How do you know if your ride is RICEY???

[Bling Bling]

The reason I brought this topic up is because I looked at a posting on a general car post and members were discussing rides which were ricey. Either aftermarktet parts that didn't look right, aluminum spoilers on sedans, spoiler on top of factory spoiler, stickers, underglo, etc.

I have also been moved into this "rice" catagory. I realize that I have a "drift front" for a front wheel drive car( but it will work out for my future turbo upgrade), underglo(which is turned on at shows, while parked ,etc), and a spoiler( which really doesn't do anything anyways).

The thing is it all comes down to personal taste. What do you think? Does my car look out of place (sides are booked to go on April 2nd)? Perhaps you too have been catagorized? Your thoughts please!

[95 rs]

your ride is not ricey. i think ricey is when you have a bunch of stick on accesories from canadian tire all over your car. i.e smoked headlight covers, side window louvers, roof scoop, fake hood scoops, aluminum spoilers. also if you go around thinking that your car is better then everyone elses with these things added on. thats what id consider rice.

[bubsy83]

This is such a super sensitive topic. I am a member of the Monte Carlo website as well and I have defended cars that some there have made fun of. Mind you the Monte website is a very friendly forum and this topic rears it's head on rare occasions. We all can't have the same interests, 'cause that would be boring, and who cares what you have done to your car, so long as you like it and it suits you. It is nice to hear that people appreciate what you have done to your car, (and I like your car by the way), but we have got to learn to appreciate that we all don't have the same opinions on what cars deserve to be restored to their former glory or done up for any reason.

Muscle car enthusiasts seem to be very unforgiving of the japanese invasion and I will admit that I was one of them, until I bought one. I have changed my tune and love my japanese car, but I love my american muscle car too. IMO it seems that japanese cars are discriminated against thus the term "rice" and muscle car enthusiasts if anything could very well be jealous that their cars aren't the only 'showcars' out there anymore. Just my opinion. I am not trying to insult or flame anyone, I am very peaceful. It's just that I am sitting on both sides of the fence on this topic and need to tread carefully.

Bottom Line, anyone who refers to your car as rice or you as a ricer has a very narrow mind and is stuck in a time warp. It's not the '60's anymore. Keep your head up and be proud that you are unique !! Again Just My Opinion.

[illapino]

i think rice refers to those accessories you mentioned that makes a car look tacky. As in, the owner tried to make his car look good, by adding on all sorts of stuff in an effort to uplift the car's appearance, but took it too far, only exposing his lack of style ...

rice = tacky

underglows are found on some of the nicest japanese show cars out there, but i wouldn't call those cars ricey. because the owner knew where to take the styles without going overboard, maintaining the reverse adjective: "clean".

[Bochek]

This is Rice :



This is not rice:



These are also rice:





NOT RICE:





Get the point?

- Bochek

[Tunes67]

Rice is in the eye of the beholder.. But for me.. Rice is when you bolt on a aluminum spoiler onto the rear of a FWD car that has different color doors, hood, & trunk.. and YES carbon fiber hoods fall into this catagory for me.. Just paint the damn thing.. if you can afford to buy it.. you can afford to paint it. But this is my personal taste and opinion. I like clean cars that let their design and shape and color speak for the car. Also.. All show, No go = Rice IMO. But here is the thing.. the #1 riciest thing you can do to your car is to mod it in a way so that OTHER people will think its cool. If you care more about what other people will think about your car than how cool YOU think your car is.. thats not just Rice.. its retarded. Do what you think looks cool, and dont worry what my opinion or anyone elses opinion is. If someone says your ride is rice.. just smile and ask them if its sticky rice, good old uncle ben's rice.. or Wild rice.. (stay away from the Minute Rice thing though.. that could have some negative connotations depending on how perverted the people around you are)

In closing.. opinions are like nostrils.. everyones got them.. but you really shouldnt pick at them..

Tunes67

[Nd4SpdSe]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice_car

"Ricing" (a term usually not used by the modifier himself) a vehicle is meant to emulate the aesthetic work of independent automotive car tuning companies who modify more than just appearance, and to give an appearance of greater ability than the car actually has. Ricing is generally looked down upon amongst people who perform engine tuning and other performance racing modifications.

This is not meant to be a complete list of known ricing characteristics, nor do all rice burners have or are limited to these modifications. Almost all of these examples have practical performance or racing applications, but when these modifications are made improperly, done for pretense of being fast, or for the sake of visual appeal, the car in question will likely end up labeled as "rice".

