ok with all of the gas prices going up incredibly high, do you guys think that the tuner scene will die? not even just the tuners, all types of cars and trucks in the aftermarket world. what will all of us gearheads do if we cant mod our cars because we cant afford gas.

plus in 10 years i doubt there will even be cars for us to mod anymore. all the cars will be hydrogen powered or 60hp hybrids.  

Hey Graham412, that is a good question, but I doubt it. I'm 40 and as far as I can remember there has been a tuning scene. Before it got as big as it did there were people in my neighborhood who would fix up a Japanese car, like a Toyota Carolla 1.8l or a Mazda rotary. It's been a life style to me and others like me. And we all, I would assume, pass down that life style to our kids as I am going to do when my kids get older. Will it slow down some and become less hardcore? May be, but it will never die. Again, I'm 40 and I've been working on imports for a long time. I've built my share of fast little cars. Nothing on the cscale of those hard core mag cover cars, mind you, but respectable none the less. There are many in my age group that still, today, work and build Japanese cars for the love of it. They may never see a cover of a magazine or go to a track meet but for the love of just having one... you get the picture. My oppinion is that it will never die as long as there are people willing to experiment with what they have.
And to answer your concern about the next ten years... we'll all have classics and there will be alternative fuels that will be retro-engineered to work with what is out there. That would be a good scenario if the new youth that get into this field of auto work get scientific about it.  

I think the tuner scene will only increase because all the people driving trucks, SUVs, muscle cars, will switch to smaller more efficient cars. They still will want to make more power but from smaller engines. A cold air intake and less restrictive exaust will actually save you gas as long as your not flooring it all the time.  

That is also a good point that you make, Curtman. I spoke to a gentleman, yesterday, as I was filling up with fuel. He was upset about the cost of fuel and how he had to stop driving his mint 91 Cadillac because of it. He said that now he can't even get rid of the car and that he knew he would take a loss on it just to sell it. How many years has it been since the first predictions of this fuel crisis we're in right now? Now it's come full circle and is biting the asses of all those big engine gas guzzlers. A lot of domestics have become better on the gpm front, but not enough to stave off their losses on the sale of trucks and SUVs. Trucks and SUVs aside, the domestic cars don't compare to the imports on fuel consumption as well, save for the few that are almost there. They are too little in numbers to make a difference, though. I don't dislike domestic cars at all, but for the savings in fuel and the get up and go that we can get from a lot of imports... there is no competition. Every person I know that owns a muscle car, or an every day domestic, is thinking twice about driving their cars around. It's sad actually, 'cause I do like to see those old classics on the road when I drive. This fuel issue is becoming a real problem for import cars too. Every body is being affected by this issue. I'm considering buying a used motorcycle. It's only 5 to 6 gallons but for the 60 to 100 miles per gallon that some models get! Riding conservitavely, of course...! How could you go wrong?!  

^I'm guessing the 60 to 100 mpg isn't exactly a Ducati.

Ha ha ha. I've always wanted to get a tuner bike, but with soccer moms juggling their cell phones, kids food, and doing their make-up all at the same time, I don't exactly feel confident that I won't get run down like a stray cat on the streets. Heck, I get cut off enough as it is in my sister's corolla.  

"Amen" there. Here in Ct. there are a lot of SUV driving women that are only 5 to 5 and a half feet tall driving way too big of a vehicle and as drivers go... they are none too good. Not to say that women can't drive 'cause I know plenty that can. I assume that there are plenty out there in America that can as well, but, to keep it real and on focus... there are many many more women that can't drive to save their lives. Those women, and bike riders, on the same road... are a no no! Kind of scary!!!  

tuner scene will never die with or with out car to mod because us tuners if tuning does ever die will move on to something else to mod. it dont matter if its a motor cycle or a boat or electric powered vehicals we'll manange to keep tuning vehcals but yeah tuner scene will never die

long live the honda civic!!!  

Putting it in that perspective... TheHormone is right!  

yeah i understand what "the hormone" is saying. we will move on to other things to mod if normal cars arent being produced. but im talking about import tuners. like evos,350z,wrx,240sx,s2000, etc.  

Tuning is tuning. Remember that it started with the muscle cars before it made its way to the import world. That's why muscle car guys always teased imports until they got a taste of the butt end of an import, those many years ago. I understand what you're saying but, technically, tuning is still tuning no matter what it is you're tuning.  

eh man to that!  

ok i thought long and hard about this question and yeah this thread is kinda old but i dont think tuning will die because the way i look at it tuning is on big marketing thing cause hm like when you go and buy parts for your nissan (or what ever brand) im pretty sure nissan is getting some of that money so as long as people make parts to enhance there cars performance or looks car companies are making money from it like car companies must be getting money from parts companies like hks and greddy (list goes on) cause its like copyrighting. im not sure about if any of what i said is ture but im guessing thats whats goin on. and thats why the turner sence will never die  

I don't think that Nissan or any other company gets wind fall profits from the aftermarket. Remember that when a car hits 10 years old car manufacturers stop making parts for them. Even if it's a newer car it's not some thing that car companies have any control over. That's why it's the aftermarket.  

hm kk i here what you say but  ahhh this question still bothers me. and friends that dont tune that bother me about this aint helping... i just really want to answer the question(get a final answer not oppinion) cause this is really bothering me  

I had some time to research this last night and the answer is a resounding NO. Car manufacturers do not get wind fall profits from the aftermarket for the performance products that the aftermarket makes. Because they aren't remaking the same automotive parts for the brand that they are making it for. There is no copy right infringement. That only applies with auto makers not auto parts makers. The only time an auto maker cries infringement is when the parts that are being made compete with their bottom line. There is a 5year time limit that auto makers have to release copy rights for the aftermarket but not for some of the parts that are deemed as theirs only. After 10 years the automaker stops making a particular style and permission is given to the aftermarket to release the aftermarkets version of the product. There's a word or phrase for that and I can't remember what it is...
Since the aftermarket makes performance enhancing parts and accessories it doesn't gouge the automakers pocket. They are not competing for the same market, so to speak. Same audience, different market. You see what I'm saying? That's why some things on a car are dealer item only and some aren't. If every thing were dealer item only then we couldn't buy tires, wipers blades, brake pads or rotors, bulbs, air filters, oil filters, hoses, wires aftermarket sensors... the list goes on and on and on. I hope that this answers your question. The aftermarket does not compete with the automaker because the automaker is bound by the NHTSA. The aftermarket is too but not in the same way that the automaker is. So in short, where ther is no competition there is no windfall profits. I think that the aftermarket has its own competition to worry about.