Driving in the USA
Discussion
Shaoxter said:
More specifically, how likely is there to be cops waiting to catch you speeding?
Route is LA -> Vegas -> Grand Canyon -> Death Valley -> Yosemite -> San Francisco -> LA
There seem to be some nice twisty bits around Death Valley and Yosemite as well as lots of straights tovmax make good progress. We've hired a Camaro SS so hoping to put it to some good use 
When are you going? I've just returned and had to take my SS back as it had a loud and annoying heatshield rattle and they couldn't give me another Camaro as there is a big recall for the ignition switches on all Chevrolets. They gave me a Mustang GT as a replacement and it was so wallowy and soft I thought there was something wrong with it but they are all like it. Ended up with a Dodge Challenger which was as fun to drive as the SS.Route is LA -> Vegas -> Grand Canyon -> Death Valley -> Yosemite -> San Francisco -> LA
There seem to be some nice twisty bits around Death Valley and Yosemite as well as lots of straights to
thetrash said:
When are you going? I've just returned and had to take my SS back as it had a loud and annoying heatshield rattle and they couldn't give me another Camaro as there is a big recall for the ignition switches on all Chevrolets. They gave me a Mustang GT as a replacement and it was so wallowy and soft I thought there was something wrong with it but they are all like it. Ended up with a Dodge Challenger which was as fun to drive as the SS.
Going on 3rd Oct, booked with Hertz Adrenalin collection at LAX.I'm not expecting anything precise or refined (have even gone for a convertible), just something with a nice big V8 noise
Be careful of the "or similar vehicle" clause in the small print.
We booked a Mustang convertible (admittedly through Avis, not Hertz) and when we got there......no Mustangs left so the bloke tried to palm us off with a.....wait for it.....Chrysler Sebring convertible on the basis "It's still a convertible".
Short supervisory discussion later and a Camaro was suddenly found out the back.
We booked a Mustang convertible (admittedly through Avis, not Hertz) and when we got there......no Mustangs left so the bloke tried to palm us off with a.....wait for it.....Chrysler Sebring convertible on the basis "It's still a convertible".
Short supervisory discussion later and a Camaro was suddenly found out the back.
thetrash said:
They gave me a Mustang GT as a replacement and it was so wallowy and soft I thought there was something wrong with it but they are all like it. Ended up with a Dodge Challenger which was as fun to drive as the SS.
Having driven all three very extensively over the pre-production period of Camaro and ever since, this makes absolutely no sense to me. Mustang GT 'soft and wallowy', versus Camaro SS and Challenger R/T? Nope - just don't get it. Matt Harper said:
Having driven all three very extensively over the pre-production period of Camaro and ever since, this makes absolutely no sense to me. Mustang GT 'soft and wallowy', versus Camaro SS and Challenger R/T? Nope - just don't get it.
You've been in the states too long. The Ford hadn't worn its mileage very well either, it was on 35k compared to 27/28k of the other two but it might as well had another 100k for how loose everything felt. I've just driven the SS and Dodge for 800 miles each and about 5 in the Mustang it was that bad.Edited by thetrash on Thursday 18th September 13:58
thetrash said:
You've been in the states too long. The Ford hadn't worn its mileage very well either, it was on 35k compared to 27/28k of the other two but it might as well had another 100k for how loose everything felt. I've just driven the SS and Dodge for 800 miles each and about 5 in the Mustang it was that bad.
My time here helps validate my thoughts on this matter - which maybe needs to be taken off of this thread. I have a 5.0 Mustang, but am no fan-boy and have a Challenger on order - but - your observations are contrary to pretty much EVERYTHING that's ever been observed about these cars in head-to-head comparison.Edited by thetrash on Thursday 18th September 13:58
My own experience is 10k miles in Camaro 2SS, 14k miles in Challenger R/T and 45k miles in Mustang GT - my summation is that your renter was beaten to death or you were sniffing glue.
Matt Harper said:
thetrash said:
You've been in the states too long. The Ford hadn't worn its mileage very well either, it was on 35k compared to 27/28k of the other two but it might as well had another 100k for how loose everything felt. I've just driven the SS and Dodge for 800 miles each and about 5 in the Mustang it was that bad.
