This forum is in permanent archive mode. Our new active community can be found here.

Driving

edited February 2010 in Everything Else
I do not, by any means, have a sporty car. It's a '92 Civic LX; a 4 door sedan with a 1.4 liter 4-cylinder SOHC engine. Zero to sixty in a little over 10 seconds. It gives out, at most, 102 HP. Still, I love driving it.

I love driving in general. I love the feel of taking a corner a little faster than you ought to. Easing off, plowing through, then putting the hammer back down. I love taking the little dirt shortcuts between my school and home, because the tail can swing out a bit and I can feel just that little bit more excited about driving my little car.

It's fun to go down the windy bits of road with the windows down, feeling the tires grip the road, and the added G's weighing on you through the turn as you give it that little extra bit of gas that brings you just that little bit closer to the line that separates "controlled" and "crashed".

The sound of the engine, the feel of the weight shifting from front to back as you accelerate and to the front again as you brake; It's the connection between man and machine.

It's going on a drive for the sake of a drive. It's getting home, and staying in the car, not to listen to music, but to hear the engine tick itself to sleep.

It's getting through a long day on the road and patting the hood with the satisfaction that this machine isn't JUST a machine; it's Your Car.

Does anyone else here feel like this?
«13456789

Comments

  • I have a hatchback Suzuki SX4. It is tiny, handles incredibly, and stops on a dime. 143 BHP, 5-speed manual, 0-60 in 10s, and great pickup.

    I grew up with my dad plowing into turns in his car, the back end sweeping into a barely-controlled fishtail, my head pushed back with Gs and my nose filled with the scent of burnt rubber. He taught me to drive stick; the sound of the one-two slam of the clutch followed by the squeal of the tires was a defining characteristic of my childhood. Today, in my car, I like to recreate all those things, pushing the little car's speedometer far to the right on an empty stretch of interstate at 2 AM, or spraying dust across the street as I slide in to a turn. Most of all, I love that feeling when your hand is on the shift knob, knowing that you've become a part of the inner workings of that mighty machine, and feeling the scream of the gears in your bones.

    I'm hoping that, if all the chips fall into place over the next several years, I can eventually upgrade to something with a bit more kick.
  • Does anyone else here feel like this?
    Yes, all the time, no matter what reason I'm driving for.
  • Most of all, I love that feeling when your hand is on the shift knob, knowing that you've become a part of the inner workings of that mighty machine, and feeling the scream of the gears in your bones.
    Yes. My car has a 4 speed automatic with the shifter between the front seats, but when I'm driving in the city, I love the feel of moving it into neutral and letting the car coast to the next intersection. It's also fun to rev it a bit, and shift into drive so the wheels squeal a bit. Although I am reasonably sure that doing that is breaking the car a bit. I hope I'm wrong.
  • edited February 2010
    t's also fun to rev it a bit, and shift into drive so the wheels squeal a bit. Although I am reasonably sure that doing that is breaking the car a bit. I hope I'm wrong.
    Racing before the clutch is in is bad. Engage your clutch, rev, then slip it to peel out without messing up the transmission. You will shorten the life of your tires a bit, but I think its worth it. After all, you can't get wheelspin with an automatic.

    Oh, and before someone jumps on me, note that you'll shorten clutch life too, but probably not enough to notice if you don't overuse your clutch to begin with.
    Post edited by WindUpBird on
  • Does anyone else here feel like this?
    Yes, all the time, no matter what reason I'm driving for.
    The best feeling is opening up on the highway and gunning past other motorists.
  • edited February 2010
    I don't have a licence yet, and my only driving experience is with an instructor who, when he wasn't lecturing me on how to live my life or missing/cancelling appointments midway through, was constantly yelling about how I should be dead for minor mistakes. At one point he somehow equated these mistakes to someone raping and killing my hypothetical wife and daughter. Once I can legally drive I'll be inheriting my sister's Pontiac Grand Prix, which is liable to have a major breakdown within the next couple of years. Despite all of that, I have had that sort of feeling once or twice; I think I'll come to enjoy driving once I get through all the bullshit that comes with learning how.
    Post edited by Walker on
  • t's also fun to rev it a bit, and shift into drive so the wheels squeal a bit. Although I am reasonably sure that doing that is breaking the car a bit. I hope I'm wrong.
    Racing before the clutch is in is bad. Engage your clutch, rev, then slip it to peel out without messing up the transmission. You will shorten the life of your tires a bit, but I think its worth it. After all, you can't get wheelspin with an automatic.

    Oh, and before someone jumps on me, note that you'll shorten clutch life too, but probably not enough to notice if you don't overuse your clutch to begin with.
    My car has a 4 speed automatic
    I don't have a clutch...
  • I love the feel of taking a corner a little faster than you ought to.
    I do this all the goddamn time, especially with ramps. It's a great feeling.
  • I like going on long trips on straight highway with good music or a friend on lovely summer days. There is something so perfect about those trips.
  • I'm just going to say that right now, I drive a 88' Civic LX, so I feel very much like you, just a little older. I don't really know the 0-60 time, but I do know it's pretty long. The acceleration is shit, but everything else about the car I totally love. It's going to be hard to switch soon.
  • It's getting through a long day on the road and patting the hood with the satisfaction that this machine isn't JUST a machine; it's Your Car.

