Car horsepower…is it just me…

Beej, that’s to get him to his job. Not his job.

29 second reply.. you were awaiting responses I see ;O)

Nope just happened to open the thread.

Beej, that’s to get him to his job. Not his job.

No it’s my job too or I’d be sat in a clinic.

captainsasquatch – Member
I find it incredible how many cars get irritated when I sit at 70mph on the motorway. I’m still going faster than traffic in the nearside lane (that’s the one on the left), yet many speeding drivers think that it’s acceptable to flash lights at me as if I’m doing something wrong.

😀

To be fair, it’s a good point. THe speed limit on the motorway is 70mph; so **** ’em.

I think Drac has access to flashing lights and a noisy thing.

So Google/Apple car will reduce his workload dramatically and subsequently reduce emergency vehicle related injury/deaths.

I’ve seen more dangerous driving from going too slow. Doing 30 on a single carageway with a limit of 50 results in some frustrated dangerous over taking. I’ve also followed people who slow down to much to go round bends in the road.
Speed is not always the course of accidents. Though round here i’m more worried by the large number of tractor divers going quickly through the village whist on the phone.

its not a few minutes though is it. Coming back from fort bill the other day I was stuck behind a lorry doing 35 mph in a 60. Plus endless caravans.

Don’t get me started on caravans! I’m quite happy doing 70mph in the middle lane when one of these highway heroes think they can overtake a truck. Even a flash of the headlamps and they don’t move out of the way. Selfish prats. 👿

I’ve seen more dangerous driving from going too slow. Doing 30 on a single carageway with a limit of 50 results in some frustrated dangerous over taking

Still the fault of the person overtaking if it is dangerous though, you don’t have to, you can wait until it is safe.

But yes I agree an old Nana pulling onto a dual carriageway at 35 is dangerous as can be hard to judge, so speed can be dangerous either way but you can’t blame someone driving slow “forcing you” to make a dangerous overtake that’s nonsense

captainsasquatch – Member
I find it incredible how many cars get irritated when I sit at 70mph on the motorway. I’m still going faster than traffic in the nearside lane (that’s the one on the left), yet many speeding drivers think that it’s acceptable to flash lights at me as if I’m doing something wrong.

Are you a police officer?

If not, leave the road policing to them, if drivers want to go over the speed limit then get out of their way & let them get on with their journey.

Still the fault of the person overtaking if it is dangerous though, you don’t have to, you can wait until it is safe.

Assuming there was no reason not to drive at the posted limit (e.g. traffic, weather, etc.) would you fail a driving test for sticking to 35mph on a 50mph road?

Are you a police officer?
If not, leave the road policing to them, if drivers want to go over the speed limit then get out of their way & let them get on with their journey.

He’s not **** pulling them over is he?!

Why should someone who bothers to obey the law get out of the way so someone can break it?

Assuming there was no reason not to drive at the posted limit (e.g. traffic, weather, etc.) would you fail a driving test for sticking to 35mph on a 50mph road?

Probably, and I’m not arguing about that but just because someone else does something potentially dangerous reacting with more dangerous driving isnt going to help

Not like your life depended on it is it.

no, but human nature is to take risks and like it or not people stuck behind a lorry doing 35 mph will try to overtake at the first possible opportunity.

(Too many dead friends to care what excuses people have anymore and yes I do drive)

But there is no evidence that fast cars are more dangerous. People will always take risks and drive at the speed limit or above. Doing that in a fast car is far safer than doing it in a 50bhp run around. Especially when overtaking on aa country road where there is a much greater margin for error if someone misjudges the situation. Just because your car is fast doesn’t make you drive like an idiot.

Don’t get me started on caravans!

The drivers have usually forgotten they’re even towing one. Thick as whale spunk. They should be banned from A roads/B roads/The countryside. Caravan sites should be at the motorway junctions.

In answer to the actual post.. . .
Yes, its all getting abit silly.
Jaguar F type r 560bhp
Jaguar XF rs 540bhp
Audi RS7 550bhp
Audi RS6 550bhp
AMG c63 460 bhp
BMW M6 550 bhp
BMW M5 comp 590bhp

All use electronics to try to keep the tyres in contatct with the road.
Been in a few of the above and they alter what is ‘overtake-able’ as the gap required is really quite small.
One problem is just 2 or 3 seconds on the loud pedal is enough to get you into silly speed teritory , and then you have to slow down after jumping past 3 cars and a caravan back to below 100 to pull in and make the corner

Not like your life depended on it is it.
no, but human nature is to take risks and like it or not people stuck behind a lorry doing 35 mph will try to overtake at the first possible opportunity.

