Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Corner weighting
My car has been corner weighted... props to Shaun for driving my car around to the various shops to get it done. So here we go:
FL: 435kg
FR: 444kg
RL: 287kg
RR: 284kg
Total: 1450kg inclusive of driver
Left side: 722kg (49.8%)
Right side: 728kg (50.2%)
Cross weight FL-RR: 49.6%
Cross weight FR-RL: 50.4%
Front-rear weight distribution: 60.6%
These measurements were taken BEFORE anything was done, so it would seem pretty perfect as it is!
FL: 435kg
FR: 444kg
RL: 287kg
RR: 284kg
Total: 1450kg inclusive of driver
Left side: 722kg (49.8%)
Right side: 728kg (50.2%)
Cross weight FL-RR: 49.6%
Cross weight FR-RL: 50.4%
Front-rear weight distribution: 60.6%
These measurements were taken BEFORE anything was done, so it would seem pretty perfect as it is!
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Ethics again
VAGSG is experiencing a crisis as a unilateral plan for the forum to be split according to marques revealed some sore points. Besides smacking of high-handedness, it turns out that some of the moderators went on a trip to Finland that was sponsored in part by commercial entities, which was not made known to the forum's members. The main beef the members have is that VAGSG is proclaimed to be free of commercial interests. So the lack of transparency has hurt their credibility.
A similar incident happened a few years ago when SGEvoClub had a club trackday, and one of the former moderators questioned the incumbents about how the leftover funds were used. The ill-will and animosity persists to this very day, leading to apathy and distrust. What had been built up over the years was severely set back by a single event that was supposed to promote friendship and understanding.
The point is not to vilify or commend either side. But to show that these are very real problems that have been around for a long time yet most people are insufficiently equipped or experienced to face them.
My view is that all these enthusiasts sites will inevitably turn commercial. Since everything has to be justified and above-board, a person cannot be expected to do all this out of his own free time with no monetary compensation. It is just not worth the hassle. That is why being a forum moderator is considered one of the worst jobs known to humanity.
A similar incident happened a few years ago when SGEvoClub had a club trackday, and one of the former moderators questioned the incumbents about how the leftover funds were used. The ill-will and animosity persists to this very day, leading to apathy and distrust. What had been built up over the years was severely set back by a single event that was supposed to promote friendship and understanding.
The point is not to vilify or commend either side. But to show that these are very real problems that have been around for a long time yet most people are insufficiently equipped or experienced to face them.
My view is that all these enthusiasts sites will inevitably turn commercial. Since everything has to be justified and above-board, a person cannot be expected to do all this out of his own free time with no monetary compensation. It is just not worth the hassle. That is why being a forum moderator is considered one of the worst jobs known to humanity.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Why I don't surf forums much anymore
Two posts in a day, woohoo I'm on a roll.
Anyway I don't surf forums much anymore. Mainly because the signal-to-noise ratio has gone to hell and people who don't know any better are contributing their worthless input in a topic they do not have an iota of knowledge about.
In summary, the people who make the most noise get noticed. The undisputed champion is "Big Al", who has got to be the most annoying motherfucker on the planet, bro. I'm not hatin', bro. It's just that if you need to use "bro" in every sentence, you will start to be retarded, bro. Kind of like "Big Al" and how he's always sucking on David Buschur's dick, bro. Maybe he's gay, that's why he likes to use the word "bro", bro. I'm not homophobic by the way, bro.
And talking about David Buschur... I have respect for the man's accomplishments, but not for the things he claim or say. Like claiming 600 whp on a daily driver with pump gas is sensible because there exists an example car that has got "high mileage". Dude, 9000 miles on a car is not high mileage. Thanks to you I now have customers who expect 600 whp on pump gas with high mileage, which usually means about 60,000 miles on the clock in this part of the world.
Anyway I don't surf forums much anymore. Mainly because the signal-to-noise ratio has gone to hell and people who don't know any better are contributing their worthless input in a topic they do not have an iota of knowledge about.
