- No matter what, when it comes down to building our cars,
our builds are always on some sort of budget.
Now some budgets may be pretty big,
while others are pretty small,
but they are budgets nonetheless
and it almost has become second nature
for us car guys and gals
to pretty much blow any additional money
that we tend to save up for on our cars,
because that's just what we do.
So today we thought we'd feed that nasty habit
because no one likes a quitter.
So we're gonna be going over
some modifications or after-market parts
that you can do or get for your car
for $1,000 or less.
Now before we go ahead and get into it,
don't forget to subscribe, and if you're looking
for any wheels, tires, or suspension for your car,
go check out fitmentindustries.com right now
'cause we have some deals going on
and we have some financing options available as well
that allow you to build your car right now,
pay later, all that sorta good stuff.
And then one last thing
before we go ahead and get into it,
we got a giveaway going on right now
with Air Lift Performance, go check that out as well.
We got some new apparel to go along with it.
It's a good thing, go check it out,
make a donation to a good cause,
all that sorta good stuff.
Anyway.
You've heard us talk about it in the past,
and we will continually keep mentioning it
for pretty much the rest of existence,
that if there's one modification
that you can do to your car
pretty much right off the bat
that not only helps in the look of your car
but the handling and control as well,
it would be after-market suspension.
Now you have quite a few different options
when it comes down to after-market suspension.
It can be done for relatively cheap.
Now what I mean by that
is don't go out and find the cheapest eBay coilovers
or lowering springs you can find
because Jarrod said so,
that's not what I'm trying to say.
Please just don't do that.
Because there are better alternatives out there
for after-market suspension
that still sit under that $1,000 mark.
Of course, you have lowering springs as an option,
springs like Eibach, H&R, and even Tein
offer a huge amount of lowering spring options
for practically every car out there on the market,
ranging anywhere from $200 to $400
depending on brand and application,
allowing those who don't wanna dish out the money
for some coilovers to lower their car
or give that option for someone who wants to keep
the new suspension features and all that
that come in newer year vehicles,
they give that option
for them to get a dropped ride height as well.
But lowering springs aren't your only option either,
as there are a few coilover options
that are still easy on the wallet
and offer a good amount of quality and performance,
Tein probably leading that group,
and the first one that usually pops up.
And there are quite a few different options
within that as well
with their different lines of coilovers
ranging from their Street Basis Z
to the Street Advance Z, and all of that.
But a Flex Z kit from Tein,
which is a complete coilover assembly,
will run you typically anywhere between 800 and $900,
giving you camber adjustment, height adjustment,
and damping adjustment.
Other known brands as well
such as ST Suspension or BC Racing
with the BR line of coilovers
will still come in right under that $1,000
for a set with plenty of options
as far as spring rates and other things like that.
And we're just ignore the fact
that there's leaves and everything flying about
because we're making do, 'cause quarantine life
and this is where we're at, all right?
But after-market suspension is an absolute must
when you're looking to modify your car
and is a great way to start your build.
Next on the list can actually be a few items
depending on how extreme you want to go with it
and don't necessarily offer much
when it comes to performance
but just more about driver feel and comfort
and that would have to be, of course,
some interior modifications.
Things like a nice short shifter, or a shift knob,
or some nice steering wheel,
or, you know, different Alcantara pieces
or something like that.
Even though they aren't the most drastic,
can really make a difference when it comes
in how you feel when you're driving your car,
since you will be using it
the entire time while you're driving it.
You sit on the inside of your car,
you're traveling on the inside of your car,
you're driving the car
with the gearshift and the steering wheel
and all that sort of stuff.
We have a Roaddefined steering wheel in the E30
and is by far one of my most favorite things
that we have done to the car.
And all of this can be done relatively cheap,
the only thing, however,
is that this is very important,
a very important fact,
it can be really easy to overdo it.
And you know what I'm talking about, all right?
We've all seen it.
The cars, all right,
that they come out with the owner,
got ahold of a screwdriver and a rattlecan
and went to town on some of the interior pieces.
Don't be that guy.
Just put the spray can down and back away.
Everything will be all right.
I was that guy once, all right?
Don't do it again.
You can get some pretty damn nice interior pieces
that improve your driving experience
for not too much money,
and, again, I'm not saying to cheap out on things,
it's just that a lot of interior pieces
outside of things like seats and all that
won't run you a whole hell of a lot,
and like I said,
you can get quite a bit of interior stuff
with a budget of $1,000.
