Quote:
Originally Posted by Dimman
A couple things about Dragon there. He has done extensive work to his tC to make it fast. He is also probably a very fast driver himself regardless of the car he is in. His attitude is that he will make whatever car he drives fast through mods. These are all good enthusiast traits.
However he is a bit blind to the fact that the tC is a completely dull car right off the floor. His arguments usually revolve around racing and tuning programs that are either supported openly by Scion/Toyota NA, or through back door programs.
A good example of this is the Scion Tuner Challenge. It isn't something that he or any other Scion owner can enter with their own personal car. People basically submit a resume or portfolio to Scion, then if certain criteria are met, the successful applicants are given their choice of Scion and a $15k budget to mod it. Winners are picked, the cars go back to Scion and are used in the print ads that have the disclaimer that you basically can't do any of this because the mods are non-Scion approved and will void your warranty. How does this support a real Scion fan?
This is similar to the Scion racing programs. Scion threw a lot of money at all the top import teams that were becoming cash-strapped as the scene was beginning to fade. There is a Titan 2JZ 'Scion' for fuck sakes... (For those that don't know Titan is one of the biggest Supra drag racing teams out there.)
In both of the tuning and racing scenario it isn't 'real' support for the customers. It is pure marketing. The Tuning Challenge doesn't support genuine Scion owning enthusiasts that really do love their cars. It supports wannabe designers, that make stuff that the real enthusiasts will spend money on trying to emulate. It doesn't give back to the customers, it only takes their money. And the racing is not a real reflection of the car. Top teams that had the option prior, but didn't, to choose to race Scions themselves were offered a lot of money and support to either change to using a Scion platform, or make their cars look like a Scion. If you give the best teams a lot of money but a mediocre (not bad or horrible, just in the middle) platform, they will usually still win.
For context, the holder of a bunch of Unlimited FWD time-attack records, prior to the twin-winged, bazillion HP factory-backed Scion, was a factory-backed Chevy Cobalt SS.
As for this not being shown in 'ads'. It is still marketing. Ads are only a small part of marketing.
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However you are blind to the fact that I think most cars are dull from the factory. If you think a factory Miata is uber driving machine....sorry I don't. A prepped Miata though....that will fly on the track as been proven before. I wouldn't leave an Evo X stock. After a while I would be upgrading things on that too. Stock cars don't mean much to me when I'm going to personalize them in some form or fashion (and not always in a performance aspect either, my FX35 for example). And not to sure what your idea is of Scion owners, but speaking for my crew....we thought that Scion tuner challenge shit was garbage. So, we have the same thoughts a most any others due at times. Some things are great, some make you scratch your head.
And sorry don't agree with your last comment about winning with mediocre platforms as long as you thrown money into them. As much as HP as Rado has in his Time Attack tC's, he has the same motors that come in a tC from the factory. This is enough for me. The Pro drags like Titan and the drift tC Tanner was pushing, with the motor swaps, are not that down to earth to most enthusiast and even Scion enthusiast. Now that Tanner is going to be using the same motor that comes in the tC instead of the V8, it brings him up in the cool points.
And you are wrong on my arguments, they revolve around pro teams and their championships sure, but they also revolve around what I've personally accomplished on and off the track as well as teams that have winning championships in their class that are NOT backed by Scion (PTuning). You talk as if the cars they compete against are not backed by their respectable factories. You last talking point makes no sense since everyone pumps 100k's into their cars to stay on top. Is the FXMD NSX that Billy Johnson drives a "middle of the road" platform. Only a second or two separate Rado's FWD tC with cars like his, AMS Evo X, Sierra Sierra Evo...etc. Rado already had the backing of his fathers million dollar company, he doesn't need much money...lol. The other teams like Jackson Dawson, are barely even modded tC's. They run TRD S/C'ers with a different EMS. Nothing special about them, but that they are two time champs back to back in Endurance racing.
Oh and FYI...the Cobalt SS that was holding a few lap records in FWD, was built by GM themselves. You probably knew that, just the way you wrote it, it sounded like it was a separate team who got money from GM.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dimman
This is kind of my point about Scion. Instead of building a good car, they just bought the names and skills of a bunch of good teams to break records, compete well, etc... in cars totally unrelated to what were being sold in Scion dealerships.
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10 out of the 12 or so cars are totally related to the factory tC (not the official number, but you get the point).
And again, not all of them are names Scion even knows. Do you know who Ross Miller is? Two time Modified FWD RTA champ (2008-2009). I bet Scion would be like....Ross Who?
What about if I'm winning races against cars that are considered not mediocre platforms as you called. I wish I would have a $ thrown my way from Scion to make my car fast. It sounds like you have this idea that all the performing tC's out there have billions of dollars from Scion in them, and are the only ones that compete and win. Sorry dude, I win too and never seen a dime. I appreciate the compliment in my driving, but the package has to be there in the car too. If there isn't any sorta support for the platform to excel then it's not going anywhere.....I.E. Corolla XRS. Has a 2zz-ge (some consider better engine than a 2az-fe), yet where is that car on a race track....no where. It's picking up groceries. Where is the MR-S? No where. Only when you shove a 2zz into it does it perform like it should have.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.Jay
Its not a Tc its a Tc body
you can tell tanner is not impressed hahaha
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He's going back to the original tC motor like Ken Gushi has. He has been running the 2az-fe all seaon with about 600+whp. Tanner's tC though will be the 2ar motor in the new 2011 tC. I find it funny how some will go straight to talking about Tanner's tC with the V8 to try and shoot stuff down, TOTALLY skipping the fact that there are two tC's in Formula D and the other does run a tC factory motor. And Tanner was the SECOND guy, not the first, to be drifting the tC. Gushi's tC doesn't use a Supra rear end, doesn't have a V8 motor from TRD...etc. It has the original parts from the tC's chassis, has the original motor (granted they tried a BEAMS motor at the beginning).