Time for an unpopular opinion: Ricers aren't that bad.

06 Feb 2018

RICER

DISCLAIMER: This is my opinion and if you don’t agree I understand, but just have some respect and decency for one’s opinions.

RICE or Race Inspired Cosmetic Enhancements has been used as a derogatory term for any car that has “crappy” modifications, stickers, poorly done widebody kits, over the top parts and other useless bits. This has become rather evident in the early 2000s with the introduction the Fast and Furious franchise. It really brought light to street racing and car modification. The cars highly decorated with stickers and body parts looked very cool to people and caught their attention, however, they failed to recognize that these were cars that had some power and were meant for racing. A lot of people who modified their cars were young people who had average cars and little money so they would make do with what they had and made their car cool to their tastes. These modifications were mainly aesthetic with no purpose what so ever. And thus begins the ricer trend of people making their cars crazy looking with various body kits and flashy bits to look cool.

What is rice and what is not?

Rice seems like more of an opinionated thing, with some people calling side skirts rice to people calling Body Kits rice, it really depends on the person and their preferences. You can have an opinion and I respect that but leave it to the person to do what they want to their car, after all, it isn’t your car and it shouldn’t be any of your concern for what they do. You may not like it but let them do what they are going to do. There is a large community for the modification of cars with widebodies being some of the many things you can do. Technically by definition, Rice is race inspired cosmetic enhancement so putting a big wing on your rear that has no purpose other than for looks is “rice”. A lot of cars that are not meant for racing that are modified are technically ricing. Body kits are rice as they are meant for aesthetic and style purposes not actual racing. So anything doesn’t really have a functional purpose is considered rice although people tend to think otherwise.

Take the car culture of Bosozoku for instance, it is a culture of cars and people in Japan that does crazy modifications to their cars that seem impractical and stupid but in reality, it looks good to them and they enjoy how it looks. The thought of just modifying your car, even if it is poorly done, if it satisfies you then ignore everyone else’s opinion, at the end of the day it is your car and you choose what to do with it. If a Liberty Walk kit looks good to you then go for it, it is just an aesthetic thing and a style thing, it doesn’t add downforce, it doesn’t make your car handle better, it just makes it look better to your preference. In the end, it really comes down to mindset, if you think it makes your car fast like stickers all over the place adding 5 horsepower per piece and a wing that adds horsepower that is stupid rice as that is just unknowledgeable and illogical. The “bad” ricers are the ones who are stupid with their cars and have absolutely no idea where they are going with it and the wrong idea of what they are doing.

Leave comments down below on your thoughts and opinions!

Comments

I am actually fine with rice.
I think if they are trying to mod their cars their own way, I am fine.
What I am not fine with, is people having riced cars and being a douche about it. If they act like an idiot and brag about their cars and call others garbage, they deserve to be called a ricer

Amen

only if the car is worthless, like a civic

How is a civic worthless?

Civics are pretty cool in my opinion dude

it seems to be like a modern art. if we see it bit different, it does not mean it is shit. May be for the owner it is only way to get out of everyday problems to work on the car. But sure if the act like d*s then it may be okey to call them ricers. I am pretty sure that all of us were ricers when we played UG2 :D

Body kits aren’t rice, to be honest, that 350Z was beautiful. I used to think Bosozoku was rice, but now that I see it, it’s not too bad!

I know they aren’t riced but it is reiterating the point that since any mod that doesn’t have a functional purpose is considered “rice” , that means that rice isn’t bad and is only bad when it is done with the wrong logic or goal in mind.