Maybe you’re a this is your first car and you desperately want to be cool. Maybe you’ve seen “The Fast and the Furious” one too many times. Maybe you just really enjoy tinkering with your car and think those after-market modifications are cool. Whatever the reason, chances are you’ve likely committed at least half or more of these dozen horrible car modifications that should be – but sadly, are not – illegal. Read on to see what damage needs to be undone.

 

Huge exhaust pipes and loud or large mufflers: So you’ve got a powerful engine, but that’s not enough. You want everyone around you to know you’ve got something major going on under the hood. So what do you do? Make sure that exhaust pipe is big enough to get a grapefruit through and that it’s attached to a muffler to match. When you rev that engine, there will be no doubt where that sound is coming from. Speaking of…

 

Engine sound enhancement – AKA, “Fake engine sounds”: Now this is just sad. Having a large engine and advertising it is one thing. Having a regular or even smaller engine than usual but adding speakers to make people think you’ve got a bigger engine is pathetic. Repeat after me, “Size matters not…” If that doesn’t work, they do make pills for that sort of thing.

 

Body kits: So either you want your car to look like you’ve lowered the suspension without actually having done so, or you think you’re going to create the coveted “ground effect” by reducing the amount of space under your car. Either way, you’re not fooling anybody except yourself. CAD drafting can help you get the right look for your car without the kit.

 

Wings: Spoilers are unobtrusive, useful factory add-ons that decrease drag and increase mileage. Wings are ridiculous, ostentatious items that ironically, tend to create lift instead of drag. Face it, more than likely your car doesn’t go fast enough to get that ground effect your wings are supposed to produce.

 

Big wheels and low profile tires: This is a combination that not only looks cool but also improves handling. Unfortunately, unless you are lucky enough to only drive on perfectly smooth, well-manicured streets, you’d better set aside an extra several grand for all those tires you’re going to be replacing. Potholes and low pro tires just don’t mix.

 

Decals where they don’t belong: Do you have a Type R Honda? No? Then please don’t think putting a Type R Honda racing decal on your car will magically turn your car into one. If you should ever run into someone who really does own one of the rare Honda racing models, you’ll just be embarrassed.

 

Overly raised cars: If you happen to be driving Grave Digger, then driving a vehicle with extreme ground clearance makes sense. If you’re driving anything else, not so much.

 

Tinted headlights: When you look so cool, does safety really matter? The answer to that would be yes, yes it does. This practice isn’t strictly legal, but depending on what state you’re in you may or may not get pulled over for it. Just decide ahead of time if looking cool is worth the price of a ticket.

 

Bras: Protecting your paint job makes sense. Putting a bra on something that does not have breasts does not. Once you put a bra on your car, you pretty much can never take it off since the paint on your car will fade unevenly.

 

Lambo doors: Also known as scissor doors, switchblade doors, and beetle-wing doors, the Lamborghini doors were cool – back when they first came out in the late 1960s. At that time, they were actually a safety feature enabling better visibility for backing up, as well as being innovative at the time. Now, they are simply an overdone fad that makes getting out of the car more difficult.

 

“Creative” exterior paint jobs and decor: When deciding on the custom paint color of your car, don’t forget that the rest of the drivers out there on the road have to look at it, too. The more hideous and distracting that paint job is, the more likely you’ll have to repair it because a gawker ran into it. A related trend is vehicle wrap. Unless you want your car or truck to become a mobile billboard – in that case, by all means go ahead – skip the vehicle wrap.

 

Booming sound system: Those ultra-low base booming sound systems actually are illegal in some places – and for good reason. There’s nothing quite as annoying as being able to feel someone else’s music vibrating in your seat when you’re at a stop light. If your subwoofers take up your entire trunk, it’s time to rethink your sound system.

 

Something to keep in mind when considering alterations is that car insurance rates tend to increase immensely with extreme mods. The thing to remember with car modifications is: just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. If you truly want to improve your car, go for performance over looks.

 

This guest post article was written and provided by David Brenner who is a freelance writer and online consultant for The Hartford and many auto industry websites.