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I’ve watched nearly all of your videos including those in the ETCG1 segment. I don’t come to the forums too often and post, but know you’ve talked about this in the past a bit before which brings me to my suggestion.
Ericthecarguy has always been about repair, but what about a “performance” segment special where you do mainly auto upgrades for a month or so?
I know there are many people out there that would love to hear about how to add power, improve fuel economy, or improve the handling/brakes of their existing vehicle.
Exhaust systems, intakes, shocks, anti-roll bars, stiffer motor mounts, cold air intakes, and stainless steel brake lines just to name a few. I think the hardest part would be to find donor vehicles to install these parts on.
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I agree, discussing the “Performance Aftermarket” may not be a bad idea. I do not drive a Honda or Acura… Toyota or performance Subaru anything like that but I do have a modified Mustang and I get questions all the time about what is good what is bad, pluses and minuses. Say ex.: K&N drop-in filter vs. Conical performance CAI. Axle-back exhaust vs. going all out like I did with Ceramic SS Exhaust Headers X/H/Y pipe or whatever all the way to the exhaust tips (And may mention some O2 sensor issues that do arise with such modifications.) The facts about getting a custom “Dyno Tune” for said modifications vs. simply putting a simple K&N drop-in filter and axle-back that the PCM can adjust too. (may want to mention getting the car tuned by a “professional” like I did…. investigate who is tuning your car!): Also cover Warranty concerns with vehicles, some modifications can, will, and do void them… make sure people understand that.
A big misconception I come across is that more hp means less fuel economy and this is simply not true… my car is living proof of that. If done right and good quality parts are chosen that have OEM tech. transfer programs like say Ford and SVT/Ford Racing, Steeda for ex. parts can actually give performance and the quality be exceptional. My car an 2006 Ford S197 from the factory with 240 rwhp got an est. 19.3-19.5 mpg avg. After some modifications and No “Supercharger” No “Turbo”..”All Motor” now puts out 318 rwhp & TQ and now gets about 19.7-19.9 mpg’s on Avg. that is almost 80 rwhp gained with better fuel economy over a stock 2006 Mustang. (Maybe not much difference in some peoples opinion… but MPG’s did not in fact get worse and that was my point.)
Not all Mod’s go as well as mine though and that is what people need to be informed about. IMO
Pluses and Minuses….$$$$…. and simply after all that when it’s said and done for every 100hp gained it may cost over $6k.*Braking and suspension upgrades as well.
Some suspension upgrades are great for track duty but horrible for an everyday ride. Also braking… SS brake lines to pads and rotors performance pads vs. OEM pads…. Stock rotors vs. Slotted & Cross drilled rotors (Keep in mind Slotted & cross drilled rotors are prone to “Cracking” etc….TIRES! I almost forgot… I know you have done tire video’s but also talk about the difference between a “Performance Sport” designed tire vs. an OEM tire (Built for Rain or Shine conditions) or economy tires for people looking to get an improvement with simply changing tires. (Economy tires don’t go well with performance cars as I saw once with a friend’s car, unless you drive it like a grandma.)
So many suggestions and so little time.
It could also be done in segments one as a discussion of what has been mentioned and another if and or when you get a chance to actually show a car with performance Modifications being done to it or issues because of mods that have been done and done poorly.Sorry, hopefully I made sense with all my rambling I got on a run and just went with it, thanks for all the work you do Eric. 🙂
Personally I like performance upgrades… but they may not be for everyone and I do get asked about this subject from time to time.
This comes up from time to time, in fact I think if you look down through the suggestions it’s come up a few times here too. I DO hope to get to performance stuff one day. There are 2 main reasons why I haven’t up to this point. The first is you need to crawl before you can walk. For me performance upgrades serve a purpose, I’m not interested in bolting on a bunch of stuff because it makes things look good. I’d rather covert the basics such as how an engine works, how a suspension works, etc. before I dive into bolt on performance videos. The truth is most performance upgrades are crap especially if you don’t have a plan for your vehicle in the first place. For now I hope to cover the basics so that I can actually show WHY you would upgrade and do it smart instead of just bolting on what you HOPE would increase performance. I’ve seen TONS of cars that were just ruined by this type of thinking and I have no intention of perpetuating that mentality.
The second reason is that I don’t have a vehicle to do this stuff with. It’s very rare that someone comes to me for performance upgrades. If I don’t have a vehicle to do these upgrades with then I really can’t make any videos about it. When I do a performance series I hope to have a vehicle to use just for that purpose.
In summery I do plan to cover it at some point, in fact it will probably be a long drawn out series but for now we’re going to stick with general repair videos.
Thanks for the suggestion.
[quote=”EricTheCarGuy” post=56699]The truth is most performance upgrades are crap especially if you don’t have a plan for your vehicle in the first place. For now I hope to cover the basics so that I can actually show WHY you would upgrade and do it smart instead of just bolting on what you HOPE would increase performance. I’ve seen TONS of cars that were just ruined by this type of thinking and I have no intention of perpetuating that mentality.[/quote]
Good point I forgot to really hone in on that aspect in my post and is very true.
