Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

While I can totally understand that people going 10 under the limit may be annoying and basically an obstacle, what really irks me is people who are basically on the edge to road rage if i'm going 30 in a 30 and have to stop every 100m because of traffic coming the other way and there not being any room to pass because of parked cars. It's happened so many times that those guys ride my bumper way too close (even in a 30) and then shoot past, half the time tires screeching, because I slow down behind a parked car because of someone going the other way. Then they basically make an emergency stop - again way too close in front of me - and are then stuck there, driving their rage even further. WTF is wrong with those people? And why are there so many of them?

Those are also exactly the same people, I am sorry to say, who treat the speed limit as a minimum speed one should be going and have never heard of the concept of adapting their driving speed to their surroundings.
 
93Flareside said:
You would think...


In other news, my drive home from work had me thinking, why do I follow the speed limits usually setting my limit to 5 over what’s posted when seemingly no one else does? It’s almost never seen that drivers here can follow posted speed limits, you either have people driving under by 10 mph or 20-15 over. And don’t get me started on the ones who stick with one speed regardless if it goes up or down at the next town.
Click to expand...

I'm a 5 over guy, except for known speed traps, them I'm at the limit. You want to go 10+ over? Knock yourself out, but don't ride my ass.
 
I’ve noticed the same trend here, especially in urban areas where the speed is 30 or 50. People behind you want to murder you if you act nice and do things like stop for pedestrians or cyclists, or letting someone out of a side street before you. It’s like ‘you cost me 15 seconds now you must DIE’. I don’t understand this at all. It’s a school zone, so expect to stop or slow down frequently....nobody in traffic has any chill
 
NooDle said:
I usually set mine to 5 over the limit, because I know the deviation between speedo and reality. It gets bigger as the speed increases, 50 on the speedo is 47 in reality, and 120 on the speedo is ‘only’ 113 actual kph.
Click to expand...
I'm surprised that the deviation changes on a modern car, I expect it with a mechanical system or with a significant tyre diameter change but when it's being read digitally there's no reason for that. Not that it matters. I set the Tesla for a few over, lots of people around here still don't think that's fast enough but we also have plenty of 40/40 or 50/50 drivers.
 
It makes sense that it changes though. Gives you more leeway at higher speeds. I’m guessing its a % deviation so the higher the speed the bigger the deviation
 
As long as the speed is still given by a sensor on some parts that rotates proportionally fast to the car's speed, it's only logical that the deviation becomes bigger with higher speeds.
Remember, a speedometer must never display a speed lower than the real speed. The deviation in the other direction is simply a margin to ensure that. And yes, it annoys me too.
 
I bought a trickle charger for my old car back in the day. The kind that plugs into the block heater circuit and lives permanently in the engine compartment. I took it back out when I sold the car and it's been collecting dust ever since. Today I got my rear in gear and wired it into my Opel, four years after buying the car. I guess this is when it's time to catch car fever and buy something else. :p
 
DanRoM said:
As long as the speed is still given by a sensor on some parts that rotates proportionally fast to the car's speed, it's only logical that the deviation becomes bigger with higher speeds.
Remember, a speedometer must never display a speed lower than the real speed. The deviation in the other direction is simply a margin to ensure that. And yes, it annoys me too.
Click to expand...

I don’t understand why car makers can’t make a speedometer that calibrates itself via GPS every now and then.
 
I'm sure there's a regulatory reason for that.

Also, people are used to "optimistic" speedos. That alone may be reason enough to keep it that way.
 
DanRoM said:
As long as the speed is still given by a sensor on some parts that rotates proportionally fast to the car's speed, it's only logical that the deviation becomes bigger with higher speeds.
Remember, a speedometer must never display a speed lower than the real speed. The deviation in the other direction is simply a margin to ensure that. And yes, it annoys me too.
Click to expand...

My car actually under estimate the speed by just under 1% with the summer wheels on.

Going 119 indicated is 120 actual, verified with a GPS.

With the winters, it's dead on.
 
anyone who has read my Golf GTI thread, it’s no secret how much I’ve loved this car. It’s honestly the only car after 3 years I’ve had nearly the same attachment of liking a car at the initial paperwork signing to now. That said, keeping it is not an option that I’m considering.

Of course as this is random thoughts, I’ve been looking at Alfa Gulia’s and while that too would also be a not so good thing to do, it’s something I keep going back to. I like the look of the Maserati Ghibli, but that is just a re-bodied charger or 300...

A guy can dream.
 
93Flareside said:
anyone who has read my Golf GTI thread, it’s no secret how much I’ve loved this car. It’s honestly the only car after 3 years I’ve had nearly the same attachment of liking a car at the initial paperwork signing to now. That said, keeping it is not an option that I’m considering.

Of course as this is random thoughts, I’ve been looking at Alfa Gulia’s and while that too would also be a not so good thing to do, it’s something I keep going back to. I like the look of the Maserati Ghibli, but that is just a re-bodied charger or 300...

A guy can dream.
Click to expand...

Clearly, the solution is to just buy the Charger...preferably 6.1 powered. As @JimCorrigan about his.

Which reminds me Jim, did you ever get anywhere with the replacement of that, I'm genuinely curious.
 
 
gaasc said:
Clearly, the solution is to just buy the Charger...preferably 6.1 powered. As @JimCorrigan about his.

Which reminds me Jim, did you ever get anywhere with the replacement of that, I'm genuinely curious.
Click to expand...

the problem with that is that I’ve had them as rental cars about half a dozen times or more. Plus the cylinder deactivation in the 5.7L models is such a killer for me. That alone has enough power for me on the road. The exhaust drone is also annoying. They’re fine cars and I have very little to complain about them.
 
I get (and share) the love for the Golf. Despite mine being electric (and the hassle, according to some people, that goes along with that … no engine noise, needing to plan for charge stops) I still absolutely love it to bits. I even take it out for drives going nowhere in particular, maybe because we’re on lockdown and I need an excuse for a drive, but still. It may be ‘just a Golf’ and boring. But it still is a hoot to,drive. So just keep driving it is my advice
 
93Flareside said:
the problem with that is that I’ve had them as rental cars about half a dozen times or more. Plus the cylinder deactivation in the 5.7L models is such a killer for me. That alone has enough power for me on the road. The exhaust drone is also annoying. They’re fine cars and I have very little to complain about them.
Click to expand...
Push the "eco" button and it turns off MDS on the 5.7.
 
6.1s and manuals also don't have it, IIRC
 
Quiky said:
Push the "eco" button and it turns off MDS on the 5.7.
Click to expand...

I will have to try that next time, that doesn't make sense to the eco side, but whatever...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top