questions about "tuners" and rice....

[2000whiteGTS]

I see everywhere I look numerous examples of things being called "rice" and "tuners," so I have to ask the questions, what are they? It seems that from what I have read anytime someone doesn't like something someone else does, they call it rice. Everyone wants their car, or themselves for that matter, to be different. But by trying to be so different, they start being like everyone else trying to be different, thus defeating the purpose. I swear every single Accord/Civic I see driven by anyone under 30 has one of those obnoxious loud mufflers on it, and probably a CAI. Is that all it takes to be a "tuner"? What about having stickers of Japanese letters on your gas door? Or the ever popular body kit that isn't painted? If I put a sticker of Calvin peeing on a Honda symbol, chrome tailights, TRD seatbelt shoulderpads, one of those ridiculous spoilers that look like a huge silver picnic table, will I be a tuner, or just rice? I for one would like my car to remain pretty much stock on the outside, and have left it as such. The inside is another story. It is so hard for anyone to try to make their car different when there are only so many things you can do. Just looking through the posts on this site you can see how many people have put on CAI's, painted their dash pieces, put on S2000 antennas, and that's just people that know about this website. I'm not trying to insult anyone here, or Honda owners for that matter, just wondering what it takes for something to be called a tuner or rice. Kind of makes me wonder what names they called things when low-rider trucks were all the rage.

[LaW]

Every car on this website is rice, thats what it is.....

It will vary from person to person but for me if your a serious "tuner" you have gone the extra mile to make your car look "clean" and to moderatly or more heavily modify the engine for more performance. I don't consider people that just have cai's and exhausts as tuners I think it comes with a whole package of appearance/performance....

For rice, it doesn't take much for me.... altezzas, stickers, very huge fart cans with 6" tips (doesn't have to be 6"), aviation wings, cars done in poor taste (which as you said is basically something that i don't like and don't think should be done to the car), people that think their car will beat anything on the road kind of attitude after adding a CAI as if it were a freakin turbo :wtf: :), lambo doors bother me because imho they don't belong on a celica, really aggressive bodykits that scream out look at me :) hehe, colors that I wouldn't even wear on a shirt in public that someone painted their car with, and like you said you have your unpaineted body kits :rofl: thats just dumb, chrome anything imho is poor taste

Just fyi I wouldn't consider myself a tuner, infact my car used to have a lot of what i would consider "rice" but i'm cleaning it up a little but oh well its a celica and it will still be ricey :) hehe Perhaps at the end of the year i'll feel like a tuner after i'm done modding the engine but time will tell.... i don't really use "tuner" ever so lol its kind of weird

Yes it is hard to make their cars different/unique... Most people doing that stuff its like the cookie cutter thing hehe Thats why I mean the people that don't have the money to spend and just get a couple things I wouldn't consider it rice but I mean I think they just want a little difference in their ride but not go all out on it.

I hope that made some sense

There is more **** for me but heh

[F35-JSF]

Check out this oldy. http://www.riceboypage.com/ . There is some explanation for you. Of course not every one is going to like what you do to your car, so mod it like you want it and be happy with it.

[Griffin]

Well, I dunno about rice cause eveyroen has their own definition, but to me a true tuner or hot rodder is always going to be someone that puts performance first. I mean if you look at the old hot rod craze, it started with guys doing everything they could to drop weight. lower drag, and add power, and normally trying to keep things looking clean at the same time.

From my personal perspective, my idea of ultimate tuning is sleepres - when its almost impossible to tell a car isn't stock or close to stock, but that car can consistently whup up on stuff that should be way out of its league. Its one of the reasons I like the alltrac so much. aside from the small hood bulge and the badging it looks like any other Celica of its day, but once you apply the throttle its a whole nother animal. I like the Mitsu Gallant VR4 for the same reason. Bu thats just me.

At the end of the day all that matters is that when you look at your car and drive your car, you feel happy about the experience.

[SlasherX]

Griffin hit the nail on the head.

my interpretation is very similar in that, you never put show before go. the moment you start adding bumpers, wings, etc. you are rice to me because you are taking a performance car(or not in most cases) and turning it into a Las Vegas strip sign. I don't like loud looking cars, I don't think you're special by applying a 5 grand paint job to your car and have the newest body kit fo shizzy. I like sleepers...nothing is more satisfying than surprising the guy next to you with your stock looking car. You wouldn't believe the complements the V6 would get after fending off a more popular/expensive car with so little done to it.

