Questions on modding an Optra notchback

[batang_raon14]

Mga chief, may mga tanong lang po ako. Normally ok naman taste ko sa mga nilalagay ko sa sasakyan (I think?) pero may mga pwedeng ilagay na di ko alam kung or eh? Pa-enlighten lang po!


A: Rain visors, does it look cool or does it look cheap?

B: Chrome wheels, is it macho for a sedan or better off on SUV's?

Saka mga tanong lang po kung san sakaling makabili ng mga parts na 'to besides casa, alam ko po Banawe, Evangelista, etc., pero sang shop po kaya?:

A: Door handle cover (from body color to *bling*)

B: Door moulding replacements (from body color din to *bling*)

Nakakita po kasi ako ng bihis na silver Optra kanina habang nagpapatint at nagpapalagay ng backing sensor and napawow na lang ako! Kumpletong body kit, spoiler, 17" wheels, roof scoop, etc.! Napagisip-isip na tuloy ako na papormahin na rin ung saken. Sabay ung driver dami kasama tsikitas. Sobrang nakakapogi points siguro sa mga babes ung kotse nya. Hehe...

Thanks in advance po sa inyong lahat! =D

[al_motor]

here's an optra show car:


but for street purposes i'd just recommend mild lowering, some good-looking 16-17" mags (lipped dapat) perhaps from rota, a small ducktail spoiler and subtle chin. blacked-out headlamps like on the show car are a nice touch too. forget the hoodscoops and widebody. and SAY NO TO CHROME AND RAINVISORS.

[batang_raon14]

*al_motor

ganda pong Optra nyan ah. Salamat po sa advice. Mukhang di na ko bibili ng chrome at rain visors. Pero wag na po ba talaga ung widebody? What if may budget naman po?

[ILuvDetailing]

A: Rain visors, does it look cool or does it look cheap?
- No, pass ako dito, specially the stickon types, you'll have problems after a few years when the adhesive wears out.

B: Chrome wheels, is it macho for a sedan or better off on SUV's?

It depends, lots of factors. I've seen chrome wheels look good on sedans and SUVs, and bad on some.

A: Door handle cover (from body color to *bling*)
- No, pass uli din ako dito. the "bling" wears out after a few years. Di bagay IMO.

B: Door moulding replacements (from body color din to *bling*)
- No uli

Pero wag na po ba talaga ung widebody?

- No, just added weight. A simple aftermarket wheel, and a slight drop will do, add aftermarking shocks and springs, ducktail and your set.

[batang_raon14]

I see... not worthy investments pala. Sa bagay mabigat na at stock ang Optra eh, kung lagyan pa ng added weight, medyo di ko ata affect nun sa ibang aspects ng sasakyan. Buti po pala nagtanong po muna ako dito. Salamat po mga bosing!

[batang_raon14]

*al_motor

chief, medyo nalito po ako sa term na 'to: "lipped", ano po ba ibig sabihin nun???

[the_wildthing]

17"s lang at lowering porma na yan. Aanhin mo ang roof scoop?

[al_motor]

lipped=may labi ang rims, nakalubog ang spokes. pansinin mo yung picture, lubog yung mags, may nakalitaw na makintab paikot. that's lipped.

[batang_raon14]

*the_wildthing

nagkamali lang po siguro ako, hoodscoop po un. pasensya na po.

*al_motor

tnx po sa explanation sir. =D

[OTEP]

A: Rain visors, does it look cool or does it look cheap?

B: Chrome wheels, is it macho for a sedan or better off on SUV's?

Saka mga tanong lang po kung san sakaling makabili ng mga parts na 'to besides casa, alam ko po Banawe, Evangelista, etc., pero sang shop po kaya?:

A: Door handle cover (from body color to *bling*)

B: Door moulding replacements (from body color din to *bling*)

A: Not a fan of those plastic things. But if you want, invest in a good set like EGR slimlines.

B: Depends on the design

A: Non-OEM plastic chrome does not age gracefully (just check out how those Pajero-imitation taillamp surrounds on Adventures and Crosswinds look after a couple of years).

B: Same answer.

[niky]

Agree, slimline rain-visors.

If you get mags, don't go very far up.. 16 or 17 inchers will be fine, but not chrome ones, as they'll turn your car into a gas guzzler again. Actually, almost any mag upgrade will make your fuel consumption worse.

What color is your car? The mesh grille conversion looks great on darker colored Optras with the 3-piece grille. Use that, a subtle lip and side skirts, and a ducktail spoiler... you won't need to change anything else.

[glockmeister26]

Hey BR14,

A brother of mine has a silver Optra like yours, been with him for 2 years now and he likes it a lot. He's had some reprogramming done at Chevy Q. Ave and Bosch Super 4 sparkplugs installed to improve the fuel efficiency - he says those mods worked. Other mods he's done: 17 inch wheels, wrap around (full) skirts, EGR rear visor and "leather" seatcovers.

