My Lowly Opinion

[firelizard3]

I definitely did not join this forum because it was about piece of shit cars with expensive wheels and fucked up everything else.

I joined it because it's one of the few places where everybody is pretty much on the same page about being silly about low and aggressive stance, and you can read a build on a car that has that trendy stance without slogging through 4 pages of "omg u can't evn drive it now".

I stuck around because FMU, and other quality builds, stance-scene related or not.

Also, taking kids to school.

[Dave_The_BMXER]

This is 100% not what I expected this thread to be about.

I applaud the success this site had and while I can't always relate to the moves made or the cars that are posted I can relate to the passion behind it.

I will say that both Rally and Mike sound more genuine in these posts than some that have made the front page of late but that might just be me.

[Dudermagee]

Dont you mean cunts?

[M.Burroughs]

This site was founded on laid out, clapped out, shit box cars with stupid rare wheels and mind boggling offsets... crudely rolled fenders and cut springs, greasy broken knuckles and shiny paint dreams. Stupid stickers that say stupid stupid things... cars that barely ran, but stripped the streets of dummy dots when we changed lanes. That is what I am about. Elbow deep in grease creating something that makes even the manliest men wonder how I did it, and women say "oh thats cute".

I'd have to say this site was founded on building the cars we wanted to build, despite if the rest of the car community liked it or not. This site was founded on freedom of automotive self expression and the passion that goes in to each and every build.

I spend my free time hammering and welding away on a 1928 Ford Model A. It's a car that I built, with the parts I could afford and the junkyard bits I had to make work. It's thrown together, as loud as it can be, as low as it can be, and as fast as I dare make it. Because that's what StanceWorks is all about.

This site is about doing what you like, whatever makes you happy, and not caring about what other people think. And if you're not here, building along side your mates, then you're not here to help this community grow in the direction you see fit.
But the heart of SW is still alive.

[Rally]

What was S/W's part in this collaboration?

Pavel,

You can read more about our involvement, and see some of the renderings that I did for the collaboration in one of our recent articles. It's worth a read if you haven't read it already. This is just a small sliver of the work we do each day to collaborate with our partners to encourage a positive growth in our community.

http://www.stanceworks.com/2012/02/hre-wheels-birth-vintage-series/

and more on our involvement if you haven't read the lambo piece that is being discussed

http://www.stanceworks.com/2012/02/planted-roots-bagged-lamborghini-murcielago/

[PavelK313]

This is not the case. Neither Ben's, Mike's, or My father work at HRE. My dad works for a bra company if we're being transparent about things.

The HRE deal started through networking at an industry event that Ben and I went to up in LA and was forged over meetings with HRE as Ben, Mike, and I travelled down to San Diego.

What was S/W's part in this collaboration?

[Rally]

Besides I heard the hre deal was because someones dad works there.

This is not the case. Neither Ben's, Mike's, or My father work at HRE. My dad works for a bra company if we're being transparent about things.

The HRE deal started through networking at an industry event that Ben and I went to up in LA and was forged over meetings with HRE as Ben, Mike, and I travelled down to San Diego.

[HWY HNTR]

I actually really used to like the site because when I would go in the showroom section and see aggressively stanced BMW's and the like with nice pics. Now I go in there and there's moderate pics that what may be from a point and shoot. I related to myself to this site because it was a non specific forum that actually could relate to all makes. A lot of the modifications you guys do I actually do on the Mercedes.

One of the things I noticed was that there was a monster of a thread based around a couple of guys in a car, rusted out, breaking down in every state, and getting dirty working on the car making a cross country trip. I make those same trips, i've done that. Then there was a cross country trip thread made in 2011 that didn't have one picture in it.

I'm not even making it about Mr. Burroughs, if one guy doesn't show his face on a forum that doesn't mean that all the "OG's" should disappear and stop posting (not counting the random thread lol). I thought you were making this thread to talk about the over all site, not just one person. Yeah I think the Lambo with the HRE wheels was a little sell out ish, but it's been discussed already on this thread.

Like I used to come on here to see euro themed cars and I would look at them and give me ideas about how to modify my Mercedes.

