What constitutes "rice?" - Tuner-Junction

macbasq · #1 (**permalink**) April 3rd, 2006, 05:13 PM

There seem to be a lot of different ideas about what is rice and what isn't. It's hard to simply call something rice because it is a cosmetic upgrade. Take front fascias for example. Most would say, oh that's rice without thinking, but by adding a lip to the existing bumper isn't. They're both cosmetic, and you can argue that both do have advantages. Tails are quite possibly the most hated thing as far as rice goes. Tails have no performance benefits, and are strictly cosmetic. Now why put a pair on your car? Because you think it looks cool. It becomes a matter of personal taste now. I like spicy food, my girlfriend doesn't. Because I'll eat hot chili and she won't, does that make her tastes inferior to mine? No. Just different. And with everyone striving to do something different or unique in their own way, wouldn't changes like that be cool? For some reason people still hate on it.

So what could it be? Attitude. It all comes down to how much shit you talk about your ride. If you think those stickers on your civic add 50 HP and you can beat 5.0s heads up, all the more power to you. No offense, but you'd sound like a idiot. Even someone with a "tastefully" modded (read: "generally accepted") car can be a ricer. How? The car by itself is fine. Oh that's right, the owner could be a tool. Congrats to you if you brag how you drive a 5.0 and can walk all over those stock civics with body kits. What does that prove? That you race people that aren't on your level? That your constant quest for ego gratification has pushed you to look down on others that aren't like you? If those civic drivers are claiming they can beat you, they'd be ricers too. It'd be a big orgy of ricers.

Now I'm not saying that if people with these cars were to race, they'd all be ricers. It just depends on how they come into the situation. It's one thing to say, yeah, I bet I could beat you and this is why, but it's a completely different thing to say I can beat you because I am 1337 and my car > *. If you have the later attitude, I hope you never lose a race, because if you do, then you'd be a ricer for talking all that bull. If a challenge is issued, it's either contest, no contest, or you suck. I bet you can figure out which one would be the ricer response.

Rice is an attitude, not a vehicle or a cosmetic enhancement (although the attitude and the enhancement are found together sometimes). Making outrageous claims would make you a ricer. Bragging about doing something mediocre like you just scaled the himilayas, that would make you a ricer. Claiming to know things that you don't, or claims that you've done things you haven't would also make you a ricer. You ran 11s in your mom's auto accord that's bone stock? Wow, your mom sure is lucky. The list can go on and on.

Having halos? That does not make you a ricer.

+RandomHero+ · #2 (**permalink**) April 3rd, 2006, 05:19 PM

what is rice???

not the body kit......but the unpainted bodykit, if you bought the kit and took the time to put it on, at least take the time to at least go to autozone and get that OEM spraypaint and at least make it look decent. its not that hard to sand/prep the kit and then paint it yourslef and clearcoat it, granted that OEM spraypaint isnt reeally OEM and its a little off on color, its still better than primer gray.

non functional hood scoop/roof scoop. altezzas.....i personally dont like them but its not rice per say but some of them look fucking horrible. BIG ass aluminum spoilers on a FWD car. do you need more downforce on your rear tires?? and fucking loud ass titanium fart can exhaust, does your honda really need a 3 inch cat delete exhaust?

Race Inspired Cosmetic Equipment

Glenfiddich_man · #3 (**permalink**) April 3rd, 2006, 05:21 PM

it has to do with being having a lack of knowledge of style/function.

+RandomHero+ · #4 (**permalink**) April 3rd, 2006, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glenfiddich_man

it has to do with being having a lack of knowledge of style/function.

on that note......... over use of the color yellow does not make a ricer, if you like yellow you like yellow

njn63 · #5 (**permalink**) April 3rd, 2006, 05:33 PM

I agree and don't agree. There are some body kits that have been wind tunnel tested and designed to actually inhance aerodynamics (Mugen) but they aren't cheap.

I really don't use the term "rice" much anymore, i just call people idiots. A ricey car to me though is one that is tasteless and doesn't flow well. About 90% of the time, the people i've met with cars that look decent are pretty intelligent. One of the smartest people i met actually had a bone stock exterior EF Civic Wagon. Then again, i don't go to things like HIN so i don't expose myself to the "show" crowd.

Ricky · #6 (**permalink**) April 3rd, 2006, 06:30 PM

over all general douchebagery in an automotive enviornment - rice

Rhythm Kid · #7 (**permalink**) April 3rd, 2006, 09:20 PM

Rice to me is a lot of things...

First you kind of got to look at the concept of Import performance modification and then look at what makes it look bad. Not in just physical appearence but, like yellowrexsi said, attitude.

I could care less what brand somebody uses...everybody goes through their trial and error stages of how to make their car fast, just as they go through their stages on how to make their car look decent. But there is a point to where you dont wish or think you need not progress anymore.

If you have a crappy exhuast system on your beat up looking civic but think its good enough to fuck with somebody at a stop light...oki fine...i think thats rice anda wrong way to dub your car as "modified".

But on the same note, what if you dont thnik your done? and you want to better your car from there? I think its rice for the moment but still a potencial chance to learn and catch up on some standards.

The people that throw on the parts because they saw it in a movie and think its cool or just think thats just what their lil 88 civic needs to go mess with people or join the crowd...no...I'd say thats rice.

The word "rice" originated in the Japanese import scene so i think its fair to say that the japanese import scene has different categories and therefore, different standards....So i guess its how you look at how somebody is trying to portray that category in order to call him a "ricer"

SilverStangDE · #8 (**permalink**) April 4th, 2006, 01:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yellowrexsi

I have the most riced out car on this forum. Do i care? No.
I have clear corners (they were cheap)
A wing (which actually holds my car to the ground at 150 m.p.h.)
A mono wiper (which I personally got used to)
altessa tail lights (personal preference)
roll cage (mostly cosmetic, but still functional)
a supercharger (to make ricey whinning noises)
2.25 pipe and a fart can (to compliment my ricey whinning noise)
Motegi rims (I couldn't see wanting my money on J spec wheels)
shitty paint (I can't paint and I couldn't see myself spending $2000 for paint on a $1000 car)
and the list goes on

jon ROCKS!!!! · #9 (**permalink**) April 4th, 2006, 05:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sin

over all general douchebagery in an automotive enviornment - rice

never heard truer words

njn63 · #10 (**permalink**) April 4th, 2006, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yellowrexsi

Ever drove a 1500 lbs go-cart with 75% of the weight in the front end. Kinda makes the rear squirilly
And oh yes, it will do 150.

Not to really get into this but:
1. Your car is not 1500 pounds. Maybe 1800.
2. 62% front weight distribution factory. Maybe a little higher with rear stripped and a jrsc/swap but still not up to 75%.
3. What tranny/motor?
4. I've personally done 130 and while it was sketchy, any light car at that speed is. The only track CRXs out there with rear wings have front diffusers which create downforce. The rear wing is just to balance that.
5. What are you doing where you need to go 150?
6. Go read some of the topics about Barry's CRX. His car actually has seen that speed and he doesn't have a park bench on the back.

As i've said before with wings, they do have a place on FWD cars.. just 99% of street cars have not been tuned to the point where they should even be considered.

macbasq · #11 (**permalink**) April 4th, 2006, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by njn63

As i've said before with wings, they do have a place on FWD cars.. just 99% of street cars have not been tuned to the point where they should even be considered.

but that's only if you take a function of over form attitude. some people have the opposite where they put form over function and it's a matter of taste. it doesn't mean they have bad taste.

1. form over function
2. form and function
3. function over form

often wings can dramatically enhance the appearance of a car. if the appearance of the car is what someone is interested in, then what's stopping them from using it? A lot of people put bigger brakes on their daily drivers. Ok, they have a great brakes now, but do their driving conditions really warrant it? the stock brakes work great for the thousands of other cars that roll out of the assembly plant. it's the same with a spoiler or a wing. the people buying the brakes want to stop faster, and the people buying the spoiler want their car to look better. they both want an improvement, but they both have different desires.

oh, and i want to add to my initial post about ricerness as being an attitude issue, i also believe the people who drive recklessly and irresponsibly because they think it will make them look cool, are ricers.

njn63 · #12 (**permalink**) April 4th, 2006, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macbasq

but that's only if you take a function of over form attitude. some people have the opposite where they put form over function and it's a matter of taste. it doesn't mean they have bad taste.

1. form over function
2. form and function
3. function over form

often wings can dramatically enhance the appearance of a car. if the appearance of the car is what someone is interested in, then what's stopping them from using it? A lot of people put bigger brakes on their daily drivers. Ok, they have a great brakes now, but do their driving conditions really warrant it? the stock brakes work great for the thousands of other cars that roll out of the assembly plant. it's the same with a spoiler or a wing. the people buying the brakes want to stop faster, and the people buying the spoiler want their car to look better. they both want an improvement, but they both have different desires.

Oh, i know. But most people that have wings will try to argue that they're needed/functional so i have to take that out. If it's a styling thing, whatever, not my taste. But it's not needed from a functional aspect.

