RS Motorsport :: Classic Speed Restored

so quite on here where has everyone gone

Twitface or something.

Far too many wankers on stalkerbook unfortunately

Its always quiet in here....most people are on Turbosport

Is that Gary Angelos twat on turbosport

Who is Gary Angelos Twat Danny?
JP

Look him up on facebook, he's been kicked off quite a few boards including turbosport

Ahhh Gaz of chocolate engine fame!
JP

Chocolate engine fame?
I think he goes by the name mk1 gaz

He was mr only my way is the right way and anything but a N/A yb was wrong...and the duratec et al was made of chocolate...because some one had some part fail once.
Sounds familiar.
JP

Hey guys,


I think this is an interesting one and I voiced some of my thoughts in the Merry Christmas thread.

I actually proposed that maybe TwitFace (sic) wasn't a bad idea if its properly managed but I'm having second thoughts. Maybe some else can comment in detail.

In terms of accessibility, Twitface is certainly convenient if nothing else? Problem is you'd spend your time vetting the hundreds of dickheads (#sorrynotsorry) that are trying to slip through for an opportunity to troll/hijack and attack (possibly hack) what would otherwise be a productive and educational exchanges of ideas.

So next question. Why are all the users somewhere else and not here? There's nothing wrong with here. Its just my opinion but Ive been on here for years and found it very helpful. Nothing offensive, not even any real (!!) wankers. So what is it?

Has the interest in the cars waned? I doubt it. Are people growing older and selling their toys? No (I hope). Is there a generational shift where an up and coming audience of budding modifiers, racers and engineers is no longer interested in the level of detail (sickening sometimes ) shown here? I don't think so.

Is it... that maybe we are seeing a shift away from traditional mods to another level of performance that this forum no longer caters too? Remembering that drifting wasn't always recognised as a sport? I don't know. Maybe its not an easy site to navigate on a mobile device? I'm throwing some ideas around.

What does Turbosport have that RSM doesnt? Maybe its time to do a survey of RSM members and see what audiences want?

I don't know but I'm thinking RSM has commercial interests as well? What are/were its goals apart from being the number one data dispenser for all things Escort? Its sponsored (in part) by Gartrac? What were Gartracs expectations? Are Gartrac also a sponsor on Turbosport? Happy to be corrected/informed properly on this one.

Its a great forum. Might be that a survey shows some evolution is needed to bring RSM back to its former glory? CarThrottle.com has its own app. What about an RSM app?


Cheers, Dan

Facebook doesn't provide the data longevity that a forum like this does. And no-one appears to be able to search for anything themselves anymore.

Well as the owner of RSM and the forum I guess it’s about time I put my 20c in.

I started it in December 2005 so we’ve just gone 10 years and in that time have seen a lot of people come and go. Over the last 18 months it has steadily declined with the advent of numerous Facebook groups and other forms of electronic media.

Forums are great communities where people with a common interest gather and discuss topics related to that interest. Their success is directly related to that core group of people who post on all matters listed and are generally the ones most active with their cars. In general only about 1% of all registered users fall into that, with another 5-9% who contribute sometimes and the rest are the silent watchers who just like reading about the endeavours of others but wouldn’t dare post. Our best time was back in 2010 when Danny was building the yellow car and Gary Pitt was putting up a running commentary on the build. For a while there we were getting 1 million hits a month. One of the things I always thought the RSM forum did better than some of the others was the quality of the information that was available. I did get feedback at times that we were “elitist” but I saw that as more a recognition that we were hardcore enthusiasts rather than doof doof dyno queens.

Most of what used to be our regular posters are now on other forms of media, most notably Facebook. There are hardly any builds going on and our cars are now at best nearly 40 years old. These days we are struggling to get 300,000 hits/month. There must still be a lot of you that just tune in to see what’s happening (if anything). Throughout the 10 years I’ve kept it just focused on Escort & Cortina’s generally from pre 1980 and not broadened it to include later models (like some other forums) and maybe that was a mistake. And with the rise of cheap Japanese cars that offer better bang for your buck than an old rusty Escort the gene pool to draw on is now much smaller.

I myself have moved on to the Focus XR5 turbo and have a major project under construction there and regularly contribute to a like minded forum. Later model cars, plenty of parts, lots of people with projects and a live model stream means the forum is quite healthy.

I would be interested to hear what people think should be done with the forum. After all it’s all of you who made it great in the past – I just host it. Is it past its use by date, or is there another life awaiting in a different form. Your thoughts?

Some interesting points there Dan and I must say I appreciate you taking the time to post them. My thoughts on a couple are as follows.

Has the interest in the cars waned? I doubt it.
I think it has

Are people growing older and selling their toys? No (I hope).
In some cases yes. I'm certainly thinking of downsizing to just one car.

