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Inputs on the "Tuner Scene"?

CutlassCav3800

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This is a rather controversial subject, but Im asking for your observations / input on the "Tuner" Scene in past few years.

My input is that its gone down the drain the past few years. People thinking they're better than everybody else because they have a weak turbo and body kit rolling on stock rims.

I remember back in the day when people didn't care about the "in crowd" or what "crew" you role with. It was ALL about the cars. Now its all about the "crews" and being apart of the "crowd". Back then we used to actually like to create horsepower, and give people major props for each single HP they created. Ive been apart of the Jbody community, the Oldsmobile community, pontiac, NISMO communitys, and by far the 3 favorites i have would be Olds, NISMO and Pontiac. For the simple fact that people arn't as snotty and as stuck up as the other communitys. I go to alot of shows throughout the year, everytime i see kids (usually between the age of 16-20) look down a car, look to their friends and say "that car looks like sh*t". I give alot of respect to those who have done their own work on their cars, who know the passion, know the things that fuel it. It gets annoying that people would have the guts to look at a car and diss it when probably they're driving something far worse. I mean people have seem to of forgot that when commenting on someones car, that its not theirs, everybody has personal preferance, nobody should rip on a bad or (im sure the Jbodys here know this one) rip on the good ones and praise the bad.

Did we seem to forget that a car is a CAR? Yeah you can throw a few things on and call it modded, anybody can do that. But by no means does anybody have the right to say something bad about someones personal preference. It just seems rather pathetic that people who think they are the best of all time have the galls to rip on someones car, when their car was in that stage before as well.

We've all been there at some point in time im sure of that. Whether it be on the internet, shows, in front of our house, infront of friends, don't matter. This "scene" or rather as i refer to it as a "bucket of sh*t" has become overwealming. Ive almost gave up modding because of these hypochrits. Yeah they are just words, but cars are my life, i live and breathe exhaust fumes. You diss someones life, they will take it personally, and feed off it. I will admit, i've screwed up in this scene alot. Ive messed with people in my town that i wouldn't ever be able to take back. But im still here, offering my advice, input, and help others get their cars to where they think they should be.

Ive gone through alot of cars, a 71 Olds 442, 97 Cavalier sedan (just sold it), 87 Cutlass Supreme sedan (just sold) and im on my next adventure. A 98 Niassan 200sx SE-R. Everytime i get a new car i think it as of a new start on life, a new beginning, a new whole to burn through the wallet. But no matter what those people follow, they still bash on those who have more heart and soul in this sport than they do. This is a SPORT.

And the last thing i HATE more than anything in this "scene". Why do the guys look down on the women that mod their cars? I see it at so many shows, they love the car, once they meet the owner, they bash it because a woman has more talent than they do. Ive seen very few women take the Best of Show award. I respect any woman who comes into a MALE DOMINATED sport, and kicks their *ss. Personally if i entered into a show, and got beat by a woman for Best of Show, i would be proud as hell. I would say "hey, thats a awsome car, and i just had a run in with it for best of show". Not to mention its really good to hear a woman doing their OWN work on their cars. It shows alot of class, and ide be proud to give them respect in a sport where not many give them what they deserve.

So ok sorry about the LONG post, but whats your stance on these subjects?
 
I definitely know and understand what you are talking about, both being a female for one and the import/tuner world....

I can rampage on this topic for pages and pages!!
For one being female and for second I am asian ;)

All I am going to say is, I will probably always feel the coldness and seclusion, but gratefully I am part of a few clubs/groups of wonderful people who shun me neither due to sex nor race and well, I know what I have done and do and that is all that matters....but it does get me that they always approach my husband at the track and at car shows :p :D
 
well i think that pretty much covers it........ i agree
 
I agree, cars are cars, and I respect a well built machien. But what I do see is a lot of attitude that I didn't used to see. Sure there was a bunch between Ford and Chevy, Trans AM's and Corvettes, And Dodge owners who had a 318 that thought they could beat anything.... It was northing more than competition, now it seems more. And there seems to be much more drugs in the import scene than I ever saw in the musclecar scene.

