EcoModder magazine?

[RobertSmalls]

Originally Posted by Schelter

Magazines are paid for by ads, and I'm sure after they run the spots for the half dozen hybrid cars they will run out of advertisers. Not like there's any big companies making parts.

An ecomodding print magazine might fill up with "articles" on turbulators, oiled air filters, fuel rail magnets, etc. Lots of the content in car mags are written by vendors / advertizers.

There is money to be made off of some ecomodders: (PH)EV conversion kits, big batteries, small 12V batteries, etc.

[Piwoslaw]

Originally Posted by RobertSmalls

There is money to be made off of some ecomodders: (PH)EV conversion kits, big batteries, small 12V batteries, etc.

Grille blocks, airdams, bellypans, wheel skirts, Kammbacks, lightweight Kamm'ed rear hatches, ... Those would have to be model-specific, but they could start with aftermarket eco-accessories for Metros/Swifts/Fireflies. Of course, those are fun to make, but not everyone is that skilled.

[cfg83]

Piwoslaw -

Originally Posted by Piwoslaw

Thanks Carlos. So this is a real paper magazine? Never seen it...

...

Yeah, I don't think it has an international circulation. The publisher almost gave up a few years ago, but then we had the gas price crunch and the auto industry started ramping up the wave of eco-cars we are seeing now.

Here's a blast from the past I found last weekend in an antique shop :



The 1958 Renault Dauphine went 0-60 in 31 seconds! Also, this mini-mag was printed at an economical 7.5" tall format.

CarloSW2

[Clev]

Originally Posted by Piwoslaw

Thanks Carlos. So this is a real paper magazine? Never seen it...


We need to update it a little more often. We make up the EM community and it's up to us what goes on here. The Mods are doing a good job as it is, mostly behind the scenes, but they already have enough work.

Good point. Mods, would you accept newsy-type submissions for the blog? I have no problem belting out a couple hundred words once in a while to keep things current.

[robchalmers]

I've got a bit of mag article writing experience - I'll happily tap something out too!

[bgd73]

Originally Posted by Clev

Magazines are dead; they just haven't been buried yet. And frankly, shipping bundles of painted paper around the country isn't the most green way to go anyway. :-)

hot rod is very much alive. As slow as that world is to evolve, with many still believing <5 liters is a small displacement.. you get cars customed with americas own stuff showing it like it was...right in its own magazine.

a 302 chevy for example, that is still considered tiny to morons... natural breathing 10 second quarter miles, in the same chassis in the other lane, a big block lunatic that is gonna lose...it is hilarious. My first rage over consumption was the v8. I know there is a winner.

I do get discouraged over the car video makers who make the little car dissapointing.

I am one on a mission that proves, little can be huge.. and save a WHOLE lot of planet, time, and money, without the 30psi turbo, 55 million rpoms, and 300 pound chassis weighing lighter than the driver under his butt.

my 10 geared subaru is just one example of maximizing a little powerhouse...with discipline, and having fun.

if this magazine for ecomod mentioned every realm,and the best acheived, it could stay afloat and as dynamical as a hot rod magazine.. and for the likes of minds like my own, that have been in every realm of everyday automotives, I'd keep buying it.

specialists specialize. they lose alot more than gain in the bigger picture for a whole audience...funny enough, it took over automotives too, a long time ago.

[Clev]

Originally Posted by bgd73

hot rod is very much alive. As slow as that world is to evolve, with many still believing <5 liters is a small displacement.. you get cars customed with americas own stuff showing it like it was...right in its own magazine.

I work in the magazine industry now, and formerly for the company that produces Hot Rod, and I can tell you that, as a magazine, it's on the same slow death spiral as all print magazines.

The hot rod-type magazines tend to fare a little better because they appeal to an older demo that wants paper magazines. However, advertisers are becoming more frugal, trading the uncertainty of magazine advertising with countable guaranteed impressions on the web. That drives down ad revenue, which magazines MUST have to make a profit and still offer $18/year subscriptions.

An ecomodder-type magazine might survive in the short term. But it needs to either have ad revenue (not a lot of market for that. The big boys advertise through agencies that won't touch anything under probably 100,000 subscribers), or they need to charge enough for the subs to cover all costs, in which case you've got Make Magazine at 60 bucks for four issues.

And besides, the web is where all of the magazine companies are putting their drool. No printing costs, free.. er, user-contributed content, and minimal staffing.

Edit: This spiel doesn't reflect the opinion of my current or former employers.

[Phantom]

Printing a mag is easy check out Publish your own magazine and print it on demand with MagCloud from HP or MagCloud | The Best New Magazines, Printed on Demand by HP

[honestabe]

People like me lead dual lives. When I drive my Geo I drive as fuel efficiently as I can. When I drive my 500+ RWHP Supra I drive it to it's maximum performance and don't care about fuel consumption (which is somewhere in the low teens).

[Arragonis]

I have a tablet netbook thing with internet anywhere access, all day long battery life and a scrollable touchy interface thing so I read ecomodder articles anywhere, and I do include the "quality time" periods of my life (I am not on 'the throne' now you may be relieved to know).

To me it (and other sites) are kind of a magazine anyway.

If EM went print then I can see the physical distribution issue being a biggie. A lot of us are not US based (including PW) so just being able to publish there doesn't work.

Also if it did go 'legit' then there would be the interests of makes of 'stuff' to keep happy for advertising. And that may compromise the editorials and opinions on here - and lets be honest THAT mustang is reason enough to avoid that.

Keep it internet.

What would be useful is maybe a digest of articles in a printable / viewable (even on the porcelain love seat) PDF chosen by the site founders / owners would be good as long as they accept people may not always agree and can comment, and maybe disagree.

Start with the key tips, top 10 and so on and then move on from there.