My dad always said to invest in good rubber,
otherwise it may cost you down the road.
Now whether or not he was talking about tires,
I can't call it,
but if he was, he was absolutely correct.
Maybe you are already in the middle of modifying your car
or you have some stuff done to it.
It's on coils, you got some new wheels,
you've had them for a few years,
you got some nice aero pieces going along with it.
But when you got your wheels,
you just kinda threw some tires on
that you knew would work
because, hey, you got the new wheels,
you gotta put 'em on as soon as possible, right?
I get it.
But they've been on there for a few years,
got some miles on the car,
and some good old spirited driving
has really done a number to 'em,
you could really use a new set of tires.
So treat yourself to a decent set of tires
and it will change the entire feel of your car, I promise.
I can tell you firsthand from this thing right here.
And typically when people think
of getting some good tires, they automatically think
that you're going to have to spend
well above $1,000 for a decent set of tires,
and that's actually not the case.
Tires such as the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S,
the Nitto NT555 G2,
the Toyo Proxes Sport,
and even the BFGoodrich g-Force Sport COMP-2s
are all great performance tires
that can still be snagged up
for less than $1,000 a set,
and actually quite under that,
anywhere from 700 to $800.
So whether you're looking for a new set of tires
to go with for your new wheels
or just looking to upgrade your existing set-up,
keep tires in the back of your mind
as a good solid go to
when you have some extra money to throw around
to spend on your car.
An exhaust system can truly make or break a car as well
and what I mean by that
is you can have a decently quick good looking car,
but if it sounds like someone
trying to play a trumpet through a PVC pipe
while driving down the road,
it kinda kills the whole vibe of it, all right?
And it's something that is out there
for the world to hear,
there's no getting around it,
and it's almost another stigma, just like tires,
that you have to spend a ton of money
to get a good sounding quality exhaust for your car.
And then you've seen them out there, all right,
you've seen the ones,
the systems that are going for well above $1,000
or even $1500 for a catback exhaust
and it's absolutely crazy,
and you're just trying to justify
spending that much money on some piping.
And while, yes, odds are they do sound really good
and they are made with high quality,
there are plenty of options
that fall below that $1,000 price range
that still give you what you're looking for.
Brands like Greddy, Thermal R&D,
HKS, Tomei, Invidia,
are all some good examples to start looking at
when shopping around for an exhaust for your car.
A modified exhaust is a fun modification to do,
but it's also one that you wanna make sure you get right,
and probably wanna get right the first time
so you don't get made fun of.
You don't have to spend a ton of money on your exhaust,
however, like everything else,
make sure you don't cheap out on it.
Odds are there are probably videos out there on YouTube
or even on websites that sell after-market exhaust
showing exactly what it will sound like on your car.
Take the time, look around, listen to some sound clips
to help you make the right decision.
And then the last thing I wanted to touch on
isn't necessarily a modification of any sort
and I don't know who needs to hear this,
but I know there is at least a handful of you
watching this video right now that need to listen up.
Brett.
All right, bud, I'm looking at you.
Make sure your general maintenance is done.
When's the last time you changed your brakes?
How are those belts doing?
Ball joints looking good?
You don't want one of those going out
when you're backing out of a parking spot in college
and all of a sudden it fails,
and then you're stuck stranded
with no way to fix it
because you're in college, you're living in a dorm room,
you have no tools at your disposal
to actually fix the damn thing,
and there's no way in hell
that a tow truck or some kind of trailer
is gonna come pick your car up
because not only was it already lowered,
but now that the whole car fender
is sitting on the wheel
and the bumper's basically touching the ground,
there's no way that you're getting outta there
without destroying the entire front end.
You may think damn, that's a pretty specific thing,
and, yes, it did happen to me,
however, if you're finding yourself
with some extra cash laying around
and wondering what the hell you can do to your car
always make sure that everything
is in good working order first.
And if that's already the case,
come hit up your boys over at fitmentindustries.com
where we have a ton of after-market
wheels, tires, and suspension available right now.
Like I said, we got certain deals going on
with different wheel brands, suspension brands,
we got giveaways going on.
Just come check us out.
So let us know down in the comments below
what your favorite modification for your car is to do
down in the comments below.
That's gonna wrap it up for today.
Thank you guys so much for watching.
We'll see you later, peace.
(casual music)