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Old 09-05-2015, 07:51 PM   #1 (permalink)
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How to Make Easy Ecomods Look Good!

There are multiple ways to mod your car to maximize mpg, but there are slight problems that keep a lot of us from doing them;

A: the mod looks hideous!
B: the mod requires a custom body shop pro to make it look right!
C: the cost to make it look right will never be rationalized by the mpg gain!

So I thought this thread would be good for those people who want easy, reasonably cheap ecomods that actually don't hurt, and may actually help the look of your car!

To start off; I got the idea for this thread when I saw a Nissan Altima coupe with a custom chrome grille; it looked like a solid chrome piece with round holes drilled in rows in it, and appeared to lower the amount of air allowed to enter!
I thought, "That actually looks cool! why couldn't Ecomodders do something like that instead of blocking off one side of the grille?" And I had just got some of these: http://hubcapmike.com/images/wheel-skins/prius-324x.jpg off of eBay, I plan on 'patching the holes' with black coroplast to create a "better looking than original' smooth wheel cover!
There are some ecomods that are known to be easy and look good; gap filling with foam weatherstripping, clear covers over bucket style headlights, then there are things like the belly pan that can't be seen, but there are others that are not easy to make look good, please try to find a way!

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Old 09-05-2015, 10:49 PM   #2 (permalink)
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Old 09-05-2015, 10:53 PM   #3 (permalink)
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One more :

All of these grille inserts aren't exactly cheap, so you won't be saving anything, but it does look professional.
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Old 09-05-2015, 10:58 PM   #4 (permalink)
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Not exactly what I meant but it would some! The cost would be a little high! I was meaning make a metal full grille block, drill some holes in it in a pattern, and either paint it or clear coat it!
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Old 09-05-2015, 11:10 PM   #5 (permalink)
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Oh - I thought you meant aftermarket parts.

Make your own ..yes - I like that idea.
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Old 09-05-2015, 11:30 PM   #6 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cd View Post
Oh - I thought you meant aftermarket parts.

Make your own ..yes - I like that idea.
Yes!!! But more closed up than that!

What I want this thread to show is easy diy mods that actually look good!
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Old 09-05-2015, 11:49 PM   #7 (permalink)
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Window tint, and hidden antenna are my only mods that I would say have improved the appearance of my car.
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Old 09-05-2015, 11:52 PM   #8 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 2000mc View Post
Window tint, and hidden antenna are my only mods that I would say have improved the appearance of my car.
Mods that don't hurt can also go on the list! I doubt your tire spats hurt!
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Old 09-06-2015, 12:06 AM   #9 (permalink)
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Well there are mods that might as well be invisible. Block heaters, tire selection, p/s delete - kinda a stretch to be a plus, but no p/s whine on cold mornings or tight parking. Scangauge and kill switch aren't very noticeable from outside the car. Tire spats and grill blocked from behind would be more of a "less noticeable" mod
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Old 09-06-2015, 06:41 AM   #10 (permalink)
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I think both the grill block and the mirrored moon discs improved the appearance of Ron Burgundy. I also really like the appearance of the tiny aero mirrors I put on it.

I was never a fan of the giant lower grill opening or the stock Insight rims, and the stock side view mirrors always seemed to be out of proportion with the car, so all three mods are an improvement to me.






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