All I care about is how fast you go, and how much you know. If you aren't fast but know your stuff, I respect that, but all too often we have people in slow cars who don't know anything, slapping on retarded show parts and going on a street racing binge out to prove to the world that they're the fastest honda mitsu toyota type gsx.r-s.

The fast and the furious only made this worse, as well. A true tuner keeps his car clean, but spends his time wrenchign on it to make it faster and every bit better than it was before. He spends his money, time, and heart on making every last bit of power, every last bit of traction be realized.

that was one of the things that attracted me to the DSM's when I was 16. They werent slapping on decals, wings, body kits, etc. to make the car look like a mutant transformer. No, they were focusing instead on whipping butt at the 1320, and winning SCCA events. That is the same thign that attracted me to the Mustang world..anyone who does that stuff to an American Muscle car is deemed a retard and promptly gets their ass kicked, or is shunned by the group at large. In the end it all comes down to what a person wants and likes in their car, but if you spend your money on show and run your mouth like 95% of the ricers do, I'm not going to respect you.

so in summary:

Tuner: Makes the car faster, handle better, brake better, and goes for performance.

Ricer: Goes for show, making the car "stand out", and runs their mouth about how "fast" their bodykitted woo woo car is.

[Baldhead_J]

This is the timeless debate. I think a moderate amount of show and go are ideal. I think bodykits are great and cater to a stylistic theme that could never be marketed to the mass public. Going fast is great, but you can't do it that often or safely in a daily driver. You can look good ALL the time.

[cool2miketlu]

Tuner would be the ones that would make the engine fast, strip down anything that does not contribute to power and drill holes in car to make it lighter without compromise the chasis.
Ricer is putting all mods thats opposite to tuners.
I think Tuner is good for power but damn that car is uncomfortable to drive, Ricer may have cool gagets but damn does it slow the cardown.
I would say people should go with something in middle of the road, good mix between Tuner and Ricer.

[k2snownsk8]

i think of tuners as people who work on their engines and "tune" them to maximum efficiency and the work done out of the engine bay is function OVER form. they don't put huge stupid park benches on a car that is front wheel drive, in fact they probably de-wing the car to make the drag less. they don't put on body kits unless t hey serve on keeping the car on the ground. they don't use canards and stuff unless they will be going speeds in which more downforce on the front wheels is needed. they choose wheels not because they nessicarliy look good (which is an added bonus) but because they weigh less than stock and provide a good balance of acceleration and high speed capability. you won't see 19's or most likely, even 18's on a car for somebody who is a real tuner, because they provide more rolling resistance than the stock 16 or 17's with a lower profile tire. for the celica, they won't have any body kits at all, except for perhaps the c-one lip and/or a carbon lip spoiler which i believe do serve a useful purpose on the celica. they buy carbon hoods for weigh reduction, not nessicarily because they look good though it is a by product. i can go into more detail but i think you all get the point. tuners do stuff to cars to make them perform better than stock.

as far as rice goes, they are the direct opposite of a tuner, they do stuff because it looks good and if it actually does serve a useful purpose, then good for them. these people will spend 200 on taillights that in the end, are probably heavier than the stock ones but "look cool". they will put ridiculous body kits like veilside that made the drag coefficeint go up but looks good. they put stickers galore of products they don't have or even worse, try to change the trim level of their car to a type R , siR, etc. and like Law said, they paint their cars to colors i wouldn't even wear on a shirt nonetheless a car. in a nutshell, ricers do stuff to a car to make it look better than stock.

[2002GT_Celica]

Originally posted by k2snownsk8
as far as rice goes, they are the direct opposite of a tuner, they do stuff because it looks good and if it actually does serve a useful purpose, then good for them. these people will spend 200 on taillights that in the end, are probably heavier than the stock ones but "look cool". they will put ridiculous body kits like veilside that made the drag coefficeint go up but looks good. they put stickers galore of products they don't have or even worse, try to change the trim level of their car to a type R , siR, etc. and like Law said, they paint their cars to colors i wouldn't even wear on a shirt nonetheless a car. in a nutshell, ricers do stuff to a car to make it look better than stock.

