First thing I want to say, is the description alone states this was only a temporary forum.

"Please use this forum for any questions or factual information about the STi. This forum should help in locating STi specific information over the next few months as new info becomes available about the car."

This forum was only put into use to help make info easier to find while news about the car was not readily available because the cars had only just been announced in Detroit.

You guys have to understand that the idea of these forums is to keep discussion together, not separate. There are so many things we can all learn from each other in those other technical forums most of the STi folks have been avoiding so much.

Now... as far as this being a rash decision that is meant to spite all of the STi owners out there... it's not... I have an STi... why would I spite myself?

What you do need to understand is this is the exact same thing that happened when the WRX was released and that forum came and went. We're hearing the same arguments, the same angry comments, the same "I'm leaving and I'll never come back."

It really is better to separate the discussion, especially technical discussion, into their respective forums. You will find that it's much easier to get an answer to your question since the more technical people on the site do spend more of their time in those forums than the STi (if they ever even opened the STi forum, most avoided it like the plague because it was to them a jumbled mess).

Please understand this decision was made for the longevity of the site, not the immediate gratification as the cost of a rogue forum that doesn’t follow the rest of the sites ethic.

For those of you that choose to leave over this, I'm sorry to see change being such an obstacle for you. We have done our best to make the appropriate accommodations to fit whatever forums might be missing to properly address STi discussion (as well as all other 2.5L Turbo cars, everyone seems to forget about the Forester XT and the Baja).

Bottom line is what we've been doing, including decisions like this one, have keep this site around for a very long time and will continue to do so as long as we remain vigilant and make sure we are addressing the needs of the community and not just a select group.

-Nick

If you would write something like this in the first place I bet you would avoid most of the harsh comments.
When most people read
and some more it made them agressive and it hard to be surprised.
Good job Nick. I am now looking forward how it will work out.

Nick,
Just wanted to take a moment and say thank you as the previous poster did. You explained the reasons behind the reorganization clearly and without rudeness, something some of the other moderators couldn't seem to do. The addition of the 2.5 Turbo forum will help with those technical questions particular to this engine. Thank you once again,

WagonDave

As an old Asian saying goes, "Treat others with respect, and you shall receive repect from others". Good job, Nick! I think I will hang around NASIOC after all...

I am one of the many bummed indiviuals to see the STi forum go but stating your reasons in the manner that you just did does help put it in a better light. Meaning the original post did read a bit harsh. Not to mention some of the Moderator coat tail riders with a quite crappy attitude saying That's how it is too bad ..just leave then.

It's just something to get used to now. You know society is geared toward more of an instant gratification mind set.

rambling done now....

Hey,

You guys are doing all the work and covering the expenses - any way you want to arrange it is appreciated.

Thanks for all your efforts,
kenzo

Ok, I'll bite. It's your forum and you can do whatever you want with it. I don't mind the STI info forum going away per se.
But substituting a 2.5 and 2.0 turbo forum instead deserves an eyeroll.

You've basically substituted a straightforward distinction between the STI and WRX, with a euphemistic distinction based on engine size.

I would love to be a moderator just for the h*ll of it. Everytime anyone mentions an STI with the "wrong" size engine, I'll move it to another forum.

Ok gang...let's talk 22b!

Well if this forum were only discussion about engines then yes... the 2.5L forum would have been a silly addition... but it wasn't... this forum contained a large number of questions ranging from engine, tranny, trim, audio, oil changes, as well as many other things.

Those other subjects already have a forum... but we did recognize that the 2.5L engine did have some differences that might come into play when tuning, so it does deserve to have it's own forum.

And that forum isn't called the STI Engine Forum on purpose.. it's the 2.5L Turbo forum... which encompasses more than just the STi.

-Nick

This is a two in one hand half a dozen in the other issue. From my point of view, forums cost nothing to keep open. So, I really don't understand the point in closing down a valueable information source for STi owners. I venture to say, as I own an STi I am not afraid to venture into some of the other forums to see what is being discussed, and likewise others who don't own STi's probably venture into the STi forum. On the other hand, this move will encourage other STi specific forums to open which is no secret. I suppose everyone is happy in the end?

True this isn't a money issue...

The point of this merger is to attempt to get these discussion where it belongs. Most of the STi owners who have been sheltered in here for the past few months are missing a WEALTH of information that's out there already. This forces them to go search for the answers and if they can't find then, pose the question to people who have more answers than you could ever imagine. This is a move to unify the board, keeping the STi forum open only helps create a little sub-community on an already existing community.

Now I would see your point if this were just a generic car website... with no make or model specificity, but it's not... it's a Subaru website, and more specifically a website about Imprezas. So the design of the forums is purpose built for discussion about these cars specifically.

I'll be honest... I liked the STi forum myself... having one... but it was the lazy man's solution to looking through the forums. Since I've started looking again through the other forums for my info, I found info that I wouldn't have unless I did venture into those other forums.

And we have to all be honest here... the STi forum wasn't that great of a wealth of info. I'm sure it could be narrowed down into about the same 10 questions asked over and over again. There were certainly the few really good threads, but most of it was just repetition of the same questions.

-Nick

I think that's the best way to look at it.. most of the STI owners thinks 99% of the their car is different than the other Imprezas out there..

While a lot of STI parts are different, the design and support for most of the parts are the same or similar. STI parts are by in large interchangeable with WRX and other Imprezas.

There are a ton of information and knowledge that should be shared in more specific forums rather than a bunch of newbie STI owners shelter themselves in their own "badge" forum.

Those noob questions like "what oil for STI?" or "what floor mat for STI?" should all go to the right segment forums.

A lot of the issue here is the sheer volume of information and how easy it is to check for updates on all the things related to your specific car. If you are trying to find something specific then it doesn't matter how the information is segregated. You can easily go to the right forum or simply do a search. But alot of people (myself included) use the forum as a preventative measure (i.e. we don't know what we don't know) and log in daily to find out if someone has found something interesting that we should keep our eye on (consider it a daily news type of thing).

If the forum were small then it would be no big deal but with one this large (WRX /imprezza/ sti) you could spend days reading your daily updates on STI specific issues. As it stands now I will have to check many multiple forums to check all possible updates for my car (2.5L forum, chassis forum...whatever).

Its all really a matter of preference and ease of use to the end user. And I am sorry to see it go.

As for the "noob" term. The WRX guys don't like the STI guys being exclusive? Well I don't apreciate being called a noob in a derogitory manner by anyone. So look towards your own experience based prejudices before trying to fix my model based ones.