I dunno about you but it makes me want to cry whenever i'm in a performance car or even see a perfomance car and it's driven like a 1 litre micra. I mean people spend thousands on a car and then they don't use it. I remember a program on TV a while back about a lady who'd brought a lotus esprit and did'nt take it above 3000 rpm. She let her husband drive it the once and he drove it fairly sensibily(he was on TV after all) and she accused him of trying to wreck the car.

Small example, whenever i'm a passenger in my scooby and my wife is driving she insists on changing gear 3000-3500 revs. Even when overtaking she changes up at 4000 revs.

Now I don't go about bouncing off the limiter all the time but it seems a crying shame not to enjoy the car.

Anyone else get the same feeling?

 

I know exactly what you mean!

When i used to drive my mums E36 325i - she would go mental if you went anywhere near 4000rpm (frustrating or what).

James

 

During normal driving I enjoy the acceleration of my scoob in the first couple of gears, then change up at earlyish revs in gears 3 and 4, into 5th.

My girlfriend asked me why...Being totally bemused by my behaviour.

I had to explain how and why if I'd kept up the same kind of pace, we'd have been doing about 130mph!

But that's about being law abiding...Otherwise I'm well up for giving it loads!

 

If everybody drove their cars hard all the time, then the boys in blue would really be clamping down, not just installing a few extras gatsos!

If you were tired, or weather conditions were poor, would you still thrash your car around because it's a performance car and endanger yourself and other road users?

Performance cars should not be pootled around for the whole of their lives by any means, but some people want to buy a slice of rallying history or whatever, but don't have the confidence or skill to drive these cars quickly. I am a single figure golfer, but I don't go around saying 24 handicappers should use Woolworths golf clubs because they'll never do their Titleists justice!

These people enjoy their cars as much you, and anyway, there will always be someone who can drive your car faster than you do, so they could say the same about you.

 

When my sister first bought her VTEC engined Integra she thought it was pretty quick, even though she was changing gear at 4000 rpm. I had to show her that the VTEC doesen't engage the high lift cam until nearly 6000 rpm and the car can rev happily to 8000 rpm. THen she really thought it was quick.

 

I remember the TV prog with the woman's Lotus.
What made me laugh was her comments about his driving (a special treat for him 'cos of the cameras) and then when she drove you could see him wince as she crunched every gearchange.

This is not an intended dig at women drivers just that in this I thought her perspective was amusing.

Hodge
I've used the red line before...

 

I suppose at the end of the day its down to why you bought the car in the first place. Some people just like a nice car and are not interested in performance just looks and the looks they get, hence the slow driving style Then of course there are those that like the loud pedal

Still I know which one I would buy secondhand

laters

fris

[This message has been edited by frisby (edited 03-02-2000).]

 

I bought my Scooby more for the torque than the power; I like not having to change gear to go up hills or pull out into faster flowing traffic. People seem surprised to see an Impreza actually remaining within the legal speed limit.

That said, it's going in for its 1000 mile service on Monday, so maybe I'll change my tune once the running-in period ends! (Wishing that this weekend's scheduled blast along some deserted roads in the Yorkshire moors was going to be _after_ the service...)

 

Yup, my wife is a bit like that, though she
doesn't notice very much when in my car as it revs eagerly without making strangled noises (she just complains about the forces pushing her back in the seat ).

Her own car (a 2.0 RAV4) is very different, there is very little point in revving past 3K as acceleration is non-existent, and it starts to make the typical whining noises you'd expect from a wheezy old lump.

 

Reasons to drive a performance car slowly:

Awful Hangover
Nearly out of petrol and long way to next garage
Nearly home and so driving without turbo for last minute
Running car in
Mother in law in passenger seat (frightening her would be fun, but only in the short term)
Policeman in passenger seat

Any other suggestions?

 

Other reasons you say...

Towing something (Boat, Caterham... no caravans!)
You've got a takeaway curry in the passenger seat
You've got a young puke machine on board
Your running on the spacesaver
Your on ice
Your on a diesel spill...

I'll stop now I've thought about this too much !

Just to say I beleive they put rev limiters in to be bounced off !!!

Tim

 

My Wife hated my Type R the day i got it . She said it looked like a silly car with pram handles on the back. Then she took it out .......1 hour later came back with a smile (which is a suprise) Sadly she drives a Mondeo 24v which is not a bad car, but she now wants the same performance as the Scooby.


Some Hope Love.

Rog

 

I've seen some 1.0 Micras being driven at speeds normally reserved for sports cars, although I think those were the rented ones . A friend of mine once drove a 106 1.1 from Bradford to North London in just over two hours, which basically meant cruising in fifth gear at full throttle and maximum speed. "Inertia conservation", he called it. I called it madness, until he pointed out that you can go nuts in a small, cheap car (a) because people don't believe you're going that fast and (b) you don't stick out. If he's been driving a Lotus or somesuch, he'd probably be in the cooler by now, playing girlfriend to a convicted truck driver called Shirley.

Andy T

 

Everybodys different! If the woman in question wants to 'drive' slowly what difference does it make to you (or I).
I don't see the point of critising others for doing what THEY want to do.
Cheers,
Dieter

 

In Knightsbridge in the summer there`s a group of Arab rich kids who drive lambos and 355/360`s around the block all the time from cafe to cafe, never gettting out of 2nd gear.

Tourists love it though.