I've gotten decent returns on bolt on mods. Electric fans, intakes, exhaust, headers, pulleys, and such. But the biggest gain is from PCM tuning. A custom tune is heads & tails above stock. A dyno tune is even better.

 

I am assuming you are purposefully vague.

How much have you spent on these mods, and what exactly have you gained?

PCM tuning that now requires you to use premium fuel?

You are helping make my point. You have listed a couple thousand in bolt on mods. At best you probably got 40hp on a 2V 5.4. You could have spent similar money and just upgraded the vehicle.

I understand personalizing your vehicle. I have an aftemarket muffler, I like the sound, no other expectation or benefit. I fitted Bilstien shocks, the ride is more controlled but still compromised by a cheap basic design. I fitted bigger MT tires, they work for my needs but can not transform the basic limitations of the chassis.

If you think you can do it better than the manufacturer, you are only kidding yourself. They spend millions to develop vehicles. They have resources way beyond the home mechanic and all of the aftermarket put together. You are almost never making your vehicle better, you are simply making compromises to suit your desires.

My point is, if you want a "better" vehicle, buy one. Those who think the premium brands are not worth it have likely never experienced them first hand. Those who think they can turn a "lesser" vehicle into something comparable to a premium vehicle, always come up short.

People buying a fancy set of spark plugs hoping to see some sort of improvement are going to be disappointed.

 

we think a lot alike Big Greenie. I just want my Expedition to get there and back, whether it's a hunting trip, vacation, or a trip to Walmart.

 

Then there may as well not even be an aftermarket. And I'm sure that everyone with mods gets the same ET at the track as a stock vehicle. God forbid anything could be better than those OEM tires that came on the Explorers; because Firestone was the best choice possible. Not everything coming from the factory is as it should be. Sometimes, things don't work. That is why there are recalls and TSB's.

As mods go, so offer more performance gains than others. Sometimes you get suckered by the snake oil. My Explorer has an electric fan. So does my F-150. Now, electric fans come in the F-150.

 

How did you come to that conclusion? "The aftermarket" is a pretty large entity. Only a small part of it tries to cater to the suckers who think they can get something for nothing (or very little). Most of the aftermarket sells OE style replacement parts. Then there is a good portion that sells "cosmetic enhancements". My experience with the part that sells improved performance has revealed most of the claims are pretty dubious. The parts that really work are on the spendy side. If it was a cheap fix, the factory engineers would have caught it.

You run an Expy at the track? Why, no matter what you do, it is slow. Modern cars are just too tightly engineered to benefit from simple bolt ons in most cases. If you do get a big boost in power it is most certainly at the cost of drivability, durability and/or fuel economy.

You sure like the Kool Aid don't ya The truth behind the Firestone issue was operator error. When you drive on severely underinflated tires in hot weather, well yeah, better blame Firestone.

The aftermarket is the fix? I always thought you went to the dealer for recalls rather than fix them yourself, with, of all things, aftermarket parts?

Sounds like you have it all figured out. You are so bright you are years ahead of the factory offerings. Me thinks, millions get suckered by the snake oil. Your K&N filter comment leads me to believe you may be one of them.

 

I have definately done more than my fair share of modifications to vehicles. With most vehicles though, it is a pointless gesture. The expy is a pretty basic tool. It works the best if you just keep it that way IMO.

 

You have some interesting points about aftermarket parts, etc, however I think you are giving to much credit to the auto manufacturers. We were fooled for a long time that they had "the better ideas". today we know better......There is a reason Honda and Toyota are building some of the best American made cars,,,,,

 

Back in the 70s people flipped the top of the air clear cover over. This allowed the sound from the carburetor throats to reverberate their sound up and out. It made everyone think they had a hot rod!

 

You will learn the hard way. My first cousin used to be quality control inspector at an Autolite plant beofore it moved out of the country.

 

I can usually get Motorcraft plugs at the dealership cheaper than I can get aftermarket plugs at the parts house. Having that in mind, I would not even consider aftermarket plugs.

 

Nothing was wrong with the Firestone tires. Ford inflated them below design spec. Remember the lawsuit Firestone won?

 

Yep, Toyota is definitely best at building runaway vehicles that mysteriously run away at wide open throttle for no known reason.

 

I guess Ford, the manufacturer, didn't know better. I put a little more air in my tires than what the sticker says. The sticker has one number for PSI, the tire has a different number.

In most cases, the sticker PSI is suppose to offer the best ride with the OEM tire. In this case, it didn't work out.

But for ride quality, handling, traction, and braking, some people buy new tires as soon as they buy the new car. It's a modification. Just like cold air intakes, exhaust, et cetera. There is nothing wrong with modifications. The OE does not always sell the car with the best thing that could go into it. Cost is a factor. For years, Mustang owners put cold air intakes under the hood. Now the Mustang comes with an intake.

For anyone who wants to leave their car stock, that's fine. It offers OEM quality, and stays under warranty. But I don't think there's a problem with someone who wants to modify their vehicle. And some modifications improve the vehicle's drive-ability. It's not all snake oil like Slick50 & Tornado air vortex what-ever-they-call-it. While some aftermarket gimmicks do more harm than good, some aftermarket accessories actually do good.

Weren't we suppose to be talking about spark plugs?

 

I thought it was the floor mats.

 

Back in the 70's, I had big hair and a moustache.