What is the right way to have fun on the street?

Since we're talking about stancetards and jacked up diesels. The other day, driving down the interstate I passed a "stanced" S2000 driving maybe 55 m.p.h in the right lane. Initially I thought what kind of tool takes a car designed for performance and makes it useless at even driving down the highway. Then as I looked over at him and saw the huge grin on his face I thought maybe he is no different than the tool that takes a basic economy car and tries to make a performance car out of it, and in turn makes it unbearable to drive down the highway.

I'm pretty safe in assuming everyone here agrees that the place to test the performance of a car or driver is on the track. When I was a teenager I was all about driving as fast as I could everywhere I went just for the sake of driving fast. I was sideways at every street corner. (It was before I was aware of any organized "drifting" and we just called it getting sideways) I would lock the brakes up and slide to a stop at every red light or stop sign. I fell in love with getting as close as I could to being on the edge of control. It took me a very long time and a lot of tickets to get that out of my system. I'm sure I pissed a lot of people off. As a teenager I evaded the police, twice. The thought never entered my mind that I may be putting someone else in danger, someones wife, mother, sister, brother, husband or child. I'm very, very lucky to not be a statistic or have taken someone's life.

So surely the stancetards can't be as bad as me, can they? I mean they just drive around slowly, scraping the bottom of there cars off, while wearing questionable clothing and buying cigarettes right?

And that begs the question so what can you do to have fun on the street? What's the point of building a streetable performance car? I've heard numerous times on here that an auto cross car if built to the rules makes a terrible street car. And if that's the case how is that any different than a stanced car? Both are useless for daily driving and are therefore relegated to toy duty. And being a toy what really is the difference between hanging out and looking at each others cars verses driving around some cones. From any measurable practical standpoint they are both pretty pointless and only there to serve the ego.

I'm saying some people get off on driving.

Some people get off on the engineering.

Some people get off on wrenching.

Some people get off on design.

Some people get off on cosmetics.

I love all of it...

I'd drive 'em all, and more.

I've DD the worst possible terrifying unreliable death traps ever. I only get down on folks that build their junk then are afraid to beat on it. If you can't/wont drive it don't start it or at least pass it on.

I sold a camaro that hurt my back to drive. I didn't realize why I stopped driving it, I just did slowly. Then one day I realized it and passed it on to someone else that would drive it.

I like seeing people's cars that dare to be different or take a silly fad to a real EXTREME! I can't stand to see ppl set up a felt rope around their car at shows.

I don't want to be the guy that coveted his car and never let it all hang out then had a heart attack one day and died only to have my son raw dog it to pieces and sell it.

So I say the right way is to suit yourself and drive whatever you end up with when its hot when its cold when gas is 5 bucks a gallon and if you do it right, some ppl will hate it!

I LOVE taking Sunday drives in my Impala SS. I had an LS1-swapped S10 that I frequently drove very responsibly. (I also drove like a berkeleying idiot from time to time)

I love mashing the pedal on a back road where nobody is in sight, but I'm a particularly responsible road driver.

... except when I had my E30 in Los Angeles. I was a complete slot-car dick.

I think the point of having it on the street is not so much that you should use it, but rather that you could. Its like the big muscle guy. He doesn't have to fight, but you would imagine he'd win if he did.

I'm a believer in driving slow cars fast, rather than fast cars slow. My Yugo epitomizes that, 55hp, 145mm Kei truck tires (actual 6 ply 145R13 kei truck tires, cheap). You have to drive it at 8-9/10ths to keep up with today's traffic, its a blast.

nicksta43 wrote: And that begs the question so what can you do to have fun on the street? What's the point of building a streetable performance car? I've heard numerous times on here that an auto cross car if built to the rules makes a terrible street car. And if that's the case how is that any different than a stanced car?

The difference is, the auto-x car is uncomfortable, but with handling and performance to take on anything out there. The stanced car is uncomfortable and likely to have the handling upset by taking an imperfection in the road a bit too quickly. If you hurt the handling such that you're likely to cause an accident operating the car in a normal fashion, you're doing it wrong.

As long as they aren't making their car a hazard, good on them for having fun.

