[neo-truth]

What was the first modification you made to your tC?

I haven't had my car that long, and I'm not in a big hurry to do anything to it just yet, but I've definitely been pondering it quite a bit. I can't decide what I would do to it first, and I was curious as to what was the first thing that you guys did to your cars.

Right now I'm leaning towards lowering springs or exhaust, and probably a tint job in there as well. Maybe once spring/summer rolls around, some new wheels and tires. It's hard to know what brands to get, even if I knew what I wanted to do, partially because I don't know anyone else who owns a tC in my area, so I can't look at mods someone else has done and say "Hey, these springs are too low, I like these bettah!" or "This exhaust sound is more to my taste than that one."

The only thing I know for certain is that I don't want anything remotely ricey. I like a sleek, clean, elegant looking car that projects subtle beauty, and I think doing too much to a tC detracts from it's already naturally beautiful state. I think the majority of what I've seen at YSTC.com would lead me to believe that most of you would agree with me here.

So yeah... tell me about your first mod(s) and comments and suggestions are welcome!

 

[basilisk4]

I arranged to get my car tinted before I had even taken possession.

 

[lucidspoon]

GPS. One of man's greatest inventions. I plan on having it in all of my future cars.

 

[krdshrk]

Youre like me. I like my car to look pretty stock. That'll change cuz I'm putting on the wheels but still.

Things you can do for mods:
NEW TIRES (Better for safety too)
HID Drop-in Kit (Retros if you got the $$)
Shift Knob
LED replacement - interior lighting
Change your Antenna
Smoked Taillights
Exhaust
Tints
Springs

If you want to go wilder:
Underbody Lighting
New Wheels
Sound System
New Exhaust & Intake

 

[patrickdubya49]

First thing I did was the tint. Don't let the dealer do it or recommend a shop, though. I called four Scion dealerships in Chicago and they all recommended shops that cost at least 50% more than what I ended up paying for a very good quality lifetime guaranteed job.

 

[basilisk4]

Lifetime guarantees are worthless if the tint shop disappears within a year...

 

[mikeyb3d]

Shocks and Springs... Immediately makes the car look sweeter. I cant stand the gap in the wheels and fender. I love the way it handles and the way it looks. Very sporty. I would HIGHLY recommend.

 

[neo-truth]

Thanks for all the posts, guys.

HID Drop-in Kit (Retros if you got the $$)
- I plan on doing something like this eventually... at the moment I'm not exactly sure what the difference is between just getting new bulbs, an HID kit, and a retrofit.

Shift Knob
- And pedals! I've been on the lookout, but I haven't found what I want just yet.

LED replacement - interior lighting
- I'm not real big on the neon glow thing... I would like to replace that awful light in the cubby below the heater controls though.

I don't know how I'd feel about taking my dash apart and soldering things onto it either.

Change your Antenna
- My step father is in the auto auction business (among many other things), he says he can also get salvage parts... so I've got him on the lookout for an S2000 or Element antenna. I'll put him on the lookout for BMW headlights if that would cut down the cost on a retro-fit (I'm not sure why they cost so much, either).

Smoked Taillights
- Not really a fan of these either. I think it might be illegal in Virginia, also... or that might just be the ones that are totally blacked out.

Exhaust
- I definitely want new exhaust. I just don't want that ricer fart cannon sound. I want it to sound more like a ferrari or something. Tuned exhaust, not just blaring loud for attention. I'm leaning towards the TRD, but I've never heard a tC in person with any sort of exhaust mods.

Tints
- I have a friend in the auto glass business, I should give him a call.

Sadly, I think my state only allows 50% on front side glass and 35% the rest of the way around. I'm not really sure how dark this would be, but I see a lot of you with much darker tint.

Springs
- Definitely want this too. I just hate to pay more for installation than I paid for the springs themselves. I don't think I could do it myself, but I'm asking around for friends who might know someone to do it for cheap. I'm also concerned about shock wear if I put in new springs... should I get new shocks installed with the springs?

Underbody Lighting
- Again, not really my thing.

New Wheels
- Like I said, I'll probably look into this once spring/summer rolls around. I really like wheel designs by ADR, and they seem to be very inexpensive, but I'm not sure what sort of quality they are. Sport Max would be in that same boat as ADR. I also like a few designs from Motegi, O.Z. Racing, and a few others I've seen. I'm a fan of road racing, like the Le Mans series, so I lean towards wheels with 7-10 spokes, or more, that look like they belong on a GTS car at 24 hours of Le Mans.

Sound System/GPS
- It may be a good while before I tamper with the sound system any. It could use some subs though.

New Exhaust & Intake
- I don't really get the point of the CAI or short-ram intakes. I know it helps the engine to breathe better, but wouldn't it do just as well to stick in a high-flow filter like a K&N in the stock box? How much does this affect the sound of the exhaust?


Sorry for such a long post, but just wanted to respond to all the suggestions thus far and let you in on my feelings and tastes on certain things. Thanks again for your input.

 

[patrickdubya49]

Originally posted by basilisk4@Dec 28 2005, 10:12 AM
Lifetime guarantees are worthless if the tint shop disappears within a year...

Which is why you should find out how long it's been around before you do business with them.

 

[tcrease]

I got a tenzo shift knob first...

Kinda like me circumsizing my ride.