mikefrombarrie

its nice and sunny day..

The speed limit on the road is 50mph, two cars come to a stop light. The light turns green and both of the drivers go WOT.

The cars take off, one car is slightly faster then the other one. Giving the driver with the faster car satisfaction. Both cars reach the speed of 50mph and contiune on with that steady speed.


Is this "racing"?

ActionAttackGoose

That's a decision a judge would have to make, not me. But I think that falls into the category of "engaging in a speed contest" quite well. If not, they could easily write you for "unnecessary acceleration" or something similar.

kersh4w

iTrader: (3)

if you get any wheel squeak, they can write you a ticket for it.

also, WOT is illegal on roads. any revving of your engine is illegal actually. its considered an aggressive driving action or an invitation to street race. both illegal.

also, afaik, accelerating way faster than everyone else is something you can get pulled over for as well.

BlackRX82006

iTrader: (1)

I had 3 high school douchays try to race me in a 4-door Focus about 2 weeks ago. There's three things that I enjoy doing...

1: You drive the speed limit, they speed and somehow you keep up with them the whole time, because they keep hitting the redlights before you

2: You look at their car, and look at them as if someone just let out a really bad fart

3: Or shake your head at them

YaXMaNGTO

What I can't stand about this description is that its all relative.

These three cars are sitting at a light. A 10 second 0-60 minivan goes full-on WOT and obviously doesn't get a ticket. An RX8 goes 0-60 in 6.5 seconds WOT and surely gets a ticket. You think a 4.7 second 0-60 GTO that goes partial throttle, does 0-60 in 6.5 seconds, won't get a ticket?

What's the real criteria? The guy with the Ferrari 599GTB that grannies off the line and smokes everybody sure is in trouble.

It's the same with speed limits, but I wont go there. Mr UPS truck can safely go the same speed I can. Right.

BlackRX82006

iTrader: (1)

^ I'm confused...what are you trying to tell us?

YaXMaNGTO

LOL okay, ya, it's a bit confusing.
Bottom line, you have slower car that goes full WOT off the line, and a fast car that goes partial throttle and happens to be the same rate of acceleration as the slower car.

I bet both cars get tickets for racing. It's why I hate the definition. I think it affects us because there are plenty of 10 second 0-60 dumb asses with fart cans rolling around who try to challenge you, and I don't want a ticket because of it.

BlackRX82006

iTrader: (1)

Ooh ok got ya, I see your point. Well I don't want to sound like a party pooper, but don't take off on the light lol

YaXMaNGTO

I'm trying to go buy beer. Why should I have to change the way I drive?

BlackRX82006

iTrader: (1)

I'm not saying you have to. Do your thing...welcome the tickets if you ever get them

User24

iTrader: (1)

I usually take off from the light wot. I always read about how the RX8 is so slow in a straight line on these forums, so I figured it was impossible to accelerate too fast from a stop.

Now that I am in FL there are all these pickup trucks with neon underbody lighting that always assume I am trying to race them, when in reality it is always the way I drive. With 45 mph speed limits and no freeways, I have to use 2nd gear at 7000 rpm to keep the engine clean. During engine cleaning mode, if my foot is unstable in applying pressure, I accidentally engage warp drive and now the pickup trucks all around are coming alive like angry bees.

If I don't correct my pedal pressure quickly, I will be at 65 mph in a split second, and all the traffic cops will be going "omg too fast".

It is tempting to pull away at high speed once the lane starts a long curve, but the 45 mph limitation and "omg 2 fast speeding" means I have to keep driving side-by-side with them which makes them think I am trying to race even more.

It's a nightmare.

jones75254

iTrader: (2)

Hey, if i am out of traffic and the middle of town, with a wide open road ahead and someone comes up and wants to run for a few seconds, i will and DO "race" them for those 5-8 seconds (speeds never exceed 90 or so). I will admit it. If you call that racing then i guess i am guilty. To me that is just a short "run" and not racing. 90% of you on here have and do the same thing. Though accidents can always happen unexpectedly and no "racing" is fool proof, i try to limit these "runs" to ideal conditions, ie. little to no traffic, open/smooth road, straightaway, wide open vision, ect. Its just a short run for fun and exhileration, win or lose for that short lil distance its fun and ANYONE with a sports car, no matter what the acceleration numbers are, has engaged in such activity. Not really about who's got the fastest car, is about the fun factor. Of course i dont condone this type of driving in or even near other traffic or in town.

OSducky

So ........ my question is ................... what about when you have the freeway/northway whatever to yourself??? I mean if there are no cars around, is it ok to push the speed limit a little bit, cause thats what I do, If i can't see any cars around me, I'll go 90, 100, 110. I know the rules, if a cop see's me I am in a lot of trouble, but am i really putting anyone else in danger??? If I come up on some cars, I slow down to normal speeds

jones75254

iTrader: (2)

^^^....like you said, we all know the rules, as long as you dont put others in danger, and are prepared to face consequences should you get busted/wreck, its all a matter of discretion and moderation IMO.

Rems31

I dont know about you guys but if I go WOT from a red light, I don't get very far until the next red light Just a waste of gas

YaXMaNGTO

Perfect. Can't describe it any better. Everybody should take notes.

JohnCarrJr

I don't know what it is with my RX8. Before this car, I had a Pontiac Grand Am GT, and before that, a sporty Neon, and before that, a Mustang. They were all sporty cars. Yet, in the previous 3, I was hardly ever challenged by anyone. But now that I have the 8, it happens several times a week. I notice the small things that never happened before.

