So it seems to me that custom music and textures are becoming more common in MK8, and I think we need to come to a consensus that for the purpose of Time Trials, these should not be allowed. This has been debated and discussed before, and in general, most people seemed to agree that they should not be allowed. However, I know that some players, even though quite skilled, disagree, or aren't too crazy about the rule at the very least. The fact is that these kinds of mods are banned in all other MK games so the rule should apply here also. Although textures and music may not provide any benefit to the player (although can), it opens the door to other mods and so a blanket ban on all mods is the best way to ensure that all players are playing the same game. I'm aware these kinds of things can be hard to detect, but there is a factor of trust in the community and the rule needs to be there, so that if we catch someone using mods, we can investigate and maybe take action.

I'm aware that Diogo's MC WR was counted even though it used custom music. However it was promptly beaten by himself without customizations, and Diogo agreed to stop using the music. There was some consensus at the time that Diogo's agreement to abide by the rule set from then on set the precedent to not allow mods on MK8, just like MKW and other games.

Long story short, I think we need to make it clear that, just like all the other MK games, mods such as textures and music should not be allowed, to prevent opening doors to other mods, because textures with certain contrast and music with certain audio cues may actually provide a benefit, in order to keep the game the same for everyone, and to draw a hard line on what is allowed and not. Feedback is welcome.

Edit: I'd like to provide some additional arguments against allowing custom textures and music.

• Custom textures can provide higher contrast than normal, improving reaction times or making grinding turns easier. An example where this would be very advantageous is the end of BDD, where lighting and low contrast make seeing the correct path difficult.
• Textures can be carefully crafted with lines indicating the fastest route to drive on, so that players can follow the lines to improve much easier.
• Music can provide audio cues that are different than the normal music. Music could even be carefully crafted to provide a "heads up" for paced based tracks. For example, being ahead or behind a certain point on the track when a certain audio cue plays would indicate that you should take a certain route. This could also be, for example, used to indicate when the gliders switch on rMP or rTTC.
• Music can be used to time starting hops better. Many players do this at the beginning of rRRd with the original music, but custom music could allow a similar advantage on other tracks.
• I have heard that custom music has an effect on objects in ED and rMP, but I have not confirmed this. This is something to look into.
• The extent to which RNG plays a role in MK8 has been brought up before and not much is known yet. The effect of custom music and textures on RNG, if applicable, is also unknown, and it is possible that it could provide an advantage to the chance of certain things happening.