I realize that savagery has a visceral appeal, I"m not denying it, but man you ride a Harley in San Francisco and you're going to be drinking beer by yourself in a bar with broken windows and a noisy ceiling fan. Good luck, pard.
I've heard it might get you some action on Folsom Street, depending on what you're into and what side you wear your leather armband on. :surprise:
Oh well,whatever floats your boat as we used to say in the 60s...or 70s...or sometime back here in the haze of time. :shades:
Though I don't think much of Harleys as motorcycles, they could certainly teach American (and some foreign) automakers about marketing. H-D has done an absolutely brilliant job of that. Good management, too.
Yeah, I've heard that about H-D, that it's all mainly marketing hype, and a nice exhaust rumble. But for real performance and quality, there are much better bikes out there.
Hey good product is fine but you have to know how to sell it to the people----or better yet CREATE an audience for your new product. Many a car company....MANY...went out of business while making their BEST-EVER cars, oddly enough.
times change, tastes change, always have always will, and a company has to be ready for that--almost able to predict the future, or at least gamble high stakes on it.
I just spent six days heading to the Olympic Peninsula from Boise and back. Going over, we went the back way mostly on Highway 12 - scenic cruise via mid-Idaho, Mt. Rainier, and hit the coast south of Olympia. After some city cruising with friends and relatives for a couple of days in Seattle we bombed back to town today on the Interstate.
55 on the two lane backtops going over was very pleasant.
Truck traffic was light today, likely due to the holiday weekend, and 70 felt ok in Washington state, especially after traffic thinned when we headed off on I-82 away from the bulk of the traffic. Put the cruise on 73 for most of that. Oregon's limit is 65, and I kept a bit under 70 there. The short home stretch in Idaho is 75, and that felt a bit much in the minivan.
70 for the limit overall would have felt "right" to me on most of the interstate portions today.
I should just go see him. I can see his house from here. He is retiring. His son Duncan D. lives down the hill. We are supposed to meet him. Not sure when. I emailed the director that I was referred to a week ago. No response yet. I will keep all this and give it to Duncan D. Hunter when he wins in November. Give him something to do in the 111th Congress.
This was such a strange titled post I had to check it out. I really thought it was a joke at first till I read your post. The bottom line, is not only are SUV's and pickup trucks (not driven for work related reasons) being looked at with disdain instead of admiration, I would say gas guzzling V8 performance cars will follow suit. It's not chic or sexy anymore to be seen in an environmentally unfriendly, gas guzzling vehicle. While SUV's and pickup trucks are the poster children for those kinds of vehicles, a gas guzzler like a Viper is just as bad. It sure looks better than any SUV or pickup truck on the road, but beneath the shiny exterior is another gas guzzler. If you're buying one to use as a track car that's one thing. But buying one just to be seen driving up to the clubs on a Saturday night is really becoming not cool anymore, unless of course you're an easily impressed 20 something male or female.
Any chick who wants to be with some dude for the car he drives is not any kind of chick I would want to be with in the first place. My girlfriend could care less about what I drive, she has zero interest in cars. It's solely transportation to her, nothing more. If it's comfortable, safe, cheap to insure, and fuel efficient than she's happy. So am I, and thankfully so is much of the rest of the country. The shift to smaller, fuel efficient vehicles is one I've been waiting for ever since the SUV became the in vogue vehicle to drive. It only took $4 a gallon gas to make it happen.
safety. It has to be built to withstand crashes for use in the U.S. And they can't bluff their way past those tests. The $18,000 price tag, mpg and other attributes to this "air-powered" car do sound appealing. I will watch and study it with much interest.
Having returned from CO, UT, ID, & OR it was noticed that where the speed limit was 75, too many unqualified drivers were grossly exceeding that limit. Double Yellow lines are ignored in CO by many when there are no other vehicles in the intersection. Commercial triples doing 75+ is insane as they don't stop safely in an emergency. UT's minimum of 45 keeps Farmer Brown and his tractor off the Freeway. I 84 in OR was the smoothest road of the trip, however CO's million dollar scenic byway was tops for scenry. UT takes the prize for having the most church buildings and temples. CO comes in First for having the slim population. The people there, ski, hike, climb, & are very outdoor activity oriented.
