That CR-V is giving off some serious Big Altima Energy™.
It’s a cool, dark evening with motorists buzzing down I-4, the main route across Central Florida. Rush hour has come and gone, so traffic is moving along at a fair clip. Orlando in our wake as we head east. Soon, I’ll be home.
I’m driving my early Miata–figure about 4500 rpm to keep up with traffic–and somehow I got shuffled to the left lane.
I’m third or fourth in a train that was making good time, but now the center lane is drafting us. Someone’s holding us up a tick.
I quickly take stock of the situation. Lots of trucks, lots of things that dwarf a Miata.
My usual M.O, especially in the Miata and especially at night, is to hold steady as things will usually clear themselves. Passing on the right–very much a no-no–in a tiny car just seems like a good way to add some unnecessary stress to equation. I’m okay with getting home 15 seconds later.
But what do I see in my rear-view mirror?
Headlights.
To the left of me.
And they’re gaining.
The silver Honda CR-V passed us all in the breakdown lane, running over a construction sign in the process.
And last I saw them, they just kept on keeping on.
After three trips up and back on I-4 in as many days, I’m convinced that it’s the worst–or do you have a better candidate?
That CR-V is giving off some serious Big Altima Energy™.
I hate I4 with a passion I rarely apply to other things in my life.
Went to visit my gf's family the other weekend in Titusville. From St Pete you pretty much drive straight across.
I made up an errand in Lecanto, then took surface roads across the state in order to avoid I4. Probably should have taken 192 across.
berkeley I4.
In reply to Mr_Asa :
I used to be petrified to drive I-4 (I got caught in one too many accidents), though I've since gotten more comfortable after I drove in L.A. traffic.
Even then, I still try to avoid I-4 if I can help it.
It's basically like driving in LA, except everyone is 40 years older and driving bigger, heavier cars.
Come to my neighborhood in Detroit and you will revise your opinion of what awful and dangerous driving looks like.
I can't imagine that I4 is any worse than I26 in South Carolina.
The fast lane running 90. The slow lane running 60. Oh, you wanted a middle lane? Funny boy, we don't spend money to fix the gargantuan holes or fill the ruts that are literally worn into the asphalt, much less add another lane.
The 100-mile stretch of I26 between Charleston and Columbia had just shy of 900 crashes that put almost 1200 people in the hospital and killed 33. I pretty much don't drive on it anymore. Hwy 176 parallels it and you stand a much smaller chance of crashing or getting stuck in traffic for hours.
I remember I was in Tampa for work and had tickets for the 500 so it was easy to just run across I4. I had a 90s base Corolla as a rental.
Holy cow. I had grannies blowing my doors off at 80-90 MPH. My poor Corolla couldn't keep up. It was just crazy. I've been all over the US and that is easy top 5 roads I want to avoid.
The Championsgate exist is the worst! If I have an autocross at OCCC, the drive there early in the morning isn't bad, coming home almost always is a stop and go mess. I think I've only been able to get by that mess during the day without traffic only once. I left an autocross at 3pm on Sunday and the slowest it got through there was about 50 mph rolling traffic, but I was surprised I didn't get stuck.
Once I get past Championsgate its usually smooth sailing when I come home from the Orlando area, a bit aggressive and fast, but I rather deal with that than sitting in bumper to bumper traffic from pretty much the convention center to Championsgate.
That being said, since I live 15 miles north of I75 and I4, sometimes its just as fast to go home via the back roads via the Turnpike into Clermont and take SR50 to I75.
Both times on my trip to and from New Smyrna Beach back in late Sept, I took I75 to SR50 and up some route that takes me through the same roads I would take to go to a Martin Sports Car Club autocross. Outside of dealing with people driving 5-10 mph below speed limit in the back roads, its not a bad drive that is scenic and has some fun central Florida rolling hills. And the part of I4 I got back on near Sanford and Lake Mary wasn't bad.
By the time racing is done at Orlando BMX I'm usually headed home around midnight on Saturday. I hit a stopped wall of traffic every time as soon as I get on I 4. How the hell does it manage to stay stopped 24hrs a day? Then when you get out my way in Tampa you have the wonderful malfunction junction....the crown jewel of the I 4 experience.
msterbee said:Come to my neighborhood in Detroit and you will revise your opinion of what awful and dangerous driving looks like.
haha THREE ONE THREE MOTHERberkeleyER!!!
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