In summary, the people who make the most noise get noticed. The undisputed champion is "Big Al", who has got to be the most annoying motherfucker on the planet, bro. I'm not hatin', bro. It's just that if you need to use "bro" in every sentence, you will start to be retarded, bro. Kind of like "Big Al" and how he's always sucking on David Buschur's dick, bro. Maybe he's gay, that's why he likes to use the word "bro", bro. I'm not homophobic by the way, bro.
And talking about David Buschur... I have respect for the man's accomplishments, but not for the things he claim or say. Like claiming 600 whp on a daily driver with pump gas is sensible because there exists an example car that has got "high mileage". Dude, 9000 miles on a car is not high mileage. Thanks to you I now have customers who expect 600 whp on pump gas with high mileage, which usually means about 60,000 miles on the clock in this part of the world.
Long ass post
For the most part, working in the aftermarket tuning industry is rewarding and interesting, not because it is pays well (it doesn't). It is all about putting in one's maximum effort in everything, and when everything comes together as planned, enjoying the fruits of one's labor. Hopefully having some fun along the way.
In a way it's like being a medical practitioner; you visit a doctor when you're ill and seek his medical advice. Most of the time all goes well; you recover from your illness and the doctor goes on to treat other patients. Thus being a doctor is seen as a noble calling because the spirit of medical ethics guides their actions.
A tuner has no such luxury because there is no such thing as a Hippocratic Oath; it is widely perceived to be a shady profession to begin with.
A doctor is allowed to make bona fide mistakes due to illnesses having similar symptoms, but this standard is not applied universally. As long as word gets out that "XYZ did (or did not do, as the case may be) ABC to so-and-so's car" and it "blew up/stalls/causes babies to cry" then it's automatically assumed that the tuner is incompetent and/or negligent.
Whether it was actually a mechanical fault, driver error, a FUBAR engine build from some famous machine shop or the stars in a portentous alignment, are totally incidental to the playing of the blame game.
Whether the intent to propagate such "information" is malicious or not, is beside the point. To a tuner, his integrity is everything. He must absolutely stand by his work because it is a service, not a product that can be held or admired.
That is not to say that the customer isn't allowed to complain. The customer is definitely allowed to complain insofar as he feels that he is not receiving the attention that he deserves, and rightly so. On the other hand it is an entirely different thing altogether when the tuner tries his best yet the customer is planting seeds of FUD in the other customers, friends, even to the employer! As it is, a tuner's work is difficult (yeah I know it looks easy, but that's just because I make it so haha ;) without having to deal with this kind of bullshit.
Anyone who plants FUD, whether intentional or not, cannot be in my circle of trust.
In a way it's like being a medical practitioner; you visit a doctor when you're ill and seek his medical advice. Most of the time all goes well; you recover from your illness and the doctor goes on to treat other patients. Thus being a doctor is seen as a noble calling because the spirit of medical ethics guides their actions.
A tuner has no such luxury because there is no such thing as a Hippocratic Oath; it is widely perceived to be a shady profession to begin with.
A doctor is allowed to make bona fide mistakes due to illnesses having similar symptoms, but this standard is not applied universally. As long as word gets out that "XYZ did (or did not do, as the case may be) ABC to so-and-so's car" and it "blew up/stalls/causes babies to cry" then it's automatically assumed that the tuner is incompetent and/or negligent.
Whether it was actually a mechanical fault, driver error, a FUBAR engine build from some famous machine shop or the stars in a portentous alignment, are totally incidental to the playing of the blame game.
Whether the intent to propagate such "information" is malicious or not, is beside the point. To a tuner, his integrity is everything. He must absolutely stand by his work because it is a service, not a product that can be held or admired.
That is not to say that the customer isn't allowed to complain. The customer is definitely allowed to complain insofar as he feels that he is not receiving the attention that he deserves, and rightly so. On the other hand it is an entirely different thing altogether when the tuner tries his best yet the customer is planting seeds of FUD in the other customers, friends, even to the employer! As it is, a tuner's work is difficult (yeah I know it looks easy, but that's just because I make it so haha ;) without having to deal with this kind of bullshit.
Anyone who plants FUD, whether intentional or not, cannot be in my circle of trust.
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