Where do you see the SportCompact/Tuner scene going?

[crazyrage]

Just wondering what people think about where the sport compact/tuner scene is going in the next 5 -10 years. It's changed a great deal since i started into it. There used to be a buttload of car clubs in our area, and they kinda dropped off. Cruises, event nights, and shows too, and they kinda dropped down to only a few. And a big thing going on is now more people are going from show to more of the go. To see a big wing on the back of anyone's car anymore is rare. A lot more people used to have that crap going on all over. Though the big shows are even bigger and better then before, and we're definitely a noticed "lifestyle" if you wanna call it that. They have TV shows geared more to our style, parts are for the most part easy to find now because companies know whats up for all kinds of makes and models. And of course manufacturers have cars hooked up with cosmetics, performance stock or upgraded performance packages , brand new rolling off the dealer lots and considered stock! But thats just some of what I've noticed, and just wanted others feedback on what ya'll think or changes you've seen happen over the years or since you started into the scene.
Later!!

[WRXD]

Its hard to say, cars keep getting more and more expensive and more and more tuned from the factory because of the demand for aftermarket parts etc.

[ozthunder]

When the main group grows up? Who knows?

[CHAOS]

the main group already did grow up... people that started it are now in their 30's and 40's...

[ozthunder]

Well then if the trend persists, probably nowhere. It seems to be another automotive fad, and they seem to pass every generation or so. It's hard to tell, especially with the environmental concerns as persistent as they are now.

[WRX_JB]

Gas might an effect? as well as car price going ^

[ozthunder]

That too. And generally maturing tastes.

[WRX_JB]

That too. And generally maturing tastes.

Yeah i can agree with that , only 2 years ago i wanted SPINNERS! haha that died real quick.

[ozthunder]

Yup, and the industry is reflecting that quickly. You only need to look at the creases in the new Impreza's sheet metal to realize where it's going.

[Signatus230]

Interesting post, I like it. I can't offer any real input except the fact that I will just have to see how the industry and people's tastes change. Course there is another Fast and the Furious movie coming out... Those movies are alot more influential then originally thought, lol.

[ozthunder]

Yea, and hopefully they don't ruin the GTR or anything legitimately cool. I owned my Z when the third one came out, and I never looked at my car the same again lol

[Nors]

Yea, and hopefully they don't ruin the GTR or anything legitimately cool. I owned my Z when the third one came out, and I never looked at my car the same again lol

I never really saw that movie changing the 350z. I barely noticed it next to the vielside FD

[Proven]

10-15 years ago the whole Import / Compact scene started picking up. It was still Underground at the time and rare to see. Everyone would mainly do rims, Lower their cars and maybe do an exhaust / intake. Once more people started getting into the scene the whole Car show look came about with making your car look as wild as possible to stand out from the next guy. This is when the mainstream grabbed a hold of it. Hot Import Nights was the hot sh** and it became a "Lifestyle" and people within the scene now had their Image. Fast and the furious came out and forget it. Everyone within the mainstream seen this new style / Image and was hooked. This is when the scene REALLY blew up. Now that everyone was making cars look wild the underground guys started making these cars faster to stand out from the trendies. OEM manufactures (the biggest trend followers) started making cars with more power, turbo, etc. (thank god for this actually). Then the trend turned into making your car faster with more power and stand out looks wise.

Now a days a car with very mild clean looks with BIG power is where its at.

Drifting is what’s holding the scene down now I think. Drag racing took a plunge no doubt. I THINK within the next ten years all the trend followers will disappear and what will be left is the true hardcore guys.

Starting now the big thing isnt really what car you drive necessarily but what you do with it (drift, drag, autocross, road race, time attack) or how you built it and for what reason.

The next 10-20 years and beyond I think the big thing will restoring, building, and racing older models (240z, 240sx's, older impreza's, rx7's, supra's, Honda's, etc) and we will all be complaining about these little kids with their electric cars that think they are fast haha!

