No such Thing as a slow car
Discussion
chaz1234 said:
... 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.
It sounds like you have local knowledge of the roads; a bad driver in a slow car that knows the roads well will probably be quicker than an average driver in a faster car that doesn't know the roads. jhonn said:
chaz1234 said:
... 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.
It sounds like you have local knowledge of the roads; a bad driver in a slow car that knows the roads well will probably be quicker than an average driver in a faster car that doesn't know the roads. OP, I rented a Daewoo Matiz on a Greek island many years ago. It wasn't my choice as the selection was...limited, shall we say and Nikos, for that was his name, was doing me a favour by giving me his best car - thees wan, she hhhhav CD player! - so that was what I got.
Anyway, there was a rather treacherous winding mountain road back to the village we were staying in and on the first steep hill (think an unsurfaced, single track Großglockner) I couldn't get past 15mph in 1st gear as it was too steep for the car.
I'm not sure of the engine size as it never occurred to me to check but let's assume no bigger and probably smaller than one litre.
How would you suggest I improve my technique to wring a bit more pace out of it, assuming I find myself in similar dire straits in the future?
Anyway, there was a rather treacherous winding mountain road back to the village we were staying in and on the first steep hill (think an unsurfaced, single track Großglockner) I couldn't get past 15mph in 1st gear as it was too steep for the car.
I'm not sure of the engine size as it never occurred to me to check but let's assume no bigger and probably smaller than one litre.
How would you suggest I improve my technique to wring a bit more pace out of it, assuming I find myself in similar dire straits in the future?
I think what OP is trying to say is there's no such thing as a 'too slow' car in the UK. They will all get you from a-b (providing they don't overheat on the way.) This annoys me too. People saying such and such a car is 'dangerously slow.' The danger is in the driver not adapting to the car and available power.
Disastrous said:
OP, I rented a Daewoo Matiz on a Greek island many years ago. It wasn't my choice as the selection was...limited, shall we say and Nikos, for that was his name, was doing me a favour by giving me his best car - thees wan, she hhhhav CD player! - so that was what I got.
Anyway, there was a rather treacherous winding mountain road back to the village we were staying in and on the first steep hill (think an unsurfaced, single track Großglockner) I couldn't get past 15mph in 1st gear as it was too steep for the car.
I'm not sure of the engine size as it never occurred to me to check but let's assume no bigger and probably smaller than one litre.
How would you suggest I improve my technique to wring a bit more pace out of it, assuming I find myself in similar dire straits in the future?
You'll find I think that if fold in the mirrors and pop the rear seats down, that will help - those mods alone are worth at least 4 seconds.Anyway, there was a rather treacherous winding mountain road back to the village we were staying in and on the first steep hill (think an unsurfaced, single track Großglockner) I couldn't get past 15mph in 1st gear as it was too steep for the car.
I'm not sure of the engine size as it never occurred to me to check but let's assume no bigger and probably smaller than one litre.
How would you suggest I improve my technique to wring a bit more pace out of it, assuming I find myself in similar dire straits in the future?
Remember though that that according to OP the fastest mod you can make to a car is the driver - so just get someone else to drive it, I reckon that would help.
FN2TypeR said:
blueg33 said:
FN2TypeR said:
Patrick Bateman said:
Normally people who complain that a car is slow are...in a slow car.
The good old "it's pretty nippy you know" statement usually comes from those who own a 1.6 Ford Focus with 100bhp or similar in my experience 
I once worked with a chap who claimed his one litre Corsa (three cylinder perhaps?) "went like f
k".I really think that people who haven't driven or ridden in a "fast" car driven well have absolutely no idea what the cares a capable of. I have driven a few fast cars but the 575 Maranello still amazed me with its acceleration when it was already doing well over a 100mph
I may or may not have crashed that car and written it off**
** Definitely did.
I do agree with the OP that BHP doesn't make you a good driver, but conservation of momentum is still important in a powerful car, it makes you smoother and quicker.
But the OP goes on about "any car can do 70mph", but misses the point that a fast car is more about how you get to the speed limit than by how much you can exceed it!
Roads, conditions and traffic are the limiting factor, I'm of the opinion that being on the roads is 'travel' and is more getting from a to b. It's not really interesting enough to need a sub 5 second 0-60 car. A 10s one is absolutely fine, a 15 second one will feel a bit snoozy, but you still get there.
We have a lot of back lanes that take you out into the countryside maybe a mile from where I live. There's 20 square miles of countryside. Can I VMAX my car or really test it's handling? Nope, there's hills and corners that you cant take at more than 25-30'ish no matter what you're driving because you cant see what's coming the other way. There's sheep, cattle grids, cyclists and other hazards and dangers that mean you're probably going to be pretty irresponsible and potentially change someone's life if you go out there cornering it on the door handles and drive it like a rally stage.
If I actually want to drive like that, there's tracks and specific places to do it safely where I'm not going to come across some duffer on a shopping bike pulling his dog along
We have a lot of back lanes that take you out into the countryside maybe a mile from where I live. There's 20 square miles of countryside. Can I VMAX my car or really test it's handling? Nope, there's hills and corners that you cant take at more than 25-30'ish no matter what you're driving because you cant see what's coming the other way. There's sheep, cattle grids, cyclists and other hazards and dangers that mean you're probably going to be pretty irresponsible and potentially change someone's life if you go out there cornering it on the door handles and drive it like a rally stage.
If I actually want to drive like that, there's tracks and specific places to do it safely where I'm not going to come across some duffer on a shopping bike pulling his dog along
If 70 is fast enough and other cars can get their quicker than OP, then surely no amount of momentum out of a bend will make him able to overtake as the faster car will still reach that speed first?
