ever try to define ricer?, kinda hard isnt it Options

[3sgteLuke]

i think this'll be an interesting topic. sorry for the explosion of text. i was on a roll.

Whenever I’m asked to describe what a ricer is or isn’t, I’m at a loss for words. So I decided to write an explanation to organize all of my notions. I don’t mean to offend anyone, I just want to focus a rather wide definition.
Stage 1: uber ricer
This kind of person has watched the fast and furious too many times and is content to mimic the look of performance as opposed to actually educating themselves and logically selecting quality parts. More often than not these people purchase aesthetic mods to advertise a lifestyle they aspire to be a part of. A few examples of common mods
Body kit that wasn’t designed with the bernouli principle in mind
Altezza tail lamps in any way shape or form (x2 for cheapo ebay ones)
Spacers to make your wheels look wide. hey Lets sacrifice safety and bearing longevity for that high performance look!
Obnoxious spoilers that more often than not result in a negative drag coefficient vs down force ratio
Cheapo plastic fender hood vents. As if real fender vents were any good anyway…
Lambo doors. No just no. tacky cheesy, wannabe fast and furious
Cut springs and Monroe shocks. Because you know its as good as tein

stage 2: misguided enthusiast
This person has a good grasp the various individual systems in a sport compact and tends to avoid the flashy and obnoxious tendencies of a stage 1 ricer. The stage two understands how each system operates, how it can be improved and how it can fail. Unfortunately these people often ruin the balance of a car in their ignorance . For example, they know that braking systems convert kinetic energy into heat energy. They also know that stock components can get heat soaked really quickly. Thus they purchase the largest rotors they can get their hands on. The idea is that the extra mass and surface area will both absorb and radiate excess heat more effectively. Despite the logic, application is vital. Fitting a 120 hp civic with 14 inch rotors is not only overkill, but also works against the owner since reciprocating mass ( the worst kind ) has been increased substantially thus decreasing usable torque. Likewise, purchasing lowering springs while maintaining stock shocks is an oxymoron in of itself.
Common traits of a stage 2 intermediate include:
Drilled AND slotted rotors or just simply drilled. Drilled rotors were once the staple of racing back when asbestos based brakes created a gas barrier between the rotor and pad. Modern compounds can suffice with regular vented rotors. In fact drilled rotors are more prone to warping so they aren’t used anymore other than as an aesthetic option
An easy to spot A giant intercooler that does more harm than good. The idea is that the bigger the intercooler, the more boost you can run. Wrong. An intercooler is there for reliability. It lowers charge temps to prevent detonation and offer a margin of safety in case boost creeps or spikes out of control. Stages two’s misinterpret this margin of safety as an opportunity to turn up boost and run at the limit all over again. They then purchase an even larger intercooler thinking it will allow them more boost when in reality the larger core causes a pressure drop that negatively offsets any temperature benefits.
These are only two of the millions of ways that stage twos mismatch or all around ruin the balance of their sport compact
Stage 3 gods of machine
This final person has reached mechanical nirvana. They understand all the nuances of internal combustion and likewise understand how each system is dependant and directly affected by every other. These people cannot be characterized as high power speed racers since even a humble miata owner can be an absolute auto x terror. This person has brakes that are perfectly matched for their application, their intercooler is optimized for maximum reliability, and their suspension is neither too stiff nor too lax. Unlike the previous two categories, its often hard to spot gods of machine.
Feel free to add suggestions and or revisions