[WRX_JB]

lol electric fast cars .... Where will we get gas to beat them 10$ a gallon?

[Proven]

Interesting post, I like it. I can't offer any real input except the fact that I will just have to see how the industry and people's tastes change. Course there is another Fast and the Furious movie coming out... Those movies are alot more influential then originally thought, lol.


Very true no doubt. I HEARD the next fast and furious is going to have some Rally Racing in it. If this is true we all know that having mud flaps will be the sh**. And Englishtown will be opening up a rally cross track (which is a good thing really). This of course will lead to all the Subaru guys talking about how they had their car first like the 240 guys do now :mrgreen:

[Paul]

Very true no doubt. I HEARD the next fast and furious is going to have some Rally Racing in it. If this is true we all know that having mud flaps will be the sh**. And Englishtown will be opening up a rally cross track (which is a good thing really). This of course will lead to all the Subaru guys talking about how they had their car first like the 240 guys do now :mrgreen:




i always liked rally haha and for some reason im really fascinated with taking my car off road or through some front yards

[Erik]

as long as i can turn a wrench, im staying.

[Menacing_Gc8]

as long as i can turn a wrench, im staying.

+1 there

Tbh.. I have seen ALOT of things Rise and sorta die back down..Those of us that were around or BARELY had our licenses around when it started, Will likely stay with it.Cars is my Drug of choice. Drift is the new "in" thing to do since FnF 3 , So once that blows up ( which its starting to) its gonna die down a bit too.

If the new FnF has Rally in it, I'm gonna be ticked.. last thing we need is that bad publicity BEFORE it even gets fully off the ground here in the states. I heard that I think it was cali, but not sure.. wanted to shut their Drag strips down because of the bad rap the sport is getting from streetracers.Don't know if that holds an ounce of truth to it, but if it does, I can see where thats leading to and whats gonna pick up again.

But I agree on the Before the movie thing :D .. Seriously tho.. next 10 years, Rally will prolly be the "it" thing and Those of us that are older will be referring to the 90's year model as a "classic" and Electric or Hydrogen powered cars will be the new toy to play with for the kids.

[Raven18940]

I think Fast and the Furious is actually what pushed me into the racing scene, scary thought huh. Now all I wanna do is build engines and turbo charge things. :-p

[SovXietday]

It is what it is. I'll be doing my own thing anyway so it really doesn't matter much to me. The local dragstrips aren't going anywhere, this area is sprouting road courses all over the place, and we've got drift events a plenty.

I don't know where you guys are saying drag racing is falling apart, local dragnights are just as packed as they have been for years lol.

[ozthunder]

Regarding the 350Z...it got a bit degrading when people kept asking if i was DK and if i was going to buy the Veilside kit, which was prolly the worst kit ever designed by man. I dunno, it's hard to take something seriously once it's in such a bad movie.

[PaleDSM]

Sanctioned import events are a ghost town compared to what they were 10 years ago. T&Ts are still popular though but that crowd is not a representation of the import segment. It is a bit of everything.


I have been into imports for about 15 years now and you do see fads come and go. Segments blow up, the guys who were hard core get fed up and either go underground or try to find something new. They stick around doing new things quietly while the fad followers get tired after a few years and move on to something else. It will continue on that way.
Time attack will hit a boil and then die back in a few years. A new fad will follow not long after. And so on.

AutoX seems to be the one thing that has stay virtually the same for as long as I can remember. I think it is because the crowd is not typically a kid with a "tuner" car. They are an older group on average and out there to eek performance out of cars that are even stock.

[DC2.2GSR]

i think it's obvious to where the culture is going, just look at big-engine domestics and classic muscle cars. they've sort of blended in with everybody else.

"in their day", it was all about fast loud frame twisting drag racing. as that generation grew up, it became more of a weekend cruise thing for a lot of people. not every V8 domestic out there is trying to race you, they just want to do their thing and have some fun in a cool looking car... most likely just going to the store for a few minutes or heading to a cruise night. but once in a while you roll up on an old school ride with the rear tires almost touching on the inside and the thing is camming so hard it looks like it's gonna flip over on its side. :mrgreen:

i think the future of the import culture is all about blending in. in 1998, would you be caught dead with a quiet world sport exhaust on your car? you STi and EVO guys... would you have ever gone wingless/scoopless?? hell no, it was all about getting noticed. still is to a certain point, but it's changing. as someone else said, manufacturers are stepping up and following trends and putting out 'special' models with more real performance and sleeker cleaner looks.

look at the Honda 'game'. as i said above it used to be all about getting noticed. big ass body kits and wings, lambo doors, big rims, stereo... basically putting as much extra weight on the car as possible. now, can you imagine if somone rolled into a meet with a car like that? i think it would be the driver of that car that would be embarassed because everyone else's car look basically stock.. and that's the cool thing. try selling a car that's all show with a stock motor. unless you've swapped to B, H, or K series, people won't take a second look at you. people are using as many OEM parts as possible and keeping the weight down by stripping interiors, etc.

it just seems like everyone now wants to blend in until a real enthusiast picks out the differences and points out the car as 'modified'. it will probably swing around a few times, but i think that's the direction a good chunk of the import culture is going.

[SovXietday]

Regarding the 350Z...it got a bit degrading when people kept asking if i was DK and if i was going to buy the Veilside kit, which was prolly the worst kit ever designed by man. I dunno, it's hard to take something seriously once it's in such a bad movie.

Honestly, the FnF movies really aren't that bad. If you think those movies sound stupid, go hang out at a Philly street race. You will seriously lose braincells.

It's a movie designed to make money, what really do you expect? Extremes, basics, and illegal thrills. You know, to appeal to the masses.

[ozthunder]

Honestly, the FnF movies really aren't that bad. If you think those movies sound stupid, go hang out at a Philly street race. You will seriously lose braincells.

It's a movie designed to make money, what really do you expect? Extremes, basics, and illegal thrills. You know, to appeal to the masses.

Eh, I have fairly high standards for my movies lol, so I think anything short of Academy nominated material is garbage.

But I dunno..the stigma around them really, really, really disturbs me.

[SovXietday]

Eh, I have fairly high standards for my movies lol, so I think anything short of Academy nominated material is garbage.

But I dunno..the stigma around them really, really, really disturbs me.

No, I agree. From a car enthusiasts standpoint the movies are utter trash and the people who relate us with those movies are the worst.

However, blaming the scene on a movie is a bit rediculous IMO. We have as much power to change the scene as they have to ruin it.

[TurboTagTeam]

I think as far as import related events go.... Huge drifting events will die out pretty soon. Drifting is really fun if your participating, it's pretty boring watching. I think it's downfall will be that it's a judged event. It's not even racing.

I think time attack will allways keep it's appeal. It's a very good way for companies/drivers to show their goods/skills. And it's not as hard on your bank acount to have a competitive time attack car. Your not worried about replacing 10 sets of tires for one event, or having 4 sets of every body panels for every event.

As far as modifiying cars goes.... It's allways going to be the same. Wings/neons/graphics were never cool. It was just that many people lacked automotive knowlege untill the amazing creation of the internet. A few knowledgable people changed it for everyone with their examples. Think about it....when was the last time you EVER saw a really knowledgable person with a huge ricer wing or neons? Never.

