but I looked at "new posts" today....

The NEW 3 Letter Word Game
New game... Once upon a time
Word Association (2005 and Onward Edition)
Song Lyrics Game ...
Newbie First Post
Gas mileage myths: C&D
Exhaust law in VA?
UP SYNDROME
Fat Burn versus Cardio
FAMOUS NAME GAME
Wine Sampling at MOTD 2009
Even More Random Thoughts...
Carfun footprint
iPod/connector stolen!

Hmmmmmm

Matt

 

Looks about right...

 

Not sure where you are getting that from Matt but it's incomplete. Since Midnight on the server there has been:

New Threads Today 26
New Posts Today 525
Unique Members Today 1,460
New Users Today 15

Data as of 11:48 PT

I think you were a little selective in choosing to make a point. I agree, this more a gossipy community then a tech site now.

Some interesting stats...

http://www.quantcast.com/northameric...raffic#summary

 

Although there has not been too many "technical posts", being on NAM has actually made me read more technical information about how the vehicle works. I wouldn't mind attending a class regarding the Mini's workings. However, there are 2 issues that prevent me from doing much experimenting;

1: Not many vendors putting out non-S parts.
2: Mine is still under warranty, like many(if not all) 2nd gen Mini's.

I would hands down take my Clubman for autocross just to have a taste of it but the warranty issue is nagging at me. :P

In short, I would engage in the technical threads if I know what's being discussed or have a question. More often though, I have no idea what's being discussed and don't even know what to ask.

 

Hmm... didn't you call yourself "Chief pot-stirrer" at one time. Or did you forget I didn't forget.

 

it seems that motoringunderground or mu is the place for less cutsey MINI discussions etc.

The MINI does appeal to soooo many people and despite my car having no pink, no flowers and sounding pretty loud and having tons of red and black - any female admirer tends to refer to it as "so cute!" my 330ci zhp never got a cute comment nor did my custom painted/modded cbr600f4 (see my gallery).

i didn't really surf the bmw forums when i had the 330 - bmw has such a variety of owners - just wasn't worth it. the porsche forum had a very tight knit community and usually featured a ton of good technical discussions.

 

do you mean cutesy or cutsy? no matter....most m|u members are into looks > performance so cute is covered. And, there are plenty who'll get lippy with you (unless you're a μ member), though less than here, so cutsy is covered.

all in all, the MINI community isn't conducive to moving performance forward - it prefers to spend it's time eating it's own.

 

lmao PGT.. LMFAO

 

Are you suggesting that the warranty would be voided by going to an Auto-X event?


With regard to the topic at hand, I agree... there seems to be a lack of technical discussion on this board, but I also agree that there are several reasons that that's the case:

1. The demographics of the site and MINI's in general
2. The age of the cars... like Izzy said, most R56's are still in warranty... and while I've done a lot of work on my other cars like heads/cam, BBK's, Coilovers, etc... I'm not really interested in voiding the warranty right off the bat. Now, that won't keep me from doing coilovers when the money's there, but it will keep me from doing things like ported head and custom cam. The risk and cost outweigh the reward for most people.

 

i modded my car whilst it was under warranty.

i just had to warn the dealer about messing with my 'stuff' when i took it in for service..

 

It has in fact happened to many people. There have been reports on the SCCA Forums about people at an autocross working for a dealer, making note of the license plate's, and taking them back to the service department of their dealership.

Mini specifically names "timed competition events" as a reason to void your warranty. Some dealers aren't so **** about it, and won't mention it.

 

Define technical.....

Is a discussion with a Noob about which pulley, swaybar, springs, CAI,etc no longer technical? When I first came here a couple years ago there were endless discussions about which sparkplug to use.... Now most noobs are directed to the search button, end of discussion.

My point being; go back two years and look for technical discussions that did not involve those things and I'll bet you'll find the pickings to be very slim...

 

I'm not sure how a preference for performance or aesthetics would determine a lack or presence of "technical" discussion. There's plenty of room for technical discussion pertaining to aesthetic mods just as much as with performance mods. You can have a discussion of the technical nature of fitting wide wheels and making them fit whether you want the wide wheels to be wrapped in wide r-compounds or if you just want wide wheels because you like the look. You can go into the technical discussion on stack height or camber to improve handling or you can have the same technical discussion about those topics just to go lower to look good.

Seems like you can have a technical discussion about aesthetic mods (or other subjects such as detailing mentioned earlier in this thread) just as you can with HP numbers or track handling.

There's no denying that many on M|U prefer modding for looks more than performance, but that hardly means that the discussion isn't technical when we discuss wheel fitment, suspension geometry, or the process of bodywork. There are also plenty of performance minded members and discussions on M|U as well....

 

Technical is whatever is happening and cutting edge at the time. In the beginning it was pulleys and intakes. Then moved on to IC's etc. There's tons to talk about concerning the 56, how many people actually know how it works? I posted a link in the R56 octane thread about the DI system and operation. No one in that thread commented or really acknowledged it. Is the site just that diluted or has the majority of the brains just left?

