Motoring
The ultimate car modification jargon-buster
SlammedUK's Jordan Clarke guides us through some of the most popular car modification terms, to leave you sounding like a pro in no time.
Car modification has become increasingly popular over the years (looking at you, Fast & Furious franchise), but for anyone trying to make their way into the scene, the specialised language can make it difficult to know what's going on.
In order to make it a little easier to understand, we asked Jordan Clarke to break down some of the jargon for us. Not only has he set up his own modified car culture clothing company, SlammedUK, he even organised his own modified car show at just 24-years-old, so he definitely knows what he's talking about.
Air / Air Ride – Air Suspension.
Boost – When a turbo spools up [see below] it creates boost.
Burnout – A burnout is the practice of keeping a vehicle stationary and spinning its wheels,
causing the tires to heat up and smoke due to friction.
Camber – Camber angle is the angle made by the wheels of a vehicle. Both negative and positive camber is achievable, allowing the wheels to point both inwards and outwards from the arches.
Drift – Car drifting is caused when the rear slip angle is greater than the front slip angle, to such
an extent that often the front wheels are pointing in the opposite direction to the turn (also known as opposite lock or counter-steering).
Euro – A modifying style started in Europe where the bodywork is clean, and a lot of the time
where things like door handles and boot handles have been smoothed into the bodywork.
Fitment – How the rim of the wheels sit in relation to the arch.
Hydro – Hydraulic suspension.
JDM – Japanese Domestic Market - a style of modifying from Japan.
Launch Control – An electronic aid to assist drivers of both racing and street cars to accelerate rapidly from a standing start.
Mad Lows – When a car’s suspension is modified in such a way that the car sits very low.
Neons – Under-car lighting.
Poke – When the wheels are so wide that they poke out from the arches of a car.
Rims/Shoes – Wheels.
Slammed – A car lowered to such a height that it is deemed to be ‘slammed’.
Spool up – To rev the engine higher than normal.
Stance – The overall way a car sits on wheels and suspension.
Static – Coilover suspension, as apposed to air suspension.
Stretch – How a tyre is stretched onto a wheel to create the desired fit.
Strut – The main part of the front suspension.
Track Spec – When a car is built specifically for motorsport, usually stripped of all unnecessary
weight and fitted with high spec big horse power engines.
Tuck – When a wheel is tucked under the arch of a car.
VAG – Volkswagen Audi Group
Wide Body – When an additional wider body kit is fitted to a car.