The bottom line, is not only are SUV's and pickup trucks (not driven for work related reasons) being looked at with disdain instead of admiration, I would say gas guzzling V8 performance cars will follow suit.
Son, they been sayin' that since the first Volkswagen was saving us gas at 25 cents a gallon.
They told us that again when the Vega and the Datsun Honeybee were kings.
But the Vette lives on.
Performance always comes back... and so do the girls. Today my wife (who drives a BMW but doesn't know if it's FWD, RWD, or AWD) saw a red Corvette at an intersection. Her comment - I don't care about fast cars, but I love beautiful cars like that. I want one.
However, you're certainly welcome to enjoy your - is it a Subaru, or a Corolla? - and I'm glad for you that your girlfriend doesn't care.
Well Corvette styling is a subjective thing. I find them rather clumsy in the rear end and very dated in styling, but....
Anyway, you can't knock a Corvette for gas mileage. They can post 26 mpg in 6th gear, that's pretty amazing.
A Corvette can defend itself against the current disdain of gas guzzlers, but a Hummer of course cannot. GM need not make any excuses for the Vette's MPG.
You selected answer "d" from the list of answers in message #1.
I'm also a skeptic about such a car, if only because I think there's a lot of truth to the old saying, "if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is." Of course, "usually" isn't the same as always. And wouldn't people have had similar doubts about the internal combustion engine in, say, 1870 or 1880?.
One thing I don't doubt is that if, by some quirky reason, compressed air propulsion is viable, especially in terms of cost, safety, infrastructure and "no major negatives", we'll know it soon.
imidazol97: If you go to the inconsiderate driver discussion there are many of the overconfident drivers complaining about people using their high speed lane at 65 and their cure is to tailgate rather than be courteous and put their driver training to work.
grbeck: Those "overconfident" drivers understand the importance of lane discipline and how it affects safety. Slower traffic is to yield to faster traffic. This works quite well on the Autobahn, for example. The courteous - not to mention, more informed - driver will not block the passing lane for faster traffic.
You missed the point of the example. Just because someone in front is slower does not make it correct to tailgate. That is just plain dangerous and rude. And yes there are times when someone can be rightfully in the passing lane and still be slower than the jackass who has to drive 20 over the limit. How about if I am doing the speed limit and am passing a vehicle that is 5 under. It will take a minute to pass that person, and I will change lanes when I am in front of them, but riding my bumper in the meantime serves no purpose except to risk an accident.
"However, you're certainly welcome to enjoy your - is it a Subaru, or a Corolla? - and I'm glad for you that your girlfriend doesn't care."
It's a 2009 Hyundai Sonata Limited. I love it, and so does my girlfriend, because it's all of the things I mentioned. And like your wife, FWD, RWD, or AWD would be foreign terms to her. She drives a 2006 Honda Civic EX sedan and she absolutely loves the car. It does everything she needs it to do, and I suspect 90% of the car driving public feels the same way. If their car does what it needs them to do, they're happy. Performance is really a secondary consideration for much of the car buying public. Now with $4 a gallon gas, I suspect that will be more true than ever before.
Yes, I agree, gas guzzling sports car are generally really hot looking. I assume anyone who has a $100,000 or more to buy one probably doesn't care too much about gas prices. But for the general public, I really believe fuel efficient cars are going to be seen as the new, sexy car. A Honda Civic is no longer going to be seen as first car you get out of college because that's all you can afford, but rather a smart purchase. A Toyota Prius is no longer going to be seen as an ugly hybrid purchased only by tree huggers, but a very smart purchase (the 2010 Prius actually looks good however). Our perception of what's sexy and what's not is going to change during the next decade, with Hybrids and diesels taking the place of sexy over V8's, V10's, and V12's. That's my opinion.
Heck, if the masses are stuck driving Priuses and Civics or whatever anonymous econobox, the guy in the hot sports car, (or awesome luxury sedan) is going to look even better!!! The ladies are going to be like,"Wow, he must REALLY have it together! He isn't driving a little dorkmobile like all those other losers!"
How about if I am doing the speed limit and am passing a vehicle that is 5 under.
Well on most interstates the SL is not what traffic is moving at. The "flow-of-traffic" especially in the left lane is 5-10 mph higher. So if you move into the left lane at the speed limit you are causing everyone in that lane to brake. What I think many of us are suggesting is that if you want to pass in that situation, match the "flow-of-traffic" speed while in that lane.
