I read a great story on the TT forum on audiworld where an angry guy in an SUV was tailgating a quattro TT. Just to piss the guy off, the driver of the TT slowed down. This little parade eventually ended up on a wet freeway entrance (tight cloverleaf). See where this is going? The guy in the TT really pushed it through the turn and the guy in the SUV ended up losing control and running off the road. Oops!

Tailgating doesn't really bother me too much. I don't want someone to hit me and especially when in my 993. But if they do hit me from behind, I think the law says it's always their fault no matter what I was doing. Let them get pissed off. It's pretty rare anyway that someone wants me to go any faster than I already am though.

If im a few car lenghts behind a slow car waiting for an opprotunity to pass and some A$$ hole is riding my tail I get furious.:mad: Usually give them a real good brake check, not enough to risk my cars safety but enough to make them $h!t their pants.

Lately I have been thinking of installing the spark plug in the exhaust pipe and running alcohol from a seperate tank distributed by a cold start valve. I've seen this done and you can shoot some very intense flames about 8 ft. So next time that tail gater comes too closek, you melt the front of his/HER ride, downshift, then get the hell outa dodge while wreaping the satisfaction of your good deed.:D

911cts:

I think you had the best idea....
A big flame would really work.
Or perhaps you could just shoot a bunch of 10w30 up on their windshield by accident?

Seriously I agree that road rage is a problem, so are idiots on the road, and I'd just as soon be 100 miles away from them.

:mad:

This might not be a problem for those of you in the more populated centres but where I'm from, when people see a 911 or my 930 they not only tailgate me, they slow down in front, box me in on the sides, and basically make me a prisoner in my chosen lane.. i guess its prolly cause its the coolest car they'll see all year but.. it makes me VERY nervous

road rage is a hobby in the bay area. my best friend has kevlar motorcycle gloves, any poor soul pisses him off, especially if he interprets that his life was indangered, get a smashed drivers side mirror. i have gotten to the point that i dont ride with him anymore. makes me look bad. i almost got killed by a raging driver when i was giving my girlfriend a ride once. lesson learned, i try not to get to involved anymore with aholes on the road.

Tailgaters are rampant in Denver area, usually it is the SUV skinners (as in Mule Skinners) and one vehicle brand seems to attract the worst of drivers, the Dodge Durangos and rest of the big grill Dodge trucks. For some apparent cheap thrill, these nimrods like to fill the 911 rear window with their "presence."
I find that by giving way to the right as soon as possible is the best approach, but it is these jerks who are usually passing on the right anyway! When I am boxed in on the freeways (an oxymoron in Denver), a sport muffler at 6K works wonders. The 911 gylcerin water fogger idea is a great idea, check the archives.

This is one of my pet peeves especially in the p-car. If I get a tailgater behind me and we're on a two lane I pull over. On multilane, I just slow down. Eventually Mr. Hothead will find a way around me. It's just not worth it to deal with these jerks.

i do like the flamethrower idea!

my nine eleven has a natural oil spray feature, get to close and PHOOSH! i make your car's front end waterproof. i gotta get a new sump plate gasket. hahah.

That is funny that this thread came up today, because I just had a little bit of road rage this morning with a tailgater on my way to work. I was doing over 85 mph on the left lane, passing cars, and and following another car, not too close. There were cars everywhere, imagine a heavy morning commute. And this moron in a gold honda Accord was literally on my ass, pushing to 90. I could not pull on the right because the lanes were full, and I did not feel like doing 90. So, I gave a few gentle brake flashes. One series. Nothing, Second warning, still nothing. The moron is stil 10 feet behind me. Sooo, I started braking slowly down to 50 mph, with this idiot now
3 ft behind me, put into third gear, and took off. His car became a little dot in my rearview mirror, and maybe he will not tailgate green 911 SCs anymore...
What the deal with gold cars ? They seem to be the most obnoxious drivers.

