Conceptions/Misconceptions Over Cars

This thread would be awesome if we actually discussed misconceptions rather than debating age-old stereotypes...
This. (Even though I totally did the same thing in my first post).

I can't think of any though :(.
 
Here's one.

That diesels trucks are automatically better than gasoline powered trucks, because it's a diesel.


Totally depends what you want to do with it.
 
Honda has built and sold more than 16 million Civics. There is no way most of the Civics anyone sees on the road are abnormally modified.
They're common on the roads I take. Outside of the city, yeah, the stock civics are common.
 
It's not that most Civics are abnormally modified, but most abnormally modified cars are Civics.

Source? Once again, this is baseless and an assumption which cannot be extrapolated from seeing 5-10 Civics where you live.

It depends where you live. This side of the water I have seen way, way, waaaay more Vauxhalls done up, Corsas, Novas and Vectras, than I have seen Civics.

Of all the Honda Civics I have ever seen, very few were done up.
Of all the modified cars I have ever seen, very few were Civics.
 
More:

-Better spark plugs will not increase power.

-Double Wishbone suspension is not automatically better than McPherson Strut or other designs. The specifics of a suspension's geometry and alignment are far more important than layout.

-Drivetrain parts rated at XXX horsepower may work perfectly fine when paired with a motor that far exceeds their power rating. In order to break drivetrain parts, grip is necessary. A 500hp car with drag slicks that hooks up well will put far more stress on drivetrain components than a 1000hp car with standard tires.

-The suspension modification tip to use strong anti-roll bars in order to have soft springs keep comfort for road use and then have anti-roll bars keep the car planted during HPDE is silly. Suspension works as a system.
 
-Drivetrain parts rated at XXX horsepower may work perfectly fine when paired with a motor that far exceeds their power rating. In order to break drivetrain parts, grip is necessary. A 500hp car with drag slicks that hooks up well will put far more stress on drivetrain components than a 1000hp car with standard tires.
Well, unless you have a 4T65. Then it's eventually gonna pop no matter what you do.
 
They're common on the roads I take. Outside of the city, yeah, the stock civics are common.

I don't know, I drive into a city daily an I don't think I've ever seen an "abnormally" modified Civic. It's mostly just people driving to work in their 5-10 year old commuter vehicles.

It's not that most Civics are abnormally modified, but most abnormally modified cars are Civics.

Well, that's a lie, but ya keep being the stereotypical "Bro! I drive a F-Body" guy who has a weird hate towards a Japanese economy car.
 
Well, unless you have a 4T65. Then it's eventually gonna pop no matter what you do.

Ah yes.

For those who don't know, usually car manufacturers will build drivetrain components to be strong enough to handle the power of the car, but not too strong to overly expensive for the application. For instance, an engine might have a torque output of 300ft-lbs, the transmission will probably be rated at something like 350ft-lbs.

90's GM decided to take this one step further and fit cars with transmissions and drivetrain components that weren't able to handle the torque output of the stock engine.

Brilliant.
 
http://www.carinsurancecompanies.net/top-10-most-modified-cars/

Dirt cheap car with unlimited part availability and publicized by Paul Walker. No reason why it shouldn't be wildly popular to mod on this side of the pond.
Where in your link does it support that most abnormally modified cars are Civics? It just says Civics are one of the Top 10 modified cars insurance agencies have to deal with, and look, the Ford Mustang is on that list as well. You know what else is as modified as a Mustang? F-Bodies.
 
My personal pet peeve;

"You're leaving now? They haven't cleared the roads yet, it's probably not safe..."

"Nah brah, the pow is straight dope right now. I'm gonna do some tight-ass stuff, yo!"

"Yeah but the roads are really icy or covered in snow. You won't make it to the park..."

"Yeah but I have a Subaru so it's all good"

Yup. Your Subaru with mismatched and worn A/S tires is going to conquer those roads "Because 4wd" and "Because Subaru"
 
Well, that's a lie, but ya keep being the stereotypical "Bro! I drive a F-Body" guy who has a weird hate towards a Japanese economy car.

It's not a lie where I live. I see them all the time. Just yesterday I posted a pic of one in the RICERs thread.

And no I don't hate Japanese economy cars, they do an excellent job as an economy car. I drove a 93 Accord for a couple years before I got my Bird. I just don't like when people think they can turn an econobox into a sports car with a bodykit and bolt-ons. That applies to all cheap beaters, domestic or import.

Ah yes.

For those who don't know, usually car manufacturers will build drivetrain components to be strong enough to handle the power of the car, but not too strong to overly expensive for the application. For instance, an engine might have a torque output of 300ft-lbs, the transmission will probably be rated at something like 350ft-lbs.

90's GM decided to take this one step further and fit cars with transmissions and drivetrain components that weren't able to handle the torque output of the stock engine.

Brilliant.

True. Stock clutch on F-bodies can barely hold stock power levels. I burnt mine out doing a 2-5 mis shift. Rear ends are also made out of glass.


Where in your link does it support that most abnormally modified cars are Civics? It just says Civics are one of the Top 10 modified cars insurance agencies have to deal with...

So this is NOT an abnormally modified civic...

modified-honda-civic-300x193.jpg


You know what else is as modified as a Mustang? F-Bodies.

Your point? Any car has the change of being abnormally modified. I've seen horrific Mustangs, Camaro's, Firebird's and M3's. But all of these put together don't account for the number of cheap 20 year old Honda's that buzz around over here.
 
