What do you care about and what are you looking for in an online resource?

I think back at all the Suzuki websites over the years, including ours, and I'm not sure if, other than a small questionnaire that iZook did 10+ years ago, anyone has ever asked.

So what do you think?

1) Information that is found relatively easy
2) Open discussion with little to no negativity since I make mistakes and have brain farts I assume everyone does
3) runs, video, and pics
4) real world reviews on products

I expect some negativity because we can be passionate about our opinions and the products we buy.  It would be difficult not to let the community know if a product is not working as advertised or the mods we have to make to get stuff to work the way we want.  I just meant as was stated below where sometimes it takes over the thread and becomes counter productive - but then again who's to say when that is

I'm a member of multiple Suzuki forums, some folks are looking for repair info, part numbers & assistance, some look for modification tips - guidance on how to make their vehicles perhaps better suited to their off road interests, and because those interests can be varied, the nature of the mods can also be quite varied.

Personally, I drove my first Suzuki 4WD (one of the three cylinder air cooled LJs) about 30 years ago, young man, young (and growing family) I couldn't afford one, but I was hooked, and I've been a Suzuki owner for 20 odd years now - I have the manuals, much of the necessary tools and do the bulk of my own maintenance, what I don't do is fabrication (long story) so being able to see what some of the regulars on here have achieved is what grabs me - like a Samurai rear axle used to fab a steel housing for the front of an IFS Sidekick, or 2x4 steel rockers or winch bumpers - one person even fabbed his own "undertaker" under drive unit.

I'm not so much into the reviews - unless they are going to be Suzuki specific products - I can read those in the regular 4WD magazines, and I hate reviews that turn out to be nothing more than "infomercials"

These are great responses! rjrick, if you were to rank your thoughts... would you put them in the same order of importance as you wrote them? fordem, in your opinion... what shifts a review into an infomercial and makes your experience a negative? Thanks again for your replies...

Anyone else have any thoughts?

Thanks, Eric

As on online resource, I care about accuracy of information and as many different ways of doing 1 thing that I can read. The main reason I am here is for the random stuff that the manuals don't tell you. The tricks of the trade so to speak.

well I belong to only a couple of zuk forums and 2 local forums. Why am I here? simple... great people great advice  no drama. I've met a lot of good online friends that I would help in any way possible if closer to me, and  zuk only forum . Ive asked many questions and gave many answers to my ability. My buddy that owns a zuk also calls me lots for advice cause im on here so much and read a lot of the repair problems people have. I just glance at the reviews cause there are not a lot of after market products for my yr of zuk, but I do look at what is new. But honestly this is my zuk forum for repairs and advice 

                                                                                         thx Beagle

Eric - it's hard to pin down exactly what shifts a review into an infomercial, but I suspect it may relate to an overly positive tone on the part of the reviewer, one that portrays whatever is being reviewed as, so to speak, the greatest thing since sliced bread.

We expect the manufacturers' websites & brochures to never focus on the product shortcomings, but reviewers can and should mention these.

Few products are 100% advantageous/0% disadvantageous, and we, the end users generally recognize that we have to compromise, the decision has to be ours as to if we want to accept whatever short comings a product has in order to get the benefits - I drive a 2.0 (I4), 5 door Grand Vitara (never sold in the US), it could just as easily have been a 1.6 2 door Vitara (consider it a hardtop SWB Sidekick, but with a carb), a 2.0 V6 5 door Vitara (also never sold in the US - think SidekickSport with a V6), a 2.5 V6 5 door Grand Vitara (non OBDII) a Toyota Hilux (again, never sold in the US - think Tacoma), I considered both single & double cab, or a Mitsubishi L200 pickup and the Pajero iO  - I know the advantages & disadvantages of them all, and choose what I feel is best suited to my needs. 

The 2.0 GV was my first choice, the Pajero iO was second, and I now have one of each.

One comment I want to make - primarily because rjkick commented on negativity, and the last samurai on accuracy of information.

These forums are collections of individual experience, and those individual experiences differ, so you should always expect to see some conflicting information, there is however another issue that occasionally raises it's head - you will have posters making perhaps very misleading statements, in an effort to appear knowledgeable

For the first issue, there is no way around it, you gather as much detail as you can, note the conflicts, and also which way the majority of opinion leans, and then go discover the facts for yourself, equipped with the knowledge that a problem may occur, and hopefully, someone else's suggestion on how to get around it.

The second issue will usually sort itself out - someone will call out the poster on his nonsense - which I suspect is the negativity that rjkick mentions - sometimes a squabble occurs, sometimes it doesn't - it depends on how the attached the poster is to his opinion.

I should point out here that I moderate on other forums, and as a moderator have had to get in between the posters should a squabble break out.

In addition to the above comments, having several threads for the commonly asked questions in posts be filed in a subject specific thread would be useful.  A few that come to mind would be:

1.  A thread on the various suspension lifts available for the Suzuki vehicles (coil spacer, aftermarket springs, shocks,
     struts) along with the pros and cons of each and maybe even price points of each
2.  A subject thread answering "what size tires will fit under my truck with a 2" lift"  (for example).
3.  Maybe a specialty tool fabrication thread (how did you fabricate the specialty tool required for a particular service
      task versus buying one) for quick reference for the do-it-yourself-repair guys and gals.

What do you care about and what are you looking for in an online resource?

I think back at all the Suzuki websites over the years, including ours, and I'm not sure if, other than a small questionnaire that iZook did 10+ years ago, anyone has ever asked.

So what do you think?

Hey Eric,
I'm just glad that this place is still rocking it and even happier that you're still here keeping it together.  As you know, I've been off an on this board for 13+ years now and I find that it has been the best resource for information sharing between like-minded folks.  4 Suzuki's later and I'm still using it (even today).

Nate

P.S. Still feeling as queer as a 3-dollar bill.

Offline Pikeman

   

Re: Let's build this forum again!
« Reply #2 on: June 03, 2015, 10:01:52 PM »

    Quote

What I recommend is do what has been done on other forums. I used to be big on the 4Runner forum then I broke the frame on my baby and haven't been on except to say hi to some folks. Anyways in the Generation specific we made sticky threads that sat at the top of the section for all the questions that get asked. We had a thread that covered all the lifts available as well as reviews of each and links to the original thread that discussed it. One for tires and wheel offset with common combinations and reviews and again links to the original threads.  I think you see where I am going with this, anyways I have a 2004 4Door Tracker now and hoping to get good information and recommendations on my build.

2004 Tracker 4 door.... mods to come.... only change so far tint and 235/75 Hankook ATM

Has anybody ever tried to and a carb on a 2 L fuel injected vehicle?

It would take a lot of electronics work to get everything working on a 2L with a carb for the firing of the spark plus. And you would need to build a custom intake to get the carb to fit up as well. 

A 1.6l is much easier because it uses a throttle body injector to begin with and it uses a more simplistic firing system then the coil packs.

I belong to 2 forums for Suzuki's, one for repair advice and this one for build advice and ideas. people here have helped me convert Luigi into a capable off road machine. I have gone from bone stock with 205's to 4.5" of lift a locker, armor, and all of the add ons listed plus n off road trailer.without these forums I would have been clueless and I must give a special shout out to Fordem who has dug me out of many situations