Anti-Upgrades: What's considered "Ricey"

[HeX]

I think it could be not only fun but useful to list all the things that respectable Honda owners, and those with at least average car knowledge, would agree are not "upgrades" or cosmetically appealing add-ons. In other words, list the tackiest, ricey crap you can think of. That way when "newbies" ask what to do to their cars or what to avoid, we kind of have a reference point of use. Perhaps post pictures for reference. For example:

Aesthetics​

- Altezza tail lights = they just suck and look awfully cheap
- Chrome stuff! = stick on chrome crap looks cheesy, especially when you buy one of each from AutoZone.
- TypeR & Si emblems = No one who knows about cars will fall for this if you put it on another Civic.
- Spray painting frenzy = painting anything in colors that don't compliment the car or interior. Sorry youngens, but crazy colors just look ridiculous.
- Excessive random stickers and decals = Do I really need to explain why this is tacky?
- Huge spoilers = AKA shopping cart handles
- An exterior speaker = they ALWAYS sound awful & annoy the sh*t out of everyone around you.
- Any muffler tip larger than 3 inches = unless you like fisting your honda, its excessive for nothing

Performance related​

- Cold Air Intakes = if your engine is stock then its a waste of money
- Generic eBay suspensions = yeah, you're "dropped" at only $200... until you wreck your car slowly from how awful it rides.
- Generic eBay mufflers = there's a reason why they're so cheap, plus they sound like garbage to anyone who knows about cars so they aren't fooling anyone with your rice burner screaming rasp at a whopping 25 mph.

Opinions are fine, but member insults are needless.

 

[Otto85]

I'd have to say, exhaust that sticks up above the trunk (yes there is a few in my area).


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[toneekay]

Poor wheel fitment.

 

[HeX]

Straight piped exhaust on relatively stock engines, or anything else that leads to loud obnoxious raspy sound. If its loud at 20mph then its ricey.

 

[daperez13]

One of the reasons why I don't normally discourage "tacky" add-ons is because that's what separates a real car enthusiast vs. a wannabe. I mean, this is all subjective anyway but I prefer the cleaner and more sleek look of a car when tastefully done. I also don't think it has anything to do with money. Sure, aftermarket Chinese parts are cheaper and that's probably why a lot of newbies go for those "tacky" eBay parts, but we have seen a fair share of new car owners (young and old) on a budget slowly transform their DD into something elegant and sexy.

I once had this pizza delivery guy, with an older dodge pick-up truck and a massive spoiler ask me if I had never seen a wingspan before as I cringed and stared at the back of his truck in silence. I mean, he said it with such pride and confidence that I truly believe he thought that was a good look. I gave him a thumbs up and quietly walked away shaking my head. This definitely falls under the Huge Spoilers category but I don't just want to rant and not provide any input so...

After all, you did say "respectable Honda owners".
Bullet holes and large, chrome rims.

 

[HeX]

we have seen a fair share of new car owners (young and old) on a budget slowly transform their DD into something elegant and sexy.

This is what the "ricers" not only fail to realize but choose not to.

I once had this pizza delivery guy, with an older dodge pick-up truck and a massive spoiler ask me if I had never seen a wingspan before as I cringed and stared at the back of his truck in silence. I mean, he said it with such pride and confidence that I truly believe he thought that was a good look. I gave him a thumbs up and quietly walked away shaking my head.

This is what I don't get. I see nothing wrong with being honest yet respectful in these situations. After all, they did ask for an opinion. It falls on the person whether or not they choose to appreciate the honesty. Lack of that just feeds their delusion and furthers their ignorance towards cars. They seem to look at cars solely as accessories and not machines with a use. If no one points it out then they may never figure out that they're the joke everyone reasonable laughs at when they turn around.

Bullet holes and large, chrome rims.

Oh, yeah. as if I didnt already dislike chrome wheels, being oversized is just awful. And the bullet hole stickers just yell ghetto.