Ex. If you're in a 65mph zone going 65mph and you come up on a car going 60mph, and traffic is 70-75 mph in the left lane, get a little running start on the pass, cut left going 75mph, and then get back in the right lane and maintain your 65mph. Pretty simple stuff. That's driving courtesy. If traffic is very light, and you see no one in your rearview, pass however casually you want.
That may not have been THE article I was seeking, but yeah - same point. It's becoming hotter & hotter to show less excess and more restraint.
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It's becoming hotter & hotter to show less excess and more restraint.
Wow! I must REALLY look sexy in dirty worn out work clothes and driving my 21 year-old hooptie by those standards. I wonder if my date would really be hot for me after taking her to Burger King and having her pay for her order? That 25-cent ring from the gumball machine will really get her excited!
There's still a difference between being practical, frugal, and environmentally-friendly and just plain ol' cheap
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No, I did not. It's a simple concept that slower traffic yields to faster traffic in the passing lane.
cdn_tch: Just because someone in front is slower does not make it correct to tailgate. That is just plain dangerous and rude. And yes there are times when someone can be rightfully in the passing lane and still be slower than the jackass who has to drive 20 over the limit.
Slower traffic should yield to faster traffic in the passing lane, whether it is going 5 mph faster, or 20 mph faster.
cdn_tch: How about if I am doing the speed limit and am passing a vehicle that is 5 under. It will take a minute to pass that person, and I will change lanes when I am in front of them, but riding my bumper in the meantime serves no purpose except to risk an accident.
Or, you could use the accelerator pedal to speed up, pass the vehicle, and the merge into the slow lane. Having a line of 5-10 cars stacked up behind you in the passing lane is what is increasing the risk of an accident.
We just drove from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to Pennsylvaina, yesterday, with most of the trip on I-95. The speed limit in North Carolina was 70 mph, and 65 mph in Virginia. Most traffic was traveling at the safe speed of 75 mph (regardless of the speed limit, and even with heavy state police patrols in North Carolina), with quite a few drivers moving along at 80+ mph. (I look at how people are voting with their right foot. Studies have shown that those who favor lower speed limits tend to drive less - or not at all on interstates - than those who actually drive these roads and have more experience with them. I've found this to be the case - people who complain about speeders on limited access highways or are oblivious to the importance of lane discipline tend not to do much driving.)
The only problems were with left-lane campers who apparently haven't figure out just how to use that accelerator pedal, or can't be bothered to check their rear-view mirror.
Sorry, but the idea that everyone should take their sweet time in the passing lane, and receive some sort of dispensation because they are driving slower, just doesn't work in the real world.
There are precedents for this turn of events. During the Great Depression (I have read, I wasn't alive then, so hush up) people with some money left actually either put away their fancy cars for the duration, or purchased Model A Fords and gussied up the interiors. Fancy cars were actually stoned on occasion as they passed by bread lines. Not often, but it happened.
So I think there is somewhat of a psychological effect on people to downplay their wealth when they see others suffering economically. This might be compassionate, or merely a survival instinct, or maybe a "statement" of solidarity.
It's not like a Prius is cheap. Load one up and you've busted $30K. Quite frankly, I think the Prius interior is as good or better than a Corvette's or a Viper's in terms of quality.
A friend of mine is a friend of Livingston Taylor, James' younger brother. He tells a story of how Liv once had the hood ornament removed from his Mercedes to avoid a pompous image. I have no personal knowledge to support this hearsay, but it is still a funny bit of trivia.
LOL - The title caught my eye when I logged in just now and I had to see what kind of joke someone was making. As it turns out they are apparently serious, which makes it all the more funny.
If I want the women to look my way as I travel down the road I guess I should be sure and travel by bicycle. At over 217 mpg of water it is certainly more environmentally friendly than a Prius or Viper. However, I own both a Viper as well as several bicycles and let me tell you I get WAY more "nice car" comments than I do "nice bike".
I'll leave it up to the jury to decide - Prius or Viper? I found a pic of a black Prius to make it easier. The Viper pic is the result of what I did this past weekend with a little Zaino polish.
