Normally we respond to reader emails in our Feedback section, but this letter really struck a cord with us, so I’m going to address it in this month’s column.
Let me just start off by saying that I’ve been buying your magazine religiously since August of ’08 and I’ve loved every issue since. However, being a “car guy” is hard when you know so little about cars. I know the gas is on the right, the brake is in the middle and the clutch is on the left. I know other basics (I’ve changed my own oil, jumped my car and put a doughnut on when I blew a tire), but I would really like to get into cars a little more. I have a lot of projects in my head I’d like to attempt, but knowing so little about cars is frustrating.
I just finished reading the April ’11 cover story, and it was an amazing read. The only things I didn’t understand were things like “9.2/1 low compression long-block” or “APS TSR70 snail.” I also read stories like “The Long Road Home” and “All In The Family” from the same issue, and it was bittersweet. On the one hand, it’s amazing to see how much blood, sweat and tears went into these cars, but on the other hand, it’s saddening that I don’t have a relationship like that with my car. I’d love to be able to take my car out and turn heads with it and be able to put up instead of shut up.
I was wondering if maybe you could do an issue for those of us who love cars, but don’t understand all the fancy lingo and acronyms. I would really like to read an issue of Modified that helps us noobs learn more and make our love for cars more intimate. —Chris Kuenzler
Although I can’t promise every story in this issue (or future issues) will be free of fancy lingo or confusing short-forms, I hope this glossary of car-guy terminology will at least help readers like Chris better understand the stories we throw at them each month. We tend to assume a certain level of automotive knowledge when writing our stories, and we do get emails requesting more in-depth, tech-heavy stories (which tend to have more car-geek-speak in them), as well as requests like Chris’ for more “tuning tips and stories for noobs.” We do our best to strike a middle ground, but it’s good to be reminded that some of our readers could use a little education on the language that’s so pervasive in the tuner scene.
Keep in mind this glossary is by no means exhaustive (for a more general glossary of automotive terms, check out autospeak.com), so for all you hardcore tuners and modifiers out there, please feel free to add to the list by emailing us your favorite terms. We’ll be sure to run the best one’s in next month’s Feedback section. And for all you noobs out there who want to take what you’ve learned from reading mags like Modified and apply it to modifying your own car, the best advice I can offer is to start with relatively simple jobs like installing a cold-air intake or changing your engine’s spark plugs, and in the wise words of Nike, “just do it!” Of course, “just doing it” will require some basic hand tools and the ability to read and follow the instructions provided with the parts you’re going to install.