along with being stock, yet they allow you to change the appearance in subtle, but still attractive ways.
People walk by the car, and they know it is different, but most of them don't know how. They just know that it looks a little more aggressive, or a little cooler.
JDM isn't going to go away as fast, because of the quality and the fact that the stuff works so well.
The part of the JDM "fad" that will go away, are the little stickers and signs etc. The ebay knockoffs should go away too. You can buy authentic replica JDM crap from companies like DEPOT. Then the stuff doesn't fit, and people say they don't understand why their JDM stuff doesn't fit. They can't understand why people with real JDM stuff mad dog.
It isn't for everyone, but then again neither are black painted OEM wheels, faded paint and electrical tape all over the lights.
Nor are body kits.
I don't like MOST kits because they either 1) don't flow with the car or 2) are made out of materials that preclude real use as a daily driver and they 3) typically are an aerodynamic downside.
Well engineered kits are a different story though. And they are also not dirt cheap.
Believe it or not, I want a WW lip kit for my future NSX, and the WW Mugen Style kit actually makes an EF look better.
I am tired of the stupid "WHHAAAAAA" you aren't like me, so I am going to flame and hate and ridicule.
I am glad I am not like you.
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