Originally posted by Ethix101
Just to give you an example: What about all the hotrod guys who modify the body of their cars and put flames on them, shave door handles, moldings, add chrome etc...are they "Ricers" because they want to make their car look different?
That sentence seems contradictory to me. You are saying how they did all those mods for looks ( which means it has nothing to do with performance --> ricer) and then you ask me if they are ricers because they want to make their cars look different? I think that's one of the dumbest things I've ever
read. However you would like to look at it, when taking a broader view, both are rice. So what if one has more historical value than the other, both are useless. Only this can be called American Rice...
Adding a body kit or any exterior modification to a car may not add performance, but as long as it doesn't hurt the performance of the car, what's the problem with it? You may not like the way body kits look and if that's the case, I respect your opinion, but I think the right body kit can really..."finish" off the look of the car.
I like the way some bodykits look. I like modest looking bodykits, those that are a little noticeable and that don't scream out rice. Those, as you say, can very well finish off a car. But as you seem to be saying, these bodykits don't do anything else...
The only thing I was trying to pass on here is that most add-on pieces are just for looks. The chassis on a race car is modified to race.. they don't just decide to add some fender flares on the sides, add a front lip spoiler and some side skirts and voila! Race Car!
Thats why I'm 100% behind the idea of bringing back Race Modifications but not bodykit crap. If you want to put bodykits to make a car nicer looking or different ( because let's face it, sometimes the car is many times uglier than stock form)... wait until Need For Speed Underground comes out, and you should be happy then. This game is a SIMULATION, it's GRAN TURISMO, not a street racer game.
, are reaching high speeds in which aerodynamics play a huge role. The airflow physics in GT3 weren't all that great but I've read they've improved it in gt4. Once you drive a 1800lb vehicle 150+ mph without a body kit, then drive one with a bodykit, you'll never realise how much difference it makes. Name any competitive road car that is using a factory bumper setup (excluding those cars which come with aerodynamically influenced bumpers from the factory, porsche, ferarri, lambo, etc). Even with those cars some people still prefer to use an aftermarket body kit on them. Someone mentioned the NFS: Underground series, now those bodykits are mostly for looks, it's a street car game. GT4 is a road car simulator. It has street/economy cars in the game, but unlike in the city streets they are able to acheive high enough speeds for aerodynamics to be detremental to performance. When someone said, "All bodykits = rice" i knew what you were trying to point out, but maybe try to explain yourself a little more so people know WHY. That's why there is Rice, it is due to lack of knowledge.
If you never realised, the weight of the car is also decreased when you do race modifications. And from what you say it is adding a bodykit for racing ( adding some weight wether you like it or not ). So it must be doing something else no??? Thats why 85 000 credits for a bodykit only is ridiculous. And it doesnt matter if it isnt in $, its just to prove a point 
PD has put in the racing modification from GT2 in GT4. I think that this is the closest to putting body kits on cars that we can get.
