Originally Posted by
Fifty150
For the same reason you turn to any other after-market modification. You're trying to make it better. We all know that things could be better, but for reasons of cost control, they don't always use the best parts. Why only electric fans on Lincoln Mark models, when the rest of us F-150's & Expeditions have clutch fans? Why don't Fords use a full synthetic factory fill? Why doesn't every car come with a K&N filter? Why don't we all have more aggressive and responsive tuning? Why those crappy manifolds instead of headers?
Cost control is it. You can buy vehicles with premium features, they just come with a premium price. Go buy yourself a Porsche, it will come with a synthetic factory fill, agressive, responsive tuning and headers.
Trying to "make it better" can be a double edged sword. There are lots of products out there that claim to be better, yet it is just advertising. Your K&N filter is a prime example. Paper flows better and filters better yet people buy into the hype everyday. Cold air intakes, throttle body spacers, free flow exhaust, tuner chips, drilled brake rotors etc etc. In the right combination, with the right tuning, these things have potential. As installed by most people they are nothing more than a drain on the wallet.
My Expy is what it is. It will never be an awesome off roader, it will never be fast, it will never get great milage. If I simply maintain it per the manufacturers reccomendations it will do its job, and it will last a long time. Trying to "make it better" is a losing proposition IMO.