Definitions.....
Sorry, Cliff - I should define "seriously modified" and outer ring roads" (BTW, you can call me Jon). What is a "seriously modified" car here in China? More appearance related than performance related from what I understand. Lots of lower body ground effects, rear wings, stuff like that. Performance enhancements will include bigger wheels/tires, stiffer shocks, exhaust systems, octane boost (but very little nitrous oxide here), etc. SOME people will bore out their cylinders or bolt on turbochargers but that's getting to the upper end of mods. What people can afford to do these things? Young rich kids (remember, China still has a one child policy....so most kids have no siblings - and parents can focus their resources on one child) who get pretty much whatever they want from their parents. Also, Shanghai is the most active city in China for this sort of thing - and Shanghai is BY FAR the most "western" city in China. Beijing might be the government capital, but Shanghai is the place to be for business (i.e. lots of money), culture and western ideas. Let's ALSO remember that we're not talking about Dodge Vipers or Corvettes racing here.....the most popular cars for the "young" crowd would be the VW Polo (or Gol), Honda City, Chery QQ (the QQ is more for looks than performance), used Honda Accords, cars like this. My point is....street racing here isn't as FAST (for the most part) as it is in the USA. Engines are smaller (and less modified) so top speeds are slower - and about the only roads that you can really open up on are the ring roads and highways (and then only late at night). Speaking of that.....what IS a ring road???
That's easy - you're from Washington D.C. so just think of the beltway (I-495).........that's called a "ring road" here in China. We have one ring road here in Nanning.....Beijing has SIX (and two more are under construction). Shanghai has them too...and it's the outer ring roads (less crowded) where the racing takes place late at night (mostly Shanghai and Beijing).
Can you bring your car here to China? Yes, I suppose you could....it would depend on whether you plan on taking it back with you to the USA or selling it in China when you get ready to leave. If you want to sell it in China, you'll have to pay import taxes and other fees. The lowest octane gas here is 93 - that might be a bit rich for american cars used to 87. Some people DO bring their cars here...but most people will just BUY one here if they really need a car (and most foreigners don't need a car - taxis are cheap and plentiful and are going 24 hours a day). If you've put A LOT of investment into your car, I would probably leave it in the USA (if you have a place to store it) - you have a much higher chance of getting it nicked, scraped, dented, etc. over here.............keep that in mind. ALSO, unless you can keep it here within the Embassy walls (as far as parking at night) OR have a secure parking place for it............there is also a chance of it being STOLEN (car theft is on the rise in the big cities).
Well, I hope this answers a few more of your questions!! Remember......life IS different here (man, that's a loaded statement) and as long as you keep a open mind about things, you're going to LOVE living (and driving) in China! :thumb: