I reserve the term "rice" for stuff that really is in bad taste. Opinions differ as to what we "like" or "don't like," but I hope when you say "bad taste" that people are a bit more unified.
I saw a lowered civic the other day with a high quality electric-blue-with-really-bright-yellow-stripes paint job, big air dam, big wing, et al. Not something I would drive around in, but A+ work on the visuals, because it all fit together. I don't even care what was under the hood.
On the other hand, a 4 cyl accord with factory green (boring) paint, with a silver stripe painted over it, and big yellow wheels... I smell someone trying to save a little money, cutting corners, and ending up with something that only a mother could love.
More examples:
Cat-back exhaust on an otherwise stock car--not rice.
4" tip on stock 1.5" exhaust--rice.
Performance suspension upgrades--not rice.
Cut springs with stock struts--rice.
Decals of products you actually use, and whose makers offer something in reward for your free advertising--definitely not rice.
Decals of products you actually use, and just want to brag about it--not my taste, but OK.
Decals because they are cheap down at the parts store, and anything to separate yourself from your parents is better than nothing--rice.
