I think they forgot the P.S. so here goes:
A fact of life is that more people buy rangers, s-10's and other trucks
and think they are "Sporty." Since a Dakota will readily smoke their
a**es, they don't want to hear about performance. They want to hear about
the things they can relate to and do to their trucks like add Shi#noda
decals and talk about their "GT" cupholders.
It's a market driven economy out there, ya know? We gotta feed the
masses. Should we change our name to Soccer Mom Trucks or perhaps
Grocery-Getter Truck Watch?
;^)
Richard in San Antonio
On Mon, 8 Mar 1999 21:19:37 -0800 Jon and Mike
<jonandmike@stconnection.com> writes:
>Hi List,
>
>Jon Apogee here, Executive Producer and Co-host of Sport Truck
>Connection or
>if you like "ball-less idiot"!
>
>Perhaps "useless" is the wrong term. It was selected for those who
>don't
>care, or should I say can't relate to such info! ;-)
>
>I think you and others on the list have a valid point and Mike and I
>will
>address the "show" write-up in the next few days!
>
>If you read my bio, you'll find that I was the former motorsports
>manager
>for Mitsubishi and took them to a Class 7 (then, in '84 - '85, was
>modified
>mini pick-ups i.e. D-50) win in both the HDRA and SCORE Championships.
>I am
>also raced formula cars and Pro Rally cars and headed up one of
>Firestone's
>teams that reintroduced performance tires back into Firestone and
>helped get
>the Firehawk race series off the ground. I only mention this to give
>you the
>proper insight when I tell you that "0-60" times and in particularly
>"g's"
>have been a big part of my life and I don't take them lightly.
>
>It is with this in mind that I will not use unsubstantiated or
>"factory
>stated" performance numbers as some automobile magazines do. Either I
>can
>test it and back it up or I won't state it. There are plenty of books
>(magazines) that give performance numbers, but don't really tell you
>anything about the vehicle. This is usually because the writer hasn't
>driven
>the vehicle (if he even knows how to drive). I could tell you stories
>of my
>days around Motor Trend in the late '70's early '80's and some of the
>so
>called "pundits" and their inability to shift a car properly. One of
>their
>technical editors that was probably the biggest idiot I have ever met
>(and
>he lived at my house for a while so I can state this with some
>authority)
>and the beginning of my disillusionment with the motoring press in
>general.
>
>I have been producing and writing "truck" oriented shows for about 4
>years
>now. (GEAR and Outdoorsman Trucking News) Mostly for other people who
>don't
>have a clue how to communicate via television. Sport Truck Connection
>is a
>show that Mike Vieira and I own and control the format.
>
>Even before your post there was some discussion of content and
>performance
>and mileage and etc. being handled differently on the show.
>
>It is feedback like yours and the list that help us decide who the
>audience
>is and what they want. We think there is a place for a show that the
>average
>truck and SUV owner want to know about a vehicle and how it would be
>to live
>with day after day. I would venture to say that for the most part, the
>600
>plus membership of this list are not average, but enthusiasts and as
>such
>are usually better informed and educated about your truck. I'm sure
>when we
>review a Dakota, you'll be able to tell us all the things we missed
>and
>misunderstood. So tell us!
>
>As for the K&N piece, it is not just an air cleaner, but rather a
>replacement ram induction system. K&N has their own "in ground inertia
>type"
>dyno and test these set-ups, but I should point out they are their
>numbers
>and they made the claim. Having said that I have seen some drastic
>improvements to OE induction systems over the years as OE systems
>usually DO
>do a good job of choking the vehicles induction. I have also seen some
>aftermarket kits that are worst than the OE set-up. Maybe someone on
>the
>list will or has installed one and own up to how good it was or
>wasn't.
>
>Thanks for listening,
>
>
>Jon Apogee
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Marketing Matters
>d.b.a. French Valley Productions
>
>Producers of the "SPORT TRUCK CONNECTION" for Television
>
>http://www.stconnection.com
>
>JonandMike@stconnection.com
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: owner-dakota-truck@buffnet4.buffnet.net
>[mailto:owner-dakota-truck@buffnet4.buffnet.net] On Behalf Of Mark
>Kuzia
>Sent: Monday, March 08, 1999 7:32 PM
>To: dakota-truck@buffnet.net
>Subject: Re: DML: Opinion about Sport Truck Connection
>
>SORRY!
> I really didn't want to piss-off anyone, just my opinion. I didn't
>buy the
>Dakota because I needed transportation, I wanted the V-8! It is the
>closest
>thing to a modern day muscle car available.
>
>Mark
>
>>On Mon, 8 Mar 1999, Mark Kuzia wrote:
>>
>>> Boy,
>>> What a bunch of ball-less idiots! What do they mean "useless
>information
>>> about g's or 0-60 times", these ARE real-world performance
>standards!
>What a
>>> bunch of bull, I will NEVER degrade my Dakota by watching this
>show.
>>>
>>> Mark
>>>
>>>
>>> Below is a description from their website:
>>>
>>> Each week, Mike and Jon, bring real world information about these
>vehicles
>>> directly into your living room. They test the vehicles in the way
>that
>you
>>> would use them, NOT on a racetrack with useless information about
>"g's"
>or
>>> "0-60" times, but rather how they would be to live with, day after
>day,
>>> month after month. Items like, "Are the seats comfortable?", "Do
>the sun
>>> visors really block the sun?", "Do drinks in the cup-holders spill
>on
>>> corners?",
>
>
>
>
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