Kids these days...

[ramenth]

Not too long ago a buddy of mine referred a customer of his to my shop. The customer happens to be a seventeen year old kid with a pretty well whipped the s*** of 1st gen Neon. The problem was the kid attempted to put a header on the little 2.0L and really didn't know what he was doing. So, I fixed the header install. No big deal.

The kid now wants to dump a ton of money into the car, including a 2.4 with a turbo, rebuilding the trans, etc. I guess he's been on some of the ricer forums looking for advise on the install and he's been sending me links. Which is fine, just most of the kids on the ricer forums are just that: ricers. Not tuners. These are the kids who think putting a fart can on the car, building an erector set spoiler, and using aftermarket wheels makes the car fast.

So the kid calls the other day and asks if we can eliminate the harmonic balancer on his engine to free up some horsepower.

Yeah, you read that right. Apparently one of the ricers told him that if you eliminate the harmonic balancer you can "free up" six horse.

I had to ask: "did he tell what to use in it's place?" I was fishing for a happy ending, knowing there wasn't going to be one.

"No, he said to just get rid of it."

I couldn't help myself. I just started laughing.

 

[DetMatt1]

That is too funny! Sure kid, I'd be happy to do it, just sign right here.

 

[GranCuda70]

HA ha ha Sign on the dotted! Cruel but a lesson learned.

 

[burntorange70]

So did you do it for him? ROFL Thats to funny.


I bet it is his only car and a daily driver too. I try and tell people not to mod out there DD and to get a "fun" car to do that with as any mods you can and most of the time do make the car/truck unfrendly for every day use.

My brother is 22 and I have to tell him all the time not to preerunner his truck as it is his only ride. Maybe one day he will listen. LOL

 

[AlleyoopMgv]

That is funny as hell! LOL!

He will probably buy his NOS for his car at the gas station too! LMAO!

 

[SchoberMotorsports]

I love this thread, kids at school are constantly like this,
You got the ricers, then your muscle car guys.
Ya know, we gotta keep em in check!!!

Gotta love those park bench areodynamics w/ a front wheel drive car lol

 

[yellowdartdave]

Park bench spoiler ??

Parts shelf spoiler from a big box store......

 

[ramenth]

You know what the big spoiler is for don't you? It's so they don't have to bend down to push it home. They can stand up to push.

I swear, every time I see one of those spoilers on a Honda I want to ask how much grass they can mow per gallon.

 

[SchoberMotorsports]

Fastest Weedwacker 2010

 

[burntorange70]

Fastest Weedwacker 2010

4 cylinders and 10 tailpips :angry7:

 

[burdar]

An underdrive pulley is a fairly popular upgrade to the tuner cars. When I was playing around with my 02 Stratus, I looked into one. I believe you had to take off the balancer to install the underdrive pulley. I decided against it but there were a lot of people who had done it. Most people didn't have any issues but a few did.

Oh, and just because someone puts a different muffler, bigger wheels and a spoiler on thier FWD car, doesn't mean they think it is going to make it any faster. Most newer cars all look alike and need something to set them apart from everything else on the road.

 

[AlleyoopMgv]

I got one for you guys! WTF?! :thatswck::icon_weed:

 

[ramenth]

An underdrive pulley is a fairly popular upgrade to the tuner cars. When I was playing around with my 02 Stratus, I looked into one. I believe you had to take off the balancer to install the underdrive pulley. I decided against it but there were a lot of people who had done it. Most people didn't have any issues but a few did.

Burdar, I understand what you're saying about the underdrive pulley, but what the kid was told is just take the balancer off and forget it...:icon_eek:

Nothing else to go in its place! lol.

The balancer on the 2.0 is the pulley. So, if he just takes it off, how's he going to seal the crank oil seal? Or spin the alternator? Since his car is P/S he's going to have to get used to wrenching the steering wheel. Well, not for very long, since the oil is going to be slung out the seal...lol

And then we have the balance issue itself. What would you bet would kill the engine first: the harmonics or lack of oil? lol

There was no advise of running an underdrive. Just take it off and forget it!

 

[ramenth]

I got one for you guys! WTF?! :thatswck::icon_weed:

Alley, what the heck is that?

 

[AlleyoopMgv]

Alley, what the heck is that?

A Chebby Nova with a ricer wing :icon_jook:

 

[dwh042]

I can only hope the person who told him to do that was kidding or messing with him. I hope there isn't people that dumb out there giving advice. lol

 

[yellowdartdave]

....Weedwacker Racing...... Ain't that the Jr. Dragster of the Ricer World??

 

[SchoberMotorsports]