If you had to do it all over again, which mod would you have NOT DONE? We have all seen the favorite mod list a zillion times - Yes the SC pulley is No. 1 - but what about those crappy ones that you feel were worthless or detrimental?

My least favorite one is the 62 mm throttle body. I have a MCS with basic performance mods (15% pulley, CAI, MTH, exhaust). The only thing I noticed after the TB was an increased flat spot at low RPMs.

Let's have some fun and list all those stinkers and help some new owners from making similar mistakes.

 

mine would have to be those magnetic gravel guards i put on a while back

 

EBC "dimpled" AND slotted rotors. DUH!!! Now, I believe the slots alone would have been just right. I thought the dimples would look cool . They don't hurt anything, but I don't think they help either, and it is just possible that they minimally detract from performance by reducing area. (still better than stock, but could have been better?)

 

I regret letting the dealer install my iPod adapter, and chrome grill. I'm almost ashamed to admit I even let them.

Those 2 jobs are so easy I should have done them myself. :(

 

#1 M7 Plasma Booster

#2 Chromed door-handle recess covers

#3 Rear fog light switch

 

Testify my brother!!

My MTH tuner upgrade on top of 15% pulley, 2% crank pulley, CAI, exhaust, seemed to be a placebo effect at best.

 

I regret installing my one-ball. The bypass pipe cost $125 and the muffler shop charged $35 to put it in. Should have spent some extra money and bought a Milltec.

 

MTH tuner

 

Definitely the throttle body.

 

ive only done an hdi and the vacuum gain system. definately dont like the vgs, seemed like too much work and i didnt notice too much of a difference. putting the IC back on for the first time took almost 30 minutes.

 

really? i really felt a difference when i put it in.... revs quicker, and less bogged

worst mod i ever did? hm.... my HU, could've gotten the ipod interface for alot less!

 

reference MTH...
I had a AMD One-Click that I immediately felt the difference. Then I immediately felt the difference when the dealership changed my ECU without asking me. Then I immediately felt the difference when AMD stopped servicing their customers!

I had my crank pulley put in a couple of weeks before the MTH. Felt quicker response. But when the MTH went on. Ehh?!?

Maybe after I get my next dealer service, I'll get a couple of more mods then update my MTH.

 

After having to get stitches in the back of my head three times, I seriously regret installing that ceiling fan. . .

 

Short shift kit. It got waaayyy too hard to shift. My new MINI will stay stock in this area.

 

After driving off the road twice now because I couldn't see, I regret re-routing my windshield washer nozzles to spray inside the car, directly into my face.

 

1-Installing all the extra gauges...now I'm a paranoid wreck monitoring every changing conditions...sit in traffic...watch the AIT, water temp sky rocket...get on the gas, watch the EGT rise...when does it end? :impatient

2-VGS...like the way the Mini's throttle response until I noticed the pre-IC temp is off the chart Not good...those of you with VGS and without an in/out IC temp gauge...pretend you didn't hear this

3-Large TB...Fantastic for the track where you're under WOT 99% of the time. Try and cruise at a steady 80mph and watch your EGT get up high enough to melt your exhaust system...AND dispair when you end up with 19mph...:impatient

4-Nitrous...Now that I know what the TC boys experience "all the time", I'm getting tempted...

5-Visiting NAM for the first time...If I hadn't, I would've just stayed with a new set of wheels/tire, painted the calipers and called it a day...imagine the boat I could've bought

 

Good one!

 

strange, i didnt feel that difference wiht my crank pulley

well i had a old MTH map in the car... difference was clear across the entire rpm range, i never tried the tuner map yet..... hm... maybe i should save my money and keep my old MTH!

 

Ill take those gauges off your hands sid

 

If I hadn't gotten involved with NAM, I'd never have caught the mod virus!

 

And if you hadn't gotten involved with NAM, I'd still be making grilled cheese the old fashioned way!

 

I'm assuming we mean performance mods, given this forum...

And from there, for something to be my least favorite, it would need to not live-up to what I was expecting, or led to believe. TBs don't knock the socks-off for sure, but with the feedback shared by others, and even hp claims of 2-4, or 5, or a "few" one shouldn't expect much. My expectations were thus minimal (set properly), and accordingly, I don't feel let-down...

Likewise, plugs and wires are not pushed as pulley-esque, I felt nothing of note, and as an educated buyer, I have no beef as my expectations were not misguided...

For me, given the power claims of some ICs, this tops my list. It seems that a TB yields about the same power of larger ICs (from earlier testing), and at half the price. FWIW, I'm runnin' with a stock TB, so I'm no strong proponent of this mod per se...

To me, least favorite equates to not meeting reasonable expectations...

 

I would have said intercooler but I got my Alta for $250

 

I'm not good at pretending and the VGS is the mod I've been happiest with. Just how off the charts are we talking? And how much trouble is the causing?

 

Price can indeed help justify alright. I'm hoping the same from my 300 buck SS header... Glad you are back with us Jason!