Then there was the guy recently advertising a method to "make Hummers GREEN". His method? A mere $35,000 conversion process to a turbo diesel engine running on biofuel. This way the Hummer owner in theory gets to have his cake and eat it too.
I think the "peer pressure" to turn green is cranking up, at least in my part of the country. And we did see a diesel car in the Indy 500 and we have the electric Tesla sports car.
Prius vs Viper:
Forgive me, nothing personal, all subjective, but I think they are both pretty homely, but each in its own way. An ugly duckling and a camel. :P
I was going to say that at least Viper owners are more skillful, but having read all the ads for damaged Vipers in Hemmings Motor News, I'm not so sure anymore---LOL!
As in most situations, there are pros and cons. First off, as we all know, there are any drivers who completely ignore the speed limit to a large extent as it is. I can't exactly say that I am not one of them for that matter. The area where this would cause the most problems is in the more congested areas. Fast does not mean aggressive. This is where, as we all know you get all kinds of people that we all see and think shouldn't be on the road (even though I'm sure everyone is guilty of that to some extent). On your major highways, as long as so-called proper "traffic etiquette" is excercised (such as slower traffic staying right, maintaining proper following distances) no limit or higher limit could possibly prove good results. Those are my basic thoughts, however, I could go on but I'm not trying to bore anyone. Just my semi-educated opinion and thoughts.
the same thing before: that back in the depression rich people put away their rich cars. It was deemed bad taste to be seen driving around in those while people were starving.
Obviously, 2008 is no Great Depression. The same rationale does not apply now, but I will say this: you will get a lot more positive attention in my area today in a Prius than you will in any large truck or SUV, no matter how much bling bling you have slapped on there. Where I live, Lexus hybrids are all the rage, and folks are just beginning to sample the Mercedes BlueTec, proudly displaying their environmentall conscious badges! :-)
Also, in my area, the Viper driver would attract a lot less attention than if he had pretty much any luxury European import, even ones that were a lot slower and less expensive. Same goes for Corvette. That's just a case of badge snobbery though, I don't think most people know enough about cars to realize that those high-buck sports cars waste more gas than the Tahoes and Explorers they have come to despise for exactly that reason.
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First off, as we all know, there are any drivers who completely ignore the speed limit to a large extent as it is
I think that's the problem: a 55 SL would be ignored even more widely today than it was in 1980, and it was pretty widespread then! So as a measure designed to improve nationwide fuel economy, it would be mostly fruitless.
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There is definitely something of a herd mentality to the human race. I guess if you have 1000 pairs of eyes looking out for predators, this is better for survival. :P
I guess the next "green badge of honor" will be the Chevy Volt. It'll be nice to see a GM product actually coveted again.
i can't reply directly to 'tedebear'. that shot of the prius makes me think of someone saying 'does the back of this car make my butt look big?' the 2 favorite cars for middle aged women with some money around here are the Prius and Acura TL.
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If you do not like a law, the correct form of action is to get it changed, not ignore it!!!
That is why we ELECT the people who make the laws so WE have a say in what they are. However, one has to realise that those elected officals (and their staff) look at much more than someones belief that they should be allowed to go faster, but also at many other factors (general safety, noise, consistency of speed limits etc etc)
In the US, there are about 40,000 deaths and 2.5 million injuries a year on the highways. Physics dictates that the higher the impact speed, the greater the likelyhood of a more serious injury/death then at a slower speed. Perhaps 55 is too slow, but allowing 75+ as a limit is way too fast for 99% of the driving population.
If you do not like a law, the correct form of action is to get it changed, not ignore it!!!
That is why we ELECT the people who make the laws so WE have a say in what they are. However, one has to realise that those elected officals (and their staff) look at much more than someones belief that they should be allowed to go faster, but also at many other factors (general safety, noise, consistency of speed limits etc etc)
In the US, there are about 40,000 deaths and 2.5 million injuries a year on the highways. Physics dictates that the higher the impact speed, the greater the likelyhood of a more serious injury/death than at a slower speed. Perhaps 55 is too slow, but allowing 75+ as a limit is way too fast for 99% of the driving population.
