Acro-speak

etifosi wrote: Dean is asking everyone to take some extra spelling time before posting, to ensure complete comprehension? Is it being mean-spirited to say I'm amused?

Not at all I am just the older grumpy sob that speaks his mind to much.

Oh ya while I am at it.

Get off my lawn.

Kia_Racer wrote: I just ask if I don't know what someone is saying when they go all TLA on a subject. TLA = Three Letter Acconym From my time at Motorola. They had an entire book for TLA's including TLA.

I like recursive acronyms. My favorite is Dilbert's TTP, which was "The TTP Project".

Knurled wrote:

Nick (Not-Stig) Comstock wrote: STI = Subaru Technica International WRX = World Rally X

The WRX was the next generation of RX, which was built from 1985 to at least 1989. (Although I SWEAR that I saw a Loyale RX at one time)

Subaru of America and Fuji heavy industries both say the the WR stand for world rally. The X has been debated and I've seen everything from X=AWD to X = the mathematical symbol for the unknown, that means its possibility is infinite. My guess is that it meant experimental.

It also means "The X makes it sound cool."

Also: I don't know what the B meant in Spec.B, but Subaru apparently sold the Spec.B Legacy in the US. And they have little to no resale value compared to their TLA brethren.

In reply to Knurled:

Ooh, I want a Spec.B

It's got a STI motor, a two point five liter turbo plant. It's got STI tires, STI suspension, STI shocks. It's a model made with a 6 speed transmission so it won't explode like glass. So whaddaya say, is it the new Bluesmobile or what?

In reply to Knurled:

Only if you fix the cigarette lighter.

I hate it worse when a thread is started with some sort of model designation. We all know E30=BMW 3 series of the 80s/90s (some years) but all the other years of BMW nomenclature and even more obscure model/years of Toyotas, Fords, Nissans and so forth. Just use the damn name and year of the vehicle so we can all participate!!

In reply to Feedyurhed A good reason to use the chassis code of a car instead of the year and model name is because many times, we're not talking about specific sport packages that were only available for specific years, etc., so the chassis is more important.

I fully support Dean and his futile crusade.

I also find engine code speak tiresome, especially when there is no reference to what kind of car we're talking about.

chiodos wrote: I find acronyms useful beyond shortened text such as if someone doesnt know the acronym the more than likely do not know the subject its pertaining to. For instance the ms3 thread the guy was asking about people with experience in the car, if you dont know what ms3 is you dont have any pertinent info on the subject. Yes I understand there is the rare chance there are two things by the same acronym but if you read more than one sentence you can figure out which ms3 he is referring to.

but if I don't know what MS3 stands for and might like to learn … assuming I knew what MS3 stood for

Mr_Clutch42 wrote: In reply to Feedyurhed A good reason to use the chassis code of a car instead of the year and model name is because many times, we're not talking about specific sport packages that were only available for specific years, etc., so the chassis is more important.

but ONLY if the readers know what the chassis acronym is … like I said, I just skip most (actually pretty much all) of them

FRS

I also can be frustrated by acronyms when Im not familiar with them. I like to learn when i can, so I would appreciate if people use the newspaper/magazine method. That is to spell it out the first time and then put the acronym in parenthesis.

It's no worse than mercedes chassis codes. Imagine sitting at lunch at an all german track Day without a german chassis dictionary. I almost got laughed away from the table by the mercedes guys because I screwed up the W124 and W114 chassis in my conversation.

Google is your friend.

Yes, I realize it is easier to b!tch.

Engine codes, chassis codes, and trans codes all drive me crazy, as do numeric BMW and MB models, not that anyone cares what I think.

Dean, you efforts are futile. I like that in a man.

I usually refer to my Mazdaspeed MX-5 (MSM) as my miata unless it is pertinent that it is a MSM.

PIITB.

If you said you had an MSM I would have no clue what car you had.

Knurled wrote: Also: I don't know what the B meant in Spec.B, but Subaru apparently sold the Spec.B Legacy in the US.

Bilstein

I support you as well Dean. Not that my option matters either. Or that anything will change. Or that anyone cares.

But never mind that! Down with acros!!!

Now where did I leave the keys to my GMT400 in the B6? Or maybe in the NA....

I had to Google "acro-speak"

What other websites dedicated to a specific hobby or genre can we go on and wring our hands over the way they communicate?

Maybe a bodybuilding site? I mean they say things like Brachialis and Tibialis, can't they just say "arm muscle" or "calf muscle"?

What about TBT vs. FB? How DARE they?

I'm 45 now and as crazy as it sounds, I feel like its MY job to learn the lingo. Not to have things simplified so I can hang with the smart guys (guys that took the time to learn themselves).

But since we're on the subject, what hinders my ability to follow along is writing things like "tred ware" when discussing tire choices. Throws me off completely as I ponder how that happened.

I'm not so sure it's "the smart guys" … all groups have their jargon … as I see it for 2 reasons … to communicate quickly with each other (those in the know) and to frustrate outsiders … which is just mean but it is effective .. makes me not bother

shoot, I don't even know the different chassis ID's for the Hondas … which I've driven since 1976 (9 in all)

Thank you Dean. I have brought up the the same topic more than once. I don't care if you use shortcuts, just please define it once in your post. One thing that has been special about the GRM (Grassroots Motorsports)community is it tends toward being inclusive. There is a lot of different people here. We have a lot to offer if we know what you are talking about.

I have a friend at a company that handles LARGE military contract work and their e-mail system is setup to help decipher acronyms. Basically it gives you a drop down list of the possibilities for the first occurrence and you can select which acronym should be referenced. It then replaces the matching acronyms with the complete name, to improve readability.
That still would not cover the confusion of talking about a MazdaSpeed3 fitted with MegaSquirt3.
I also request, as others have, some sort of acronym free definition early in a post to help clarify the situation. Of course I work with lots of acronyms and 'code' names for parts and assemblies which still bugs the crap out of me.