Basically, people like me then I guess. I have an auto and I am all show, no go...so people will say that's rice. Whatever. Most of the time it's because what I'm driving looks about 10x better than what they are. Sure, extreme body kits may make the car slower, but I'd rather be slow and look good, then be fast and have a bland kit, tiny rims, and a 4x4 suspension.

[k2snownsk8]

i didn't say one was bad or not, but threw out what each term ment. if you like your car that way, go for it. just trying to help somebody out by defining stuff. no hard feelings.

[LaW]

Originally posted by 2002GT_Celica


Basically, people like me then I guess. I have an auto and I am all show, no go...so people will say that's rice. Whatever. Most of the time it's because what I'm driving looks about 10x better than what they are. Sure, extreme body kits may make the car slower, but I'd rather be slow and look good, then be fast and have a bland kit, tiny rims, and a 4x4 suspension.

also things like angel eyes that belong on the cars that came with them ;) :rofl:

[k2snownsk8]

Originally posted by LaW


also things like angel eyes that belong on the cars that came with them ;) :rofl:


hahahaa...:chuckles:

[chico]

RICE!

[cool2miketlu]

well call me Ricey-Tuner guys, I got Rice and Tuner stuff on my car. I like my car to look good and go fast.

[2002GT_Celica]

Originally posted by chico
RICE!

OK...thanks a lot. Doesn't bother me. My car does everything I want it to do. Gets me where I want to go and turns heads.

[TRlPPlN]

Originally posted by 2002GT_Celica


OK...thanks a lot. Doesn't bother me. My car does everything I want it to do. Gets me where I want to go and turns heads.


thats the spirit!! to each on his own and prespective. if your happy with your ride and your mods then thats all that matters.

the way i see it..tuners=function before fashion

rice=majority of the import scene.

[Griffin]

I don't know that its fair to call ALL appearance mods "Rice"... I mean, when its done so tastefully and cleanly that you would think its OEM if you didn't know what OEM looks like... At that point I would have to say its well sone apperance mods. Not tuning, but not Rice either. To Me rice always caries a negative connotation and refers to stuff thats ugly, lame, half done, poorly done, or WAY overdone .

[Da Kine Guy]

You pretty much know rice when you see it. I'll call some ****er a riceboy if he's in a stock Civic drivin' 50 in a 35 and weaving in and out of traffic. Same goes for domestics, cept then the term I usually use is redneck.

BTW, chrome/polished aluminum looks pretty damn good in an engine bay, but not for outer trim or used in heavy amounts on the interior. The Celica has a few chrome details on the inside which goes quite well with the black leather door trim.

I do have things which scream automatic-rice to me though. Big ass exhaust tips (I don't care if the car's a turbo, still looks like ish), aluminum wings (100whp per inch off the rear please), the stupid ass F&F wacked out wavey wings, buddy club kits, altezzas (I think the IS300 would look a helluva lot better with some reds), Z3 fender vents on anything cept a Z3, chrome rims, the rims with ball bearings in them, paint jobs you did cause your chick liked that color, any and all external blue or blue tinted lights, and yellow interiors. That's all I can come up with right now.

[k2snownsk8]

it depends on what the appearance mod is. prime example are people who get their consoles wrapped in carbon or a full carbon console. either way, it doesn't really bring about a drastic weight reduction but it looks really cool. if done right, it looks like what comes OEM on porsches. another example of just an appearance mod is the s2000 antenna or getting your factory skirts painted like i hope to this summer. it looks as if it should have came that way from the factory. in fact, it goes completely overlooked by most people who dont' own celicas. these are examples of just appearance mods, not touched by rice or tuning definitions.

where you get into trouble, are things such has taillights, stickers, painting interior pieces, colored bulbs, body kits, rims, and the like which do not look OEM at all, but rather look custom. you can have a professional paint job, and as far as paint is concerned it could be perfect but it still wont' look OEM (when painting consoles or putting on body kits). yeah, the more extreme it gets, the more "rice" it will get. this is all based off what i've seen and talked with people about. hopefully i've helped out without being too bias.

[chico]

RICE!!!!!!! actually :whogives: hahaha

[ishido]

Rice is making your car look fast when it isn't. Rice=pretender. Fake Type R stickers, non functional wings etc.

There IS a difference between Rice and bad taste. Altezza (tail lights) don't make your car faster... they are just bad taste IMO. Racing stripes (something visually loud and declaring "racer") on a slow car would make it Rice. Dual exhaust on a 4 cylinder engine is Rice. Rice=performance ignorance. They mimick what performance cars have to make their cars look faster than they are.