IHMO that is....

We have a few people at work here with some respectable WRX's, STi's and EVO's. 300+hp AWD with only 3300 lbs (yes, they are that heavy according to the scales...)

I drive a 94 Fleetwood Brougham daily with a 260 HP LT1 that is darn respectable for a 4700# car. (2 Cadillac, 0 Hemi Ram...., 0 360 Dodge Ram, it was a fun night to be cruisng highway 50 in SE WI)

And to the "tuner" I respect the most: http://www.pontiacstreetperformance.com/psp/rebuild455jh00.html

11.30's on the loud pedal only, 4000#, 3.55 gears. All Pontiac power!
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Around here, it's mostly looks, and very little power in the imports that get modded...usually the oversized fart-can exhaust, which makes the car sound like a gas-powered WeedEater. Also usually equipped with subwoofers and bass tubes and a lot (to me) of lousy music. I've been inside my house, 60 ft from the road, and felt vibrations. Just yesterday I was behind one of these guys, who floored it. Lots of noise, not a lot of acceleration. I punched the gas on my beater '92 Grand Prix and easily passed him.

I agree...give me horsepower.
 
:cool: Okay, I'd like to weigh in here. I drive a g-body Bonneville with the none-too-powerful 231 V6. I am also a member of gbodyforum.com. On that site, I take alot of flack about how my engine is weak and I should drop in a chevy smallblock or an olds 442 or a grand national supercharged 3.8, or whatever is more powerful than what I've got. And truth be known, I'd love to do that. But I drive a 23 year old car for a reason - I am poor. I filed bankruptcy in summer due to my sons medical bills. Don't worry, he's fine, but getting him to that point drowned us (wife and I.) Anyways, if I had ALOT of money, enough to replace perfectly okay (if underpowered) engines, I probably wouldn't be driving a 1983 car! I would have just bought a Firebird or something, already powerful, and very recent. WHY can't what I'm driving just be okay? I like horsepower, but I'm not willing to work a second job for it. My car looks darn good, and that should be worth something. No 20" rims, just a set of black Cutlass rallys with the trim rings and caps. Now, I don't mean to sound anti-tuner. I am thouroughly tired of Civics with Boeing 747 wings and can-o'-hornets exhaust, but to each there own. I respect true car enthusiasts and tuner/hotrod builders. I respect tasteful custom jobs, rims that look appropriate, and great paint colors. I also respect people, like myself, who just do the best they can to keep an old car on the road. For now, I like my gbody Bonne, and I even like the 231 for now, mainly because it's been reliable. So why don't people like me get respect anywhere? And why isn't there more bolt on stuff available for these smaller engines so we can add a FEW horses without swapping engines? My car is basic, and frankly, I like it. And I think I should get some props, from someone, somewhere, for my 1983 Bonneville. Okay, I'm done....
 
Tuners who are serious about thier craft can make a great car.Its all about the power to weight ratio....I can respect that. But,the punks with big exhaust cans who watched "fast and furious" to many times shed a bad light on the innovators in the crowd.It became all about image.Tuners who know, respect horsepower and also understand that handling,weight reduction and suspension are important.For me..I'd take the sheer straight-line horsepower of a car that puts you in the seat and keeps you there until you can't breathe...but that's just me.....the truth is car enthusiasts are all great,and the rivalries that the brands have created make it that much more fun for the passionate ones........some should look up the meaning of "enthusiast".........my two cents....thanks
 
