Los Angeles streets.

Ashley Bowler · Ashley Bowler's Garage

Driving the freeways & Streets of L.A. I'm often confronted with guys that want to see how fast I am.

In no way am I endorsing street racing, but will most of these new Nissan 300Z's, Hondas, Acura's, etc. completely clean my clock if I rise to the challenge in my 18 Y.O. Carrera?

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

Light to light...yupz.

tonypeoni · 05-01-2006, 06:51 PM

Dont know about LA. But in the midwest most of those car are kinda posers they look fast make all kinda noise dont go anywhere It takes big bucks to make those cars fast .

Dan in Pasadena · Dan in Pasadena's Garage

Your car is plenty fast but perhaps not in the way you could (or SHOULD!) show on an L.A. street. Put a few "twisties" in the way of an acceleration test (say, the Pasadena Fwy - not that I would know of course) and those Accords will drop back hard. Straight line? Well, your car was never meant to be fast in that way. Look at it this way, they see their Accords and Camrys as "sports cars" and they just are NOT, period. They are econo sedans/coupes. Good cars, but also lowest-common-denominator cars. Our cars were NEVER that. As for the 300Z's...you'll have your hands full with one that is well driven.

craigster59 · craigster59's Garage

My Audi A3 can smoke myself in my 83 911 ( if I could be 2 places @ 1 time) but there is no comparison to how much enjoyment I get from the 911. Sound of the engine, feel of the road, overall experience. Quality, not quantity. Besides, they're 23 years younger than My car, I'm not running the 440 like I used to......

rnln · 05-02-2006, 12:49 AM

I don't think to can be faster than any of those new 350Z nor G35. I know my 911 can not be faster, nor even equal to them but it is fast enough on the street and I like the way my engine sound and the feel of driving it, which none of those can give me.

charleskieffner · 05-02-2006, 04:06 AM

what pisses them off the most..............IS WHEN YOU WONT RACE THEM ! or better yet play with them until you know of a photo radar zone and let them get a very nice notice and wedding portrait from the city! actually did this to this clown coming back from a track day. we were falling out of our seats laughing! he was hell bent on racing us...........what a chump! it pays to know where photo radar is! ask me sometime about the photo radar in the FAKE SAHUARO CACTUS!

masraum · 06:49 AM

Some cars these days are pretty quick, but a 3.2L Carrera is no slouch either. There's a reason that most of the magazines put the 0-60 of the 3.2L cars in the 5 sec range. Most of the cars that people bring up these days are cars that are in the 6-7 second ranch for 0-60. Couple that with most of these numbnuts not being able to drive, and I think you find that a 3.2L car will hold its own unless the other car is modded or something like a mustang, camaro, wrx, E46 M3 etc...

The 3.2L Carrera will beat a lot of cars in a straight line if you are so inclined. You won't take an Acura NSX, but you should run pretty darn even with any of the other Acuras, the TL is about equal with a 3.2L car, but a stock RSX will definitely be slow if it's stock. The only Honda that should be competition for a 3.2L car should be an S2000 assuming the honda is stock. Accord or Civic, no, not gonna happen. Infiniti G35, you'll probably run pretty even with some and be faster than others. Lexus, there are probably a couple that'll run close, but not the IS300, those things aren't quick. Nissan, nothing to worry about there. The 350Z will generally be close competition. Toyota, the only thing that you have to worry about is the Supra Turbo.

Anything that has a turbo has potentially been modded and will smoke you because they have 50-100 more hp than they had when new. But for stock cars, there are several that will run 0-60 or 1/4mile in about the same time as a 3.2L. Most of those probably depend more on the drivers than the cars.

It's the modified cars that you have to watch out for.

Want to peruse 0-60 and 1/4mile times?
http://www.albeedigital.com/supercoupe/articles/0-60times.html
http://www.pelicanparts.com/911/technical_specs/911_guthrie_faq.htm#Q7

dhoward · dhoward's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by craigster59
My Audi A3 can smoke myself in my 83 911 ...Snipped....

Heh heh, heh heh, he said smoke himself, heh heh, ....

Big Ed · 05-02-2006, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by dhoward
Heh heh, heh heh, he said smoke himself, heh heh, ....

Can't imagine why he'd ever leave the house.

911pcars · 05-02-2006, 09:46 AM

Grow up and find a stretch that includes a decreasing radius curve.