@Harry6784 The Honda Civic is a very popular, affordable car. It may be that the people who like to make these modifications don't often have a large budget and so can't afford anything more than a used Civic, since they spend the rest of their budget ruining it. It's not the Civic, it's the people who want to modify cars like that.

Also, the term you've invented, "abnormally modified", is quite vague. You seem to be trying very hard to hate on Civics and their owners.
 
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When you look at how many cheap 20 year old Civics actually exist, it's kind of obvious why you see a lot of modified ones.

It's like complaining there are a lot of obnoxious teenagers on the internet. That's undoubtedly true... but only because there are hundreds of millions of teenagers of every stripe on the internet.

-

@Zenith - Interestingly, my car is one of those that relies heavily on anti-roll bars. Works a treat, actually, though mid-corner bumps tend to expose the weakness typical of this strategy.

Same goes for the Kia Sorento, oddly. A car that rides very softly, corners very flatly, and emits a god-awful CLUNK whenever you go over a one-wheel bump. :lol:
 
So this is NOT an abnormally modified civic...

modified-honda-civic-300x193.jpg
The reach here is strong. Look at the rest of the cars pictured. Only a dumbass thinks the examples given in an article about insurance agencies denying claims against modified cars actually represents said cars. :rolleyes:

Yes, most Supras are definitely modified this way.
modified-toyota-supra-300x187.jpg

Your point? Any car has the change of being abnormally modified. I've seen horrific Mustangs, Camaro's, Firebird's and M3's. But all of these put together don't account for the number of cheap 20 year old Honda's that buzz around over here.
Where you live doesn't equate to the rest of the world. You said most abnormally modified cars are Civics, but the reality is you can't prove that. The internet provides just as many pictures of horrific European hot hatches as it does Civics if you start searching for ricers.

The point of bringing up the F-Bodies is since you insist on using where ever you live as the basis for your claims, then I can easily say that most craptastic modified cars also result in 4th gen. Mustang & Camaro owners. Their train of thought isn't any different from the annoying Civic owners; loud, bolt on exhaust & the typical K&N air filter = racecar.
 
The best-selling vehicle nameplate in the world is the Corolla, which would imply, statistically speaking, that there are more modified Corollas than anything else. However, I think it's safe to assume that they're not quite so popular among people who "abnormally modify" their cars. Anecdotally, I can't even recall the last time I saw a modified Corolla that wasn't an E80.

However, the Golf definitely qualifies as one of "those" cars (hellaflush yo). Excluding whichever generation is new at the time, I might see modified Golfs more often than not. Volkswagen has sold over 30 million of them worldwide. As of 2006, there were only 16.5 million Civics, and all I can find after that is another 1.5 million units in North America as of 2011. It is said that North America accounts for around half of all Honda Civic sales, so to give a bit of an extra bump, let's say there have been 4.5 million sold since 2006. So in all, maybe there are about 21 million Civics worldwide.

With as many as 10 million extra cars on the road and its popularity for "abnormal modifications" -- particularly in Europe as McLaren mentioned -- I would guess that the Golf tops the Civic for the title of "most 'abnormally modified' car."
 
Where in your link does it support that most abnormally modified cars are Civics? It just says Civics are one of the Top 10 modified cars insurance agencies have to deal with, and look, the Ford Mustang is on that list as well. You know what else is as modified as a Mustang? F-Bodies.

I always see inane f-bodies modified with stupid things and claimed things. I'd venture to say that most f-bodies are trashed up modifies when ever I see them.
 
I always see inane f-bodies modified with stupid things and claimed things. I'd venture to say that most f-bodies are trashed up modifies when ever I see them.

Nonononono.

Y'see, people who buy F-bodies aren't the kind who like to ruin their vehicles by ricing them. That's what Civic owners do because I saw a Civic with a spoiler once.

F-bodies are for people who like Reagan bumper stickers and hauling the millstones and chips which hang around their necks and shoulders.

See what I did there?

Quite simply, there is no way one can claim that "x is the most frequently modified car" unless you can back it up with a statistical nightmare of the millions and millions of cars across the globe. Fact. So let's give up trying to prove that point, and instead just fall back on "I don't like modified JDMs" or "I don't like modified euroboxes", which is a perfectly acceptable opinion we can argue over.
 
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I apologize if I brought up the topic of what is the most abnormally modified car, but in my opinion, I think it would be best for us to carry on with more conceptions/misconceptions...
 
Nonononono.

Y'see, people who buy F-bodies aren't the kind who like to ruin their vehicles by ricing them. That's what Civic owners do because I saw a Civic with a spoiler once.

F-bodies are for people who like Reagan bumper stickers and hauling the millstones and chips which hang around their necks and shoulders.

See what I did there?

Quite simply, there is no way one can claim that "x is the most frequently modified car" unless you can back it up with a statistical nightmare of the millions and millions of cars across the globe. Fact. So let's give up trying to prove that point, and instead just fall back on "I don't like modified JDMs" or "I don't like modified euroboxes", which is a perfectly acceptable opinion we can argue over.

Glad you saw the sarcasm 👍

@Grandea GTR why not bring in misconception rather than be the one to use them on the thread that is basically laughing at them and shaking it's head figuratively?
 
90's GM decided to take this one step further and fit cars with transmissions and drivetrain components that weren't able to handle the torque output of the stock engine.

Brilliant.
Yup. Buddy of mine just blew out his pinion bearings in his rear end at just over 114k miles. Stock 305 other than a pair of shorties. LOL
 
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