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power

grandbonnevillecreature said:
:cool: Okay, I'd like to weigh in here. I drive a g-body Bonneville with the none-too-powerful 231 V6. I am also a member of gbodyforum.com. On that site, I take alot of flack about how my engine is weak and I should drop in a chevy smallblock or an olds 442 or a grand national supercharged 3.8, or whatever is more powerful than what I've got. And truth be known, I'd love to do that. But I drive a 23 year old car for a reason - I am poor. I filed bankruptcy in summer due to my sons medical bills. Don't worry, he's fine, but getting him to that point drowned us (wife and I.) Anyways, if I had ALOT of money, enough to replace perfectly okay (if underpowered) engines, I probably wouldn't be driving a 1983 car! I would have just bought a Firebird or something, already powerful, and very recent. WHY can't what I'm driving just be okay? I like horsepower, but I'm not willing to work a second job for it. My car looks darn good, and that should be worth something. No 20" rims, just a set of black Cutlass rallys with the trim rings and caps. Now, I don't mean to sound anti-tuner. I am thouroughly tired of Civics with Boeing 747 wings and can-o'-hornets exhaust, but to each there own. I respect true car enthusiasts and tuner/hotrod builders. I respect tasteful custom jobs, rims that look appropriate, and great paint colors. I also respect people, like myself, who just do the best they can to keep an old car on the road. For now, I like my gbody Bonne, and I even like the 231 for now, mainly because it's been reliable. So why don't people like me get respect anywhere? And why isn't there more bolt on stuff available for these smaller engines so we can add a FEW horses without swapping engines? My car is basic, and frankly, I like it. And I think I should get some props, from someone, somewhere, for my 1983 Bonneville. Okay, I'm done....
I will most willingly donate the 301 engine and TH350 trans out of my '78 GRANDPRIX for a good cause........FREE.....exhaust and all.......when you get to it......like most of us...full respect meant...
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MHA said:
I will most willingly donate the 301 engine and TH350 trans out of my '78 GRANDPRIX for a good cause........FREE.....exhaust and all.......when you get to it......like most of us...full respect meant...

Dude, you ROCK!!!
 
I think the whole term "tuner" is very over used. I also think that the a lot of domestic owners automatically turn up their noses at imports without ever having any significant experience with them.
 
I am a Made in America kind of guy and I quess that says it all. I respect peoplet who do the "tuner" "x/er" stuff but I love American cars and laugh at all the silly crap I see on the imports these days.They put a muffler big enuff to quiet an M1 tank and run cold air pipes that wont do anything for performance in their engine/mod range, and think their getting somewhere with all that noise. I saw a rice pipe at Autozone that made me chuckle. In one pipe it had a hard 90 and two softer 45 bends in it and simple physics tell me the pipe is at least 45% restricted flow. And the bends in the clear acrylic pipe werent even smooth so that translates into more restriction. For you guys with the 3800 there is a great site for modest costing real mods.... www.intenseracing.com , and the junkyards are full of ssei superchargers that give great "bolt on" performance. I am in the process of nitrous injecting my 05 GXP as Northstar aftermarket parts are nill, and the Northstar PCM nonflashable as of yet. Also having TB bored to 80mm and tumble polished. I've gutted the air box and put in K&N drop in filter. There will be no rice on my Pontiac and 'especially not uncooked rice as in those restrictive cols air pipes. Also be aware that the fiter oil eats the mass air flow sensor filaments and are expensive to replace. The best is exhaust is no restriction and the rice pipes cause backpressure....thats how they achieve the noise. Sorry but I raise the old glory every chance I get. It's not a race thing... I have thick German roots, but I would puke if I had to toolaround in a JETTA!
 
They put a muffler big enuff to quiet an M1 tank and run cold air pipes that wont do anything for performance in their engine/mod range, and think their getting somewhere with all that noise. I saw a rice pipe at Autozone that made me chuckle. In one pipe it had a hard 90 and two softer 45 bends in it and simple physics tell me the pipe is at least 45% restricted flow. And the bends in the clear acrylic pipe werent even smooth so that translates into more restriction.

there are PLENTY of domestics with that crap on them too...
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Granted jeremy and I laff xtra hard at them, and I forgot the rear spoilers. An Accura went by me the other day with a spoiler that looked like it came off the air control tower of the USS Enteprise. But I should just grin and bear it remembering all the junk I put 4 to 6 inch leaf spring shackles when I was a kid in the seventies. Even welded the doors shut to my goat after watchin too many "dukes" episodes!
 