Here's his car with a set of wrap around skirts he got last September:


He replaced the skirts with a set he got from A-Toy last November, here's how his car looks now:


He still has the skirts from the first pic, if you are interested you can pm me.

[Execu-jock]

Hey BR14,

A brother of mine has a silver Optra like yours, been with him for 2 years now and he likes it a lot. He's had some reprogramming done at Chevy Q. Ave and Bosch Super 4 sparkplugs installed to improve the fuel efficiency - he says those mods worked. Other mods he's done: 17 inch wheels, wrap around (full) skirts, EGR rear visor and "leather" seatcovers.

Here's his car with a set of wrap around skirts he got last September:


He replaced the skirts with a set he got from A-Toy last November, here's how his car looks now:


He still has the skirts from the first pic, if you are interested you can pm me.

Nice upgrades! Did he replace his damper and springs? Did he get it lowered?

[batang_raon14]

*niky

Chief, black po ang kulay ng akin. hehe... pwede pala akong maging before and after sabay before uli sa gas guzzling ng sasakyang 'to pag magpalit ako. Argh... gaano po ba kalaki ang babawas sa fuel efficiency with bigger mags? If possible, in km/liter po?

*glockmeister26

sir nakita ko po yang body kit sa first pic nyo po sa casa before. Worth 56k po ata?

[glockmeister26]

*glockmeister26

sir nakita ko po yang body kit sa first pic nyo po sa casa before. Worth 56k po ata?

Ooops, sorry, I thought yours was also silver. He got the body kit for 24k last year from Envy customs.

[nugundam93]

the atoy skirt looks better! :D

[niky]

Black... nice. Yung nakita kong grille conversion, Black Optra sa Alabang. Looks good from a distance, don't know how good it looks up close.

Fuel consumption increase depends on how big the mags are. Typically 1-2 km/l for standard 17"s.

[batang_raon14]

*glockmeister26

oks lang po sir! wow! ang mura ng kuha nya ah? laki talaga ng difference pag casa... tsk tsk. Pero gaya nga po ng sabi ni nugundam93, mas ok nga po ung sa atoy, nagmumukhang wider ung sasakyan.

Kaso, parang di ko trip ung pagkalowered nung showroom vehicle nila. Sa opinyon ko lang, 1" drop eh sobra-sobra na sa Optra. Kung dadalhin ko ung ganyang kababang sasakyan sa probinsya eh kawawa ilalim ng body ko. Paniguradong gasgas lagi pag sumayad.

*niky

1-2km/liter? Medyo di naman po pala masama. Hehe... kung nakaka 9.5 na ako on average, so around 7.5 to 8.5? Kaya na po siguro un! Kala ko kasi balik to 2.5 eh? =D

Saka chief, maganda nga kung palitan ko ung grille ko to bago, kaso nung pinansin ko, ung grille eh directly nakakabit sa front bumper? Alam ko dapat may hati in between the grille at front bumper eh? Kaso wala akong makita! Ano ibig sabihin nun? Para mapalitan ung grille papalitan ko rin ung bumper? O pwedeng madiskartehan sir???

[niky]

Hmm... can't answer that, I'd have to see it to reply.

You could always just black out the chrome and cut out the plastic inserts, but destroying stock trim makes it difficult to return the car to stock when you get tired of the "modded" look.

Depended talaga yung consumption effects, ha. It's more dependent on the weight of the mags and width of the tires than on the size alone. I've had mags that absolutely sapped power from the car, and I've had mags that actually made the car feel lighter and faster than stock.

Generally, you lose maybe 1 hp for every 2 pounds or so heavier each new mag is over the stock one. A ten pound difference per mag-wheel combo might equate to a 5 hp loss, dependent on engine size.

EDIT: I've just looked it up... according to testing by Sport Compact Car, there's an apparent .4 hp loss per additional pound. (hehe... I was close!)

17" mags with tires typically weigh between 35-38 lbs (common ROTAs) to 40-45 lbs (for fancy ones). Compare this with a typical stock combo of about 29-33 lbs, and you have a possible power loss of 4-5 hp. Which may not seem like much, until you consider your car only makes about 80-85hp at the wheels... this loss translates to about 6 bhp at the crank. You'll really feel it slow down incredibly at launch, but it's less noticeable once you're at speed.

Medyo obsessive-compulsive ako about wheel weight. I take a scale with me to the mag shops. Basically, for combined wheel weight, take the weight of a 17" mag, then add 20 lbs (for the tire). For 15" or 16", add 18 lbs.

[batang_raon14]

*niky

chief, eto po baka makatulong:




at tungkol po sa mags, mukhang papatimbang ko po muna ung bibilhin ko bago ko bilhin. Though that would make me low on options, baka makatiyempo ng magaan na set ng mags. Hehe. =D