Some small points; Civil disobedience is a method of change. The average auto burns a minimum of 1 pint of fuel for every 6 min. of running time. (The sooner you can get to your destination the less you burn in the long run) Remember the old saying 'stupid people die in stupid ways' ( Speed limits should be recommendations for bad weather, heavy vehicles, and timid drivers) Safety by legislation is nothing more than fascism and wholly antithetical to the origins of this nation. The traffic statistics are not delineated to demonstrate a correlation directly between speed and death on controlled access roads. Drivers hypnosis is provably more common at 55 than at 75. remember that small cars crush better than my SUV
While good for morally wrong laws such as slavery and segregation is a very poor excuse to speed.
The sooner you can get to your destination the less you burn in the long run
I have this lovely bridge to sell you, but please cash only.
Remember the old saying 'stupid people die in stupid ways'
Just remember that the faster you go the more likely you, or anyone, will be involved in an accident.
Safety by legislation is nothing more than fascism and wholly antithetical to the origins of this nation.
So we should get rid of the FDA? remove all the safety gear from cars? Eliminate building codes? Stop health inspections at restaurants? Allow our kids to play with toys painted with lead based paints? And so on.
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While you have a point about safety legislation, there's a difference between product safety regulation and restriction of personal freedoms in the name of safety.
(Having said that, I don't disagree with speed limits... just sayin')
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cdn_tch: In the US, there are about 40,000 deaths and 2.5 million injuries a year on the highways. Physics dictates that the higher the impact speed, the greater the likelyhood of a more serious injury/death than at a slower speed.
Except that real-world experience has shown no conclusive link between higher speeds on limited access highways and more fatalities.
Those 40,000 fatalities include motorcycle fatalities, pedestrian fatalities and fatatlities on local streets and country roads.
cdn_tch: Perhaps 55 is too slow, but allowing 75+ as a limit is way too fast for 99% of the driving population.
Out west the average speed is well over 80+ mph on limited access highways, and even on I-95 most drivers were traveling 75 mph and over. Sorry, but people can handle it just fine.
Studies have shown that those who favor lower speed limits or think that speeds over 65 mph are "too fast" tend to drive less and just don't get out as much, and that has been my experience. People who think that 80+ mph is "too fast" on many limited access highways need to get out more.
snakeweasel: While good for morally wrong laws such as slavery and segregation is a very poor excuse to speed.
Actually, speed limits should be set at the speed the majority of people are actually traveling on a stretch of road, not what people who limit their driving to the grocery store or senior citizens' center think is "safe." Trying to slow people down in the name of "safety" is silly at best, and counterproductive at worst.
snakeweasel: Just remember that the faster you go the more likely you, or anyone, will be involved in an accident.
Actually, studies have shown on limited access highways, those traveling above the speed limit have fewer accidents than those who drive the slowest. So your contention is incorrect.
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I've heard it might get you some action on Folsom Street, depending on what you're into and what side you wear your leather armband on. :surprise:
Oh well,whatever floats your boat as we used to say in the 60s...or 70s...or sometime back here in the haze of time. :shades:
Though I don't think much of Harleys as motorcycles, they could certainly teach American (and some foreign) automakers about marketing. H-D has done an absolutely brilliant job of that. Good management, too.
times change, tastes change, always have always will, and a company has to be ready for that--almost able to predict the future, or at least gamble high stakes on it.
55 on the two lane backtops going over was very pleasant.
Truck traffic was light today, likely due to the holiday weekend, and 70 felt ok in Washington state, especially after traffic thinned when we headed off on I-82 away from the bulk of the traffic. Put the cruise on 73 for most of that. Oregon's limit is 65, and I kept a bit under 70 there. The short home stretch in Idaho is 75, and that felt a bit much in the minivan.
70 for the limit overall would have felt "right" to me on most of the interstate portions today.
Yeah, some women would pick the Prius guy over the Viper guy...if the Prius had a suitcase full of $50 bills in the back.
Any chick who wants to be with some dude for the car he drives is not any kind of chick I would want to be with in the first place. My girlfriend could care less about what I drive, she has zero interest in cars. It's solely transportation to her, nothing more. If it's comfortable, safe, cheap to insure, and fuel efficient than she's happy. So am I, and thankfully so is much of the rest of the country. The shift to smaller, fuel efficient vehicles is one I've been waiting for ever since the SUV became the in vogue vehicle to drive. It only took $4 a gallon gas to make it happen.