I will however reserve the right to mock boy racers who throw idiotic mods on their cars and think it will make them faster when it actually worsens performance or is just completely pointless. E.g. the coat-hanger "stiffening" bars that go across the rear hatch.

As for me, I find fun in performance driving to set simple challenges for myself. Like, trying to cut the most perfectly smooth arc possible within the confines of my lane.

Beer Baron wrote: As for me, I find fun in performance driving to set simple challenges for myself. Like, trying to cut the most perfectly smooth arc possible within the confines of my lane.

That's similar to what I do. I try to be as smooth as possible all the time while trying to be as efficient as I can. Timing lights and staying off the brakes. Really concentrating on planning ahead and avoiding unnecessary slowing.

All that can be done in a stock Yugo however. So what's the point of modding anything?

Kenny_McCormic wrote: I'm a believer in driving slow cars fast, rather than fast cars slow. My Yugo epitomizes that, 55hp, 145mm Kei truck tires (actual 6 ply 145R13 kei truck tires, cheap). You have to drive it at 8-9/10ths to keep up with today's traffic, its a blast.

Being able to drive at the 9/10ths and still being slow enough to not kill anybody if something goes wrong......I like this plan.

nicksta43 wrote: All that can be done in a stock Yugo however. So what's the point of modding anything?

1) some of us don't mod stuff
2) see above: knowing that you could if you wanted to

nicksta43 wrote: Initially I thought what kind of tool takes a car designed for performance and makes it useless at even driving down the highway. Then as I looked over at him and saw the huge grin on his face I thought maybe he is no different than the tool that takes a basic economy car and tries to make a performance car out of it, and in turn makes it unbearable to drive down the highway.

I like being able to bomb down the most potholed, gap-filled, under-construction roads without slowing down.

There's a quasi-acceptable move around here where, on a 2-lane road, if you're behind someone stopped to make a left turn, you may drive on the side of the road/grass to get around them. I don't slow down for those, either, even if there's a curb or a ditch. Suspension travel is nice to have.

I want one of those stickers that says "My sports car sees more dirt than your truck ever will"

nicksta43 wrote: I'm saying some people get off on driving. Some people get off on the engineering. Some people get off on wrenching. Some people get off on design. Some people get off on cosmetics.

I'm for anything that blows your hair back - who am I to judge. I was all about engineering, wrenching, cosmetic and design until I rediscovered how much fun driving can be.

I bought an old snowmobile and berkeleying LOVE driving it. It will receive way more than it's share of wrenching, engineering (after a fashion) and cosmetics this summer to make it even more capable and pretty for next winter. I've never operated anything so scary fun in my life.

I might do a build thread. It will be a sort of restoration - nooooooooo - more of a resurrection and some fun improvements.

I should also say I'm the guy who builds up a campfire till you have to stay at least 20ft back for comfort. I would do the same with a performance vehicle, build it up to a point where its too fast to do anything with but drive carefully on drag radials on dry days, misc. bench racing plans of mine reflect this.

nicksta43 wrote: I'm saying some people get off on driving. Some people get off on the engineering. Some people get off on wrenching. Some people get off on design. Some people get off on cosmetics.

and some should just get off the road entirely. I do not love it all. Especially the jackholes in the giant lifted trucks. If they want an off road vehicle berkeleying keep it there.

Alternatively... I am curiously drawn to that powder puff Fiat above. Maybe I'm ready to try Virgina Slims and buy some elastic jeans.

nicksta43 wrote:

Beer Baron wrote: As for me, I find fun in performance driving to set simple challenges for myself. Like, trying to cut the most perfectly smooth arc possible within the confines of my lane.

That's similar to what I do. I try to be as smooth as possible all the time while trying to be as efficient as I can. Timing lights and staying off the brakes. Really concentrating on planning ahead and avoiding unnecessary slowing. All that can be done in a stock Yugo however. So what's the point of modding anything?

Agreed with everything in both of these quotes. There is a back road I drive home everyday in North Georgia that has little traffic and a lot of elevation change. Much like Road Atlanta but not as steep of grades. I try to get a speed where I use as little throttle and brake input to stay within 5 miles +/- of the speed limit. That's the fun I have.

