Why driving isn't fun anymore

[pwd72s]

Guys, the original point I tried to make is that there was a time I enjoyed driving ALL roads when they were less crowded. Today? Well, if I choose the time and drive some...yes, I can find a fun road. But getting to that road is usually a PITA...

[cockerpunk]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

Again, you are on the wrong roads. In Arkansas there are beautiful roads we low to no traffic and moderate safe speeds are a blast to drive. No it is not race track speed, that would be stupid. In my air cooled 911 the fun as safety is a prefect mix. I was not even trying to go really fast. I treat the lines on the road as concrete barriers. That makes the curves curvier because the last thing I want is to straighten the curves just to go faster. It ain’t a race, it is a safe, fun and beautiful drive.

"moderate safe speeds"

lol

yeah, thats where we are going to disagree. cars become interesting at the limit of grip, if you arnt there, you arnt driving. you are commuting.

ive been all over the country, through both coasts mountain ranges on road trips to drive ... and after fully reviewing, i can say without compromise, 5 minutes on any race track in america is time better spent than hours driving "curvy" roads.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

I had a great drive through West Virginia yesterday to attend a funeral. Although the funeral was no fun, I got to take the SC on about 150 miles of twisty mountain sweetness through some desolate areas.

I had a great time. Great scenery. Windows/sunroof open heat cranked. Driving a spirited/ but mostly nowhere near the limit on the re-11's.

The whole time I was glad I was in the SC, and so happy I wasn't driving a newer 991/corvette or something. In the SC it was easier to get the car occasionally near the limits at slower speeds that weren't endangering myself and everything around me.

I was even contemplating having a car with even lower limits, like a stock 914 or earlier swb 911 with narrower tires/rims. Not some supercar owner browning his shorts in the nurenburg (sp?) when they realize that they need to suddenly stop from 150 mph on a dime. Something, like a vw bug, where I could get out and run next to it faster than it's top speed.

Yeah. I had fun. Not as much fun as a driving event, but definitely fun, and yeah, these roads were hours away from populated cities. Not easy to get to.

[DanielDudley]

Originally Posted by cockerpunk

"moderate safe speeds"

lol

yeah, thats where we are going to disagree. cars become interesting at the limit of grip, if you arnt there, you arnt driving. you are commuting.

ive been all over the country, through both coasts mountain ranges on road trips to drive ... and after fully reviewing, i can say without compromise, 5 minutes on any race track in america is time better spent than hours driving "curvy" roads.

It is a different kind of speed when you drive your line of sight. I still enjoy stringing up a series of curves and getting a rhythm going. I have had cars that are only fun to drive at the limit, and cars that are pretty much always fun to drive. I prefer the latter. I don't really like it when I am going a ridiculous rate of speed in a car that seems to be bored. No soul there.

There are a lot of cars that are engaging at 8/10 and are also superb at the limit.

[cockerpunk]

Originally Posted by DanielDudley

It is a different kind of speed when you drive your line of sight. I still enjoy stringing up a series of curves and getting a rhythm going. I have had cars that are only fun to drive at the limit, and cars that are pretty much always fun to drive. I prefer the latter. I don't really like it when I am going a ridiculous rate of speed in a car that seems to be bored. No soul there.

There are a lot of cars that are engaging at 8/10 and are also superb at the limit.

and really none that are fun to drive on the street because its stupid to do so.

[sugarwood]

Great lines in this thread.
I will add something I posted a few weeks ago:

The faster a car is, the less of it you can use on public roadway.
The less of a car you use, the less engaging the driving experience.
(eg: 2nd gear at 90mph)
Odds are, your classic is as fast as you need a car to be.

And then 1.4 seconds later, you get stuck behind an SUV, garbage truck, horse trailer, etc. Instead of 5 seconds later.

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by cockerpunk

• driving on the street is boring even on "interesting" roads.
• too dangerous to really push the car, there is no such thing as actually driving fast on the street,
• cars become interesting at the limit of grip, if you arnt there, you arnt driving. you are commuting.
• 5 minutes on any race track in america is time better spent than hours driving "curvy" roads

This is why slow cars are more fun, and the modding culture is silly.

[Reiver]

Love where I live...plenty of open road....I can drive from my home to Prescott with 2 stop signs in an hour drive and hit 80's with hardly any traffic.....even going to Phx on 60 is low traffic hardly a stop...I'll drive 45 miles for a cuppa and truly enjoy it....

p.s....don't move here

[RKDinOKC]

What I loved about my 914 is that it felt and sounded like you driving at the limit, look down and you are going the speed limit.

[DanielDudley]

Originally Posted by cockerpunk

and really none that are fun to drive on the street because its stupid to do so.

Think about the term driving your line of sight. It means you don't outdrive your field of vision.