N* ORphan said:
Granted jeremy and I laff xtra hard at them, and I forgot the rear spoilers.

I saw three cars all parked next each other at a store today, I thought all three had awful huge spoliers. The first car was a 2G Ford Probe, the second car was a Chevy Beretta and the last car was a Mazda 6. Upon closer inspection only two had awful spoilers, then third car had an empty bike rack on it:D I just laughed and shook my head..
 
you guys are talking about my generation a lot, im only 16, but i f*ckin love horsepower and i wouldnt really care much about the way my GP looked. I mean i wouldnt want it lookin like crap, but i would never out a low body kit on my GP. One because i live in NY, and two because i think that Domestic's should look like muscle car's ....cause they are. I gree with all you guys. My generation is killing the muscle car era, and i kno. i have friends who ALL have fuc*in civics, or other import with enormous wings and low body kits that they change 6times a year beacause they crack on every highway pothole. I am the only one with a domestic, and im really proud of it. slowly im moding it, when i tell my friends that i want to get a turbo kit for m GP they laugh and tell me that only imports belong with turbo, and then they have the nerve to laugh in my face, untill i faced my frinds civic hatchback( my first streetrace, had no permit or lisence)he had a intake and thats it. i had my nonsupercharged GP and i blew his doors off with 85 pound sub's in my trunk ( thats one thing you wont take away from my generation is our SUBWOOFERS!!!..lol) and after that time they had respect for me and my dreams with my GP.

Im hoping that with time ill find a friend that i can share my love for muscle cars, but their are really few of them. Especialy in NY where all the latins have dame civics with loud ass exhousts that wake up the entire block and get nowhere. But the love for domestic muscle car is dieing at a rapid pace, why i dont kno. One theory is that used civics cost a lot less then used GP or mustangs that can in fact blow the doors off some imports. Any other theory's???
 
Glad to see your on the right track CEBO! How you dress up a car is really a matter of personal choice and style. But what gets us is all the money spent on mods that dont get you anywhere, i.e., the trend for cold air pipes and those dam pipes that sound like the car ate to many tacos. Cold air pipes....Unless you are "boosted" the is next to no advantage in a cold air intake system. Most rice pipes have bends that restrict your airflow and although colder air can bring a little performance to a non-boosted car, it is immidiately offset by the restriction in the intake flow. And though there are some tuned mufflers that actually decrease back pressure most use back pressure to achieve there sound. The important thing to remember when modding a car is get shit in to the engine and get shit out. I see so much bullshit for sale with ignorant Hp gain claims.>>>and these days you can say what you want with no recourse........Subwoofers- hey I'm 51 and still like my Rock and Roll /and planning to put a pair of subs in my GXP, the Monsoon stereo is sweet and I love the fact it has cassete player AND cd player and the built in XM radio is awesome but it lacks a little bass when I through in a heavy disc. Yeah nothin like a little AC/DC growling as I jump on the accelerator and leave the rice behind me ./LOL
Peace dude and stick with Detroit, Eh?
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Yeah, I'm in that generation too, I'm 17... I moved to Michigan for the muscle, everyone thinks I'm crazy for it but I used to live (and was born in) San Diego, CA. Over there, imports are like second nature, and whatever you can tune, you tune there. I've seen Chrysler's with huge wings and vinyl, a Tempo with an underbody kit (in which case the driver left the kit on after he got out of the car and left, draining his battery)... I bet the reason why the whole import thing is taking over is the fact that you basically can have a really fast ricer for very little price. Also, those cars are feather light and are extremely low to the ground stock, making them very fast and easy to drift with.
 
LOL and now I see that Volkswagen is into it. The new commercial with the ricer being flung up in the air and the engineer dude doing the VW gang sign is hilarious. 'course the last German to come up with his own gang sign almost owned us......
 
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