Also as beer baron stated, I reserve the right to make fun of stance cars as much as I want. When they hold up traffics to get over railroad tracks, potholes, and other E36 M3 in the road, I am going to not only point and laugh, I may let them know they are #1.

nicksta43 wrote:

Beer Baron wrote: As for me, I find fun in performance driving to set simple challenges for myself. Like, trying to cut the most perfectly smooth arc possible within the confines of my lane.

That's similar to what I do. I try to be as smooth as possible all the time while trying to be as efficient as I can. Timing lights and staying off the brakes. Really concentrating on planning ahead and avoiding unnecessary slowing. All that can be done in a stock Yugo however. So what's the point of modding anything?

One reason why I drive a bone-stock TDi wagon. 90 hp (and after 311K miles, probably down from that) keeps me mostly out of trouble. A 5 spd manual makes it fun to drive. Craptastic Mk IV suspension means I'm on the ragged edge of handling half the time.

I also try to time lights and have never understood why people want to blast ahead as fast as they can towards a red light only to slam on the brakes and come to a complete stop, whereas I'll approach watching the light (and cross traffic for pink-light-runners) and then pass them as the light turns green (on multi-lane roads).

Those same people will also complain about how much new brakes costs and about how their car's brakes are crap because they have to replace them every year...

What anti stance said about driving back roads is pretty much what I do. There are a couple of roads that have some nice "whup tee do's" where you can almost get a little air.

In reply to iceracer:

I can get some air in a few places here.....and its almost as flat as western kansas here. I'm lucky to admit that stancefags cannot even get down my road.....

On that note, I have had more fun driving in just the last 3 weeks than I did most of last year.....the e21 is just a riot to drive.....its slow, but it is hilariously fun.

I want one of those stickers that says "My sports car sees more dirt than your truck ever will"

I need this for the MR2. Although driving back from TN yesterday a Jeep with actual dirt on it, considerable dirt, passed me on I-75. I was shocked.

In reply to Jerry:

Closer you get to Atlanta the cleaner the jeeps and lifted trucks are.

Hit the backroads and you can have fun just cruising. The more remote the area the better behaved you should be because if you do loose it a lifeflight isn't cheap

Most people hate getting in their cars to go to work. They hate it. However, some people, for a variety of reasons, are happy to key the ignition and head off for the day. That's all your car needs to do for you. It doesn't matter what it does for me, just as long as it makes you smile.

I (usually) drive within 5mph over the limit. For me, speeding on the street is to pointless and expensive for me to justify. However, I do like to take corners quickly. Like IanF and nicksta43, I make a noble effort to hyper mile and try to see how little I can use my brakes without qualifying as a shiny happy person. It amazes me how many people don't see the red light 100' in front of them.

yamaha wrote: In reply to iceracer: On that note, I have had more fun driving in just the last 3 weeks than I did most of last year.....the e21 is just a riot to drive.....its slow, but it is hilariously fun.

Yes E21's are like that, I'm on my second. One day I'll find another "s" model hopefully that is rust free.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:

and some should just get off the road entirely. I do not love it all. Especially the jackholes in the giant lifted trucks. If they want an off road vehicle berkeleying keep it there.

I'm guilty of having one of those as well, and maybe mine was even worse because it was a true poser. It wasn't a monster but it was only 2wd lifted 6" and running 35's. I built it because I liked the looks. I still like lifted trucks.

Only pic I have of it

I just like driving that isn't what it looks like, otherwise known as a "sleeper". Every once in a while I get to show someone what a "sleeper" is.

In reply to nicksta43:

I also had lifted trucks when I was young (over 20 years ago now...). It was fun at the time... and I learned quite a bit wrenching on those trucks. I paid some dues as well... installing a 6" lift kit in a parking lot... in the middle of December... in PA...

Unfortunately, no pics of any of them.

Hal wrote: I just like driving that isn't what it looks like, otherwise known as a "sleeper". Every once in a while I get to show someone what a "sleeper" is.

Hal understands why I drive SHO's.