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Tandem and triple semis should be banned. We need the jobs. :shades:
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Son, they been sayin' that since the first Volkswagen was saving us gas at 25 cents a gallon.
They told us that again when the Vega and the Datsun Honeybee were kings.
But the Vette lives on.
Performance always comes back... and so do the girls. Today my wife (who drives a BMW but doesn't know if it's FWD, RWD, or AWD) saw a red Corvette at an intersection. Her comment - I don't care about fast cars, but I love beautiful cars like that. I want one.
However, you're certainly welcome to enjoy your - is it a Subaru, or a Corolla? - and I'm glad for you that your girlfriend doesn't care.
Anyway, you can't knock a Corvette for gas mileage. They can post 26 mpg in 6th gear, that's pretty amazing.
A Corvette can defend itself against the current disdain of gas guzzlers, but a Hummer of course cannot. GM need not make any excuses for the Vette's MPG.
I'm also a skeptic about such a car, if only because I think there's a lot of truth to the old saying, "if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is." Of course, "usually" isn't the same as always. And wouldn't people have had similar doubts about the internal combustion engine in, say, 1870 or 1880?.
One thing I don't doubt is that if, by some quirky reason, compressed air propulsion is viable, especially in terms of cost, safety, infrastructure and "no major negatives", we'll know it soon.
grbeck: Those "overconfident" drivers understand the importance of lane discipline and how it affects safety. Slower traffic is to yield to faster traffic. This works quite well on the Autobahn, for example. The courteous - not to mention, more informed - driver will not block the passing lane for faster traffic.
You missed the point of the example. Just because someone in front is slower does not make it correct to tailgate. That is just plain dangerous and rude. And yes there are times when someone can be rightfully in the passing lane and still be slower than the jackass who has to drive 20 over the limit. How about if I am doing the speed limit and am passing a vehicle that is 5 under. It will take a minute to pass that person, and I will change lanes when I am in front of them, but riding my bumper in the meantime serves no purpose except to risk an accident.
It's a 2009 Hyundai Sonata Limited. I love it, and so does my girlfriend, because it's all of the things I mentioned. And like your wife, FWD, RWD, or AWD would be foreign terms to her. She drives a 2006 Honda Civic EX sedan and she absolutely loves the car. It does everything she needs it to do, and I suspect 90% of the car driving public feels the same way. If their car does what it needs them to do, they're happy. Performance is really a secondary consideration for much of the car buying public. Now with $4 a gallon gas, I suspect that will be more true than ever before.
Yes, I agree, gas guzzling sports car are generally really hot looking. I assume anyone who has a $100,000 or more to buy one probably doesn't care too much about gas prices. But for the general public, I really believe fuel efficient cars are going to be seen as the new, sexy car. A Honda Civic is no longer going to be seen as first car you get out of college because that's all you can afford, but rather a smart purchase. A Toyota Prius is no longer going to be seen as an ugly hybrid purchased only by tree huggers, but a very smart purchase (the 2010 Prius actually looks good however). Our perception of what's sexy and what's not is going to change during the next decade, with Hybrids and diesels taking the place of sexy over V8's, V10's, and V12's. That's my opinion.
Well on most interstates the SL is not what traffic is moving at. The "flow-of-traffic" especially in the left lane is 5-10 mph higher. So if you move into the left lane at the speed limit you are causing everyone in that lane to brake. What I think many of us are suggesting is that if you want to pass in that situation, match the "flow-of-traffic" speed while in that lane.
Ex. If you're in a 65mph zone going 65mph and you come up on a car going 60mph, and traffic is 70-75 mph in the left lane, get a little running start on the pass, cut left going 75mph, and then get back in the right lane and maintain your 65mph. Pretty simple stuff. That's driving courtesy. If traffic is very light, and you see no one in your rearview, pass however casually you want.
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Wow! I must REALLY look sexy in dirty worn out work clothes and driving my 21 year-old hooptie by those standards. I wonder if my date would really be hot for me after taking her to Burger King and having her pay for her order? That 25-cent ring from the gumball machine will really get her excited!
What if Kitt was an Aveo?
Maybe Q is directing a secret program developing a new Fit for James.
Don't you think a Sonata would make a fine Batmobile?