I know I don't seem like an "OG" but I remember seeing mike's car on local forums in FL and people would **** on his black 5 series with the rusted out hood and he would come onto the local forum himself and actually post, a forum where I've never seen him before. I came on here because of the aggressive stance and the great photography. The one off ideas and creativeness. I know you guys have never met me, but I did go to SOWO last year and introduced myself to Jeremy's friend, Dubmd (who shrugged me off ) and some pretentious volvo kid. My car was clean and with good mods and it got totaled and no insurance money and insurance problems have kept me off the forum for probably about a year. Now I went around insurance and got the car together and I get on the forum and everybody has disappeared and there's almost no good posts in the showroom section.

I just wanna know, just because Mike got busy running the site how come all the other "OG" people left?

/bitchyemo post

[Rally]

The quality of people I met in Sacramento in a parking garage, while we all partied together all day, that is this site. Mike I will love you forever for getting under my car and getting dirty while I was deliriously tired and 14 hours drive from home.

As another one of the people who drove around with you to source that pan and work to get your car in running shape after first meeting you in Sacramento, I will testify that I care about you, your opinion, and your sentiments. It saddens me to hear that you're unhappy with the current way of things, but I'd like to better understand where the frustration comes from so we can take it into consideration for the future. We do this for you guys....we truly do.

Do you honestly think that is the element you will get at a fancy coastal golf resort? Its cool that its a "come one, come all" event, and you will get a few stragglers... but it screams EXCLUSION which is what this site and scene was founded against. And honestly has people scratching their heads.

The venue is different, but it will be the same great people and the same silly-low cars as all of our other events. As is true of any stance show, someone is bound to have car troubles and Mike and I will be down to get our hands dirty to fix a car at a beach resort just as much as we were to help fix your car in Sacramento. That friendship and commitment hasn't gone anywhere, I can promise you that.

We have only just posted a save-the-date announcement without releasing any detailed info about the event outside of the venue. I think it's a bit too early to be writing us off or judging the event based on a simple flyer. Whether it was on a Texas race track for the 512 Project or up on top of a parking garage for Stance of the Union, what made SW events special is the camaraderie and the cars. This event will be no different. Hopefully it will bring out the same great friends for another chance to hang out and offer us all an opportunity to enjoy some beautiful stance cars.

The entry fee will be no higher than your average car show. The vehicle requirements will be no different than any of the past SW shows. I think it's rather presumptive to assume that this event will be any more "exclusive" or drastically different simply based on its venue or name. If you have enjoyed yourself at our past shows, please have some faith in us and give us a chance before judging the event. We're doing our best to make these events enjoyable for all the members that we value. Each event comes with an exciting new venue and if you give it a chance I think you'll find that this event will be just as fun if not even more enjoyable than anything we've done to date. We haven't announced the full details, but this event promises to be a great time for ALL to enjoy.

Lambo's are sweet... and they have their place, I get that it's original content, and they have their place... Drift event coverage is awesome, and it has its place... Hot rodding is the worthiest content on the face of the planet, it defines roots, and it has its place... This used to be a place of something magical, and it was the only place like it. I click on favorites to open up a blog that could easily be confused for any other one out there... and I shake my head.

That's what makes StanceWorks, StanceWorks. This place is special because the appreciation for stance means an appreciation for a wide variety of cars from hondas to hot rods and from volkswagens to super cars. It speaks to the automotive passion in all of us. Sometimes you can relate to the owner who spent hours at night building their car on a budget and sometimes you relate to the desire and childhood dreams of a sports car. Are they two different ends of the spectrum? Absolutely, but that doesn't mean they aren't similar at the core. Whether it's a bagged lambo on expensive wheels or a honda sitting flush on a budget set of used wheels, they both boil down in an enthusiasm about stance. I think you'd be hard pressed to find a similar site that offers such a broad width of coverage while staying true to quality content and imagery associated with the Stance world.

We do our best each day to provide content that we feel embodies the SW lifestyle and passion that we are all familiar with. Some articles may not be in line with different peoples' personal tastes, but we try to offer features that speak to the broad demographic that reads SW each day.

