Hey, this is my first post. I originally joined to ask some questions about my 1996 Eclipse RS, and what I can do for it. But then I see all this talk about rice.. ricers. rice burners.. I noticed a few of these things were things I was planning on doing to my car (intake, exhaust, rims, ect.) I know its a N/T, but should I just leave most of it stock to avoid being called a rice burner? I actually felt quite stupid when reading some of the posts, because I thought, "Wow, I'm planning on doing some of that to my car." I've only had my car for a few months, and the last thing I want to do to it is turn it in to some poser-mobile. So I thought I would ask - Does this make me a ricer?

I have not done anything to it yet besides took off the stickers on the back (the mitsu and RS lettering), but I was planning on painting my interior next.

Please leave your thoughts. I have another 5 months until I get my license, so I figured I could spend time on my car during that period. Thanks.

Don't be too self-conscious when doing things to your car. There will always be someone who likes, or dislikes something someone does to their car.
It comes down to whether or not you want to buy what they're saying.
Also, before you spend a dime, sit down and figure out what your goals are with the car. Do you want to be all show? Or all go?
Also, realize your platform that you're working on if you want to go faster. NA, and FWD.
It's a far cry from FI AWD. Off the line you'll have traction problems, and down the road, with NA it's harder to make HP than if you're boosting.


Good luck.

first off, welcome to the dsm side of modifed cars. speaking for myself, i don't recognise cars that were not factory stocked with the 4G63 engine as "DSMs", but maybe that's just me.

second of all, i think if you take that extra step, like start planning on supercharging/turbocharging you engine, you won't be labeled as anything, other than an aftermarket compact car enthusiest (spelling). if you consider upgrading things such as the ignition, headers, FULL aftermarket exhaust system (not just the muffler), suspension, fuel pump, fuel injectors, cam gears, camshafts, pistons, rods, fuel management system, multiple guages (that actually serve a "real" purpose), high performance tires, and sh#t like that, you should be fine.

personally, i have no idea of what being a "ricer" intales , but the intake and exhaust should be one of the first modifications you should make on your car . if you are serious about going fast, and not being like every other punk on the street with a loud exhaust system , then you should consider purchasing a second generation (95-99) GS-T or GSX . this is because they are a LOT faster than the GS or RS, they are already turbocharged, which is good in case you wish to upgrade later in life, and the GSX is all wheel drive .

UCSLugRacerX said:

Don't be too self-conscious when doing things to your car.

Also, before you spend a dime, sit down and figure out what your goals are with the car. Do you want to be all show? Or all go?

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Slug makes some great points. honestly, who gives a sh#t what other people think (except the really hot girls you will be trying to impress with the 19" rims you'll be rollin on )? the ladies will LOVE you for an all show car, however, you will gain much respect from your fellow male friends if you have a fast car. and if you got the money, patience, money, time, money, commitment, and money, then you can do both . Now get off your computer and go start modifying!!!

DOnt worry about it dude, Yo7ur in a RS, its not like you can do much else with the car, Yeah you can turbo it i suppose but personally i wouldnt waste the money.

If i were you i woul;d just mod the car like you wanted to and then sell it for more than you bought it for and then buy a Turbo car and enjoy yourself.


Yeah your ricing it out but theres not a lot else you can do with a Non Turbo DSM

Welcome to the boards by the way.

There's a reason why most of us here start off on the turbo platform.

Thanks for the quick replies. I was actually thinking about re-selling my car.. I got a pretty good deal on it IMO. Its a black 96 rs with 18k miles on a rebuilt engine, and it has 165 total i think. But I only got it for $2600. The chick I got it from was originally selling it for $3500, but she said she would take it down to $2700 for me because there is a dented fender that I would like to replace, and 5th gear pops out (I am told that it is the linkage cable, not my tranny) The reason it ended up being $2600 is because I went there to buy it and she didn't have the title clear yet, so I stood around for 20 min waiting for her to get back. She still didn't have it done, so she took off another $100 (sweet!) in place of it. I don't think I have the money for turboing it, and I was going to concentrate mostly on looks than performance, because like you guys are saying, it IS an rs. But if I could sell it and make an actual profit, that would be pretty cool. I still have to have it checked out mechanically - so I don't know what all is wrong with it, but I talked to a mechanic that worked on it awhile ago, and he said that it was in good condition. I would get it checked out now, but that would mean getting it registered and insured first, which is pointless, as it is going to sit in my garage for the duration of the winter months.

make it a commuter, save $ for turbo car.

I think you got a nice deal on your RS...and it has a rebuilt motor? That car, if you keep taking care of it maintenence-wise, could last even longer than it already has. If I were you, I'd take good care of it, make it look real sexy....and later down the road get a 2nd DSM that's turbo.

That's my plan at least being a fellow RS owner. But I've already got my car lookin sexy....just gotta get things fixed and taken care of....then save up for the 2nd Dizzum.

EclpzLvr97 said:

....then save up for the 2nd Dizzum.

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I dunno why.. but that is so funny the way you said that.. .. maybe im just a nut.

Dude, don't go around how you can avoid being a posuer, you're worried too much. Just do whatever you want.

What?....Dizzum? Yeah, it's the funny way we say DSM around here. It's my license plates too.

SoilentGreen98 said:

Dude, don't go around how you can avoid being a posuer, you're worried too much. Just do whatever you want.

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Yea, this is about it.

But a turbo kit (or car,) or a wing, wheels, and stereo. Do what will make you happy, and #### everyone else.

you can do any thing you whant but you need to do ti with some taste and the right way
ex. if you get 18 inch rims lower your car so you dont have any gap
dont do a half ass job caus it is all about the details

welcome to tuners....this is a performance community (mostly). i agree with what xxrealmsxx said, daily drive it and save up or a turbo....but for Gods sake dont paint the interior...the term "rice" gets thrown around a lot but making the car look good isnt a problem IMO....rims, lowered, CAMBER KIT, things like that look good...big wings and painted interior are a little gawdy...have fun with the car...i daily drive a 2g GS and i love it

I think the content of this thread is decent....but the thread title *really* needs to be edited.

The title here is the equivlient to cussing out your grandmother.....so if you can change the title still, please do.

speaking as an ex-N/T owner I can say I learned the hard way that N/T's dont hold resale value very well... although that can change since its a 2G..

don't put any money into it, save your money and get a turbo car, you'll just lose your money in the end no matter what but at least with a turbo car you'll enjoy wasting it...

Let's find out how much of a ricer you really are!! Take the test!
I got -30%. I'm a "racer x"

Below Ambient said:

speaking as an ex-N/T owner I can say I learned the hard way that N/T's dont old resale value very well... although that can change since its a 2G..

don't put any money into it, save your money and get a turbo car, you'll just lose your money in the end no matter what but at least with a turbo car you'll enjoy wasting it...

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I agree with what he said on the money part as far as not wasting it on turbo kits and the such for the nt. Now a rebuild, like it had, that's good...but power adders....well, it's not enough power to be worth it IMO. Like I said earlier, just take good care of it....throw a few bolt-on performance parts on it, and make it look good....save up for the turbo DSM.

My only concern is that you would put on a fart can, stickers and wild paint job, then start racing on the streets. I constantly hear how my car ain't shyte because someone raced a 420A ride with stickers and parkbench (I can tell a 420A car from the description of the Civic that beat it) that lost on a 40-100 roll. :thumbdown

Just don't ruin the DSM rep with another slow poser-mobile. If you don't street race, I say more power to you and your non-performance mods.

I look at it this way. I have been around cars for awhile and have seen some trends come and go. If you want to make it a show car then do so and take it to shows. If you want to race it then use common sense. It will not be fast becasue the platform isnt that great, compared to others, for doing so. If you pull up to an WS6 an rev and get your ass handed to you then you are a ricer. IF you just look over and let him go becasue you know you will get beat then you are not a ricer.

98spydert said:

Let's find out how much of a ricer you really are!! Take the test!
I got -30%. I'm a "racer x"

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me too...

There, changed the thread title

I wasn't planning on street racing.. Just want a nice looking car. I feel like I've got alot more direction now and I know what I wanna do quite well now. Also thanks for the warm welcome everyone

I won't get a turbo and such, maybe just a few small engine upgrades. A turbo alone would be pricy, but then I would have to pay for all the engine upgrades.. thats just too much money. I'm going to concentrate mainly on how it looks for now, but not to the point where it looks stupid.

Yes...welcome.....I just now noticed you're new to the site. BTW, good job on changin the thread title....and you're welcome for lookin out for you. You will learn A LOT here.

You can click on "my gallery" to see pics of my car....I put some '97-'99 GSX rims on my RS and since lowered it also....it looks very sharp & gets lots of compliments.

Reading the Non-turbo performance forum will also prove to have some great tips.....Doug99RS is a NT wiseman who really knows his stuff. I've learned a lot from him as well as from my own problems. Feel free to PM me again whenever you have questions or want an opinion.

j_eclipse96 said:

There, changed the thread title

I wasn't planning on street racing.. Just want a nice looking car. I feel like I've got alot more direction now and I know what I wanna do quite well now. Also thanks for the warm welcome everyone

I won't get a turbo and such, maybe just a few small engine upgrades. A turbo alone would be pricy, but then I would have to pay for all the engine upgrades.. thats just too much money. I'm going to concentrate mainly on how it looks for now, but not to the point where it looks stupid.

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same thing i did to my N/T but after I went with a injen intake, header, 2 1/2 in exhaust, some minor tuning i still had a car that got beat by stock LS integras.... the intake was $225, header was $150, 2 1/2 exhaust was $350, tune-up, transmission, and maintainance $800+ = Ii could have made a down payment on a clean turbo car....

my point is don't sink any money in it... maybe some wheels and tires, but i sure as hell wouldn't do anything else... you MAY be able to get maybe 15-20HP with all the mods I did on mine, so the price per dollar isn't worth it.... a turbo car with $100 of mods pays off ALOT MORE....

just my .02¢

Below Ambient said:

same thing i did to my N/T but after I went with a injen intake, header, 2 1/2 in exhaust, some minor tuning i still had a car that got beat by stock LS integras.... the intake was $225, header was $150, 2 1/2 exhaust was $350, tune-up, transmission, and maintainance $800+ = Ii could have made a down payment on a clean turbo car....

my point is don't sink any money in it... maybe some wheels and tires, but i sure as hell wouldn't do anything else... you MAY be able to get maybe 15-20HP with all the mods I did on mine, so the price per dollar isn't worth it.... a turbo car with $100 of mods pays off ALOT MORE....

just my .02¢

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Well.. that made me think quite a bit

All that for 20 HP? Thanks for saving me alot of money.. I don't think I'll even bother with performance unless its something that does a significant improvement now. Also I got some good news; I was just looking in my local classified ads and found an ad for "1990-1999 Eclipse/Talon Parts" and then it listed quite a few things that I need/want. Whats amazing is the rest of the stuff is mostly for american cars. Oh well.. I'm obviously not going to complain. Gonna give the guy a call tomorrow.