I would rather meet a carefully driven car at sensible speed.

Which is obvious, hence why I didn’t provide it as an option. You know that I’m trying to get at, hence your next statement:

Care and speed are not inversely proportional.

Which is quite true. However, we’re note even talking about speed here, the thread is about a reasonably fast car, not how fast or in what manner it’s being driven. Most of the posts that have successfully derailed this thread from one about a car to the manner in which a tiny minority may drive it are clearly equating speed with poor driving.

Fast observant driving is safer than slow unobservant driving. You’re more likely to avoid an accident if you see a situation developing no matter what speed you’re going at, compared to trying to map read, change a CD, argue with your partner or pacify the kids. As a new father, I can safely say I’m pretty shocked at just how distracting a screaming baby can be when you’re trying to drive, and I just tend to ignore here. Being a passenger when MrsZ drives (who occasionally seems to think calming baby is more important than driving) scares me rotten. Yet driving at 40 mph on a NSL A road whilst trying to pacify an irate offspring is a lot more legal than driving at 70 on the same road minus screaming baby.

S3’s stunning pieces of car loveliness.

Always catch my eye way better than BMW et al

Sorry to gate crash the thread. Normal service can resume debating anything but the car mentioned in the title.

Have a nice Easter

Agent007 I have passed my IAM’s bike test and still think you are talking site. As for the blindly following what the signs say well it helps others predict your actions so is important. By all means go a bit faster in a clear national but don’t think your god like observation, skills and sporty car make you safer, they don’t you have increased your risk and everyone else’s.

PS I don’t drive at 40mph everywhere.

I think folk like to make stuff up before making their points sometimes. I guess they feel it must help.

Somafunk – the acceleration of the RS6 is just plain rude for an estate car. The surge of power is incredible and very addictive, even in normal mode where you just ride a sea of torque. In sport mode it literally goes whoosh and pins you to the seat. You can feel the wright in corners and under braking though. The scariest thing is the ability to gain silly speeds without breaking a sweat….it’s quick up to a point and silly beyond that. It rides well in comfort mode too, really well. Fuel consumption is obscene though.

There is a chap on Pistonheads who has one tuned to 780 bhp or so and is mental. He out a video up of a drag day and it was destroying some serious sports cars! Silly but fun.

If if if if I’m awesome (and so is my car) I can drive fast.
Loads of ifs in this thread.
What is certain is that for the same standard of driving it’s safer to do it within the rules of the roads.

I think Agent007 is intoxicated with Power and therefore reasoning is somewhat diminished.

No Molgrips, sensible is to drive at a speed that’s appropriate for the conditions, not to blindly follow what the signs say.

I’m not advocating blindly following the signs. Follow them with awareness.

However, you do not get to choose your own personal speed limit. This is a terrible idea, obvoiously, for two reasons.

1) People are not very good at choosing their own speed. You may think you deserve a special little snowflake badge that lets you make up your own rules because of how awesome you are, but law does not work like that.

2) A wide variation in speed makes it difficult for everyone else to drive. Consistency really helps.

3) However good or bad you happen to be at any given moment, slower is ALWAYS safer, and faster is ALWAYS more dangerous. Simple physics.

Fast observant driving is safer than slow unobservant driving.

Of course, and you’ve made that point. However my point is that slow AND observant driving is better still. You don’t have to become unobservant when you slow down.

You don’t have to become unobservant when you slow down.

Correct. But neither do you have to be slow to be observant and safe. It’s this latter point a lot of the terminally offended on here appear to miss.

2) A wide variation in speed makes it difficult for everyone else to drive. Consistency really helps.

So does refusing to overtake a slower vehicle given a good opportunity, but we all have our own crosses to bear, I suppose…

But neither do you have to be slow to be observant and safe. It’s this latter point a lot of the terminally offended on here appear to miss.

You don’t have to be slow to be observant, but you will always be safer if you are slower. Absolutely ALWAYS. I think you are misinterpreting people’s complaints. No-one is saying slower careless driving is better than faster observant driving. You are countering a point that is not being made.

o does refusing to overtake a slower vehicle given a good opportunity,

I never do that, but it’d be better if you leave that particular argument alone. It’s a red herring and you are only doing it to try and annoy me, and turn a serious debate into a playground spat. Aren’t you?

Depends if you believe following the instructions on speed limit signs makes you slow. The simple fact is exceeding the speed limits makes you unpredictable for others. If by slow you mean 55-60 in a national then you are wrong. If by slow you mean 40 in a national you may have a point.

Somafunk are you sure it was Vatanen’s Quattro as he never drove for Audi apart from a demonstration run in Australia. He drove for Ford then Opel then Peugeot.

I never do that, but it’d be better if you leave that particular argument alone. It’s a red herring and you are only doing it to try and annoy me, and turn a serious debate into a playground spat. Aren’t you?

Which would quite accurately describe the wholly predictable and tedious derailment of the thread from one about a car that clearly several posters have potential interest in purchasing to “fast cars and speed = bad, mmmkay”

Your previous thread about overtaking (or lack thereof) demonstrates quite clearly that you are far from the most qualified to be judging others’ driving.