[driftingrx5.7]

The next 10-20 years and beyond I think the big thing will restoring, building, and racing older models (240z, 240sx's, older impreza's, rx7's, supra's, Honda's, etc) and we will all be complaining about these little kids with their electric cars that think they are fast haha!

i agree with you all the way! i think the 240's are going to be the new 60's mustang! i can see where your going with that and i fully agree (being that i built an rx7 from the ground up..lol)

[Proven]

i agree with you all the way! i think the 240's are going to be the new 60's mustang! i can see where your going with that and i fully agree (being that i built an rx7 from the ground up..lol)

Nice, I think it would be rediculas for guys in the scene now to NOT want to be restoring an old Type-R, RX7, Supra, etc, etc when they are older. I picture being at a cruise night checking out all the RHD JDM cars (that would be legal in the states after 18 years of manufactured date), restored Type-r's, rx7's, etc. I know right now even I'm wanting to restore a 240Z and modding it with RB in a bad way. Also of course want a 240sx not to be jumping on the band wagon, I want a type-r, and more then anything a RX7.
But then again anyone with a penis should want a RX7.

Drifting will stick I think for awhile. I think its the best race event to watch and its the one most people want to get into. Time attack is also the goodness but not as exciting to watch as drift. Thing I like about time attack is that its a true test of what you can do with a car out there and not have to dodge other cars. Im hoping E-town starts that up which i think they will... or are?

[crazyrage]

Proven and 95 GSR I fully agree with you on a lot of what you said. Others I agree with too on some of the points and comments. With the movies, for the "real deal rollers" we know that the stuff in the movies is for entertainment not really reality. So i don't bash the movies too bad, cause we know what the real deal is. I'm just glad to have a good amount of feedback on the subject and what people think about this topic.

[crazyrage]

Oh, but I will add, the movies have brought the idiots out who have no knowledge of the scene because they take what happens in the movie to heart and think thats how it really is, and then that sets up the real tuner heads up for a bad rep because of these idiots. And with bringing the idiots out one of 2 things happen, 1)they learn how it really is and become one of us, or 2)they rock the style for a little bit, piss people off, realize they've pissed people off, then drop out until the next fad or completely. By that time the next movie is on the way, and we go into this cycle all over again. So its kinda a good/bad situation. Movies have been an introduction to many to the lifestyle and scene, the main problem is what people do and make of it when the movie is over.

[sisforsurfing]

Good thread. I agree with everyone to some extent.

Things related to style and aesthetics will come and go... types of body kits, wheels, & general modding styles will change just as much as the fashion industry. Our children will look at our cars the same way that we look at our parents; some will love it, some with think it's primitive.

The only constant will be people wanting to make their vehicles go faster. Racing has existed since the second car was made and it'll always be there. I don't care what forms of transportation exist in 20 or 40 years, we'll always be looking for ways to make them go faster.

[coleycole]

The tuner scene will always be around. Over the years we will see people come and go, but the people that truly love it which there are many, will always be in the scene. I work for an Infiniti dealership and the majority of my customers are 40-60 years old. They come in and drive the G37 coupe and it brings them back to their youth next thing you know they are coming back in asking for exhaust, intake, Superchargers, everything. Its like the Old Godfather Quote "I try to get out, and they pull me back in..." I can say now that I will always have a car that I can work on and tune, but who knows family, kids whatever could take me out of the game for a period of time but I know I will be right back in as soon as possible.

Personally I think the drifting scene is here to stay, I'm sure we will see some changes on the competitive side of things but I believe it has the potential to be huge. Maybe not Nascar huge but who knows this could be Nascar for a whole new generation of viewers.

[J.Ralli]

bikes....

[coleycole]

Fast and the Furious movies are purely entertainment thats it, the tuner scene has been around forever and was not created by F&F. People that watch F&F and take it to heart will put a fart can on their KIA Rio and fizzle out over the course of weeks not years. I will admit I am looking forward to the new F&F I like seeing cars go fast, go sideways, and look good doing it, but thats it, I wont go buy a big vinyl sword sticker for the side of my car the next day.

[Omar_MSP]

i think the scene may be going smaller to create growth. for example, showing up a meets that people go to instead of making an actual event, to inspire those that the scene can be carried out where ever and whenever.

on top of that, it is getting pretty expensive, everything is carbon fiber, powercoating this and that, making our cars look concept to the scene, that ain't cheap. atleast for my car its real expensive, lucky honda/acura owners got it made lol.