For example.

I'm riding down a city street, coming the opposite way is some dude driving a Chevelle SS. As he passes by and gets behind me, he revs his engine, which he hadn't revved until he saw me. At least that's my perception. I get A LOT of that. Other drivers that have to boost their male ego's and will gun thier car down the street.

When I first got the car, I'd entertain myself by out racing some of the ricers out there. Then I got my *** handed to me by a Neon SRT4 driver (turns out, I looked this car up, and its one of the fastest cars in its class). So, I don't really race other cars anymore. After that incident, I realized that my 8 really isn't that fast, it just handles really really well.

Another instance of an insecure driver. I was driving through this development, and I came up behind this blue WRX. My daughter was in the car, and I was making these farting noises and laughing, making her laugh. The WRX driver was waiting for a truck to turn left. There's really not much traffic on this road. He looks in his mirror, see's me making some face. He stops his car, gets out and walks up to my car with an angry look on his face.

So I decide to play along with this jerk.

He says to me, "You got something to say to me". Of course, I had just been joking around with my daughter.

"Yea. Uhhh, your fart pipe sounds like this", and I make a bunch of rasberries.

"F*** Y** bitch, you see that", he says, pointing to his WRX. "It cost a lot more than your peice of crap". He points to his WRX then points to my RX8, which at the time was about 3 days old.

"Oh really, how much", I ask, not really caring to elaborate that I paid $32k for mine.

"That car cost me over 50 thousand, bitch", he lies. I later looked it up, WRX Impreza's are about the same price as a RX8.

"Hmmmm", I say, "Sorry to hear that you paid that much for the ugliest car on earth. I hope you used some lube when you took it up the a** like that"! I start laughing pretty loudly.

This only pisses him off more. "Why don't you get out of your car and say that to my face", he says. Keep in mind, he's about 5'6", maybe 160. I'm 5'11", 250.

"Nah dude, I'll pass", I reply.

He gets more angry, and pulls his shirt up showing his "rock hard abs". "See that, biatch, that's a 6 pack".

I point to my belly, laugh and say, "See that, its a KEG!". I then look in my rear view, see no cars, back up and pull around his WREX. As I start to pass him, he acts like he's gonna lunge at my car, as if that's supposed to scare me. I laugh and drive away......

Bester

^ Dang, its just a car. Its nice to race someone who is cool about it, but buttheads (win or loose) take all the fun out of it.

climacus

That's why it's nice to have a CCW. "See this b-tch, that's a holster for a glock."

Honestly the best way to deal with these ******** is to let them get in front of you and then trail them with your HID turned on. Nothing **** them off more than being followed by a nice car with the HID bobbing up and down in their mirror.

Haze

I have had people say that my car was a $125,000 Audi R8 and tell that I'm an idiot for paying so much for a car. Other neophites think that it is some form of Maserati. Basically, I think that the 8 is so obscure that people who don't know cars place whatever value on it that fills the space in their empty heads.

In other words, when they freak out at you about how much your car sucks or is too expensive, all that they are doing is applying their own insecurities onto your RX8 much like people looking into a mirror and seeing only how fat they are when their % body fat is 8%. It's pathetic, but it's what people do.

OSducky

best response i've ever gotten .............. "thats a nice car, how many cylinders is it ............. me : none" them "oh so 4" me "no theres no cylinders its not a v6" them "so 6??" me "yeah theres 6

enforcer

These idiots who want to race us on the road don't seem realise its not only an offence but a high-risk activity which jeopardises insurance.

All drivers are under an array of restrictions for car insurance which vary from policy to policy, and a high risk activty like this is a sure way to have it pulled from under their feet....

mdr

Racing on the street no matter if there are other cars in sight or not is stupid.
Ever hear of side streets, driveways, houses, yards, kids playing?

Other cars can and do come out of no where and you can kill someone.
For what? 2 minutes of getting your jollies off?

It is not worth it.

I think anyone caught street racing should be required to ride with the paramedics for a month. Go out and pick a few bodies up off the street and watch the devastation that a few minutes of fun can cause.

True story for all you that think racing on a deserted street is OK, Enforcer I am sure can back me up on this one.

Last year in here in Queensland some jerk decides to race his car down a lonely stretch of road as he makes a bend in the road he loses control and ends up skidding into the front yard of house where a 5 year old was playing. The father heard the crash and ran outside and saw his kid lying on the ground, he held his son as he died in his arms.

Was it worth it?
Hell no.
That 5 years olds life can never be replaced, that few minutes of jollies that driver got from seeing how fast he could go cost a family their most precious gift.

That story touched too close to home for me, my son is the same age and looked very much like that kid did.

Street racing is stupid, take it to the track.

dothackRAVE

^A deserted street is a DESERTED STREET. No kids, no cars, nothing. Probably the occassional squirrel but that's it. Jerk crashes into kid because he was a moron. If you wanna race or speed, you better know the limits of your car. Driving beyond your limit is being stupid.

There's safe street racing, and then there's stupid.

I don't particularly endorse street racing, but to think that speed is somehow bad is a stupid idea.

mdr

That is where we have to disagree.

I am sure the jerk behind the wheel thought he knew the limits of his car.
Speed on a street is stupid, pure and simple, there are enough dead bodies out there that prove that.