[LuckyBoyOne3]

Thanks for your personal response Mike, it means a lot to me that you personally addressed my concerns. I would like to stress this is not a personal attack on any individual, or group there of, I know all of you, some more then others, and have a strong sense of respect for the entire family.
I would also like to preface this response with the fact I was thanked by many for saying what has been on the minds of many of the "OG's" for quite some time.
This thread is not just about the Lambo feature. It is about getting back to the roots. Maybe I have been absent long enough to miss a cycle of what I consider poor content and this comes at the end. Maybe I am focusing on a few things that I have personal distaste in. But one thing has become apparent, I am not the only one that feels the site has lost track. Many people either here, or on FB (many OG's are friends outside of the site) have reached out and thanked me for saying something similar to what has been on their minds for sometime. I in no way discredit any of the team for their hard work. I appreciate having the outlet and resource that has been created.
I am gonna put all professionalism aside here for a second.
This site was founded on laid out, clapped out, shit box cars with stupid rare wheels and mind boggling offsets... crudely rolled fenders and cut springs, greasy broken knuckles and shiny paint dreams. Stupid stickers that say stupid stupid things... cars that barely ran, but stripped the streets of dummy dots when we changed lanes. That is what I am about. Elbow deep in grease creating something that makes even the manliest men wonder how I did it, and women say "oh thats cute". The quality of people I met in Sacramento in a parking garage, while we all partied together all day, that is this site. Mike I will love you forever for getting under my car and getting dirty while I was deliriously tired and 14 hours drive from home. Do you honestly think that is the element you will get at a fancy coastal golf resort? Its cool that its a "come one, come all" event, and you will get a few stragglers... but it screams EXCLUSION which is what this site and scene was founded against. And honestly has people scratching their heads. Lambo's are sweet... and they have their place, I get that it's original content, and they have their place... Drift event coverage is awesome, and it has its place... Hot rodding is the worthiest content on the face of the planet, it defines roots, and it has its place... This used to be a place of something magical, and it was the only place like it. I click on favorites to open up a blog that could easily be confused for any other one out there... and I shake my head. Yes everything is held to a higher standard, the photos are art, not just pictures, the articles communicate passion, its just not the passion I signed up to 2.5 years ago.

[Dudermagee]

I drive honda's and nissans because they're cheap. Besides I heard the hre deal was because someones dad works there. I feel that if you dont do youre own work on your "project" and act like you did, then you're worse than the kid that sticker bombs his rusted honda\Drift missle nissan\slammed bmw\etc with rotas\xxrs\etc.

[Oxer]

oh... on the contrary... Oxer... I drive BMM's because they are cheaper then civics up here in the Great PNW

I drive Civics coz Ima honda fanboy

That and they are cheaper then BMW's down here haha..

[Spencer]

I can vouch for how long it takes to set up a new website. It is insane how much there is to do.

[M.Burroughs]

@ M.Burroughs: I know we are not on the best terms with each other, but I have a question to ask.
If you don’t mind sharing it with public, what takes 14 hours a day (8am-10pm) to keep this place running?

PS: Not trying to pick a fight or start anything, just curious!

The first and most obvious is the content on the homepage. We're one of the few blogs out there that shoots almost everything we post ourselves. I consider my photography art, and my art takes some time. I also take great care and pride in my writing, and each article ends up with many, many hours invested. I firmly believe that that is part of what gives our content its uniqueness and presence over others.

Every day comes with the need to manage relationships with every company we work with in a multitude of ways. Much of our effort goes in to steering and helping these companies in the right direction to help grow the scene and the industry towards the characteristics previously mentioned.

Managing the site itself, with the massive servers and the busy forums is a job in and of itself. We're netting almost half-a-million unique visitors per month, with millions upon millions of page views, just keeping things running smoothly takes constant input.
Moderation of the forum is a full-fledged task (and we appreciate the help we get from our moderators!). 50k registered forum members can be a burden sometimes.

Every day, we package and ship every order we receive, something that may sound like a money-making venture, but in reality, it only funds the creation of more goods for the community and keeps the bills paid so we can afford to devote all of our attention to this website.

We've invested hundreds of hours in to a site redesign, situated to go live in just a couple of weeks, all as part of a mission to enhance and better the user's experience.

We're going full-speed-ahead in planning our latest show in Avila, and the logistics of planning something like such an event is daunting to say the least.

I could keep going and going, but hopefully a colorful picture is painted.

[LuckyBoyOne3]

oh... on the contrary... Oxer... I drive BMM's because they are cheaper then civics up here in the Great PNW