"the best looking astra van around" dude, cumon, i mean have you seen 90% of other astra vans? they're slaves not "show" cars, won't be much competition for that title will there?
Jack, just pop along to some scrap yards and stuff, some real bargains if you look hard enough.
Keep it stock and maintain it. Start saving money in the meanwhile but don't give in on any modifications for your Proton. Keep it untill you've found a more "desirable" or "special" car, something like a .. uhm. MX-5.
Don't modify anything, save up for your 2nd car instead. Not sure why you need that alcohol tester in the car either, the only measuring device you need is your mouth, don't put alcohol in it if you are going to drive.
Modding itself is not a bad thing when it's done on a decent car and it's subtle. But if you do have a slightly crap car you should save money and get a good one rather than try to improve it.
There are a lot of modified vans popping up now, there are a few in Plymouth now.
I am total for cars what are very well suited for that track but I am also very well for modified cars. I have seen a great deal of modified vans around, at shows and on the net etc... For this mark of Astra Van it is the nicest around, I havent even saw any nice new Astra Vans to yet, the only nice new astra van I saw was up at a show, only liked it because of the paint job. My Uncles van isn't even finished yet, not by a long shot, it's going to get a different paint colour, new petrol engine, he is umming and arrring about running nos with the van.
He also has a 2.3 190E Cosworth what you lot have proberly already seen, one with an original Evo bodykit, it has just been taken to a body shop to go from yellow with green pearl to black and with be running on twin 45's or 48's carbs, he hasnt made his mind up yet.
He will tune his car engines aswell as the outside, his old Mk2 Astra was tuned to 250bhp running 50 shots of Nos, so we do tune our cars aswell.
The issue of modifying the cars looks will never end, people will always moan about it, same as the debate between racing and drifting, I am going to let this thread go now, I will stick to street stylers southwest forums for my hobby because as people now know people arent into here.
You never know what can happen if you drink drive, especially with a modified car to go faster.....
My own opinion, leave the car stock. Why would you want it faster on the roads? To race? To prove your faster? If that's the case, beat them with a stock car, better feeling... (Im just saying, it would be, right?)
If you want it modified for looks purposes, forget it. Why waste your money. Wait til your 5 years down the track you might think to yourself, i need $ x money, but i spent too much on my car.
The only thing i would ever suggest is sound system. I love my music. I enjoy listening to music when i drive sometimes.
But... but... extra weight means more drag, slower acceleration and longer stopping distances. Why would anyone who knows how cars work want to do that? Especially when aftermarket tat adds nothing in the way of aerodynamics or downforce.
Extra weight also messes up handling, fuel econmy, when you drop the suspension you ruin the ride, when you put on bigger wheels you mess up the gears. You can't just duct tape new parts to your car and call it a day.
A lot of research goes into cars to make sure all the parts work together, when you change one you have to change the rest or you end up with a car that drives (and looks) like shit.
The ability to undo a few bolts and slap on tat doesn't mean you know about cars.
Changing to big wheels doesn't mess up gears?
If you change the tyres to make it the same diamtre it was previously it won't make a different.
Lowering suspension also hardens it, it might ruin the ride, but it also adds more grip during cornering due to the fact that it doesn't feel like a boat.
No, but they are made by the same people who designed the cars int he first place and have all the blueprints and performance criteria. I expect the aero kit you get on a DTM car is a little out of a regular person's price range.
The same reason that a spoiler is not the same thing as an aerofoil.
Nitrous is not really that good of a modification to do. Sure it gives you more power, but what happens when you run out of nitrous? Unless you are going to be drag racing, and not use it as a street vehicle, nitrous is completely useless.
In purpose-built, drag-racing engines. Not on street vehicles.
EDIT: And, as for wings, more downforce is not necessary on a street vehicle. It already has all that weight in it, and that provides downward force by itself. Especially if you are cramming in 400lbs of audio equipment into it. The only cars that need added downforce are cars that have been lightened drastically and are being raced on a road course (not needed for drag racing). Otherwise you are just adding drag. And wings on race cars are purpose built to work on that specific car. Adding an aftermarket one does nothing but make the car look a little less attractive and slow it down because of drag.
I don't mean to be rude, but Sam93 seems to be a professional at getting himself pwned. The truth of the matter is that it happens in nearly every thread he posts in .
No offence Sam, but DTM cars are nothing like real cars - iirc they have ONE panel the same, the roof...
They use custom designed suspension and body kits which are designed to work with the rest of the car, i.e to generate the downforce in the right places and generally compliment the car as a package.
There's no way you can get that on a road car for a reasonable price - sure, bolting on things like better tyres and bigger engines makes it faster, but people with fancy engineering degrees who can have custom-designed parts fabricated will always be better.