Luckily I sat down with a plan for my upgrades long before I ever pulled the trigger and got tones of input from other peoples experiences with this. Being very careful with “Aftermarket Parts” choices is crucial to the overall dependability and overall performance that you may actually get… or in many cases “May not get”. Too many good cars turn to crap because of this, in truth I would never buy a car that had anything done to it short of a CAI and Rear exhaust, but that is just me. I have put an est. $4k into my car yet I could never recover what I spent if traded in or even sold to an individual.All great point Eric thanks again.
You did it the ‘smart’ way, and that’s what I’d like to show when I get to that type of video. I’ll get there, it may take some time but when I do those videos I want to do them right.
Thanks again for the suggestion.
That’s the whole point of me going to school to be a mechanic in the first place. I want to specialize in track performance. But first, the basic’s. Learning how to repair cars and work my way up. Pretty much exactly how you two are talking. Learn the basics and work your way up from there. I personally don’t like anything on a car performance wise that does not improve it in some way. I absolutely can’t stand people who “rice” their honda’s out…Sorry, not bagging on Honda’s, it’s just the most common brand that get’s riced out. I like honda’s and they have potential, it’s just the people who “tune them” are inexperianced and mostly go for sound/looks when adding aftermarket parts. I want to make my subaru a track car later down the road, but for now I am just learning repair work from eric and applying it to my car as best I can. Finally got my first mechanic’s tool set from craftsman. One step closer to being like you Eric!
[quote=”LanEvoX” post=56802]That’s the whole point of me going to school to be a mechanic in the first place. I want to specialize in track performance. But first, the basic’s. Learning how to repair cars and work my way up. Pretty much exactly how you two are talking. Learn the basics and work your way up from there. I personally don’t like anything on a car performance wise that does not improve it in some way. I absolutely can’t stand people who “rice” their honda’s out…Sorry, not bagging on Honda’s, it’s just the most common brand that get’s riced out. I like honda’s and they have potential, it’s just the people who “tune them” are inexperianced and mostly go for sound/looks when adding aftermarket parts. I want to make my subaru a track car later down the road, but for now I am just learning repair work from eric and applying it to my car as best I can. Finally got my first mechanic’s tool set from craftsman. One step closer to being like you Eric![/quote]
One step at a time just like you say. I have little doubt you’ll be a pro in no time. Good luck in school and with that Subaru. Post pics if you can.
[quote=”LanEvoX” post=56802] Finally got my first mechanic’s tool set from craftsman. One step closer to being like you Eric![/quote]
I know it’s off subject, but since you mentioned it…..:
*** Do me a favor and let me know what set you got and if you think you are going to be happy with it.
I was looking at a Craftsmen set to start with as well, my tools were stolen out of my brother-in-laws garage about 1 1/2 years ago… that I got when I was going to school to be an A&P Tech. years ago. (No I am not an A&P Tech. I was sitting in class when the planes flew in to the towers and let’s just say was not a great time to go into the aviation industry at that point.)
I am in the process of my contract expiring with DoD currently aka: “loosing my job” budget cuts…. and decided I want to go back to what I should have done years ago and become an Automotive Tech. so I am as you say starting over yet again, but now I need to re-acquire all my dang tools again. (I hated having to borrow other peoples tools to do my own automotive work for my cars!)
Thanks in advance… if you think about it, no biggie.. just let me know. I would like to spend about $1k and at least be satisfied with it till I can get a better set. (The guy I know that owns a Performance shop uses MAC & Snap-on tools and those things are EXPENSIVE but nice!)
[quote=”brnmw” post=56846][quote=”LanEvoX” post=56802] Finally got my first mechanic’s tool set from craftsman. One step closer to being like you Eric![/quote]
I know it’s off subject, but since you mentioned it…..:
*** Do me a favor and let me know what set you got and if you think you are going to be happy with it.
I was looking at a Craftsmen set to start with as well, my tools were stolen out of my brother-in-laws garage about 1 1/2 years ago… that I got when I was going to school to be an A&P Tech. years ago. (No I am not an A&P Tech. I was sitting in class when the planes flew in to the towers and let’s just say was not a great time to go into the aviation industry at that point.)
I am in the process of my contract expiring with DoD currently aka: “loosing my job” budget cuts…. and decided I want to go back to what I should have done years ago and become an Automotive Tech. so I am as you say starting over yet again, but now I need to re-acquire all my dang tools again. (I hated having to borrow other peoples tools to do my own automotive work for my cars!)
Thanks in advance… if you think about it, no biggie.. just let me know. I would like to spend about $1k and at least be satisfied with it till I can get a better set. (The guy I know that owns a Performance shop uses MAC & Snap-on tools and those things are EXPENSIVE but nice!)[/quote]
I got the craftsman 154 pc mechanics tool set. I have yet to use it; but it’s the most complete set I have ever had. Plus first tool kit I have ever bought with my own money. Proud of my self for that. No worries, like Eric; I like helping people with automotive stuff.
Thanks, I appreciate your response.
I was looking at the 540 pc. set, and still deciding.
Word of friendly advice… since I ended up not getting into my field of study when I got my first set I did not carry insurance… I know I don’t have to tell you how “dumb I was” for not doing so in the first place right? As you begin to build your set… GET INSURANCE! Learn from other peoples mistakes.Thanks again.
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