RichardPON

The previous point was spot on, but it's well worth watching out for that sort of situation.

Most drivers on the road will not allow for you to be accelerating at that sort of speed, and that's where you can get in the most trouble.

I only wish I could see the looks on people's faces (especially when you go past safely....but sideways )

sKunk

I know what you mean SB and I think it has a lot to do with people flapping once they discover how fast you are going to pass them. Like pulling out to pass 4 cars at a steady 45mph and pulling back in again at 110mph



I mostly get grief from peeps who are pissed that they were overtaken and try to keep up. Most people can drive fast in a straight line but not through corners. I used to hate that back when I was driving 1.0l motors. They'd blast away on the straight and get reigned back in on the corners. Made for some creative overtaking techniques

ozzy

SB, no offence but maybe it's your driving and not the car. The Scoob is sooo much faster than a Saxo and you might not realise just how fast your going. If your constantly overtaking in a line of cars it's bound to draw bad attention.

I've had my Scoob for over 3 years and covered 40,000 miles around Scotland and never had any flashing lights or waved fists in all that time.

Although I did get a waved finger from a policeman travelling in the other direction as I approached it at warp 9

Maybe it's just the East Coast folk

Stefan

Vate

Hope nobody else on here would be unfortunate enough to meet you in an accident then as you obviously condone insurance fraud.
I presume you are aware (and given the amount of people on the road who don't have any insurance, it is unfair) that although you have paid your premium they wouldn't pay out a penny. Sorry if I'm stating the bleedin' obvious. Glad your enjoying the 'full on Scooby experience' but if you can't get the proper insurance then now isnt really the time to drive one m8. You might as well not have insurance.

Neil Smalley

Black Cat

Agreed and a good tip.

As in all things it's not as simple as it's made out. Say for example I'm doing 60. I come up on another car doing 40 and in an ideal and safe spot for an overtake. Do I slow down to 40, make sure they see me and then go past(thus losing momentum and maybe the chance for the safe overtake). Or Continue at 60, and just sweep past them.

It's safer and more efficient to complete the overtake without slowing down.

When I first got a fast car(620Ti) I learnt very quickly to give the car in front ample time to do whatever they were going to do before going past. This is true when coming off of a roundabout(in the right hand land of a Dual C) and having a car in the left hand lane. The car in the left hand lane thought you were behind them, and seconds later you are alongside faster than they would have expected.

It's all about expectations. The average driver expects all cars(cept Ferrari's etc) to be as fast as his Mondeo/Astra. Therefore his behaviour is tuned to the performance levels of these cars.

I think this is why so many Mondeo's etc speed up during an overtake, it's partly because the natural instinct is to speed up and in a few cases they really think they can prevent you from getting past.

It's easy to read scoobynet and think My 208Bhp Scoob is'nt as quick as so and so's Sti etc etc But in reality there are very few(numerically) cars on the road that will match the performance levels of impreza/Evo. Therefore the car's drivers get a reputation for being boy/girl racers and hooligans. Not because they are driving unsafely but simply because the cars are faster and noiser than 98% of other cars on the road.

Once we are aware of this fact, then it should affect the way we drive and therefore give the 'average' driver every chance to make/complete their manuver before wooshing past. You can tell a lot about what a driver is going to do, by the 'stance' of their car on the road. If they refuse to overtake after a long stretch of road, they are unlikely to do so on a smaller stretch etc.

I would say to anyone driving their scoob at 9 or 10/10ths for most of the time they are running a higher risk of having a crash than the average driver. It's ok to enjoy the car, but ***** out thrashing everywhere is just asking for trouble(IMHO).

To be honest, my STI-7 is as fast as it ever needs to be, so much so i'm doubting the need for the PPP for it in the 'real world' outside of scoobynet.



[Edited by Neil Smalley - 7/15/2002 7:50:26 PM]

RON

Simple answer, don't look in the rear veiw after you've overtaken someone, cars normally dissapear fairly quickly, well, for me anyway, I would say it's probably due to the sound of the car, people think you're going too fast cos of the noise.
I luv it though, having followed a de-catted ppp the other day, I can now appreciate the sound that these things make, it's not exactly subtle is it!
Ron.

NBW

I agree with Black Cat and Neil Smalley! I used to get a similiar response.

99% of other road users have no idea how quick, safely, you can overtake in a Scoob. Most of them have no awareness of their own vehicles' potential performance, let alone yours, and they cannot even overtake a cyclist at 15mph with any degree of common sense or safety awareness.

There are several ways to ease the pain:

1. Make your intention very clear: indicate, and use your headlights to make sure the other driver has seen you.

2. Consider pulling on to the right hand side of the road and holding station, momentarily, before accelerating past. This gives the driver in front full sight of you in his drivers' door mirror, and gives you the opportunity to take a good look ahead and, if necessary abort the overtake safely without causing anyone any inconvenience. Be aware though, that if you have a car following close behind, the d1ckhead driving may accelerate to fill the gap you just left and leave you no where to go.