So IMO there are 4 categories (that sometimes intermesh): Performance, Show, Rice and Bad Taste. Yes you can be fast and have poor taste. NSX w/ Supercharger and Nitrous but a triple decker wing... bad taste.

[Boost300zx]

rice is very simply: Function Follows Form

[a1even]

[/B]Originally posted by Boost300zx
rice is very simply: Function Follows Form

Fast & Furious

[My68Spit]

Originally posted by SlasherX


Tuner: Makes the car faster, handle better, brake better, and goes for performance.

Ricer: Goes for show, making the car "stand out", and runs their mouth about how "fast" their bodykitted woo woo car is.

Couldn't have said it better myself. This along with doing things TASTEFULLY is the big difference. Most of the cars i see on this list are tastefully done.

"...and that's all i have to say about that." (Forrest Gump)

[In2Speed]

Tuners = Horsepower
Rice = Appearance

For the most part, a nice rim, good suspension and any Real Carbon pieces aren't Rice.

Later,
Jay

[2000whiteGTS]

Ok, so it would seems rice is all show, tuner is all go. Sounds about like what I thought. Are carbon fiber hoods really that much lighter than stock? Because I think they look dumb if they don't match the car, and if it is for go and not show, then seems to me most people with them would get them painted too. Just my thoughts. So the only thing I have done to the outside of my car is to remove my antenna, filled the hole, and made a roof top one like the Matrix has behind my moonroof. In my opinion the car looks way better, even though it is only a small thing different. The rest is all interior stuff. Eventually after I win the lotto I will make the car faster by engine treatments, but I guess I am going for the sleeper look as you call it. When I used to have my clear tailights I had every punk who pulled up next to me trying to race, since I put my stock back on, nothing. (thanks to the cop who pulled me over for the motivation on changing them back) At the moment I am re-wiring the amps and such in my trunk to make it look a little more hidden, just finished painting all the interior very dark blue/white trim, and trying to figure a way of designing my own tailights by using the clear ones I have. Probably going to try to make a mold out of fiberglass, then make the lights with a design I have been thinking of for awhile. If I ever get pictures developed I will see if I can post them, I am sure some of my stuff is rice, but unless you are inside the car, you won't see it anyway. Thanks for all of your thoughts on the rice/tuner questions.

[k2snownsk8]

as far as the carbon hoods are concerned, i do believe they offer a decent weight reduction, if it's a properly made quality carbon weave and such. i know that if i had a carbon hood (which i won't ever) that i would probably paint it. i'm not a big fan of unpainted pieces on the outside (minus a carbon lip spoiler or something small like that which will get scraped anyways). i know some people on this board do have their painted.

[LaW]

my cf hood weights 8lbs.... i'd say its a decent amount lighter

[VVT4ME]

I like the bare black cf hoods, as it looks like the old matte/flat black hoods that came on some of the factory hot-rod muscle cars of the late 60s and into the 70s, and inspires some of the spirt as such..like a modern incarnation of them. It isnt too ricy for me, as long the rest of the car is tastefull too.

[Redline]

You cant say being a tuner means absolutely no show.

Look at all the most respected tuner companies in japan. They have extras that make the car look not as OEM, but the difference is that those parts don't hinder performance. Take Trial for instance. Their celica screams performance, but they have a really wild kit. Say what you want, but I believe sports/performance cars should impress performance-wise as well as visually.

[F35-JSF]

Post revivals..........

[Redline]

Originally posted by F35-JSF
Post revivals..........

haha... i didnt even catch that. :(

[xover22]

a guy that I used to know would leave "rice citations" on cars that had anything on their car that did not belong on their car. Gave me a pretty good chuckle....

ex. a type- R sticker on a toyota or mitsu.

[chameleon]

...A type R sticker on a Mitsubishi or a Toyota is 100% pure rice IMO. Any kind of miss badging of any kind is pure rice.

This is the timeless debate. I think a moderate amount of show and go are ideal. I think bodykits are great and cater to a stylistic theme that could never be marketed to the mass public. Going fast is great, but you can't do it that often or safely in a daily driver. You can look good ALL the time.

I'm glad that this thread was revived because I got to read this comment. Very well put Baldhead_J. :thumbup: