Mods you wouldn't do again

[Trail X]

I've been reading through a similar thread on another forum I frequent, and wondered what people here thought.

Are there any mods you wish you hadn't done? or lessons learned that you'd use next time?

Personally, I wish I hadn't bought my original brush guards, just to replace both of them (front and rear!) with full custom items. Could have saved myself a good chunk of change.

[The Roadie]

I have wasted so much $$ and time learning about offroading on this platform, but only a few of the mods were truly regrettable. Some of them, like my second set of Kevlar AT tires, were learning tools, since my judgment and driving ability needed to be practiced up before I got MT fire-breathing tires. If only I had a mentor.

#1 for sheer stupidity and anti-functionality: $450-500 worth of lighted running boards:

[Blackout]

I agree. I bought a Westin front brush guard for cosmetics before I actually got the bug, now I'm sitting with 2 inches less clearance because of how it mounts up. Can't bring myself to just take it off until I find a replacement, since I spent the money on it in the first place.

[That1Guy]

Some times I wish I would have thought a little harder and more logically before I got rid of my old explorer. Without a car payment I would have built that thing and it would be really nice. Other than that I dont regret or wish I did anything different to the TB.



and just for the heck of it, the bumper I bent, and welded for it.

[That1Guy]

I have wasted so much $$ and time learning about offroading on this platform, but only a few of the mods were truly regrettable. Some of them, like my second set of Kevlar AT tires, were learning tools, since my judgment and driving ability needed to be practiced up before I got MT fire-breathing tires. If only I had a mentor.

#1 for sheer stupidity and anti-functionality: $450-500 worth of lighted running boards:

I Thank all of the original guys who spent tons of money and time on our platform to get it where it is today, and Bill, you may not have had a mentor, but you have made a great mentor to lots of people. If it wasnt for a last search trying to find a lifted TB I would be in the lowered SS wannabe club.

[rgraboske]

When mine had about 50,000 miles, the baffles in the factory muffler went bad. It caused an obnoxious rattle that drove me nuts. My options at the time (this was 2004), were a new factory muffler for $600, a Borla system for $900, or a Doug Thorley system for $270. I went the "cheap" route. The next day I hooked up to an 18' box trailer and drove 500 miles. The day after that, we did about 300 additional miles on the freeway without the trailer. The sound it made was absolutely horrible.

Since then I've had two different resonators and three different mufflers on it before Walker started making a cat-back system that made it quiet again. I should have just spent the $700 on the factory muffler in the first place

[gotspeed1]

I have wasted so much $$ and time learning about offroading on this platform, but only a few of the mods were truly regrettable. Some of them, like my second set of Kevlar AT tires, were learning tools, since my judgment and driving ability needed to be practiced up before I got MT fire-breathing tires. If only I had a mentor.

#1 for sheer stupidity and anti-functionality: $450-500 worth of lighted running boards:

I Thank all of the original guys who spent tons of money and time on our platform to get it where it is today, and Bill, you may not have had a mentor, but you have made a great mentor to lots of people. If it wasnt for a last search trying to find a lifted TB I would be in the lowered SS wannabe club.

Although I chose to go up instead of down when my wife wrecked the truck the FIRST time. Anyway, as I try to do any chance I get, THANK YOU to all of the pioneers for exploring and developing off-roading for the platform!!

As for mods I'd change... trying to make a polished lip on my factory wheels with tape and spray paint would be the first, it turned out terrible!! It's not so much the financial side of it, but the ridiculous amount of time I spent trying to get it right.

As for financial ones, I'd switch my Smaxx for Mark's kit, just so I could buy something from a fellow Trailvoyer, instead of a company.

[HARDTRAILZ]

Everything was learning and I dont really think I wasted any money. I learned alot and have only one real regret and that is one prototype thing I have been led around and led around on. I thought fronting the money would help the platform get something new and almost a year later I only have a couple broken parts and less money in my account. It honestly has been fun trying things and wrenching on the truck, not to mention wheeling all over the place and surprising a bunch of people with my capabilities.

[fishsticks]

1. Rebuilding my G80. Nearly $300 out of pocket just to overstrain and blow it up the next week. Could have used that money and just bought the 8.6 and real locker that I ended up buying anyway. At least we got an article out of it.

2. Buying a few SMaxx pieces instead of Mark's stuff. Mark was moving at the time and I was impatient. I ended up spending 2x what I needed to.

3. Letting the body shop do the repairs on my truck when I took out some mailboxes a couple years ago. Over $6k that I could have put into mods/self repair. They took so long for fix it (6 weeks) that I ran out of rental car allowance and had to pay out of pocket for a week of driving a POS Hyundai Santa Fe. Oh, and I've found stuff they missed/repaired incorrectly when removing the stock bumper.

[jpfeffer]

Tinted Tails. They don't do a whole lot of, I mean, ANY good offroad. Oh well, back to the drawing board.

[janesy86]

Can't say I have much that I wouldn't do again, just differently...

Wish I did a body lift, but now I have sliders and a bumper that would need relocation. Other than that I'm happy with the build so far.

[BSalty]

I was lucky coming into the mod game so late compared to you guys. I have not had to learn the hard way on anything yet because you guys already did.

The only thing I sort of wish I would have done differently so far is a body lift instead of suspension. But I needed the Z71 springs for towing. That is what got me started in this whole endeavor in the first place. I was tired of it sagging so bad on every trip.

And after having my tires I kind of wish I went bigger. I just didn't want to be cutting sheet metal, but now its a toy so I don't care, and they are working fine for now so it is not really a regret.

However after my wife gets her new ride and I can start modding again I may go the Waag route that you all say is useless. I don't want the added wight on the front of a steel bumper, and after karo modded his I think I was sold. I need a place for some lights up there.

[DJones]

The biggest mistake I think I made was buying the K&N. It was a whole lot of money, and once I started HAMming, it got too loud. It is in good hands now.

I wish I had taken more time in mounting and wiring my RECON Big Rig running lights to make them easily removable for off road trips. I broke both of them, and at $100 for the pair, it is money I could have saved.

I also wish I didn't but the $55 cable for programming my ham radio; I could have build one for <$5 in parts, or bought a USB version for about $30.

[Stoked]

Ebay Wheel Spacers! I personally havent had any problems with them after 1/2 year of running them, but Im constantly paranoid about them after everything I've heard about them. I'm hoping the stud doesnt spin in place everytime I remove my tires.

[HARDTRAILZ]

Ebay Wheel Spacers! I personally havent had any problems with them after 1/2 year of running them, but Im constantly paranoid about them after everything I've heard about them. I'm hoping the stud doesnt spin in place everytime I remove my tires.

Which ones do you have? There are minimal issues with any spacers. I would put them on anything after 2 years of rock solid performance. The money I saved w the ebay ones paid for my lift. I think they may be my best mod.

[janesy86]

It was only the tards that didn't install them right that had any problems.

Almost at two years on mine as well. And very happy with how much they saved me.

[Stoked]

I don't know, I paid 120 for all four. I didnt have the $$ for Fred's $360 ones.

[navigator]

talking about the stud spinning in the spacer, I had that happen on my minivan in the hub so it could happen to anyone.
The grooves in the hub were gone so I had to replace the hub.

[Trail X]

talking about the stud spinning in the spacer, I had that happen on my minivan in the hub so it could happen to anyone.
The grooves in the hub were gone so I had to replace the hub.

You can get studs with slightly larger diameter knurls.

[navigator]

that might have worked but the sleeve in the hub itself was worn smooth.
It might have been that they were worn and trying to get the nut off with the impact made it worse but I figure with 115k miles a new hub and bearing wouldn't hurt anyway.

I tried to think of a few ways around it but I didn't want to go through the trouble again if I had a problem. The tire guy had to cut the nut off of the stud with the rim still on, a real pain. They did all that and didn't charge me for it. I tipped him good for it and he split it with the other 2 guys helping him.

I thought about that if I had been at Walmart they would have sent me home!