    Does anyone else here feel like this?
    Maybe I'm the only one, but my car is just a machine I use to get from point A to point B. I hold almost no sentimental value for my car. Sure, I can have some fun driving, but it's not any sort of special experience. I'm about as equally attached to my car as I am my toaster.
  • Leave it to Andrew to pierce that veil or romanticism with cold, calculated, inscrutable logic. I think he's a ROBUT!
  • I'm about as equally attached to my car as I am my toaster.
    Oh, so that wasn't schmear on that bagel...
  • Lawd, I don't know how many more semen jokes I can take.
  • Maybe I'm the only one, but my car is just a machine I use to get from point A to point B.
    Agreed, and I've got a car that is considered to be quite nice to drive.
  • I dislike driving. It's kind of a chore.
  • I dislike driving. It's kind of a chore.
    ...
    Alright gents, who's gonna open up the can of whoop-ass on this kid?
  • You can't drift without driving. Therefore, driving is awesome.
  • You can't drift without driving. Therefore, driving is awesome.
    Boats drift. Technically.
  • I don't even have a driver's license.
  • You can't drift without driving. Therefore, driving is awesome.
    Boats drift. Technically.
    image

    Well, boating is awesome in its own right (though I've only ever driven skiffs and Boston Whalers, that sort of thing), and the mechanics of making a boat go really fast are even more awesomely complex than those of an automobile. I'll give you a pass. Not sure about Sonic, though.
  • I don't even have a driver's license.
    I like your style.
  • edited February 2010
    My car is a bit on the sporty side, its a 1983 Datsun 280ZX 2+2, 3 door fastback with T-tops, with a 2.8L engine 6 cylinders and a FR layout, makes for a really punchy ride, the only drawback is the 3 speed automatic transmission :(.

    I love to drive with the tops off on slightly cloudy days and go slow with the engine purring at 2K RPM, my car doesn't have a working radio nor does it need it, its kind of a "project" car but I have no regrets. It's been kind to me as my daily driver (keep in mind that my work commute is about 8 miles) and with every repair, it just gets better and better.
    Post edited by MrRoboto on
  • Boats drift. Technically.
    image
  • Boats drift. Technically.
    image
    What...is that?
  • In my current car, driving is literally hell. I have a 2000 Dodge Stratus ES that has approximately 152,000 miles on it. Every spring and summer it tends to overheat, which results in the following:

    1) The air conditioner doesn't work, while the fan does.
    2) The windshield wipers will not work
    3) Electric locks, gear shifting, and headlights short out
    and finally 4) No cruise control.

    In addition, rainwater has begun to leak in my car, and I finally found out where it is coming from (Yes, in addition to the sky, ha ha ha). Apparently it comes in through the top of my front passenger door, and back down through the molding on the floor of my car. Frankly, if I had a halfway decent car, I might enjoy driving. For now, I will settle for gritting my teeth.
  • Does anyone else here feel like this?
    You think you have it bad, I design hypothetical engines for my camaro for fun.
  • Right now, I'm not very happy with my car. It's a 1998 Volvo V70 station wagon, with somewhere around 180k miles on it. It has been working fine until about this week, when some water leaked into my oil and my automatic gearbox failed for some reason. I fixed the first problem, and the second one just kinda went away, but now I'm super nervous that my car will explode if I accelerate too quickly.

    My next car will definitely be a standard transmission. I miss the feeling of being in control of my car. With an automatic transmission I'm just sitting there trying to trick it into shifting when I want it to. Also, taking turns on the highway or going on ramps makes it want to shift if I don't give it gas. Not fun.

    Lots of storage space, though!
  • My car is a 1997 Dodge Neon 2.0L DOHC Automatic.

    The Odometer reads 183000 miles, but it's around 200000.
    The speedometer goes out randomly, so the odometer doesn't count the mileage.
    My Air conditioner and heater don't work.
    It burns oil like crazy.
    I can't shift into park because the shifter is messed up, so I have to leave it in neutral and pull the emergency brake anytime I park.
    The transmission won't shift unless I let off the gas like I'm in a Standard every time it wants to shift.
    The fuel gauge changes randomly.
    The temperature gauge doesn't work correctly, and my car has overheated a few times with it pegged out on cold.
    The radio went out and now is just fuzzy all of the time, no reception at all.
    The headlights are total ass, and I have to drive with my brights on everywhere, which are just bright enough to be normal headlights.
    The paint is peeling like crazy, just as all of the stock paint on Neons from 95-99 (I think that's the range)
    My suspension is about to go, and every bump is like a roller coaster.
Sign In or Register to comment.