How do you handle insults ?

[Cd]

I have been interested in aeromodding for over 23 years. I collected pictures of aerodynamic concept cars and aero related articles since I was a teen.

I even checked out Huchos' book from the library when i was around 15 and couldn't comprehend it. I now recognize the pictures that were in that book.

So many of the same articles that Aerohead has posted bring back fond memories.

I even did a cardboard kammback and tuft testing on one of my first cars in the early nineties.

However, i have never gone all out and actually DONE SOMETHING to my car like you guys here. I have wanted to, but I hated being made fun of, and this has kept me where i am now - nowhere .

I have always had really low self esteem, and was wondering how you guys are able to just brush off being made fun of.

Now with the internet, not only are one or two people making fun of you, but thousands are laughing at you.

What wisdom can you guys share with me on how to just get over insults ?

[CigaR007]

Unfortunately, one has to develop a thick carapace. You can also try to engage the people who are laughing at you. Establishing a rapport can actually discourage those same individuals from resorting to such intimidation tactics.

Something that is different will always attract attention, be it good or bad. Ignoring such comments has its limits which is why I try to establish a dialogue while attempting to get to the root of the issue.

Albeit, I will admit that it would prove to be a difficult task in various discussion forums where anonymity is often seen as an opportunity to be disrespectful and rude. In such context, ignoring your detractors would the best outcome.

In real life, it is harder to ridicule someone in a 1 on 1 conversation which is why you will regularly see a group of people picking on an individual because it is easier to do so. Befriending your detractor/bully is a good way to disarm him/her. You could also use a bit of humor to change the tone.

People who resort to insults prey on the victim's reaction. You can see the insults as being an emotional insecurity in disguise on their behalf. Confidence in yourself is key.

Hope this helps.

[user removed]

Laugh back at them all the way to the bank.
Laugh at them when they are sitting at the gas pump as you coast on by.
Laugh at them when they take their car to get the brakes fixed.
Laugh at them as you coast past them just after the light turns green.
Laugh at them when they spend money on tires and all the other stuff driving stupid wears put.

On occasion stop laughing at their dumb arses long enough to breathe occasionally or you might suffocate.

regards
Mech

[Cd]

I have shown some of the guys at work ThreeWheelers Insight.
He did a really professional job which I think looks fantastic. There is not that "ghetto" look to his car.
Even the ones that seem more intelligent shake their head and make rude comments even after I tell them how good his mileage is.
I have such a thin shell that I personally take offensive .

[Cd]

Since I mentioned the fact that I used to collect aero literature , I wanted to mention one particular magazine I bought that is now long gone
(. I threw away all my magazines and pictures, convinced that my hobby was to nutso. I used to even go to dealerships to get the sales brochures for the Cd figures on the cars )

This particular magazine was some custom car magazine from the late seventies to very early eighties .
Besides the usual Mopars and Chevy Camaros painted in a maze pattern flake paint jobs using 20 different stripes of paint, there was an article that had me totally enamored.

The author had taken a '69 Camaro and performed several aero tests on the car.
Tests consisted of coast down testing, tuft testing and pressure testing using an instrument I have not seen mentioned here before.
It was a small funnel attached to a piece of clear tubing , and the placed at the cowl area of the windshield . A solution of ink was inserted in the tube and as the car gig up to speed, the funnel would blow out the ink in the area being tested for pressure patterns.
I really do miss that magazine. I think that guy would have been one of the first true aeromodders !

[cfg83]

Cd -

Recycling my old quote :

Originally Posted by cfg83

...

No problem here :

1999 Saturn SW2 Wagon Gas Mileage (1999 Saturn SW2) - EcoModder.com

But to be fair, there is some stuff I won't do either. But it's more of a "my aesthetic" thing than caring.

In terms of pressure testing, "CO ZX2" used his NHRA skillzzz to do a lot of that over on gassavers.

CarloSW2

[Cd]

Oh cool !
I haven't been over to that forum in ages !

[Gealii]

laugh at yourself wen u drive like an ass for 1 tank just to see the difference in hypermiling and driving stupid and going dam that's a lot of money wasted

[MetroMPG]

How about...

Systematic desensitization - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Start with a relatively small aeromod (something like 100% smooth wheel covers).

You'll be self-conscious about them for a while, just looking at the car will probably feel weird. Driving it, you may feel even a bit weirder. But eventually... eventually you'll desensitize to them. And likely nobody will comment on the moon eye look. (You might even get a compliment from someone who appreciates the old school Bonneville look.)

Next add something else that's small - how about body coloured partial grille block. Hardly anyone will notice that either. You may go back to being a bit self-conscious, but eventually, you'll acclimatize again.

Now add something a bit more "out there" - maybe rear wheel skirts. Somewhat more conspicuous, eh? Someone might even comment on them! (My first wheel skirts comment was shouted from a guy driving a UPS van - "what are those covers for??" Me: "better mileage on the highway" Him: "Oh! Cool - that's what I thought.")
You could write "45 mpg" (or whatever you're getting) on them so they're self-explanatory.

I've had all kinds of people point and chuckle at the mods I've put on my car(s). By the time you're at the "big" ones (kamm back, big-ass air dam, etc.), you probably won't be as self-conscious about the whole thing. And you may be surprised how many people "get it" and want to actually talk about it seriously with you.

Or you could just tint your windows and pull a ball cap low over your face when you walk to your car

[cbaber]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

How about...

Systematic desensitization - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Start with a relatively small aeromod (something like 100% smooth wheel covers).

You'll be self-conscious about them for a while, just looking at the car will probably feel weird. Driving it, you may feel even a bit weirder. But eventually... eventually you'll desensitize to them. And likely nobody will comment on the moon eye look. (You might even get a compliment from someone who appreciates the old school Bonneville look.)

Next add something else that's small - how about body coloured partial grille block. Hardly anyone will notice that either. You may go back to being a bit self-conscious, but eventually, you'll acclimatize again.

Now add something a bit more "out there" - maybe rear wheel skirts. Somewhat more conspicuous, eh? Someone might even comment on them! (My first wheel skirts comment was shouted from a guy driving a UPS van - "what are those covers for??" Me: "better mileage on the highway" Him: "Oh! Cool - that's what I thought.")
You could write "45 mpg" (or whatever you're getting) on them so they're self-explanatory.

I've had all kinds of people point and chuckle at the mods I've put on my car(s). By the time you're at the "big" ones (kamm back, big-ass air dam, etc.), you probably won't be as self-conscious about the whole thing. And you may be surprised how many people "get it" and want to actually talk about it seriously with you.

Or you could just tint your windows and pull a ball cap low over your face when you walk to your car

This works. When I first took my speed down from 75 MPH to 60 MPH it was really hard to do. I would get nervous about people tailgating. I would want to speed up because I thought everyone was giving me dirty looks as they passed. Eventually though it became the norm. Today, I drive even slower than 60. If people give me dirty looks or pass me violently I seem to laugh more than worry about what they are thinking. You get used to new things and your confidence will grow each day.