There are numerous cars with factory wings that create downforce. The Integra Type R is an example of this. That car also was tuned to make sure the downforce was balanced front and rear.

When i got my new lip i had someone ask me if there were any aerodynamic benefits to it. My answer was "If there are, i'll be ecstatic . But i bought it as a purely cosmetic item."

njn63 · #13 (**permalink**) April 4th, 2006, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yellowrexsi

The type r is basically a ls. No real (cosmetic) difference. Except the wing.

...or not.

http://www.itrsport.com/technical.html

Quote:

To achieve maximum aerodynamic efficiency, the Type R also includes a new chin spoiler and a new wing-type rear spoiler, and the vehicle is 15 mm lower in overall height than the Integra GS-R. These contribute to a 30 percent reduction in the coefficient of lift over the Integra GS-R, and a 1 percent improvement in its drag coefficient.

I didn't say anything about Civic's. A Civic is an economy car, the Type R was engineered and planned to be something more.

Most of Mugen's stuff has seen a wind tunnel at least and is designed towards racing which is more than i can say for most other body kits on the market. Doesn't necessarily mean they're better, but at least the effort has been made.

Yes, but unless you balance the downforce it could be counterproductive. When you push down on a car behind the rear axle you think the front end is going to go down or up? It's going to go up. With a crappy aerodynamics package you could increase understeer and reduce traction on the front wheels. This is why tuning is important on race cars and why you can't just bolt race car parts on a street car and assume they'll help. Everything works together.

edit: This isn't anything personal, i'm just not letting wrong information be promoted on this site.

njn63 · #14 (**permalink**) April 4th, 2006, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yellowrexsi

The Integra Type R features an advanced 1.8-liter, 195-horsepower, dual overhead cam, 16-valve inline 4-cylinder engine equipped with the Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control (VTEC) system pioneered in the Acura NSX
Didn't the civic pioneer vtec? 3 years before the nsx was even produced

Actually, i believe it was in the JDM Teg first in 1989 and then shortly there after the Civic SiR (and i assume the CRX) both got B16's. The first USDM car to get it was the NSX though in 1991.

njn63 · #15 (**permalink**) April 4th, 2006, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yellowrexsi

Not to argue, but your link has "wrong information", that is being promoted on this site

I quoted what is pretty much common knowledge and what i knew already, just used the link to back me. Ben told me the same thing on aim. There are a ton of differences between the Type R and LS, one of them being the aerodynamics. Are you saying there isn't?

Straight from the horse's mouth:

Quote:

lower overall vehicle height (by 15 mm compared to the GS-R) and aerodynamic refinements - such as a chin spoiler, wing-type rear spoiler and sculpted side sills which are body-colored - that result in 30% less lift (Cl) and 1% less drag (Cd);

http://automobiles.honda.com/info/ne...=2002042350367

I didn't say everything at the link was correct, i quoted a small part and provided the source. Like anything on the internet, you have to learn how to weed through the crap and find the real information. All i was doing was a quick google search for something to back up what i knew to be correct. I'll make sure to fully verify all links from now to make sure all information is 100% correct.

+RandomHero+ · #16 (**permalink**) April 4th, 2006, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by njn63

There are numerous cars with factory wings that create downforce. The Integra Type R is an example of this. That car also was tuned to make sure the downforce was balanced front and rear.

this man is correct

DCxMagus · #17 (**permalink**) April 4th, 2006, 09:09 PM

Personally to me rice is 2 things, additude and cheap way out.

Additude has been explained and I agree with everything said about people being douchebags on the road, even in a 900whp saleen mustang you can be a ricer.

Now when I say cheap way out I don't even mean low cost parts, hey if thats all you want to spend on parts fine with me. Not everyone accepts the need to spend over a grand on a header DC works just fine for them wonderful. Cheap way out is when you get an axle back instead of saving the extra 50 bucks for a cat back, things like ghetto rigging intake with dryer hose, just buy a damn pipe and fabricate a cheepy intake or get intake hosing don't use dryer hose! The body kit thing is horriable too, the only time is if you driving it to a paint shop or the place your painting it. FMU for turbo set ups, not getting alignment afer lowering your car, JUST getting springs and cutting them to get a slammed look, all this is just not a good idea, I dont get why people do that shit. Grant if you do something like this but know its wrong and are activey trying to fix it good for you, I'm proud you caught your mistake next get more informed before cuasing the mistake. Ricers are usually the people with barely any knowledge of how anything works, they just know CF hoods are cool, gauges are the bomb, and if you put a turbo badge on your car with a turbonator you'll be mad pimp.