My time here helps validate my thoughts on this matter - which maybe needs to be taken off of this thread. I have a 5.0 Mustang, but am no fan-boy and have a Challenger on order - but - your observations are contrary to pretty much EVERYTHING that's ever been observed about these cars in head-to-head comparison.Edited by thetrash on Thursday 18th September 13:58
My own experience is 10k miles in Camaro 2SS, 14k miles in Challenger R/T and 45k miles in Mustang GT - my summation is that your renter was beaten to death or you were sniffing glue.
No doubt I'm in the crapper if this reaches the Corvette forum
Shaoxter said:
More specifically, how likely is there to be cops waiting to catch you speeding?
Route is LA -> Vegas -> Grand Canyon -> Death Valley -> Yosemite -> San Francisco -> LA
There seem to be some nice twisty bits around Death Valley and Yosemite as well as lots of straights tovmax make good progress. We've hired a Camaro SS so hoping to put it to some good use
I did this route back in 2011, only time I saw the police was in the big cities (LA, LV and SF),. I didn't drive at silly speeds but had the cruise control set at 80 on all the freeways. As others have said, driving fast in a straight line is boring (when your sat nav says 'turn left in 195miles' on the freeway you know you're in for a boring drive). Route is LA -> Vegas -> Grand Canyon -> Death Valley -> Yosemite -> San Francisco -> LA
There seem to be some nice twisty bits around Death Valley and Yosemite as well as lots of straights to
BUT
driving on the back roads and up through the mountains is brilliant, there weren't many cars about so you can open the taps and have fun.
Matt Harper said:
My time here helps validate my thoughts on this matter - which maybe needs to be taken off of this thread. I have a 5.0 Mustang, but am no fan-boy and have a Challenger on order - but - your observations are contrary to pretty much EVERYTHING that's ever been observed about these cars in head-to-head comparison.
My own experience is 10k miles in Camaro 2SS, 14k miles in Challenger R/T and 45k miles in Mustang GT - my summation is that your renter was beaten to death or you were sniffing glue.
It definitely was worn, you could tell it had a hard life. It rocked like my Dads old Renault 4 van when you pushed its roof. All of the Mustangs they had did the same when I walked around the car park. If I was going to own one it would be the Dodge, it wasn't the quickest or best sounding but I just liked it.My own experience is 10k miles in Camaro 2SS, 14k miles in Challenger R/T and 45k miles in Mustang GT - my summation is that your renter was beaten to death or you were sniffing glue.
Update - got back from the trip and it was awesome. Didn't get pulled over once, but I was sticking to the limits around the built up areas.
Favourite roads were Artist's Drive in Death Valley (one way, twisty and big gradient changes) and Glacier point road (had a clear run up most of it).
The standard of driving however is poor - people just hog the outside lanes and RV snail racing seems to be a popular pastime. On the 5-6 lane highways in the cities, the quickest way is to just weave between the trucks in lanes 1-2. Having said that, they don't seem to have as much of a problem with being overtaken as they do here, only got beeped/flashed at once.
The Camaro SS was very disappointing. Noise was muted for such a big V8 and the power delivery was a bit diesel like - some torque around 3-4k rpm and then flat until the pretty low 6200rpm redline. Steering was the worst part of it though, vague with no feel and inspired no confidence to go quickly. The auto box was surprisingly good in manual mode (which I used all the time), shifts were responsive but sometimes shifted down one more gear than you wanted on the way down.
Favourite roads were Artist's Drive in Death Valley (one way, twisty and big gradient changes) and Glacier point road (had a clear run up most of it).
The standard of driving however is poor - people just hog the outside lanes and RV snail racing seems to be a popular pastime. On the 5-6 lane highways in the cities, the quickest way is to just weave between the trucks in lanes 1-2. Having said that, they don't seem to have as much of a problem with being overtaken as they do here, only got beeped/flashed at once.
The Camaro SS was very disappointing. Noise was muted for such a big V8 and the power delivery was a bit diesel like - some torque around 3-4k rpm and then flat until the pretty low 6200rpm redline. Steering was the worst part of it though, vague with no feel and inspired no confidence to go quickly. The auto box was surprisingly good in manual mode (which I used all the time), shifts were responsive but sometimes shifted down one more gear than you wanted on the way down.
ViperDave said:
Matt is right and i dare say its legally the same in the US, but in the uk when we see amber we will generally hit the anchors unless we are really close or running late. In the US i have been known to follow the American way and hit the gas, both for my convenience and also because as Matt says dropping anchors hard to stop at the line on the strength of a amber will get you rear ended. The number of times i have gone through on amber/red like that thinking ohh probably should have stopped for that one, i have looked in the mirror and there is usually at least one and usually two cars followed me through.