[illapino]

HONDA NSX with underglows and spoiler dubbed: not rice

not rice ... because it's got rice, biatch !

i think the more established japanese imports (supra, skyline, rx7, s2k) can never be called ricey because they're so top of the line and the owners are mature enough to not mess with the cars' style ... and besides, any modifications in appearance would be plausible since their dynosheets match ... little hondas and PRECIDIA's on the other hand are very prone to bad facelifts because ... well ... their design was doomed from the get-go, and most of their owners are immature and cheap to begin with ...



ya, stupid color combinations can destroy any car though

[neutral]

There is no accounting for taste and IMO, a buncha money and time, OR lack of either, could leave one's ride in a "rice-like state" at any moment, as seen thru the eyes of others.

If ya find you are seriously asking yourself , "is my ride rice...?" then it probably is... but the world will still turn and it's all good aye?

[Tempus]

To my mind one of the key characteristics of 'rice' is the question 'does it fit' do the modifications made fit with the general style of the car do they look as if they could have been designed by the mfgr, or a mfgr sponsored 'custom shop' (for lack of a better term).

'combat' and 'drift' front ends often (to my eye) don't look like they belong on the rest of the car. ESPECIALLY if the color doesn't match. The rice factor is exacerbated if it appears that the average parking lot speed bump would rip the front end off the car.

Likewise I tend to feel that 'big wings' on the back of a car, specifically a front wheel drive car that isn't on a road or oval track, tend strongly towards rice. If it's low, fitted and color matched to the car, that's not so bad. (basically if it appears to be intended to function as a spoiler, to help aerodynamics) But, if it's high (e.g. supra style) and/or looks like it was bolted on, and if the design appears to be intended to generate down force, then I think of it as rice.

I'm also not a fan of ultra low profile tires, if the tires look like there's not more than an inch or two of clearance between the rim and the road, and the car isn't on a racetrack or showroom, it's ricey.. You shouldn't fear that the average pothole is going to damage your tires or rims.

As others have said, stuff that just appears to have been bought at the local autoparts store and slapped onto the car to give it a 'go fast' look, that is obviously a rice violation. My personal four top offenders in this regard are:
* multi-bladed winged wipers, especially if chrome or metallic
* giant muffler tips. (the equivalent of a cod piece for a car IMHO)
* fake scoops, vents, etc.. especially if you can TELL there's no place for the air to go.
* excessive crome, or any item that is obviously designed purely for 'bling factor'

those are just my personal standards.

Now as applies to the car in question:
1) Love the rims.. those are nice, and not too large for my taste.
2) the front end is not my style, but it is well integrated, color matched and not excessivly obnoxious.
3) the wing is a tad too tall, and appears to be made for downforce but not nearly as obnoxious as it could be. It doesn't really flow with the car, but it's color matched, and doesn't look too out of place.
4) nothing looks like it is out of place or just slapped on for bling factor

So in my opinion (for whatever that's worth) you are close with the wing, but nothing is over the line and into the rice side of the force. [/list]

[Bling Bling]

Thanks for taking the time to discuss this topic. I have never taken others opinions to heart when it comes to knocking down my vehcile(s). I wanted something original but not tacky. I wanted the aftermarket parts to flow with the bodylines, the spoiler in my opinion, is probably the better of choices out there. A tad high yes but it does follow the lines well. The front was new out in the market when I purhased it and although it took some work to make it fit PROPERLY, I think it works with the lines as well. Although I may change it to the MAZDASPEED later as I'm going with the MS theme now. The Pak sides are going on in April to finnish the body.

Thanks for the compliments. It is tough to compete with the RHD Japanese cars now. Way more HP, novelty factor as not too many people have them, but with the way the MX-3 world keeps upgrading their rides, I think we have a chance.

[hgallegos915]

I think my car is rice... its got the fart can..BIG.. its got the BROKEN front bumper with bondo (havent had time to fix , I work all week!) however... the difference between other ricers... is the engine.. ZOOM.. i am thinking of going abck to stock look btw.

[hharb]

this topic is pretty cool, i went on anti-rice.com thinking that i would agree that all the cars they have there are rice, but then i was shocked, according to that website i bet 99% of our mx3s would qualify as rice. I guess it all comes down to what you think and the way you see things. the way i see it, if it looks nice then it's not rice, if it looks out of place then it is. and at the end it all comes down to what you think, if you like your car who cares about what others have to say. some ppl have said that my car is ugly, i tell them their face is ugly lol.

[94blaze1.6]

i felt the same way! some of the cars on there are not ricey at all!

[projectmx]

went to the website and i noticed at least one car in the muscle car section of the recent car show should have been added to the rice section instead

i am really confused on what they consider rice... there is a liscence plate that looks like it wasn't even a custom one that htey listed as rice