Is there a generational shift where an up and coming audience of budding modifiers, racers and engineers is no longer interested in the level of detail (sickening sometimes ) shown here? I don't think so.
Absolutely yes. A lot of the younger guys aren't interested in the engineering any more. They take it to people and pay their money because the cars are so technical now you can't do a lot of it yourself. And modern engines are so much more efficient and make lots more hp for the money. Young guys who get into Escorts nowdays generally had a father, uncle etc who had one and want it because of that.


Is it... that maybe we are seeing a shift away from traditional mods to another level of performance that this forum no longer caters too? Remembering that drifting wasn't always recognised as a sport? I don't know.
Quite possibly yes

Maybe its not an easy site to navigate on a mobile device? I'm throwing some ideas around.
I can't see that making a mobile app on its own is going to have an impact. It needs people with something relevant to say

What does Turbosport have that RSM doesn't? Maybe its time to do a survey of RSM members and see what audiences want?
Easy - the UK in it's backyard. Home of the small ford and every worthwhile parts manufacturer to go with it. Add a much larger population and bigger car base and its easy to see why its so successful.

So what are you saying Nev I should do another thread for the rebuild when I start it very soon

Nev et all,

being a member of several forums and clubs related to the old Escort for sometimes 25+ years I've seen a change in the speed one wants to be up-to-date and also related to that is how much info is being "transferred".
From club-mags every 2 months with write-ups and photos of clubmeets to old style (via the phone-line, slow speed) forums to modern forums and now facebook/twitter which is instant and also the messages are short compared to forums. This is I guess how the young adult wants it; quick and short.
For us oldies (!) who only log on twice or so a day, a forum is much better, well for me anyway.
I do not do FB and never will. So hope this RSM forum stays as it is.

Regards, Leon.

Hey guys,

I did read an interesting (if frightening article) where it was suggested that in future, younger people would be less interested in car ownership and be quite happy to car pool to get around so I guess you can't ignore any generational vectors that explain a lack of interest. Could be I'm indulging in some head burying in sand!

So taking all this into account, where next? Facebook (and the like) data longevity isn't there as Oztang65 rightly points out so hosting needs to stay the same.

Maybe create a FB page purely to advertise the site? Get that hit rate up? I guess in the end it comes down to what is this costing and what are you getting out of it.

I don't know what you would do to create more interest? Broaden the allowable scope for other cars as suggested? Cortina's and Capri's have always been big in the UK. Anglias even although they aren't so common here. Later model Fords is something we probably cant ignore. Late model RS's are huge in the UK going by what I see on FB. We don't really get those models here though so not sure what impact that would have. Engine conversions are always good if controversial. Rotary, YB, SR, LS conversions... I loved that white Mk2 with the killer 13BT! I actually love most cars. I'd be happy to own a 180SX with an LS conversion. Or a HQ Monaro. Or an RX2 Coupe. Or a European RS2000. Or a Zakspeed Mk1 in Castrol livery. Just happens I have a special place in my heart for Escorts.

I'm reinventing my car (Mk2 coupe) with a YB-B conversion at the moment so Im going to keep coming here. Being labelled elitist is an accolade to the passion and the engineering knowledge that is accessible here if only the time is taken to look and research and learn and understand. The passion and the knowledge of the contributors here keep me confident that Im heading in the right direction with my own projects.

I also admit to being one of those guys that loves to cruise through the various threads for no other reason than the sheer daylights joy of reading about what other people are doing and how they fixed or got around various issues. There's some innovative stuff here. New materials, new techniques, special tools becoming more accessible etc etc all make for exciting times.

Yeah Danny hurry up. Your build of the yellow car was fantastic to follow.

Downsizing to one car Nev? Does this mean the Holy Grail of all Group C RS2000's could be on the market?


Cheers, Dan

Yeah FB page to divert to this one!

The website doesn't cost that much to run so I'm happy to keep it going even if there's only a few of us old farts who can't get their heads around Facebook that use it. I've never thought of it as a contest with any other site and therefore if it is adding value to only a few people then that's all the justification I need.

Dan, I have given serious consideration to selling the Group C car but in April it will be 28 years of ownership, and that makes it hard to part with. I've had that car more than half my life and my kids have never known anything different. In fact I was surprised as to how upset my 15yr old son was when I said I "might" sell it. So it stays but I'm probably going to sell up everything else and just keep enough spares for the race car. As mentioned my passion right now is the XR5 turbo and the build in progress is a big hp (500+) running through an AWD platform controlled by a Syvecs ECU.
Fun times ahead

I'd always had an Escort of some sort in my possession since getting my licence back in 1994. After many years of ownership and collecting a heap of parts, I made the difficult decision a few years ago to sell off everything Escort. I'm still a fan of forums and do still check in here most days (I've become one of those "silent watchers" ) but I've been mucking around with an early Laser for the last four years and who the hell wants to read about a Laser!?