For your reading pleasure;

http://autospeed.com/cms/A_107830/article.html

We had a 56 apart last week and I was amazed at the size of the valve springs and rocker system. No wonder they keep the power lower in the rev range. I'd like to see how high it will go before the valvetrain fails.

 

I'm surprised that NAM's perceived value seems to be so heavily linked to its technical content in some of these posts. I can see why the hard core modders and racers and NAM plank-owners lean toward this view while pining for "the way things used to be" but I have to believe they comprise a relatively small segment of the current total membership. The technical content is there (albeit buried) and valuable and that makes it a key attraction to the community (and would be nice if it were more organized and searchable to minimize repeated noob questions), but it's certainly not NAM's only valuable attribute. It may not even be its most valuable attribute.

When we formed our local MINI group a year and a half ago, we made the conscious decision to organize it around NAM. We didn't do it because we all wanted to know how to install coilovers or swap out a CVT for a manual tranny or bust up our MINIs at the track or auto-x circuit. Our thinking was that, once members were exposed to the smorgasbord that is NAM, it was likely that they would visit frequently and many of them would be logged on at any particular point in time because you could perform so many different functions in one place -- shop among the vendors for merch, mine the archives for answers to technical questions, browse the general forums for the latest news, and yes--even waste a little time in OT. More "green dots" appearing next to members' screen names means more opportunties for real-time collaboration, planning, and team-building. And take it from someone who's not tremendously auto tech savvy, there's plenty of technical reference content here for anyone who wants to take the time to find it. I've had my MINI in pieces all over the garage, doing things that I never would have had the confidence to undertake otherwise. That's a personal practical standard that is certainly not lost or wasted on me.

 

I think I speak for many when I say, Good Riddance.

-The Wanderer on m|u

 

well, at least we never whined about our car not running, then cry wolf that the parts were made poorly, then say the tuner who made the parts didnt help you, then delete posts after some one gave their opinion, then try to sell the car, then part it out, then stay in the MINI "community" and start whining and complaining about other people they didnt get along with.

but that's not what YOU did. THAT guy left the MINI community in a huff, or did he? congrats on getting in the new issue of NAM alliance

 

first of all - good to see the bat signal worked from the m|u cave - did everybody get the memo about my post here? hope so...maybe everybody can chime in....I'm sure it will be a worthwhile discussion.

I didn't cry wolf - there were real issues...still are but nobody wants to deal with them (least of all the vendor). The reason for the edit has already been discussed - I decided I'd be better served selling the parts if there wasn't an open discussion of the issues...especially when they were so warmly received over on m|u. Instead of helping, most of you guys attacked for whatever reason...honestly...that right there sealed my decision to part out my car and sell it (see my comments above about teh MINI community not being a progressive place). Honestly, the proceeds from teh car and parts more than paid for teh new one and the mods for it. Hell, I was even attacked for saying just that (I guess it's bad to own a newish car and hold the title, better to be in debt).

m|u in general was better than NAM for tech discussions, if it wasn't for the μ crew being elitist it would have been a great forum. The us/them dynamic ruins it. Just look at teh site traffic (or lack thereof) for proof.

that wasn't my call - that was gnatster's. I was continually bumped for others until this latest issue. nice of you to say it though, here and now, almost as a slight.

 

thanks for clearing that all up.

i really did like your car. too bad you can't see around the PGT vs the world blinders.

 

like that's the problem

too bad the best the MINI aftermarket vendors can offer still isn't good enough (yet many MINI owners eat it up like it's the best thing since sliced bread). perhaps for some, but cracked exhausts, rough idles, driving three states away for tunes, resulting CEL's, 3x to get fitment right...MINI vendors need to raise their game. I don't have these issues on the other car but then again, the vendors there have their act together.

 

It's like a tennis match in here now...think we can move on yet?

 

If you dislike this community as much as you seem to, why do you continue to post here?


Oh that's right, you're a drama queen.

 

the cars still interest me...I'll own another sooner than later....I'm still selling through parts....b/c I'm entitled to?

I went almost three years without a Subaru but nobody questioned why I was still a member on those forums.

namecalling? stay classy μ

 

You mean like your preferred brand of "pot-stirring" from the Nuts site?

Translation: I'm smarter and more talented than the rest of you. It's always nice to see you rubbing things in all of our faces so you can feel smug and self-satisfied Dan.

Funny. You were an open m|u supporter until you didn't get the μ team coronation you apparently felt entitled to. Now that you've turned your wrath against them, you seem to look for every opportunity to vilify them.

You're a class act Dan. You sure have thin skin for an internet bully. Anybody care to take bets for how long it will take you to tire of the Suby community and turn against them?

 

actually, I never cared much. I was approached by two μ members about becoming one and said 'sure!'. when nothing happened after that, when I asked why, I couldn't get a straight answer so it was clear there was some smack talk in your hidden μ forum. So be it.

do I know you? don't think so.