Image Credit: Daily Choices | Unsplash
Despite strict car modification laws in Singapore, there remains room on the road for large-scale tackiness when it comes to ridiculous car mods. From the heinously expensive to the painfully cheap, absurd mods tend to say more about the prickly personalities of the owners than the actual cars and make hard work and cash come across as bad jokes on wheels.
If you don’t want to come across as a fool with god-awful taste, here are 7 ridiculous car mods in Singapore you’ll want to avoid.
1. Spoiler alert: Oversized, low-quality spoilers do nothing for you
While spoilers have an important role in improving a car’s performance, some drivers seem to believe that ridiculously huge spoilers will make their cars even more aerodynamic, and chick-dynamic. Bad news, fellas: Installing an oversized spoiler on a sedan with low horsepower only means you’re adding needless downforce and hiking your petrol bill. We also highly doubt the ladies like this:
2. Hey sheriff, your fake badge ain’t fooling anyone
This just makes your car look like it’s going through an identity crisis, and clueless isn’t a good look. If your Mercedes-Benz is an E200, be proud! There’s no need to pretend it’s an Eee 53. Yes, this has actually happened –
Yep, there’s a Singaporean Instagram account that exposes fake unbadged cars, and almost all of their content is contributed by enthusiasts from the local car scene. You wouldn’t want to appear on it, would you?
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3. We aren’t being sticklers: say no to excessive or inappropriate stickers and decals
One car decal story that’s got us shaking our heads is the 2019 case of the mysterious Singaporean driver with ghost decals – They had decided to stick ghostly faces in their rear window and caused a driver to bang into another car and $3,000 worth of damages. A few other drivers narrowly avoided mishaps.
4. Nobody (nobody but you) likes an OTT body kit
- increase drag
- decrease aerodynamics
- make speed bumps a hazard
- slow down your car, and
- increase your petrol bill
Of course, we can’t argue that somebody’s kits could make a car go from humdrum to utterly splendid – Even a run-of-the-mill Toyota Altis could look amazing with the right type and amount of modifications.
Still interested in getting your car a modded body kit? Understanding the limitations of your vehicle and keeping safety at the forefront go a long way in making your efforts sustainable and worthwhile.
5. Loud pipes do not save lives
We have all experienced the unrelenting, awful sound of an overly noisy car – These cars are as loud as Lion Dances during Chinese New Year but without any of the cultural value. Literally, no one we know has ever said: “Wow, I just love the sound of a noisy exhaust!” Instead, the one thought that victims of exhaust noise pollution commonly entertain is: “What an inconsiderate idiot.”
Also, might we also mention that ridiculously upgrading your tailpipe on its own just makes it painfully obvious that you’re overcompensating? Again, balance is the keyword here.
6.Dreams are not made of (fake) oversized rims
When car owners change their rims and tyres, they usually replace heavy rims with lighter ones, and this greatly helps in terms of fuel efficiency and handling, amongst other things. However, not all car owners who mod their rims go for original ones, and this is where things start to go wrong.
Fake rims are attractive because of their cheap cost, and while they may come across as a safe alternative, some of these unoriginal rims could actually weigh heavier and end up costing drivers more in the long run. The very fact that they aren’t made with factory-standard materials also means that these fake rims could crack under pressure and put you in severe danger on the road.
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Apart from fake rims, some car owners like to go for bigger wheels with narrower tyres, and while this might seem stylish, it is a dangerous number game that needs to be carefully thought through by a professional – Inappropriately large wheel and tyre combinations might damage your chassis, which is the skeleton of your car, whilst narrow tyres are likely to get punctured. You don’t want either of those things happening to you while you’re on the way to work at 8.30 am on the PIE, do you?
If you’re keen on changing your rims, make sure you go to a reputable tyre shop and mechanic, as they’ll ace the needful job of testing your tyres to ensure they suit your vehicle and keep you and your passengers safe.
7. Stick-on vents are what good taste prevents
Real vents serve the purpose of improving airflow and increasing the efficiency of race cars when it comes to maintaining heat and air conditioning. Fake vents, on the other hand, have a tendency to fly off whilst you’re on the road, and might also ruin your paint job. Save yourself the embarrassment and hefty repair bills, friend.
Before you go pimping your ride, we’d like to end by reiterating that as with most things in life, balance is key, along with safety, and taste. If you’re thinking of modifying your car and have no idea where to begin, don’t take a page from these 7 ridiculous car mods to avoid – Check out this article for some of the quickest and most efficient car mods to make in Singapore instead.
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