Showing off in in built up areas, why?

[anonymous-user]

Live near a couple of busy pubs, and a recent trend seems to be driving like an utter tt in the 30 zone past these pubs. You hear the revs pick up going past each pub, speed often 50+ at a guess, tyres screeching, then pops & bangs as they shut off once past each pub. I might be getting old but it gets fking tiresome listening to this st.

Listening to other people at the pub, rarely do a hear anyone impressed by these antics, most seem to think they're tts for driving like that in residential areas. So just wondering what motivates these drivers?

Hope I'm not a total killjoy, realise it's Pistonheads afterall. To me though, if you want to enjoy a performance car, there's got to be better and safer places.

[Red9zero]

There's a dhead near us who has just bought a bike with a stupidly loud exhaust. It's bad enough when he rides it normally, but if the schoolkids are waiting for the bus in the morning when he goes past, he absolutely hammers it. As I said, dhead.

[carreauchompeur]

Because they are pillocks. There are a few in my small town who draw a great deal of attention. My RPU base is 30 miles away, but u do get down occasionally to ruffle feathers.

None of them can actually drive, as evidenced by the frequent offs on the most used local corners.

[ChevronB19]

The simple answer is small dick syndrome and desperation from approval from those they don’t know (who are also thinking ‘what a dick’).

When I had a noisy car (keep it to circuits now) I’d deliberately back off in public places, a) because there was no point and b) to avoid people thinking I was an idiot.

[MitchT]

I'm not sure it's a recent trend. When I was at college almost 30 years ago there was someone who'd fly past the college building in an original Sierra Cosworth, sometimes stopping outside the building if there was an audience, then then doing a standing start up the road.

[paradigital]

ChevronB19 said:

When I had a noisy car (keep it to circuits now) I’d deliberately back off in public places,

This.

Though I unfortunately will have looked like a grade A moron this afternoon as my MK1 TT V6 decided that it was going to start misfiring and not idling when driving back home through town. So I had to keep the revs up to prevent it from dying.

Much shame was felt

[paulwirral]

There’s a lot of high end cars where I live and I’ve noticed by far the worst offenders are the older guys in Lamborghinis , and one cream coloured Ferrari in particular, all drive down our residential street at probably twice the speed limit , exhaust valves wide open , in full prick mode .
I’m guessing pension draw down has its drawbacks. There’s also one knobber in a grey m2 with a wing on the back who’s particularly small in the trouser department given the way he drives in town .
On the other hand there’s 2 guys in Ferraris , red and blue , who drive like absolute gents , hats off to you 2 heswall residents , you don’t even hear them .
My cars make plenty of noise should I choose to but I don’t bother with the “ look at me “ button in town , it just makes you look stupid in my opinion .

[Riley Blue]

"Showing off in in built up areas, why?"

Blindingly obvious I'd have thought, 'cos that's where people are. No point in exhibiting your inner 'dhead-ness' in the countryside with only cows, sheep and vegetation to appreciate it.

[GranpaB]

I used to live in Bournemouth and Westover Road was the place to see all the tts doing this in their barried up Saxos, Corsas Escorts etc.

Then it moved on to the PCP or rented Lambos etc and they made themselves look even bigger tts so eventually the police hid around the corner and pulled them.

Edited by GranpaB on Saturday 16th July 17:38

[snotrag]

It's nothing new. My 'peers' were doing this 20 years ago in Novas and Escorts.

[Chubbyross]

Human nature. Wind the clock back a few hundred years and I suspect the young squires of the village would be thrashing past the comely maidens outside the taverns of an evening. Admittedly less noisy but same reasons.

[CarCrazyDad]

It was like this when I was a kid and it's still like it now I'm old - just times and mechanism has changed

Before it was stupidly loud music, now it's loud cars , people have always been show offs in their cars

[jm8403]

Chubbyross said:

Human nature. Wind the clock back a few hundred years and I suspect the young squires of the village would be thrashing past the comely maidens outside the taverns of an evening. Admittedly less noisy but same reasons.

Human nature of absolute throbbers perhaps. I cant understand people wanting attention or thinking it impresses.

[leef44]

I understand what the OP is talking about. I used to live near a pub with a lawn garden area at the front. Customers would be drinking and looking towards the road.

One time, an oldie shook his head at me as I drove by. I was driving 20mph but he could hear the burble of my V8 engine,

I couldn't figure out why he was shaking his head at me when I was not driving in an anti-social manner but then later I presumed it was because he was so fed up with hooligans whizzing past with their extra loud blown exhausts that he prejudicially put me in that category.

[Monkeylegend]

snotrag said:

It's nothing new. My 'peers' were doing this 20 years ago in Novas and Escorts.

I was doing it in 1970 in my 848cc, 34bhp Mini with it's twin bore peco exhaust.

[ecsrobin]

Saw an older chap in a Maserati this week slow down to let 2 schoolgirls cross the road then booted it popping and banging, I assumed he was a peado.

[AlexGSi2000]

Immaturity.

I used to drive like my pants were on fire when I first passed my test.

Much more reserved now - there is a place and a time.

[jm8403]

AlexGSi2000 said:

Immaturity.

I used to drive like my pants were on fire when I first passed my test.

Much more reserved now - there is a place and a time.

And unfortunately some people never get any maturity.

[GranpaB]

ecsrobin said:

Saw an older chap in a Maserati this week slow down to let 2 schoolgirls cross the road then booted it popping and banging, I assumed he was a peado.

Why would you have assumed that?

[Draxindustries1]

Many years ago my brother and I both had Fiat 126 's
Run it up to around 40 switch off the ignition pump the throttle furiously and pull on the choke lever
Turn the ignition back on for an enormous flaming backfire!
I did it once too many times and blew the complete exhaust apart.
I think most go through it at some point in their lives...