Wow, are we* still referencing mol’s overtaking thread in any driving discussion in which he’s involved? Jeez, that’s, like, I dunno, the most crap internet arguing ever. 😐

* I think I might have done it in the A9 thread mol, and for that I apologise – it must piss you off a bit – at the time it was more mickey taking rather than “I haven’t got anything else so BOOM, “…the overtaking thread…”

Which would quite accurately describe the wholly predictable and tedious derailment of the thread from one about a car that clearly several posters have potential interest in purchasing to “fast cars and speed = bad, mmmkay”

I use the term ‘playground spat’ to describe pointless personal insults and bickering.

I was making a point about road safety. It seemed like it needed to be made, with all this talk about driving fast on windy B roads in very powerful cars.

Your previous thread about overtaking (or lack thereof) demonstrates quite clearly that you are far from the most qualified to be judging others’ driving.

Not a bit of it. You all made assumptions about my driving that were totally incorrect, which is why I got so cross. You can’t comment on my driving until you actually see it.

I think I might have done it in the A9 thread mol, and for that I apologise

Apprecaited, but there’s no need – I understand banter and can take it, sometimes it’s funny. It’s the actual assumption that I can’t drive that irks.

I was making a point about road safety.

Good, please do so on a thread about road safety.

Wow, are we* still referencing mol’s overtaking thread in any driving discussion in which he’s involved?

He did make quite a thing about it, and he doth protest too much about the insinuation it gave most readers about his driving ability

Jeez, that’s, like, I dunno, the most crap internet arguing ever.

Well, apart from trying to sound like an american teenage girl, that is…

Funny thing is Zones that you don’t seem to realise you do not get to decide what people discuss and you lack the self awareness to see that you are the one engaging people in off topic discussion here.

I’m in the list of RAC (MSA) national champions, outright, not just class. My main quality as a road driver is that passengers can sleep without being disturbed.

I’ve driven quite a few quick cars, and turned down offers to drive more because there was nowhere safe to drive them (a Metro 6R4 for example though I was also convinced the cam belt would break on me before we got it out of the garage). Apart from the ones on tyres designed for fuel economy I haven’t driven anything made in the last 20 years that didn’t have excellent brakes and predictably safe handling. Tyres make more difference than anything IME and yet on Winter tyre threads on here there are always those that dismiss them as unnecessary.

i’ve got myself a nice set of winter Michelin Pilot Alpins lined up for the S3 come November 🙂

Excellent, Lecht, use them wisely.

And my Freelander runs on Cooper AT3s happily all year 🙂

always use winters up here. handy for getting to Glenshee / Cairngorm, etc.
also why we went with Quattro and the S3 – Rails for skis and bikes, 4WD and it fits into a single garage door entrance easily.

great daily car with 4wd and a bit of poke.

inbred456 : I imagine it was one of Ari’s cars from his rally school as it had his sailing boat logo on the bodywork and other livery about it, my mate used to go across a few times each year for various Finnish rallies and to practice on the open stages.

You don’t have to be slow to be observant, but you will always be safer if you are slower. Absolutely ALWAYS

Always?

Are you a particularly stupid 12 year old

[video]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K7CnMQ4L9Pc[/video]

Thank you, anagallis, the best 14 minutes of my morning. My first ban from STW about ten years back was for much milder black humour on a car thread. I’ve since worked out that this isn’t the place for humour so if anyone finds what I post funny in any way, shape or form I apologise.

if anyone finds what I post funny in any way, shape or form I apologise.

Shouldn’t be an issue

Ok, with the exception of going much slower than everyone else on a motorway or busy road.

Shouldn’t be an issue

😆

The ‘men’ on this thread fretting over nice cars being driven quickly on the road probably should see their DR about a blood test, such hand wringing and beta male behaviour could be due to low testosterone levels.

Shame there’s no remedy for low intelligence levels though.

There you go non petrol heads, fap away to this baby.

I can’t decide if I am a petrol head or not. I love cars, and I love driving. I just don’t think it’s a good idea on public roads. Hmm.

Shame there’s no remedy for low intelligence levels though.

Maybe get to the opticians too. You can apparently only see in black in white.

Ok, with the exception of going much slower than everyone else on a motorway or busy road.

Don’t forget most panel vans are over 2T max loaded weight and are limited to 50mph in 60 limits. The amount of horn blowing and gesticulation I got for respecting the limit in my van suggests most people don’t know this (I suppose it could just have been a reaction to the French plates). It would have been a pity to spoil that particular forum debate by reminding people as I’d clearly stated what I was driving.

The ‘men’ on this thread fretting over nice cars being driven
quickly on the road probably should see their DR about a
blood test, such hand wringing and beta male behaviour
could be due to low testosterone levels.

Post of the year!!!

I am a man and I know this because I have a dick extension car and like driving fast! What bullocks. Is this really teenage idiot track world and I have misstyped the url?

am i the only person to have a new 8V S3 – anyone else out there got one yet ?

No you are the only person with enough testosterone

And you are obviously making more progress too.

How deep is your house?