That’s not human nature that is natural selection.

Unfortunately too often it is passengers/innocent bystanders that pay the price and rhe driver has to “suffer” a ban and a fine.

(Too many dead friends to care what excuses people have anymore and yes I do drive)
But there is no evidence that fast cars are more dangerous. People will always take risks and drive at the speed limit or above. Doing that in a fast car is far safer than doing it in a 50bhp run around. Especially when overtaking on aa country road where there is a much greater margin for error if someone misjudges the situation. Just because your car is fast doesn’t make you drive like an idiot.

Although somewhat away from what this thread was about I agree, people are the issue mainly not the cars. I’ve been far more terrified in the back seat of a Citroen saxo than much faster cars I’ve been in.

I think Drac has access to flashing lights and a noisy thing.

Forum police?

One problem is just 2 or 3 seconds on the loud pedal is enough to get you into silly speed teritory , and then you have to slow down after jumping past 3 cars and a caravan back to below 100 to pull in and make the corne

That’s not exclusive to fast cars.

It is if you are accelerating from 20mph

wiggles – Member

…stuff…
Yeah, I’m not sure where I was going with that one ❓

believe me, that’s ‘king scary on motorways and dual carriageways when you’re trying to overtake other vehicles which are maybe doing 10mph or less than you are

Well don’t bloody do it then. Just chill out and get there later. Totally missed the point!

Every single whining point about being held up on the roads is just whining impatience. I feel impatient too, but I remind myself to chill the **** out, because life is too short.

All this bother over nothing.

Doing that in a fast car is far safer than doing it in a 50bhp run around.

Not really, as it’s relative. Sure, a dicey overtake in a slow car would be easy in a fast one. However if you’re prepared to do dicey overtakes you’ll do them regardless of what car you’re in. If you are safety minded you will still be so in a slow car. You’ll just do fewer overtakes. A slow car might teach you patience, though…

The car, whether limited, fast or slow does not make danger or safety. ONLY the driver does that.

Well don’t bloody do it then. Just chill out and get there later. Totally missed the point!

There’s a world of difference between driving quickly and being in a rush (impatient).

If your limited car can’t pass things safely then DON’T PASS THINGS.

If your limited car can’t pass things safely then DON’T PASS THINGS.

😆

singletrackmind – Member
In answer to the actual post.. . .
Yes, its all getting abit silly.
Jaguar F type r 560bhp
Jaguar XF rs 540bhp
Audi RS7 550bhp
Audi RS6 550bhp
AMG c63 460 bhp
BMW M6 550 bhp
BMW M5 comp 590bhp

None of these are really normal run of the mill cars though. All very expensive supercars and pretty rare.

The average Focus/Astra/Octavia is what, 150bhp ?

For all those that think it’s okay to keep someone at 70 behind them

Rule 168

Being overtaken. If a driver is trying to overtake you, maintain a steady course and speed, slowing down if necessary to let the vehicle pass. Never obstruct drivers who wish to pass. Speeding up or driving unpredictably while someone is overtaking you is dangerous. Drop back to maintain a two-second gap if someone overtakes and pulls into the gap in front of you.

For all those that think it’s okay to keep someone at 70 behind them

If you are doing 70 overtaking a lorry over taking another lorry there is nothing in that to say you should jump out of the way

Falkirk-mark: That’s clearly saying don’t block people who’ve moved out to pass you on a single carriageway.

If you’re already in lane 2 at 70, passing a line of HGVs then

If a driver is trying to overtake you, maintain a steady course and speed

contradicts the point you’re trying to make.

Only use lanes 2 and 3 while overtaking. Hogging the outside lane to stop anyone faster from getting past is daft. But if there are two lanes, lane 1 has a long line of hgvs at 60 and you’re doing 70 in lane 2 then there’s no reason to pull into the typical between-HGV gap to let Ayrton Senna through. You’re overtaking, carry on overtaking until you’re not overtaking any more, then pull into lane 1.

super saloons.
All too heavy to be supercars
And thats not the point.
THE OP was trying to make a point of the bhp arms race but as per stw usual its turned into a cock waving driving trolls competition on both sides of the cherry on the cake

Ignoring all of the stuff about driving etc and gong back to the OP’s question, the bhp arms race is getting a bit daft. Some of it is about masking the weight of modern cars.