I was a track junkie, but I like going places in fun cars, as fast as I feel is socially responsible. That is a different kind of fun, but I still enjoy it.
If you don't, great for you.

I'm looking for the sunshine in life, even if I can't spend every day at the beach.

If you want to argue about that, at a certain point I'm just going to shake my head.
If you want to talk about what you love without making me wrong, I'm all for that.
There is a lot of fun to be had in life. I'd prefer to dwell on that as much as possible.

One of the things I like about this forum would be all the pictures People post of their beautiful cars in interesting places.
It would be sad to think of them all sitting at home moaning about how pointless it all is.

[black73]

Why driving isn't fun anymore? It's been replaced by btching on the internets.

[tevake]

I do feel for you that are in or near any of our larger cities. There and on most interstate highways is where a lot of the less fun driving happens. The density of population doesn't bring out the best in people. I start to notice it clearly from about 60/70 miles out of any major city.
Plus the interstate system connecting mostly larger cities are also populated with mostly city drivers with their aggressive self centered approach to driving.

Part of my deal is that my motorhome is not happy dicing it out with the big trucks at higher speeds of the interstates. But its limits have helped me realize that good options are out there. And offer an entirely different driving/ traveling experence.

I've been doing a bit of touring around the country over the last few years and have developed a strong avoidance of the busy interstates and big cities too.
Just drove from Az to Fla mostly state highways. It was an enjoyable relaxing trip.
Done at my pace in mostly comfortable conditions on the roads. And thru more interesting countryside along the way.

Occasionally it is unavoidable to be on an interstate, whew what a quick reminder of why its worth taking a little more time to cruise the back roads.

Yep it's not as quick as grinding up the miles on the interstates, but what a different experience.

Cheers Richard

Ps. I was very pleasantly surprised by the nice interesting country in southern Ok and in central and south Ark.on this trip.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Originally Posted by black73

Why driving isn't fun anymore? It's been replaced by btching on the internets.

About American politics.

By Canadians.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by DanielDudley

It is a different kind of speed when you drive your line of sight. I still enjoy stringing up a series of curves and getting a rhythm going. I have had cars that are only fun to drive at the limit, and cars that are pretty much always fun to drive. I prefer the latter. I don't really like it when I am going a ridiculous rate of speed in a car that seems to be bored. No soul there.

There are a lot of cars that are engaging at 8/10 and are also superb at the limit.

Originally Posted by sugarwood

This is why slow cars are more fun, and the modding culture is silly.

Yep. You two are intelligent enough to see the difference. Driving on the streets on a fun curvy road simply is NOT all about maximum speed. Not even close, not in any way. The race track in a race prepped car can be a blast, but crazy expensive, and there is ALWAYS someone there with more money and a faster car. If that is your bag, great. I love taking my street car in full street trim on the track.




From Laguna Secca to Roebling road. I tell the other guys in my run group I want to start in the back and I will let them pass in their gutted track whore cars. I will be driving my car home just as is in air conditioned comfort.

The back roads are relaxing, not intense. Driving for a hour and not seeing any other cars is as much fun as Laguna Secca, and it is totally free. I don't need my helmet and I can stop and take pictures of scenery.

It is indeed totally different than a track day. It is NOT a substitute for a track day in any way.

And on my last weekend of country driving there was a real 918 Weissach edition driving on the streets. It had dead bugs on it and real road dirt and was being driven on the roads.

[RKDinOKC]

My BIL was a cartographer for the USGS. Anytime they took a trip they ALWAY avoided interstates. It also alway took them 3 or 4 times longer to get anywhere. We were driving the back roads in a group once. He was leading. At one point he pulled over, got out of his truck, and threw the map down. We thought it was hilarious.

[sammyg2]

[Tervuren]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Guys, the original point I tried to make is that there was a time I enjoyed driving ALL roads when they were less crowded. Today? Well, if I choose the time and drive some...yes, I can find a fun road. But getting to that road is usually a PITA...

Then a move is in order if you want all the time.

[Reiver]

You live in the wrong place......move...or modify your fun driving....lots of wide open still in this country.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by Reiver

You live in the wrong place......move...or modify your fun driving....lots of wide open still in this country.

Well, a double wide hidden behind a Nevada desert hill does sound attractive from time to time. Not only for the wide open road.

[Borders Reivers]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

The late Ken Miles driving 5R002. Jerry Titus got some time in the car too. (Ken died the next year at Riverside testing the prototype Ford Mk IV Series-J Le Mans car)

I was there at Green Valley in 1965 crewing for Delmo Johnson's Grand Sport Corvette (lost the nose that day). Worked for Delmo's older brother Tom Johnson at Performance Incorporated on Mockingbird Lane in Dallas. Also helped Ed Sevadjian (he crashed too) and James "Jim" Hall with their Grand Sports. Cyd Czekaj sent Franz Weis and me.