Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Body Kits - For Everyone?

Are Body Kits made just for those who consider themselves "Tuners"? By definition (if there is one), a tuner is someone who is an auto enthusiast, who drives some sort of compact import, and who enjoys modifying and customizing their vehicles. Can the average Joe get away with a body kit?
With so many styles of body kits out there, you can find one that suits your preferences. Many high end sports cars come with factory bumpers and side skirts to give them a low profile, sleek and fast look. Body kits are created to do the same for your sedan or coupe, depending on how extreme you want to go.

Body kits have received a little bit of a bad reputation over the past few years. They have been typically seen on cars with loud exhaust, loud stereos, and poor installation techniques or paint jobs. If that suits you, then more power to you, but a body kit is supposed to enhance the vehicles appearance. An inexperienced installer can make a body kit or a paint job look worse than the beginning product, so much care should be used when installing body kits, or have a body shop do it professionally.
The point of a body kit is to change the appearance and stance of a vehicle, and you can do this to varying degrees. An aggressive style body kit will have sharpened edges, very low clearance, and lots of curvature. Less aggressive kits look more factory with smoother lines, more ground clearance, and factory looking seams. Some kits replace the whole bumper covers while others attach to the existing bumper covers. There is a lot of variety for all kinds of taste, so adding a body kit that you like, installed correctly will really give your ride a new, sporty look. The end results are only as good as the time spent on the details.

Body kits are not just for compact cars anymore. You can find kits for sedans, trucks, and s.u.v.s. There are even aftermarket kits to create the resemblance of the factory "GT" or premium styling for some vehicles, so take a second look at body kits. There is more to be gained there than lost.