Cleandan,
I think you have the basics. Although art is subjective, there is among most people a common perception regarding what is pretty and in good taste.
Think of it like cornering under ideal conditions. You see an "off" ramp having a posted speed advisory (yellow speed limit sign) of 25 mph. If you take the curve at 15 mph, everyone yawns: you haven't impressed anyone.
Since most people take the curve at 23 mph, if you take the curve at 25 mph, you'll have outdone most people -- but only a very few will be impressed. It's a different story, if you successfully negotiate the curve at 40 mph (your car's limit): all of a sudden, you're "Cool Daddy #1."
However, if you attempt to egotiate the curve at a speed greater than 40 mph, you fail -- spectacularly. And so it is with pushing boundaries of style:
Most hot rodders demonstrate good taste regarding the aesthetics of their respective vehicles: it doesn't matter so much if a car has a faded or cracked paint job, or even if it's simply shot in primer, if the body shape is still pretty and nothing about it is gaudy.
The less well-maintained the paint appears, especially if there is some rust-through, the louder the exhaust can be (within limits) without being "completely unacceptable."
People naturally allow the relaxation of standards for those appearing to "do their best within their limited means." An appearance of economic privation doesn't justify everything, but it usually lets someone get by with things that would otherwise be frowned upon.
The same goes for minor leaks and smoking: a red-and-white, 1957 Chevy Bel-Air Coupe that looks brand new is perceived by a different standard than the one applied to a brown, 1984 Chevy Caprice that looks like it was salvaged from a junkyard so the driver would have wheels to get to work.
Where the ricer crowd screws up is the same place that the thumper crowd screws up, which is the same place that the gang banger crowd screws up, which is the same place that the illegal-drug crowd screws up, etc.:
It's all about obnoxiously being "in your face." Some people view this as social Darwinism: those that fail to crush the incursion of gangs and illegal drugs (and the other problems those problems bring) are, like it or not, the "weakest link," and nature will select them for extinction.
And though any particular individual neither in a gang nor participating in the trafficking of illegal drugs may have 22-inch wire spokes on his bagged-up '96 Caprice or Crown Vic', the odds are that the stereotype is accurate -- and it's made even moreso when the paint reflects those sorts of influences.
The same goes for body modifications and stereos, gaudy wheels and "spinners" -- whether on a full-sized ride or on a ricer or on something else.
There is a subjective line that is crossed, but it is nevertheless a real distinction, when the modifications cease to be art and become something dangerously ugly.
For a person to flout the sensibilities of good society is for that person to declare himself or herself an enemy of the State and its values, an enemy of the society and its values, and in particular, an enemy of the decent people of the State and their values. It is an open declaration of war.
The problem for ricers has historically been that significantly changing the looks of their cars required modifications that would by most people be considered either tasteless or goofy. This was aggravated by "fart pipes" and gaudy wheels and half-inch-off-the-ground suspensions.
Think of it this way: you're a straight guy, and some chick or chicks are constantly begging to be with you. Sure, she's (or they've) got your attention -- but not in a good way.
And so it is for those people out there that "pimp their rides" -- they have the attention of society, but in a way that makes society want to be rid of them.
Historically, it is natural to discount, minimize, discredit or otherwise diminish among popular perception the performance of those one wants to extinguish. Because ricers are so intimately associated with counter-cultural movements, drug trade and gang activity, they are victims of their own notoriety.
When the car/style becomes an icon of sociopathic malevolence, it, too, must go.
Oh, and I agree with the comment about w/w slicks; I knew a chick that wiped-out a concrete telephone pole with a C3 'Vette (supercharged SBC) that was on wrinkle-wall slicks. Always tell the driver about the mods BEFORE he or she tries to take off on a burger run!
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Originally Posted by cleandan
edited by wireflight
I always wonder why "ricers" are so hard to take seriously. Sure there are many fart piped, stereo laden, window dressed, body kit wearing, 747 winged, imports running around and most of them are not "real fast or quick" (14.5's or slower in the 1/4 mile)
This, however, does not mean that a person with the right abilities can not get one to go like heck.... Talent, engineering, and money can go a loooong way towards making cars high in performance.
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I suppose the power triad will always exist: cubic inches, cubic dollars, and innovation. Similarly, the "go fast" triad will also exist: talent, skill, and preparedness.
Happy motoring,
Jesse