No such Thing as a slow car
Discussion
Sick of posts saying certain cars are slow No car is slow It is the driver that is slow. Normally people who complain that a car is slow are in the wrong gear for the situation A good driver in a slow car on b roads can easily keep up with a bad driver in a fast car. all uk cars can easily do 70mph on a b road that is more than enough. I have 2 vehicles a peugeot partner van diesal and a ford ka 1.3 petrol where I live there is no motorways and not once Have I been unable to keep up with so called faster cars. Sure if there is a long straight they may pull away a bit but next corner I will be back on there tail and overtake them using the momentum I have saved from less braking during corner. Then if another very long straight comes up they will overtake me but at the next set of bends or traffic lights I will be up with them. When people realize the fastest modification anyone can make to a car is the driver people may stop Spending silly money getting cars remapped or chipping them. for no real world performance gains. I guess I am gonna get alot of hate replies to this from the people who cant drive fast and love the bragging rights of saying there car has so many bhp. But in reality if you take the time to reply to this thread It will prove there are some serious ego issues there.
So, if a driver in a slow car is really trying they can keep up with or overtake a faster car where the driver isn't trying? I don't get your point TBH.
I've had a few cars which were too slow. They were too slow. There was fun to be had in hustling them around and a well-planned overtake was always satisfying, but their lack of performance makes junctions and slip roads no fun at all.
I've had a few cars which were too slow. They were too slow. There was fun to be had in hustling them around and a well-planned overtake was always satisfying, but their lack of performance makes junctions and slip roads no fun at all.
charltjr said:
So, if a driver in a slow car is really trying they can keep up with or overtake a faster car where the driver isn't trying? I don't get your point TBH.
I've had a few cars which were too slow. They were too slow. There was fun to be had in hustling them around and a well-planned overtake was always satisfying, but their lack of performance makes junctions and slip roads no fun at all.
Lazy driver thinks 'I don't like overtakes/you can't do that to me infront of mybelittled wife so I'll accelerate to teach you a lesson then drop back again. That'll show you.I've had a few cars which were too slow. They were too slow. There was fun to be had in hustling them around and a well-planned overtake was always satisfying, but their lack of performance makes junctions and slip roads no fun at all.
All the while putting himself in a embarrassing situation at lights ahead..or if you are both stopping at the sameplace
chaz1234 said:
Drive one With a open mind forget all the typical problems people have stated rust poor acceleration poor brakes. My last car before my 2004 ka was a golf gti 1.8 turbo and I have much more fun in the Ka I have now. They are not unrefined cars they are generally quiet until you start pushing them. The gearchange and handling are great. The acceleration is good. The chassis is great. You can provoke controllable lift of oversteer easily mid corner. And is easy to regain control the car reminds me of a 80s peugeot 205 gti 1.6 Not as quick in a straight line but on a twisty b road I would feel confident that I could leave the 205. The 50 to 70mph time in 3rd gear is similar to the 205. And the engine is very peppy in every gear. Only thing I will say against the Ka regarding driving it is fifth gear is not needed. Is purely a economy gear. The negative points of the car are rust problems and front suspension bushes wear out quickly I think this is due to the very positive steering set up they have. Alot of men would never drive a Ka because they think its a girly car But a self confident man who has no issues of needing a huge engine too feel big would love driving the car. Drive one properly and you will love it. The sportka is even better. But the 1.3 can rival alot of more powerful cars on b roads several times. I have kept up with citreon saxo vtr and vts on twisty roads. And occasionally overtaken them. It is all about the driver and the chassis not the bhp.
Wouldn't normally post comments from another thread but this might be a recurring theme...Although he hasn't communicated it very well I sort of agree with the OP. I used to have a Pug 106 1.5D as a snotter for work. It had a heady 57bhp when it left the factory and I doubt the 140k miles it had on it helped improve that. However, I could drive my 45 mile rural commute at a very good pace and was quite often held up by far more powerful and capable machinery over the Lincs Wolds. People braking for bends that did not require it, terrible road positioning, not willing to overtake much slower vehicles, etc.
It was possible to overtake in the Pug at a number of spots, but quite often rather than letting me go these idiots took umbrage and prodded their throttle to stop me. So I'd be forced to drop back and sit behind the brake dabbing, corner tip-toeing arseclarts. I don't, for a minute, think I'm a driving God, but that little car taught me to drive again. Because it took so long to get to NSL speeds it forced me to learn how to carry that speed through the corners rather than relying upon a more powerful engine to get me back up to speed.
It was possible to overtake in the Pug at a number of spots, but quite often rather than letting me go these idiots took umbrage and prodded their throttle to stop me. So I'd be forced to drop back and sit behind the brake dabbing, corner tip-toeing arseclarts. I don't, for a minute, think I'm a driving God, but that little car taught me to drive again. Because it took so long to get to NSL speeds it forced me to learn how to carry that speed through the corners rather than relying upon a more powerful engine to get me back up to speed.
I used to feel like the OP, back when I had a 1.6 Fiesta in 1995. I could keep up with most things in day to day driving (not that it was a race).
However that was when cars drove ok. Some modern cars are appalling. A case in point: Matiz. I had to endure that for ten miles as a free courtesy car. It could not accelerate, steer, corner without rolling over, brake, anything. Mind you, a blind person could get in and be safe enough.
So unfortunately there is such a thing as a slow car. If you can call it that. Perhaps a slow turd.
However that was when cars drove ok. Some modern cars are appalling. A case in point: Matiz. I had to endure that for ten miles as a free courtesy car. It could not accelerate, steer, corner without rolling over, brake, anything. Mind you, a blind person could get in and be safe enough.
So unfortunately there is such a thing as a slow car. If you can call it that. Perhaps a slow turd.
hora said:
I think he means stay a gear lower than usual and hold revs higher and longer. Know how to carry speed and drive smoother/away from the brake pedal. Once you can spot how a gearbox works best with a particular engine you are laughing (from my experience)
True, if you know how to properly keep your engine in its happy rev range, you will more easily keep up with "faster" cars.As in no slow car though, tell that to anyone driving a 1.0 65hp fiesta, had one of those for a month and a half, trying to join a motorway was an adventure every single time. 0-60 takes 16.8 seconds...
As for his claims of B-roads in his Ka, that is obviously because he is the only one driving above 3/10s, 90% of the cars he comes across would paste him in the corners if the driver was trying.
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