Aurel

When someone is tailgating me I generally hit the brakes just enough to trip the lights. If there's open road in front of me and I have room I'll pull over, but if the person is just going to end up right in front of me I usually try to get them to back off some. To do that I slow down about 5 mph and then get back up to speed, if that doesn't work I'll then jab the brakes just a tad. Yeah, most SUV's will tailgate, but if they don't get the point the first two times that third one usually does the trick because most people really, REALLY don't want to rearend a Porsche.

That logic works until you've been rear-ended (really rear-ended). Then you realize that insurance and crash damage are a very minor issue. Severe neck and back pain, or a potentially debilitating injury are the real issues at hand.

Unfixed is right, road rage is a popular hobby in the Bay Area, it is closely related to other popular driving hobbies: weaving, tailgating, cutting people off, passing on the shoulder (yes on the freeway), and generally being a$$h0les.

One more semi-random observation. I took the driving course to get a point off my record a few years ago and learned that following closer than 4 seconds behind is leagally tailgaiting!! Some time soon at freeway speeds, follow someone and count off seconds and see how far back 4 seconds is (~350feet!!!), but in the bay area I wouldn't call it tailgating until the driver behind me complains about my radio station.

"but in the bay area I wouldn't call it tailgating until the driver behind me complains about my radio station." In Southern Cali - you could be a mile away and still hear someone's radio station -ricers with tunes -

two nights ago, i almost got it from behind. in my state truck, but i would have probably not been here anymore. in the caldocott tunnel (two lanes) 3am, i see flashing cop lights. i merge to the right lane, i puckered because i noticed a fast moving car was switching right at the same time. i gassed it, moved back left to save my sorry arse, and the moron didnt anticipate that, and moved left too. screeching tires from his hard braking, i floored it and moved right AGAIN. the dude in a two door honda accord pulls up to me, beeps twice, ( i think to thank me) and roars off, then 30 cop cars blast past me. IT WAS A HIGH SPEED COPS AND ROBBERS CHASE! all oakland PD out of their city jurisdiction. any bay area guys read about this in the news? i wondered what was up? if we werent going so fast i would have stopped in the tunnel, hell, not my truck.

My opinion is never diced it out with a bozo in a $1000 POS with nothing to lose. If he is in front of me, I'm sure not going to tailgate and risk him standing on the brakes to prove a point. As far as people behind me? I agree with Aurel: slow it down gradually and then punch it. They'll be sufficiently embarrassed and usually will leave you alone.

Toss some pennies out the window, it's more effective, but I'm not speaking from experience!:D

Get a real beater and wait for the tailgaters. Then slam on the brakes and the a-hole gets to buy you a new beater. Repeat.

Good topic!

I have never, and I mean never, had so many problems with tailgaters until I bought my 911. Some drivers seem to feel the need to react to a 911, usually by tailgating.

My driving style has not changed since I bought my 911 either.

Interestingly, the main culprits are usually SUVs, minivans and Hondas. Mustangs and other faster cars usually leave you alone.


-MAS

I've heard that in terrorist avoidance schools they teach the car being chased to move onto shoulder where you see small bits of gravel. The action of your tires will throw up the gravel into the windshield of the car chasing you... or even into the windshield of the tailgater who you have so politiely signaled to BACK OFFFFFF!

In fact, though, I agree that the best/safest thing to do is to pull over and let the clown proceed on into the sunset. Rest assured, he'll get his somehwere down the road.

When in college I had a beater Dodge where you could lock up the rears in a second and they would let out a blood curling screach. It worked really well when people would cut me off in heavy traffic. It was a real pleasure watching their eyes just about pop out of their sockets in their rear view mirrors.

About Porsches and tailgators, I will gently tap the brakes just to let them know they are in my space. If that doesn't work and am on a 2 lane or 4 lane road, I will move over and let them rear end someone else. Sure it may encourage them to do it to some one else, but at least I don't get bent out of shape and more importantly, my sheet metal doesn't get bent.