My (average) diesel hatchback has over 3x the power of a KA with 59bhp... I cannot see in any way how he could actually overtake on a b road. That would be the equivalent of me trying to overtake a 911 Turbo S!!! The Turbo S driver would have to be in reverse for me to actually overtake him, momentum or not.
My (average) diesel hatchback has over 3x the power of a KA with 59bhp... I cannot see in any way how he could actually overtake on a b road. That would be the equivalent of me trying to overtake a 911 Turbo S!!! The Turbo S driver would have to be in reverse for me to actually overtake him, momentum or not.
chaz1234 said:
Sick of posts saying certain cars are slow No car is slow......peugeot partner van diesal and a ford ka 1.3 petrol......stop Spending silly money getting cars remapped or chipping them. for no real world performance gains......but in reality if you take the time to reply to this thread It will prove there are some serious ego issues there.
I can't help feel the ongoing lack of mental health care facilities is having a seriously detrimental effect on the internet.Peugeot Partner
Disastrous said:
OP, I rented a Daewoo Matiz on a Greek island many years ago. It wasn't my choice as the selection was...limited, shall we say and Nikos, for that was his name, was doing me a favour by giving me his best car - thees wan, she hhhhav CD player! - so that was what I got.
Anyway, there was a rather treacherous winding mountain road back to the village we were staying in and on the first steep hill (think an unsurfaced, single track Großglockner) I couldn't get past 15mph in 1st gear as it was too steep for the car.
I'm not sure of the engine size as it never occurred to me to check but let's assume no bigger and probably smaller than one litre.
How would you suggest I improve my technique to wring a bit more pace out of it, assuming I find myself in similar dire straits in the future?
Anyway, there was a rather treacherous winding mountain road back to the village we were staying in and on the first steep hill (think an unsurfaced, single track Großglockner) I couldn't get past 15mph in 1st gear as it was too steep for the car.
I'm not sure of the engine size as it never occurred to me to check but let's assume no bigger and probably smaller than one litre.
How would you suggest I improve my technique to wring a bit more pace out of it, assuming I find myself in similar dire straits in the future?
sat chuckling away to this, damn my tiny mind.Brilliant OP... particularly the ego part. I use the "you have to be confidant in your own sexuality and have nothing to prove" response quite a lot, with tongue firmly in cheek, when I get abuse for one of my cars... But I get the impression you actually believe it and are "proving" yourself when you drive.
A piece of friendly advice is that this isn't healthy and will end in tears one day when you try too hard to keep up with one of these faster cars that you literally have never been unable to stay with or overtake (or a much better driver in an even slower car). Drive your own pace, leave your ego at home as it can only lead to trouble on the road.
Some cars are slow, my old LandRover is slow and wont do 70mph anywhere, I've literally never "beaten" anything in it on the road. Of course its still quick enough to be faster than anything that's being driven more slowly than it.
Simple, light cars are normally fun, even the crap ones are fun because it all happens so slowly and so easily that it never feels demanding and always feels a laugh (if you're pushing on a bit). Fast, simple, light cars such as a Caterham or and Elise are also brilliant fun but they can feel a lot more serious as the capabilities are so much higher - my experience is that you can take the mick a little with a 7 type car but an Elise can very quickly bite - fast, fun AND challenging (this is the key difference to a slower car like yours).
If you want to be really tested and challenged, try a fast motorbike. They are massively challenging as the levels of accuracy needed, added to the scope for things going very wrong, very quickly and the shear assault on your senses make them a special and unique challenge for a rider / driver. And before you tell yourself that this is my ego talking, I've been riding 20 years and have a decade old superbike which totally overwhelms me for fast road use. Its fast, fun and challenging, but in no way do I ever feel like I'm exploring the edges of its capability on the road (you really can't go sliding a bike around in the same way you can a car - I can't anyway).
I think what your missing in your post is that all these vehicles offer something different and enjoyable to an enthusiast, and none of us need to be proving anything on the road - drive at your own pace and don't make the mistake of thinking everyone is a challenge or threat to you on the road.
A piece of friendly advice is that this isn't healthy and will end in tears one day when you try too hard to keep up with one of these faster cars that you literally have never been unable to stay with or overtake (or a much better driver in an even slower car). Drive your own pace, leave your ego at home as it can only lead to trouble on the road.
Some cars are slow, my old LandRover is slow and wont do 70mph anywhere, I've literally never "beaten" anything in it on the road. Of course its still quick enough to be faster than anything that's being driven more slowly than it.
Simple, light cars are normally fun, even the crap ones are fun because it all happens so slowly and so easily that it never feels demanding and always feels a laugh (if you're pushing on a bit). Fast, simple, light cars such as a Caterham or and Elise are also brilliant fun but they can feel a lot more serious as the capabilities are so much higher - my experience is that you can take the mick a little with a 7 type car but an Elise can very quickly bite - fast, fun AND challenging (this is the key difference to a slower car like yours).
If you want to be really tested and challenged, try a fast motorbike. They are massively challenging as the levels of accuracy needed, added to the scope for things going very wrong, very quickly and the shear assault on your senses make them a special and unique challenge for a rider / driver. And before you tell yourself that this is my ego talking, I've been riding 20 years and have a decade old superbike which totally overwhelms me for fast road use. Its fast, fun and challenging, but in no way do I ever feel like I'm exploring the edges of its capability on the road (you really can't go sliding a bike around in the same way you can a car - I can't anyway).
I think what your missing in your post is that all these vehicles offer something different and enjoyable to an enthusiast, and none of us need to be proving anything on the road - drive at your own pace and don't make the mistake of thinking everyone is a challenge or threat to you on the road.
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