I spent a fair bit of time driving a relatives V10 RS6 which was nuts. The ease at which it hit very naughty speeds was staggering but once you did it a few times you couldn’t help wonder why? I love cars but it was just too much power, easily accessed.

Even stepping down from stuff like that, hot hatch power is getting pretty massive these days. But the same can be said for posh rep mobiles; we had a 330d X drive courtesy car for a week last year and for a very ordinary car it was bloody quick. Properly quick – as fast 0-60 as an E46 M3.

If you are doing 70 overtaking a lorry over taking another lorry there is nothing in that to say you should jump out of the way

That goes without saying the point being you should not intentionally hold someone to the speed limit let the cops do that

Only use lanes 2 and 3 while overtaking. Hogging the outside lane to stop anyone faster from getting past is daft. But if there are two lanes, lane 1 has a long line of hgvs at 60 and you’re doing 70 in lane 2 then there’s no reason to pull into the typical between-HGV gap to let Ayrton Senna through. You’re overtaking, carry on overtaking until you’re not overtaking any more, then pull into lane 1

Same as above use common sense

There is another word for people who see it as their Devine right to tell everyone else how they should behave.

Sub-editors?

The Flying Ox – Member

Assuming there was no reason not to drive at the posted limit (e.g. traffic, weather, etc.) would you fail a driving test for sticking to 35mph on a 50mph road?

Failing to maintain appropriate speed is a fault. That includes driving at slow speed without good reason, not attempting to reach the limit, slowing down without good reason and making slow progress through teh gears (ie, accelerating slowly) Those all come under the same category, so if you get 3 faults for any combination of them you fail. (unless things have changed since I last looked it up)

It’s more the drivers who can’t cope with the more powerful normal cars that’s the problem than cars getting more powerful. The ones who can’t stay at a constant speed behind someone else or are fast don the straight then crawl round the corners. Like my mum, hopeless in the old family bus with 160 bhp but perfectly fine in her i10 with 70.

I do find it amusing overtaking a run of lorries on dual carriageways when a car comes from miles back at warp 9 then slams on the anchors 6″ away from my rear bumper. I pull into the ‘slow’ lane as soon as is safe, they then stamp on the loud pedal to only get stuck behind the next car in front! I don’t do it on purpose, not worth the hassle, but if I’m doing a genuine 70mph (75 indicated) past a lorry doing 56 then you were definitely speeding!

As for the ‘Power’ race? I let myself have a little smile when someone in something with lots of power (hot hatch, M5 etc) can’t keep up with me on a twisty B-road in my 60ps (59 rampaging HP!!) Fabia, especially with the bike on the rack 😆

BHP is getting ridiculous, no question. Not against it, but it is mental

I have a motorbike that has 180bhp and does a ton in 1st gear. Doesn’t need to used at ten tenths. Half the power would be fine, but less fun

stavromuller – Member
You really are a piece of work davidtaylforth, no wonder you side with that “middle lane moron”, captainsasquatch. How much allowance do you give cyclists and horse riders? YOU DO NOT OWN THE ROAD

I try and give them 1.5 metres, but sometimes it’s just not possible.

Unfortunately car marketing is powerful stuff so how can you possibly consider yourself an alpha that has truly made it in life without 500 throbbing horsepower under your right foot or for the truly gifted be the owner of a vehicle that can climb Kilimanjaro if only it had the right tyres. Of course just owning such a vehicle automatically makes you competent to drive it to its limits as any fule kno.

Bless em..

I get your message bails but too many people take the p155 these days.

we had a 330d X drive courtesy car for a week last year and for a very ordinary car it was bloody quic

I know what you mean, but isn’t that a £40k car ? ….not very ordinary surely.. ?

Why should someone who bothers to obey the law get out of the way so someone can break it?

Why shouldn’t he get out of the way? He’s not the police, so stop policing the roads. Probably drives round with a hi-viz jacket on the parcel shelf…

Has this descended in to the usual? My two penneth, I still (yes still) pine for my 270 brake now 11 year old impreza, that could overtake most things in a heartbeat. I swapped it for a 180 brake mazda smoker, still a quick ish estate but I don’t overtake stuff as I used to? So what does that tell us, it’s not as safe, I’m more cautious, I’m getting older? Who knows?

This feels a bit like the gun argument.

I used to deliver really fast cars, then I’d get in my regular old Citroen and drive home. No need to drive like a cheesemonger, no matter what you’re in.