Just a quick question re performance cars and how best to drive them

Firestar_3x said:
When someone is driving up my bottom in a 30mph limit (usually in a Corsa or some other POS) i still find it deeply satisfying dropping into 2nd just before the NSL and watching them vanish in my rear-view mirror.
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This is one of my favourite things, I was even doing it to the Mustangs on NC500 trip when in the BMW as obviously from a low speed the M3 gets up and goes a lot quicker due to the light weight and SMG. Lets just say the Mustang owners were very surprised and it got nick named the annoying wasp because when behind a Pony it was always on the Pony's backside ready to sting. :D

But yes a favourite, though sometimes you find certain car owners really dislike you doing this so the moment you arrive at the next 30mph zone, doing 30mph these freaks catch up and then do a dangerous overtake in a 30 and carry on driving maxed out. It is normally people in black smoke pouring diesels, no doubt the kind of owner who thinks his 2l diesel is quickest thing on the road and drives it flat out everywhere.

Traffic light grand prix I rarely bother as 90% of the time road conditions / traffic do not allow for it safely, but on the odd occasion where its safe to do so then I might oblige, but most other cars that pull alongside either have no interest or just want to hear it rev and hang back anyway just to listen to the glorious soundtrack coming out the backend. :D
 
I think driving habits and demographics have changed a little bit - I used to get loads more people trying to have a go off the line when I drove anything that was remotely sporty looking.

Don't get anyone try anything now (or very rarely!). Sometimes kinda disappointing :p

I do agree that there seems to be a lot more people driving up wayy too close in their diesel eco boxes and trying to overtake on boost...
 
Howard said:
Indeed. I used to get stick from random forum people for saying my ST220 would do 37mpg on a run. "Wtf I never get anyhwere near that you're not driving it how it's supposed to be driven lolz"... Well, no, I don't sit on the motorway at 90mph in 3rd gear needlessly burning fuel, that's true :rolleyes: :confused:
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This. 43mpg average to Manchester and back in my ST yesterday. Because profit on the mileage claim is a full tank I can use to give it some the rest of the time :p
 
A bit late in replying, however no one except one person has actually answered my question in some form.

I currently adopt the popular consensus in that I dont floor the car and drive within the speed limits but what really p** me off as many have eluded too and I am glad I am not alone is that some a**le wants to floor his POS and try to "stick it to me"

I just wanted to know if I should floor it and hit the red line and change or change through yes there is tonnes of torque and pulling power but I would like to do it correctly rather my biggest issue is that my 1st gear gets me 10 feet at the most.After that its in 2nd and the torque is enough to get me to 50/60 without hitting the red . it's just I loose < if this is the right word a few yards by having to switch from 1/2nd in such a short space - I could have course just put it in second and it would pull but what then why have a 1st gear?
 
What is it you are driving?

This would also affect how best to utilise the available power band. A performance diesel for example will have little point in "redlining" it.
 
Ignore the idiot and drive within your limits is the best advice I can give. You either know how to make a car go fast or you don't, for me it's a natural thing driving and sure you can educate a person to go quick, but a quick driver will be quick in anything, given time and someone to whom it does not come natural will not. It is not a good idea to tell someone how to go faster on the road if they struggle to understand such basic principals of driving.

Not looking to bust your halls here, just the way I see it.
 
adolf hamster said:
Bargain bucket trim 320d's hammering it at 90 never straying from the right hand lane, in stark contrast to the 3,5,6 and 7 series petrols that can generally be found dandering along quite serenely, with the exception of the odd decked e36 m3
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This is because we are trying to get more than 35 mpg.....:p
 
It varies on the car and how its setup.

But no, going to the redline isn't always the quickest way as you'll get to a point in the power band where it is more efficient to shift up.
 
Perhaps interestingly enough I seem to get more people trying to prove some sort of point when I'm out in the 535d compared to the Z4.

I have no idea why but there's such a stark contrast in people's road manners towards the two cars.
 
DRZ said:
Perhaps interestingly enough I seem to get more people trying to prove some sort of point when I'm out in the 535d compared to the Z4.

