Hi everyone, I’m Dan. I’m 18 and just graduated, and yesterday I was gifted my first car—a 2008 Ford Focus SES! I love it, but I think it might need new brakes soon. Growing up, I was always into cars and loved the idea of modding them, especially to make them look cooler.
The only downside is, it seems like there aren’t a ton of builds or mods out there for this car. I found a few body kits, but they looked like something straight out of 2 Fast 2 Furious—not really my style.
I’m hoping you all can give me some ideas on how to mod my car. I’m open to performance upgrades, visual changes, or anything else.
I had a 2008 Focus for years before upgrading to a 2016. You’ll go through rotors fairly quickly, but as long as you change the oil regularly, it’s a fantastic car. I bought mine at 40k miles and traded it in at 308k!
@Zen
Not exactly what I had in mind for aesthetic mods, but that’s actually a great idea! I’ll look up some tutorials. If I get stuck, do you know who I could send it to for installation?
Tatum said: @Zen
Not exactly what I had in mind for aesthetic mods, but that’s actually a great idea! I’ll look up some tutorials. If I get stuck, do you know who I could send it to for installation?
Yeah, and while you’re at it, think about new headlights if the old ones are cloudy or damaged. You could also polish the paint or even get some body shop work done, like adding overfenders or fresh paint if you’ve got the budget.
Zen said: @Zen
You could also add some 17-inch alloy rims, interior LED lights, or even underglow lights (just be careful—they might not be legal everywhere).
@Tatum
Skip spacers unless you’re planning to add overfenders. If you go that route, you can upgrade to wider wheels and new rims for a more aggressive look.
Zen said: @Tatum
Skip spacers unless you’re planning to add overfenders. If you go that route, you can upgrade to wider wheels and new rims for a more aggressive look.
Got it! I’ll look into body shops for the overfenders. Thanks for the advice!
What kind of mods are you into? I’d start with window tint and new wheels. H&R lowering springs are a good choice to reduce the stock height—no need to slam it, just a little drop makes a big difference.
You could de-chrome it if you’re not a fan of the chrome accents, either with vinyl wrap or plastidip. The 08 models have more chrome than the 09-11 ones.
Also, invest in good tires—they reduce road noise a lot. Check out K&N, FSWerks, and H&R for parts.
@Kingsley
Thanks for the suggestions! I was just looking at FSWerks and found some cool stuff. I’m also thinking about wheel spacers because the wheels sit so far in. Appreciate the advice!
Tatum said: @Kingsley
Thanks for the suggestions! I was just looking at FSWerks and found some cool stuff. I’m also thinking about wheel spacers because the wheels sit so far in. Appreciate the advice!
Great reply! GratitudeBot here—thanks for spreading positivity!
Tatum said: @Kingsley
Thanks for the suggestions! I was just looking at FSWerks and found some cool stuff. I’m also thinking about wheel spacers because the wheels sit so far in. Appreciate the advice!
Are you focusing on just aesthetics, or do you want performance upgrades too? Also, have you checked your suspension? On my 09, the back wheels look tucked because of how big the wheel wells are.