It's all about manners & courtesy, and being aware of how your actions may be interpreted by other drivers. Failing that, do 29mph in the next 30 limit, let them go flying past, then toast them again in the next NSL

Cheers
Tim

LG John

A fair point raised about the dawes and insurance but my reasons are two fold. 1) it's probably coming off soon(ish) 2) it easy to whip on and off if need be. Also, because of my age the fact that the car had a device to increase the boost as I please (up to fuel cut) would put the insurance through the roof. Despite what it does for the way the car feels it doesn't make it any faster. Sipie and I did a bit of testing today (me ss bb and dawes)(him, swana bb and ITG) and there was nothing in it. Besides, there are a lot of people on here that don't declare all their mods (TEC 1,2,3 for example and that makes a big difference to the actual performance of the car).

My preferred method of overtaking is to try and take out two or three at once (that are usually bunched up). I ensure I've got plenty of space to take them and I usually remain in the wrong lane as I brake to speed match before merging back in. I think it hacks people off that you've got enough power to take serveral of them out and actually do your braking in the other lane before gently pulling in

Scoob is the biz for passing but I doubt I'll touch my 'cars taken in a oner' record set by the Saxo Before you all start, yes I read the thread about the guy that overtook 10-15 cars and then rolled the scooby at 90mph and yes it did make me think.

Some of you guys seem to have got the impression that since I've got the scooby that I've been going mental but I actually drive it more slowely and safely than the Saxo most of the time. I drive as if I have nothing to prove because the scooby does all the talking with its looks, noise and reputation. Also, I'm looking good for 250-60 miles out this tank of fuel and that is with several 'look how fast my new car is' runs with friends, a short session with Sipie, a personal rally through east lothian and 40 minutes of pi$$ing around with the dawes. I think that's not too bad considering some owners regularly struggle to get 250!

Neil Smalley

NBW Is right

The correct way to overtake a car you have been following is 2.

I.e
Indicate(after looking) and pull right to check that there's still space.
Then accelerate past as fast as possible, before pulling in(leaving loads of room).

The main advantage to this is, that if you find there is no room to get past you can then tuck back in again without fuss. Most people swoop past and then find a brown trousers moment where they have to pull in to avoid a head on, but find there's no room and they have to slam on or cut the car in front up.

The use of the headlights is a good idea in theory. But too many people take it to mean **** off or as an incitement to roadrage.



[Edited by Neil Smalley - 7/16/2002 8:09:55 AM]

Devil's Refugee

I've had nothing but admiring looks
Have to admit that I am conscience of the attention driving one attracts, but usually I get smiles and longing looks from blokes and women alike who wish that they could punt the family Zafira and buy something like a Scoob.

It also depends how you drive it mate
If you behave like a fanny on built up roads near schools, then the bad attention is warranted and gives the rest of us a bad name.

However, enjoy the car. It comes down the jealousy most of the time.

ps: Has Scott cleaned himself up after cacking his shorts ?!!

Vate

Just advising you to be very careful with your insurance.
If you have a mishap through one of your careful overtaking manoeuvres you'll be sorry.
Personally I've only ever been given grief for overtaking when it wasn't really necessary and I'd had a rush of blood to the head.
I went past a Ford Galaxy down a country lane and there wasn't really much room to spare. I think if I'd have been the overtakee and not the overtaker I would have been a little unhappy myself.
These days I only blast past peeps who are travelling below the limit. That way I manage to keep myself under control most of the time. Oh, and I never bother in a 40 limit or below, it just isn't worth it (milkfloats apart of course).
I had a great time when I owned my first car, a mini. Pulled out to zip past on old guy in a Granada who put his foot down. I had to hit the brakes and pull back in as I couldn't get by. LoL. Felt a right ***.

LG John

I'll keep that in mind vate, got the insurance stuff through this morning and my excess is now £750 The way I drive the scooby is very strange, I drive it slower (usually for fuel reasons) and tend to be far more considerate of other drivers, etc. To me the scooby feels like it want's you to just meander around and then occasionally open her up. The saxo just wanted thrashed all the time and I'd usually oblige. Drove to work quite happily at 70mph this morning and I'd usually drive at 85-90 in the saxo and would have been far more agressive with people doing 60!

I think scott has recovered, he's coming round tonight to burn some CD's so I'll find out then.

Ralf

Perfectly recognized.

Drive a German Autobahn and you'll see many many cars that overtake at 105 Km/h lorries that drive 90 km/h and when changing into the fast lane only look if the 20 yards behind them are free They just don't know how fast you can drive and how it is to be held up by slow cars.


Ralf