I have no idea why but there's such a stark contrast in people's road manners towards the two cars.
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The difference in how most drivers treat me in the R8 and in the Polo has been eye opening and is massively more pronounced that I remember it being.
 
Yeah, i'll have a little play in the Porsche but tbh I just let people go as it could get me banned very quickly or the engine will blow up leaving me skint very quickly lol.
 
I don't get any. Although, not many people know it's got a 340bhp 3.2l in it. I assume they just think I'm another hairdresser..

What I do get are the nitwits who do 40 everywhere. So I'll be stuck behind them for most of my journey and then if I do overtake, they'll probably catch me again in a village.
 
Housey said:
The difference in how most drivers treat me in the R8 and in the Polo has been eye opening and is massively more pronounced that I remember it being.
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Let me guess, respect the R8, and push you around in the polo?
 
Had some twonk in a megane RS overtake me as I was pulling into a junction last week, he got lucky as its the same junction people pull out of early when they see you indicate regardless of who's behind you purely for the opportunity to get out.

Think he was raging because I wasn't doing 100 down the twisty back roads like he clearly wanted to.

I've rarely wished someone to have an accident but I hope he does. Also made me realise I need to hurry up and buy a rear facing dashcam as the guy was practically climbing in my boot.
 
Middle aged guys in diesel company/family cars where the biggest culprits for trying to race at lights around here

But also used to enjoy humouring chavs by revving a bit then "taking off" as slow as possible

Recently been driving a 30yr old with 50bhp so none of the above but have felt like I'm invisible at times even in bright red! Never had so many people pull out on me or cut me off before
 
My problem is almost zero torque, so the diesel boys force me into hitting vtec at certain quick spots on my journey in the mornings :D But then I feel daft as I am making loads of noise at that point and clearly trying hard. My car is not quick at all under 6k and that's actually quite annoying when the diesel brigade wind me up on the early morning commute whilst it's quiet and free flowing on the roads :) Obviously in reality it's a fair bit quicker than the usual sales rep cars... if I drive like a tool.
 
Sadly I fit into the unliked 2.0 TDI bracket in my Passat. But I find if I want a quick start off the line and I keep traction I'll shift at about 4k as I'm at peak power about 3.8k, or i'll just put it into sport and let the car do what it thinks is best. But i don't really get much use of that as i live in a rural area.
 
kindai said:
Let me guess, respect the R8, and push you around in the polo?
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Yea pretty much. Bar one or two rock apes who have that sneery/angry gene turned up to 11, we have a few of them on this forum I think, most people see you, point, gawp, get out of your way, let you out of turns and generally act in a defensive manner whenever you approach. I always missed this aspect of having something special, which means most of the time people pull over and get out of the way, don't try it on (bar aforementioned rock apes) and generally you feel a little special. I am not talking about kids pointing, walking up to have a nose at petrol stations, just general road presence and the way people act very differently to you on the road, in a positive manner and you know what, mostly totally outside of their realisation I suspect, people just do. I think about it I'm the same. I see a supercar I let it out because I want a look, I pull over because if he/she wants to push on then all power to em and I gawp at them, watch them in my mirror and generally act in the same manner.

In the Polo you are very much just another car, you are bait for every hot hatch driver on the planet and just some car that people will get angry at if you spent 1 second too long putting it in gear to pull away. That is of course fine because 99% of the time I don't want to stand out, I want to be just another bloke going about his business because that is what I am, so perfect and it means I can park it anywhere and know I am not going to come back to it to find is surrounded with people gawping into it. I am sure Tax Evader can speak about this, as I know he found similar things with his M3 GTS.

The one thing I do find hilarious however, especially when you see the protestations to how women think negatively about such cars and their owners, is how most just gawp and stare at you, they sort of go into a trance, especially the 4x4 private school mums, it is really a social experiment. Their heads are programmed to look at the flash car, to stare and smile at the driver, even with my ugly mush staring back and generally act different. Again the Polo you are invisible but in a bright red R8 they often seem transfixed, smiley. :D

Anyway back to the topic in hand.

Slow down OP :)
 
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