 

[daperez13]

This is what I don't get. I see nothing wrong with being honest yet respectful in these situations. After all, they did ask for an opinion. It falls on the person whether or not they choose to appreciate the honesty. Lack of that just feeds their delusion and furthers their ignorance towards cars. They seem to look at cars solely as accessories and not machines with a use. If no one points it out then they may never figure out that they're the joke everyone reasonable laughs at when they turn around.

That's my point though - tacky Vs. classy. That's what separates the cream of the crop! If people are that ignorant, then who am I to argue with them if they truly believe what they've done to their cars is "cool"! If everyone had a sweet ride, then maybe tacky would stand out. Remember when those light-up, windshield washers were "cool". Well, it soon became tacky as more and more people installed them. Not everyone had N1 exhausts and underground FX lights but as soon as Fast and the Furious came out, that became the norm, which in turn became tacky.

Maybe I'm wrong but I feel like the more people fu*k up their ride by installing "tacky" add-ons, the more we appreciate those rare unicorns. But I definitely see your point.

 

[Mr.Baker]

Aesthetic
- Chrome stuff! = stick on chrome crap looks cheesy, especially when you buy one of each from AutoZone.​

Essentially anything with an Acura badge on it after '06?
​

 

[Mr.Baker]

I get really bugged by off-camber wheels. I don't care if you say they're for cornering on race tracks, it looks stupid on the road.

9/10, it's the posers whose car NEVER touch a track that do and say this.

 

[panici]

I like this thread!
I have a 100% stock EK hatch (save the radio), and I don't plan on upgrading anything.

I threw on an emoji "drift charm" as a tongue-in-cheek jab at all the "riced out" cars out there.

 

[XpL0d3r]

- Altezza tail lights = they just suck and look awfully cheap
- Chrome stuff! = stick on chrome crap looks cheesy, especially when you buy one of each from AutoZone.
- TypeR & Si emblems = No one who knows about cars will fall for this if you put it on another Civic.
- Spray painting frenzy = painting anything in colors that don't compliment the car or interior. Sorry youngens, but crazy colors just look ridiculous.
- Excessive random stickers and decals = Do I really need to explain why this is tacky?
- Huge spoilers = AKA shopping cart handles
- An exterior speaker = they ALWAYS sound awful & annoy the sh*t out of everyone around you.
- Any muffler tip larger than 3 inches = unless you like fisting your honda, its excessive for nothing

- Cold Air Intakes = if your engine is stock then its a waste of money
- Generic eBay suspensions = yeah, you're "dropped" at only $200... until you wreck your car slowly from how awful it rides.
- Generic eBay mufflers = there's a reason why they're so cheap, plus they sound like garbage to anyone who knows about cars so they aren't fooling anyone with your rice burner screaming rasp at a whopping 25 mph.

I've owned just about all of these, so I'm going to go through the list...

Altezza's -- Yep I owned them. First mod I did to my stock Civic LX when I was 16. They were poorly made and the bulbs were too close to the tail light housing, so they fused together. When I swapped the altezza's I had to break the bulbs too.

Chrome stuff - I've actually never stooped this low

Type-R / Si Emblems - I see a lot of users, especially in the Acura world, replace their Acura emblem with Honda badge, some normal, some red. I see nothing wrong with modifying the grille between H and A (personally a Honda badge on an RSX looks pretty cool), but putting Si or Type S/R badges on when they don't below is lame

Spray painting frenzy - I had a nice array of obnoxiously colored wheels for the winter... white, purple, pink, and lime green to name a few. Since they were winter wheels I did it to be obnoxious. Would never do that to good wheels though!
*Alternative* - Plastidip if you choose an obnoxious color - this way you can remove it. Otherwise, powder coat with a clear coat

Stickers & Decals - I think this was a fad, and is dying out. I had a handful of them. Looking bad at my Civic when they were all on there, I would only apply 1 of them today... the ClubCivic.com sticker!

Huge Spoilers - Had a replica Si wing on my Civic, and currently a giant, real OEM Aspec wing on my Type S. I think it depends on the wing here. Personally I like the giant Aspec wing that I have. I would not put a J's racing wing on it, for example, because to me that looks ricey.

An exterior speaker - Who the f**k even does that?! That must be some hood s**t.

