5 Ways to Ruin a Daily Driver
Posted on October 15, 2009 by Jesse O'Brien in On the Road
Let’s face it, most cars make terrible daily drivers if their factory specs are left alone. Mushy suspension, bargain-quality tires, overcomplicated interiors, and extra weight all tend to ruin the daily driving experience. Here’s a short list of the top 5 ways to completely ruin an otherwise serviceable Daily Driver.
1. Donk it.
You’ve all seen them. $10,000 24″ wheels on a $500 Cavalier that had to be raised to give enough wheelwell clearance to fit them. Most modifications to cars emulate a performance enhancement (if only in appearance), and I don’t care enough to look into the history of the scraper, so I don’t know where this strange modification originated. I’m not sure why scrapers are seen as a good thing in some cultures, but then again… some people juggle geese!
2. Stretch it
Stretched tires have become something of a fad. From what I can tell, they can be traced back to other countries who only allow certain tire widths so drivers install the widest tires they can on the widest wheels they can to flatten the contact patch as much as possible. In that context, it makes sense to stretch your tires a small amount but it’s still a dangerous practice to get into. There are a lot of reasons tire manufacturers have recommended wheel widths, and if anybody knows tires it’s the companies that spend millions on R&D to make the best products they can. Have a little faith in their recommendations, they know what they’re talking about. For more information on what size tires you should run, tire rack has excellent advice:
3. Slam it
Cars are meant to have ground clearance. I’m a strong supporter of slightly lower, more precisely tuned suspension but there is such a thing as taking it too far. Unless you’re riding on an adjustable suspension, your car’s chassis should never be able to touch the ground (including bumps and potholes that it regularly sees on public roads). Sure, it may look cool when it’s parked in the lot, but a daily driver is built to be driven not to be parked.
4. Slap it
I’m more of an audiophile than most, but I always end up with a confused expression when I hear car alarms start going off four blocks away and feel the bass. I can only imagine what those 8 15″ subwoofers feel like inside the tinny little Scion xB, and it’s almost like imagining what Chinese Water Torture is like. The more power your sound system is drawing, the more powerful your alternator needs to be to drive it, and the more power it draws from your engine. That’s performance, mpg, and your hearing that you’re sending out, not thuggin’ beats. Everyone outside the car just thinks you’re an idiot, and everyone inside the car wonders how long they’ll be able to go before they go deaf.
5. Gadgetize it
Your car is a mode of transportation. It carries you from A to B, and sometimes carries cargo an (if you’re not American) even carries other people sometimes. You don’t need a blender, a coffee maker, a wireless card, or any of the other gadgets that seem to be commonplace these days. I even consider speakers and a stereo to be optional. Keep it minimal and clean, you really only need a GPS and a sound system of some sort.
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