What is Rice?

[TomoHawk]

It's not even a 280Z...

[TomoHawk]

How about this for the correct way to mount a wing on a front wheel drive car? I'm not that good with photo-chopping, but I think you get the idea.

Notice the "park bench" wing on the back of this car. The weoight of the concrete ends wil add at least 400 kilos of downforce!

[Alfadog]

Typically they get additional downforce from the shape of the front bumper, but bonnet spoilers have been done. This is a Toyota Sports part.

[TomoHawk]

You could probably do the same thing by taping a length of pencils across the bonnet, or some split PVC pipe.:classic:

[hls30.com]

I guess a pair of long horns on a 70s caddy would doo too!

Will

[240ZMan]

That and lawn edging from Home Depot attached with rivets for ground effects. Now who in their right mind would do that ... ?

I think there's a fine line between "rice" and "mcgiver". If you're putting the edging on the front of a real airdam as a low-cost way to reduce airflow under the car without having it break on every driveway, I think that would qualify as a clever and economical solution. If it was just to look "cool" (or whatever the current term dejour is), then I think it's rice.

BTW, I added the old-style BRE spook to my '73 strictly to improve higher speed stability and I was amazed at how much of an improvement there was. The older Z's really have poor aerodynamics.

Seems to me that there is a consitent feeling from this group that rice is when things are added with little/no real-world benefit.

[moonpup]

So then if one were to polish/paint their valve cover would the be considered riceing up one's vehicle? It has little/no real world benefit.

[240ZMan]

So then if one were to polish/paint their valve cover would the be considered riceing up one's vehicle? It has little/no real world benefit.

Good point, I doubt any of us would see it that way.

What I meant (and should have been more clear on) was adding things that appear to improve performance, when indeed they don't. Do you all think that's a better description of rice?

BTW, I don't have any strong feelings on this. If I see someone who does things to their car that I would never do to mine, I just hope it's making them happy. I know others would never make some of the mods I've done - (too noisy, rides too rough, etc).

[hls30.com]

So then if one were to polish/paint their valve cover would the be considered riceing up one's vehicle? It has little/no real world benefit.

I would have to say YES! with one get out of Rice free card. Most ricers that spend money under the hood put on braided stainless hose covers, silicone plug wire covers, flourescent valve cover paint, matching vacuum and intake hoses, massive dosese of color.

If the only changes to the engine are dressing it up with all of this color, it IS rice. But few ricers realy want anyone under the hood-seeing what is there only proves the car is all show no go-exactly what the true ricer does not want anyone to know!

So an engine with a polished.painted valve cover could be rice, but only when accompanied by other useless matching coatings/coverings and no real performance upgrades under the hood..

I am going to polish one of my 2400 valve covers, and just clean and detail the other one. I will be using polished/plated fitings and fasteners under the hood with a polished turbo, but all of the hoses will all be black, and the plug wires will be Magnacore red-aw sh!t, that matches the Red top Optima-I guess I am a ricer...:mad:

Even though Red is the only color Magnacore KV85s come in, and the only color the Optima red top batteries come in..

Will

[TomoHawk]

Some of that stuff seems to be a requirement, like the braided hose covers on muscle csars. It seems to give the feel of performance to a muscle car, and if the rest of the car is done well, like nice paint, chrome in the right spots, etc., it looks very nice- not rice.

But then I see some braided hose covers that make you feel like your looking at panty hose with lots of runs in them. :disappoin

[hls30.com]

Any Well done Muscle car would habe braided satainless lines, not covers...

Rice is about the looks, not performance, but that is NOT to say performance can't look good, only that the performance comes first, then the "look" is added to it.

Will

[240ZMan]

Do you think that ignorance is part of it? For example, the other day I saw a honda civic, completely stock (at least what I could see outside the car) with a huge rear wing bolted directly to the top of the trunk. If there was any bracing I couldn't see it. Front wheel drive car. Car wasn't lowered. Tires were skinny all-season rubber. I can't see how the wing could have any positive affect on the car.

What was going through his mind when he spent money and time to do that? Ignorance? Just experimenting? Or something else?