Dan recognizes the Pasadena Fwy. (oldest one in LA) is ideal for these maneuvers.

Sherwood

Ashley Bowler · Ashley Bowler's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by 911pcars
Grow up and find a stretch that includes a decreasing radius curve.

Dan recognizes the Pasadena Fwy. (oldest one in LA) is ideal for these maneuvers.

Sherwood

Huh??

masraum · 05-02-2006, 09:58 AM

I think he's trying to say that drag racing is for kids and corners are for adults. I love corners, but there's nothing wrong with a drag race either.

I have no idea who "Dan" is or why I'm concerned about him recognizing the oldest freeway in L.A. It sounds like a fun road though.

Dan in Pasadena · Dan in Pasadena's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by 911pcars
Grow up and find a stretch that includes a decreasing radius curve.

Dan recognizes the Pasadena Fwy. (oldest one in LA) is ideal for these maneuvers.

Sherwood

Just to clarify, I AM very familiar withthe Pasadena Fwy and it is VERY hazardous in general, its an OLD design. But its not like I know it so well that I EVER smoked some jackass trying to drive a Civic up my butt or anything! Its not like I did it in my old 944 and left him....uh....er....needing to change his under garments

when he realized he couldn't take that curve matching my speed or he'd end up IN the Arroyo.

So he had to use Fred Flinstone brakes.

And of course, I have not since done it in my old '76 911 with my tail wagging just a bit while I passed the 300Z owner that gave me a down-his-nose smirk when he had passed me just moments before on a straight

Its not like it would make him nod and give me my due afterward or anything. As an older guy with nothing to prove anymore I know better than to do these things......well, okay, I'm tempted just occasionally.

Dan in Pasadena · Dan in Pasadena's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by 911pcars
Grow up and find a stretch that includes a decreasing radius curve.

Dan recognizes the Pasadena Fwy. (oldest one in LA) is ideal for these maneuvers.

Sherwood

Just to clarify, I AM very familiar withthe Pasadena Fwy and it is VERY hazardous in general, its an OLD design. But its not like I know it so well that I EVER smoked some jackass trying to drive a Civic up my butt or anything! Its not like I did it in my old 944 and left him....uh....er....needing to change his under garments

when he realized he couldn't take that curve matching my speed or he'd end up IN the Arroyo.

And of course, I have not since done it in my old '76 911 with my tail wagging "juuust a bit outside" while I passed the 350Z owner that gave me a down-his-nose smirk when he had passed me just moments before on a straight

Its not like it would make him nod and give me my due afterward or anything. As an older guy with nothing to prove anymore I know better than to do these things......well, okay, I'm tempted just occasionally.

Dan in Pasadena · Dan in Pasadena's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by masraum
...I have no idea who "Dan" is or why I'm concerned about him recognizing the oldest freeway in L.A. It sounds like a fun road though.

Dan? He's nobody, screw 'im.

Actually the Pasadena Fwy aka the Arroyo Seco Parkway, is NOT for your typical idiot kid. If you take a chance there and don't know what you're doing...and even if you do....its treacherous for both yourself and the 10,000 cars that are going to run over whats left of you since these are NO shoulders, K rail down the middle and a deep Arroyo along one side of it. All my kidding aside, the old Jan & Dean song "Deadman's Curve" should have been titled, "Arroyo Seco Curve".

911pcars · 05-02-2006, 10:22 AM

Dan,
I too may have felt sorry for the time a sport compact was on my bumper in the rain as I gradually increased my speed around a curvy. That time, I watched in the rear view mirror of my Grand Caravan as he lost it and smacked the guard rail. Another time, I was on the bumper of a similar slow-moving sport compact (my bad), again with said Caravan, only to be trumped by the CHP officer right behind me.

With only 15-20 foot long onramps from a dead stop and equivalent offramps, this freeway actually invites acceleration and braking tests, but you gotta be careful of the other guys.

Sherwood

Dan in Pasadena · Dan in Pasadena's Garage

Sherwood, You're right. I do not promote anyone doing the things that I occasionally (really) have done. Its foolish and someone can get badly hurt...or worse.

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

15 mph on/off ramps....gotta love the Pasadena FWY.

Sonic dB · Sonic dB's Garage

They should do an LA Grand Prix and hold it on the Pasadena Frwy.

Most of the metrosexuals in the ricers get blown away by my 993...but I have not tried it yet in my Carrera... however I suspect you will hold your own there.