The main difference being that amber in the UK lasts 2 seconds whereas amber in the US last 5 seconds, so if you are getting close to a junction and the green turns to amber, deciding to brake and stop at the light will usually mean a big rig ramming you up the arse.Crossflow Kid said:
Be careful of the "or similar vehicle" clause in the small print.
We booked a Mustang convertible (admittedly through Avis, not Hertz) and when we got there......no Mustangs left so the bloke tried to palm us off with a.....wait for it.....Chrysler Sebring convertible on the basis "It's still a convertible".
Short supervisory discussion later and a Camaro was suddenly found out the back.
They did that to me. The Chrysler Sebring is just about the worst car I have driven.We booked a Mustang convertible (admittedly through Avis, not Hertz) and when we got there......no Mustangs left so the bloke tried to palm us off with a.....wait for it.....Chrysler Sebring convertible on the basis "It's still a convertible".
Short supervisory discussion later and a Camaro was suddenly found out the back.
Just spent a week in Vegas, hired a Camaro SS for the 2nd time as i loved it so much first time around. My brother had booked a Mustang but they had none so he was upgraded to a Vette for free. The guy on the desk said cheapest way to get a nice car is to book a low class and upgrade at the desk. He offered him a Stingray for $150 which is $850 for a days rental normally.
Took the cars tot he Hoover Dam then to Red Rock Canyon for sunset. Loved every minute of it.
Everyone drives like t
ts over there but in nearly 1300 miles i didn't see a single accident, this was in despite of nobody giving way to anyone anywhere, diving off freeways inches from the concrete barrier, being overtaken by "Semi's" doing 80+ uphill and most other examples of bad driving. They just seem to know that everyone else drives like a tt and it just works
Took the cars tot he Hoover Dam then to Red Rock Canyon for sunset. Loved every minute of it.
Everyone drives like t
ts over there but in nearly 1300 miles i didn't see a single accident, this was in despite of nobody giving way to anyone anywhere, diving off freeways inches from the concrete barrier, being overtaken by "Semi's" doing 80+ uphill and most other examples of bad driving. They just seem to know that everyone else drives like a tt and it just worksEdited by Nickyboy on Tuesday 14th October 00:11
Cheib said:
The problem with speeding in America is that each local/county police force has different views on it....I would say I see more speed traps/cops than in any other country I drive in. Just got back from a road trip in Nortern Michigan...in 600 miles I saw 4 people having been stopped for speeding
I take it you have never considered a holiday in Australia?creampuff said:
Cheib said:
The problem with speeding in America is that each local/county police force has different views on it....I would say I see more speed traps/cops than in any other country I drive in. Just got back from a road trip in Nortern Michigan...in 600 miles I saw 4 people having been stopped for speeding
I take it you have never considered a holiday in Australia?But is some States in the US, they seem to want to get their 6 month targets done and dusted on the last few sunny days before winter (and I have seen it in winter, when they have the first dry day in 3 weeks) - I got pulled by a State Trooper last week for 19mph over. AZ plates on the car (I was in WA, and my local passenger said 'you know you are marked with those out of State plates...' Guess he was right!). I spotted him hammering after me down the on ramp. I was too busy talking and not on the lookout and backing off at junctions, so was already pulling to the hard shoulder when he hit the lights.
Trooper came up and said I was done by laser and was videoed. Handed over my licence, and he asked why I was over and what I did. Sat in his car for about 90 seconds, chatting to his partner, came back and let me go, saying 'Take it easy, as there are less friendly folk down the road...'
Lucky, there were 2 hours driving with the Interstate, which was full of cars and bike out on the hunt on nice sunny late summers day.
I got stopped 5 days ago in Nevada doing 85 in a 70.
He let me off with a warning but had intended to give me a $230 (or maybe $260 can't remember) citation on the spot.
I apologised a lot, said we're almost out of gas and starting to worry a bit as its so deserted.
He gave me directions and went on his way.
Haven't a clue where he was sat/hiding as I saw nothing for miles and miles!
He let me off with a warning but had intended to give me a $230 (or maybe $260 can't remember) citation on the spot.
I apologised a lot, said we're almost out of gas and starting to worry a bit as its so deserted.
He gave me directions and went on his way.
Haven't a clue where he was sat/hiding as I saw nothing for miles and miles!
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