Feelings time.

"norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback" (norskracer98)
08/12/2014 at 02:14 • Filed to: None

So there was a post recently about turbos. And that's kind of brought up some mixed feelings for me. I know that I don't know every little thing about cars and how every little part works. I consider myself an enthusiast but sometimes I don't feel like I am because I don't know as much as I really think I do. I know I know a lot about cars compared to others, but I'm not trying to say I'm better than them. Sometimes I feel like I can't really call myself an enthusiast of cars like the air cooled 911's because I kind of understand how they work but don't really. I really do love cars, and really do enjoy being around them and learning about how they work which is why I consider my self an enthusiast. Sometimes I just don't know. I've learned a lot since joining the community here and will continue to.

Here's a smoky burnout from last weekend for having to listen to my confusing post.

DISCUSSION (14)

lonestranger > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
08/12/2014 at 02:19

Don't confuse knowledge with enthusiasm. While they often go hand-in-hand, one can be very enthusiastic with limited knowledge, or very knowledgeable with little enthusiasm. Unless you're an aspiring engineer, which would you rather be?

JalopJeep > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
08/12/2014 at 02:21

Doesn't matter if you're 23 like me or 73. Just read read read and submerse yourself as much as possible. The stuff I learned working with my dad on our air-cooled 911, V70r, and doing LOTS of modifications to my Jeep is indispensable. I've played just about every sport there is to play competitively and the only place "practice makes perfect" is more relevant is in a garage. Just read and absorb the info like a sponge and put it in to practice as often as possible.

mcseanerson > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
08/12/2014 at 02:21

If you're referring to the line about air cooled motors with turbos it is possible. The real problem isn't the air cooled part. It's the carb part. Turbos need precise fuel control and lot's of fuel. That's why turbo cars didn't start getting really good until the 80s with the introduction of electronic fuel injection. If you ever want to know more about cars just ask, we're all glad to share. And remember there are no stupid questions, just stupid assholes who try to say someone else's question is stupid.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > lonestranger
08/12/2014 at 02:21

I want to get a degree in Mechanical or automotive engineering, but I'd rather be enthusiastic with little knowledge. Truthfully I'd like to be enthusiastic and knowledgeable to help others get into it.

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
08/12/2014 at 02:21

Sums me up to a tee. I'm very knowledgable, but I have to say I dont know everything. When you know more than most its easy to forget that.

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
08/12/2014 at 02:23

Understand the mixed feelings but please don't feel bad. There is so much to know, so much to learn, and you (or anyone else) are never going to know everything , even about a single manufacturer or model.

It's admirable that you've learned what you've learned. That you're curious . You're an enthusiast, in part because you want to learn more!

And, hopefully, you'll pass on what you've learned to others, remember when you didn't know something, and be kind and generous to those who share your curiosity even if not your knowledge.

mcseanerson > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
08/12/2014 at 02:31

Yeah another good thing you learn as you get older is real wisdom is knowing when to say you don't know something. Back in the day it was easy to bullshit people but now with the internet it is quick and easy to fact check people.

desertdog5051 > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
08/12/2014 at 02:35

You nailed it. You don't need to be a master of knowledge to just love cars and their workings. I have been a lover of motorized things for a looong time. Cars and motorcycles mostly. I know something of most, a lot of, very few.

I love the new knowledge I gain about different vehicles and technologies from the forums I read and the general search for information I do on a regular basis. (you who have grown up with the internet always available cannot know what we used to go through to get information). You are fine.

Textured Soy Protein > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
08/12/2014 at 02:40

You don't have to know everything about something to be enthusiastic about it.

I started reading car magazines before I got to kindergarten. On the bus, I'd bet other kids I could name every car I saw on the road. When I got older, I'd tell kids to name a car and I'd spit out its engine specs and horsepower numbers.

But that doesn't make me somehow a "better" car person than other people who like cars. Well, except for people who are willful idiots trying to pass off stupid bullshit as sounding like they know what they know what they're talking about.

So as long as you don't act like the guy I used to work with who upon buying a few-years-old VW R32, would tell everyone who asked him about it, that it was a rally car, and super rare, and better than any other car, because it's a rally car. RALLY CAR.

AM3R > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
08/12/2014 at 02:46

I'm not the most mechanically inclined, I can't swap an LSX into a Miata or anything on that level but I can do most basic work and I'm definitely up to the task of trying anything. It's a great time to be an enthusiast because everything you need to know is on the internet.

I was at C&C the other day and damn I felt dumb walking around with this guy I met. He was just as enthusiastic as me but he knew everything!

Big Bubba Ray > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
08/12/2014 at 03:34

Hey man, nothing wrong at all about not knowing everything. I know very little about turbos other than they make some slow cars fast haha

Part of car enthusiasm is constantly learning new things. I'm car obsessed, but there's still a TON of things I don't know about. Learning is fun and it's a part of being an enthusiast. Never be afraid to admit you don't know something.

Oppo is a killer place to gain more knowledge about all things car related. Everyone here is so knowledgeable and willing to teach so you shouldn't feel bad about not knowing everything!

spanfucker retire bitch > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
08/12/2014 at 07:44

I've had some pretty ignorant shitbags tell me I'm not an enthusiast because I don't like manuals. If someone tells you that you're not a "true enthusiast" (whatever the hell that is) because you're not as knowledgeable as them; just tell them to fuck off.

It's the only response they deserve.

GhostZ > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
08/12/2014 at 08:00

...but sometimes I don't feel like I am because I don't know as much as I really think I do.

Aaand some of the most famous racecar drivers were notoriously ignorant about how their vehicles actually worked. Being a fan of cars is about the spirit of it, not the facts.

I only know a lot about cars because I enjoy research, which means I don't know anything practical, just lots of statistical and factual knowledge. And that's fine. I know that I won't end up in a garage working on 10000 cars a year and gaining extreme technical knowledge, so just being able to research offhand and learn more without costing anything more than time is okay with me. Doesn't make me any less of an enthusiast, doesn't make me any more of one.

Labeling yourself as an Enthusiast or not won't save you. It doesn't mean anything, they're just words. The actions you do and the way you treat cars and other people, that defines an enthusiast. It's a mutual respect and an acknowledgement of higher meaning to be found in a hunk of plastic and metal. As long as you have that, it doesn't matter if you've never even touched a car, you're good enough for us.

tc_corty > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
08/12/2014 at 10:29

If you're willing to learn, most are willing to teach. The biggest thing taught to me, by my engine dyno guy, is to ask "why?"

If someone tells you, put this part on your car, change this etc. Instead of having blind faith they know what they're on about, ask why.

They'll reply with, it handles better, it makes more power, or some other generalized answer. Then you ask why again. This is when you'll learn if the person can teach you something or just follows the crowd on what "works"/ what the quickest guy at the meet runs. If it is the person that knows, they'll be impressed that you want to know why and the reason it works. This comes back to the if you're willing to learn, people will be willing to teach. Its a little trick to help you learn, developed critical thinking about cars and discover the oracles that can teach you a lot. Remember all these knowledgeable people started off knowing jack all and need others to inform them. Nobody was born knowing. To me, if you're not learning something new you're not living. Life is one big knowledge quest. You'll pick things up as you go, we all do :)