I notice in an upcoming show that good guy Christian Slater drives a Traverse while bad boy Christian Slater drives a Camaro.
Perhaps "The Fast and Furious" sequel could have been "The Slow and the Sensible".
I always heard that girls pay more attention to shoes and belts than cars anyway. :P
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No, I did not. It's a simple concept that slower traffic yields to faster traffic in the passing lane.
cdn_tch: Just because someone in front is slower does not make it correct to tailgate. That is just plain dangerous and rude. And yes there are times when someone can be rightfully in the passing lane and still be slower than the jackass who has to drive 20 over the limit.
Slower traffic should yield to faster traffic in the passing lane, whether it is going 5 mph faster, or 20 mph faster.
cdn_tch: How about if I am doing the speed limit and am passing a vehicle that is 5 under. It will take a minute to pass that person, and I will change lanes when I am in front of them, but riding my bumper in the meantime serves no purpose except to risk an accident.
Or, you could use the accelerator pedal to speed up, pass the vehicle, and the merge into the slow lane. Having a line of 5-10 cars stacked up behind you in the passing lane is what is increasing the risk of an accident.
We just drove from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to Pennsylvaina, yesterday, with most of the trip on I-95. The speed limit in North Carolina was 70 mph, and 65 mph in Virginia. Most traffic was traveling at the safe speed of 75 mph (regardless of the speed limit, and even with heavy state police patrols in North Carolina), with quite a few drivers moving along at 80+ mph. (I look at how people are voting with their right foot. Studies have shown that those who favor lower speed limits tend to drive less - or not at all on interstates - than those who actually drive these roads and have more experience with them. I've found this to be the case - people who complain about speeders on limited access highways or are oblivious to the importance of lane discipline tend not to do much driving.)
The only problems were with left-lane campers who apparently haven't figure out just how to use that accelerator pedal, or can't be bothered to check their rear-view mirror.
Sorry, but the idea that everyone should take their sweet time in the passing lane, and receive some sort of dispensation because they are driving slower, just doesn't work in the real world.
Not often, but it happened.
So I think there is somewhat of a psychological effect on people to downplay their wealth when they see others suffering economically. This might be compassionate, or merely a survival instinct, or maybe a "statement" of solidarity.
It's not like a Prius is cheap. Load one up and you've busted $30K. Quite frankly, I think the Prius interior is as good or better than a Corvette's or a Viper's in terms of quality.
LOL - The title caught my eye when I logged in just now and I had to see what kind of joke someone was making. As it turns out they are apparently serious, which makes it all the more funny.
If I want the women to look my way as I travel down the road I guess I should be sure and travel by bicycle. At over 217 mpg of water it is certainly more environmentally friendly than a Prius or Viper. However, I own both a Viper as well as several bicycles and let me tell you I get WAY more "nice car" comments than I do "nice bike".
I'll leave it up to the jury to decide - Prius or Viper? I found a pic of a black Prius to make it easier. The Viper pic is the result of what I did this past weekend with a little Zaino polish.
I think the "peer pressure" to turn green is cranking up, at least in my part of the country. And we did see a diesel car in the Indy 500 and we have the electric Tesla sports car.
Prius vs Viper:
Forgive me, nothing personal, all subjective, but I think they are both pretty homely, but each in its own way. An ugly duckling and a camel. :P
I was going to say that at least Viper owners are more skillful, but having read all the ads for damaged Vipers in Hemmings Motor News, I'm not so sure anymore---LOL!
Obviously, 2008 is no Great Depression. The same rationale does not apply now, but I will say this: you will get a lot more positive attention in my area today in a Prius than you will in any large truck or SUV, no matter how much bling bling you have slapped on there. Where I live, Lexus hybrids are all the rage, and folks are just beginning to sample the Mercedes BlueTec, proudly displaying their environmentall conscious badges! :-)
Also, in my area, the Viper driver would attract a lot less attention than if he had pretty much any luxury European import, even ones that were a lot slower and less expensive. Same goes for Corvette. That's just a case of badge snobbery though, I don't think most people know enough about cars to realize that those high-buck sports cars waste more gas than the Tahoes and Explorers they have come to despise for exactly that reason.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I think that's the problem: a 55 SL would be ignored even more widely today than it was in 1980, and it was pretty widespread then! So as a measure designed to improve nationwide fuel economy, it would be mostly fruitless.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I guess the next "green badge of honor" will be the Chevy Volt. It'll be nice to see a GM product actually coveted again.
that shot of the prius makes me think of someone saying 'does the back of this car make my butt look big?'
the 2 favorite cars for middle aged women with some money around here are the Prius and Acura TL.
