I'm kinda curious how the RX-8 community feels about the tuner magazines that are out there. Which magazine do you feel is most credible, given its current staff and recent content, technical or otherwise? Which do you most look forward to reading each month? Which do you think is best? This doesn't have to be just RX-8 specific content, but the general level of the magazine and competence/entertainment/value overall.

Don't everybody vote for SportsCar just because ULLLLLOSE works there, either. I didn't want to leave it out and be accused of being ignorant/biased/whatever toward him.

 

Although not as no-nonsense as Grassroots Motorsports, I think Sport Compact Car deserves special mention. It's clearly different from all the other junk magazines listed

I don't think 0-60 is really a tuner mag.

 

I would not call us a tuner mag. We have very specific things we can/do cover, mostly dictated by SCCA. We have started to get into more tech stuff, and no matter how much they wine I am going to get them to do more work in house, rather than taking the project cars to shops. I think it is very important to show people that you can do this stuff yourself. We now have full alignment equipment and scales, in addition to my tire machine, and I am going keep expanding our tool box.

Some of our other publications are pretty cool... In the US, Racer and IndyCar. In the UK Autosport, Autocar, F1 Racing, Motorsport News, Stuff. They get all of the fun stuff across the pond, but we have the good weather. http://www.haymarket.com/brands.aspx

I could work in a Tuner story.... Just need to turbo our car and head to Street Mod.

 

Q.F.E.

 

^^^ Yep. Of all the main stream mags, Sports Compact Car is one of the better ones. I like Grassroots and SportsCar as well, but like previously stated, not a "tuner mag".

 

Of the ones mentioned i have read most of them and of the main stream tuner mags i would only buy SCC. That said i have a subscription to GRM and think it beats the rest going and coming.

 

What! No Honda Mag?

 

i've always been a fan of scc.. one of my recent(is 8-10 years recent?) gripes is the whole girls/cars mags.. i'm not feelin that.. don't get me wrong, i love the ladies and all but there are other magazines for that stuff.. just seems like pics and interviews of hot girls are pages wasted when i want to see cars..

 

What's the accepted definition of "tuner"? It seems to have different meanings for different people.

 

you mean like "ricer" or "muscle" or "luxury"... i understand what you're asking i guess tuner is everything combined... it just has the ricer connotation linked to it more so...

 

Grm Ftw

 

I voted for Modified...it seems that when I goto the news stand, it ends up being the one I buy after looking at them all. I enjoy the writing style, perfect blend of tech and humor and I love the fact they keep the models to a dedicated 2-3 pages instead of putting them in front of the cars they are covering. They get my vote.

 

When I think a "tuner" mag I think a magazine that will help u tune ur car and show u different ways to mod it and outcomes.

SCC was great back in the day. It has no turned to HIGH end mods that the daily worker cant and wont spend all their money on.

Out of that list the best mag for the daily worker to read and learn how to not only mod the engine but audio and just about everything to get car is Modified.

I have subcriptions to just about all those mags and more since I run a shop and allows customers to read them and have seen alot of magazines go way to "mainstream".

 

The May 2008 issue of SportsCar should be a hit with rotor heads.

 

Modified started out very strong, though I think its been in downhill side every since then, though not as bad as "import tuner" or "superstreet" yet. SCC is great mainstream mag, I think Grassroots Motorsports is more technical of magizine and isn't as mainstream as SSC, which is not a bad thing.

I subscribe to GRM and SSC, and pick up Turbo everyonce in a while.

 

Of the ones listed that are actually tuner mags, SCC is by far the best and most credible IMO. Modified and Superstreet are total crap if you ask me, and most of the cars they feature are far from impressive.

 

Every time I read one I think they are junk.

So I very seldom go back to check them out.

 

i get all my RX8 ideas from import ricer magazine.

no. seriously, i only get those magazine for the girls mainly.

 

scc i think is o.k.

all others are really ricey magazines. they are very lame and not detailed about mods... i mean, they have no equations and formulas to compare when they suggest an fuel pressure regulator install. they just boast "more fuel, safer engine, more power, blah blah..."

if they go as far as making articles with formulas and equations to work out for your mod, then thats the one to get. all others are purely a marketing strategy...like i said, a magazine with girls, and it works on me.

 

GHEY?



Just kidding i feel the exact same way...same thing with the car shows..they have gone from a car thing to a bikini/wet t-shirt contest with some cars thrown in...

 

Count the amount of pages that are advertisement verses the amount that are actually the mag's content. The one with the most content is the winner in my book.

 

I'd have to agree with this statement. You can only look through a magazine and see Oil/filter/wax ads so many time before going crazy.

 

I measure a magazines worth by how long does it take me to get through it. I don't subscribe to any to any tuner magazines because of this. Too much of them are Honda/Acura articles. I do receive Grassroots Motorsports because of my membership in NASA.
I have been a long term subscriber to Car & Driver because it take me several hours to read everything that I think I will find interesting.

 

I'd have to say that DSport is the best Import mag out today. Their Test & Tune articles are always backed by facts and dyno results. They have some of the cleanest cars, and of course, the hottest girls But the one thing I like the most about the staff is that they do all the work on their veheciles themselves. It truly is a magezine written by enthusiast. I've been addicted ever since I picked-up my first issue

 

I like Sport Compact Car because it is a lot more intelligent and technical than a lot of the other mags. It has less tuning "scenester" action, like lame carshows and their lame models, and more genuine discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the various platforms (in their project car features). The parts testing seems to have less 10-way comparisons of parts like cold air intakes on civics.

It's just a more hardcore mag for enthusiasts rather than fanboy highschoolers.