[Action Park]

93
One thing that could drastically alter the "tuner" scene is legislation. With the modern police state I can totally see some very restrictive rules being passed regarding performance enhancements within a few years.
93 93/93

[pearl]

everyones going to turn into hipsters with bicycles.

[DJ919]

I agree, the Import / Tuner scene is here to stay with out question. It will only get stronger.

Reason 1...The bad economy will only help boost sales of fuel efficient vehicles. We all know imports rule when it comes to producing power plants that are not only blessed with performance potential off initial production, but their fuel saving characteristics are second to none. This is attractive to any consumer whether their custom tuner builders, or just a grocery getting soccer mom.

Reason 2 ... The age demographic. With unique motor-sports like drifting and time attack, there will always be an import/tuner attraction magnet to the younger generations. Yeah, the Domestics are making a comeback with the retro "jedi mind tricks," but have you seen the price range of most of these red, white, and blue comebacks? On an average they're not within the bank account reach of any kid that is looking to buy/finance, tune, and modify their ride. Oh yes, there are some expensive imports as well, EVO prices are nothing to shrug off, but as a whole the Import/tuner/sport compact world is just a bit more attractive to a young person's wallet or purse.

Reason 3 ... What comes around, goes around. Like one person said above everything fades in and out. Thats just the way it is in life. From clothing styles to dance crazes. Ha, Look at Break Dancing...The 80's BIGGEST dance craze. Now you see it at almost every industry level car show that highlights the lifestyle behind the scene. With the heavy hitting domestic scene predicted to take off, again this will only boost the import / tuner scene because the scene will "De" saturate itself down to those who live and bleed import. The import/tuner scene will only become stronger and more structured.

As far as car shows, and motor sports events... I think everything will start to play on equal grounds. Back in the mid 80s, early 90s, the Domestics ruled the shows. Late 90s, and yes after the Fast and Furious "Hollywood" break in, the import scene took the throne. Now, I predict things will even out and all classes will have a nice chunk of respect within the car culture.

Personally, I love any movie that promotes cars, so the Fast & Furious series is cool with me. You have to take it for what it is..."Hollywood"...But in their own way, these movies do help boost our scene. Yes, that kid that doesn't know what he or she is doing will see such movies, go out and put crazy mods on his or her ride. But when they show up at events, its up those of us with experience to take them under our wing and guide them in the right direction over that of beating them down with insults...You'll make a new friend, plus produce another effective individual within our culture :)

[92dxman]

While everybody is playing around with electric/hydrogen cars, i'll be tooling around on a scooter..

[coleycole]

Personally, I love any movie that promotes cars, so the Fast & Furious series is cool with me. You have to take it for what it is..."Hollywood"...But in their own way, these movies do help boost our scene. Yes, that kid that doesn't know what he or she is doing will see such movies, go out and put crazy mods on his or her ride. But when they show up at events, its up those of us with experience to take them under our wing and guide them in the right direction over that of beating them down with insults...You'll make a new friend, plus produce another effective individual within our culture :)

I couldn't agree wth you more, the recognition that the tuner scene gets from these movies is phenomenal. For those of you that own shops or work in shops that just means more money in your pocket.

[DJ919]

I couldn't agree wth you more, the recognition that the tuner scene gets from these movies is phenomenal. For those of you that own shops or work in shops that just means more money in your pocket.

Thanks Bro,
Yeah, I never understood why some look at these Hollywood car movies as a detriment, when they are actually a strength to our culture. I figure if our scene is hot enough to make movies out of, we MUST be doing something right! Even though Mr XXX Vinny D and Paul "To Pretty To Be A Tuner" Walker will never get an Oscar for their acting skills :bigeek:

[crazyrage]

Agreed with above statements/quotes.