We just don't have big antlers to impress the girls. So we buy Vipers instead.
Wonder if the Volt will turn up in a product placement role on a TV show?
Should we have no laws? Should everybody decide what laws are important to them - do you want the skinheads deciding?
Did not know we had so many anarchists here.
Not agreeing with a law is not an excuse to break it.
Laws are not perfect simply because they are laws, and such preaching is only appropriate if one has never broken any law.
That is why we ELECT the people who make the laws so WE have a say in what they are. However, one has to realise that those elected officals (and their staff) look at much more than someones belief that they should be allowed to go faster, but also at many other factors (general safety, noise, consistency of speed limits etc etc)
In the US, there are about 40,000 deaths and 2.5 million injuries a year on the highways. Physics dictates that the higher the impact speed, the greater the likelyhood of a more serious injury/death then at a slower speed. Perhaps 55 is too slow, but allowing 75+ as a limit is way too fast for 99% of the driving population.
That is why we ELECT the people who make the laws so WE have a say in what they are. However, one has to realise that those elected officals (and their staff) look at much more than someones belief that they should be allowed to go faster, but also at many other factors (general safety, noise, consistency of speed limits etc etc)
In the US, there are about 40,000 deaths and 2.5 million injuries a year on the highways. Physics dictates that the higher the impact speed, the greater the likelyhood of a more serious injury/death than at a slower speed. Perhaps 55 is too slow, but allowing 75+ as a limit is way too fast for 99% of the driving population.
Civil disobedience is a method of change.
The average auto burns a minimum of 1 pint of fuel for every 6 min. of running time.
(The sooner you can get to your destination the less you burn in the long run)
Remember the old saying 'stupid people die in stupid ways'
( Speed limits should be recommendations for bad weather, heavy vehicles, and timid drivers)
Safety by legislation is nothing more than fascism and wholly antithetical to the origins of this nation.
The traffic statistics are not delineated to demonstrate a correlation directly between speed and death on controlled access roads.
Drivers hypnosis is provably more common at 55 than at 75.
remember that small cars crush better than my SUV
While good for morally wrong laws such as slavery and segregation is a very poor excuse to speed.
The sooner you can get to your destination the less you burn in the long run
I have this lovely bridge to sell you, but please cash only.
Remember the old saying 'stupid people die in stupid ways'
Just remember that the faster you go the more likely you, or anyone, will be involved in an accident.
Safety by legislation is nothing more than fascism and wholly antithetical to the origins of this nation.
So we should get rid of the FDA? remove all the safety gear from cars? Eliminate building codes? Stop health inspections at restaurants? Allow our kids to play with toys painted with lead based paints? And so on.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
(Having said that, I don't disagree with speed limits... just sayin')
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Except that real-world experience has shown no conclusive link between higher speeds on limited access highways and more fatalities.
Those 40,000 fatalities include motorcycle fatalities, pedestrian fatalities and fatatlities on local streets and country roads.
cdn_tch: Perhaps 55 is too slow, but allowing 75+ as a limit is way too fast for 99% of the driving population.
Out west the average speed is well over 80+ mph on limited access highways, and even on I-95 most drivers were traveling 75 mph and over. Sorry, but people can handle it just fine.
Studies have shown that those who favor lower speed limits or think that speeds over 65 mph are "too fast" tend to drive less and just don't get out as much, and that has been my experience. People who think that 80+ mph is "too fast" on many limited access highways need to get out more.
Actually, speed limits should be set at the speed the majority of people are actually traveling on a stretch of road, not what people who limit their driving to the grocery store or senior citizens' center think is "safe." Trying to slow people down in the name of "safety" is silly at best, and counterproductive at worst.
snakeweasel: Just remember that the faster you go the more likely you, or anyone, will be involved in an accident.
Actually, studies have shown on limited access highways, those traveling above the speed limit have fewer accidents than those who drive the slowest. So your contention is incorrect.