Large muffler tip - 100% disagree here. My Invidia exhaust came with a 101mm tip, which is nearly 4". It looks just fine. If you can fist a 3" exhaust, you have Trump hands! Muffler tips that stick way out past the bumper look dumb, though.
Link to the 1 picture I have that shows my exhaust here

Intakes -- On a Civic, yeah, they're pointless. I wouldn't consider rice though. Just wasted $. When I put my CAI on my Civic, it did nothing other than alter the sound slightly. No noticeable power gain.

Generic ebay suspension - I had dropzone ebay coilovers as my first ever set with the Civic. They lasted 3 years, which was honestly better than I had expected. I don't know if you can consider it rice though. Cut springs = rice

Generic ebay mufflers - essentially the definition of rice. However, after I boosted my Civic I purchased a whole ebay exhaust system (cheap piping) and a Vibrant muffler that I was going to put on in place of the one that came with the system. I ended up returning it and keeping the ebay muffler. It sounded honestly pretty good, but boost, sooo...

Adding on!

Giant Wheels - For an older Civics, keep it under 16". Newer Civic's a little larger.

Body Kit - Only if you're trying to bring Paul Walker back from the dead

Unpainted lips/skirts - Any ClubCivic OG will remember the classic phrase "lip needs paint". So get it paint matched!

Stickerbombing - So 2012.

Rusted hood look - I'll punch you in the chest if you think this is cool

Stance - OK for a show car. Only OK for a show car. If you drive the car anywhere other than a parking lot or show room, it's stupid and dangerous.

Stretched tires - Hope you crash

Balls hanging off your Civic or Truck or any vehicle -- Making up for the lack of set you own, huh?

Colored or reflective window tint - just don't do it.

 

[d.m.lippold]

Ive done alot of these. My 02 honda civic is sticker bombed. I cut the springs on my 01 accord-big mistake. Ended up destroying the entire upper bracket for my right front shock n having to fabricate a new one. Did it right after learning my lesson n instead of it costing 100-150$ it cost me 1000$. As far as (and i put these all together because i share similar feelings on all of them.) spoilers,lip kits, taillight replacements. If you do it properly n i mean PROPERLY your spoiler will be tastefull. Not too high or bulky. Ur lip kit front n rear difuser will increase your gas mileage n jus make the car look sportier. And the lights. If you get the good brand sets n spend a lil extra cash u can get some good high quality taillights that compliment the car. Flashy colors..... Ok i like flashy bright colors but jus pick two n stick to them. One base one accent. I plan on doing my 02 civic race yellow with bright orange accents. I like the attention it brings to me. Exhaust..... I prefer cherry bomb. Doesnt really increase horsepower jus makes you loud which is why ive put it on every honda ive ever had. Cai....love em. Dont do shite for your performance though. Jus keeps your car running at a lower temp n gives almost a turbo simulated sound.chrome......hate it. Go black looks soo much cleaner. Type r/s emblems.....cheap asssss posers. Jus find that car if thats wat you care about showing on the outside.exterior speakers. Def. Hood....im hood but screw that. You jus look n sound like a moron.muff tips...eh theyre ok

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[Drakon543]

Totally agree with most of this list. I think the large muffler tip is more referencing people who stuck one of those universal 4 in tips on a stock exhaust. If it's a legitimate exhaust it can have a large tip. I do think my civic is ricey with my eBay spec d exhaust and cai but I hate my civic anyway. I disagree with the stickers and decals if it's done tastefully. My last car I only had my k&n decal a magnaflow decal and a forum decal. Very small stickers that only covered the bottom edge of my rear quarter window. As far as badging a car for something it's not (type r on non type r) meh... if they did the research and truly gave the car ALL the type r or whatever stuff I say go for it.

 

[ctag]

I remember back during my Japanese language course in college there was a straightpiped car out in the lot whose owner would start it and tear out of the parking lot close to redline. It would interrupt class every. single. day. That's the only ricer I've ever had a real issue with.

Everything else is just personal preference, though I currently agree with a lot of the posts here about aesthetics and gaudy/cheap bolt-ons.