"Atlantian" (Atlantian)
05/19/2014 at 15:05 • Filed to: None
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"Atlantian" (Atlantian)
05/19/2014 at 15:05 • Filed to: None | 1
| 17 |
In light of Jack Brabham's passing, as the oldest surviving Gran Prix world champion. Gone are the days when auto-racing was so dangerous that cigarettes were the least of our worries.
People think that car enthusiasts are weird when we want a "fun daily" and yet there is no way to get "fun" from your daily commute. Breaking traction or chirping your tire gets you a ticket, so does going 6-10 miles an hour over the limit.
The only consolation is nailing those downshifts entering a cloverleaf exit from 65 mph with a conventional three-pedal transmission. But that will soon be taken away from us, as automated-clutch manuals take over and less car manufactures offer manual transmissions.
Jay Yarow of Business Insider acts as if self-driving cars are the first step towards turning our daily commute into a national bore-fest, when the problem is the car culture itself (How dare you take away my teeth-gnashing hour-a-day crawl to work, Google!)
The fact is, my Passat that's edging two tons and with only 140 horsepowers to spare between the two 215 width front tires is already too fast for the road —ask me to elaborate on this if you want— and too dull to tell me that I'm being a little too fast for the trooper's taste.
I give up. I like actual speed —not going slightly faster than other road-users on a road with a severely underrated speed limit— That is the reason why I was a "car enthusiast" in the first place. I for one, welcome our electronic overlords to take over that chore of commuting we so much adore.
I'll be the Asian guy sitting next to you in traffic on the Eastshore Freeway playing Gran Turismo or Grand Theft Auto on the windshield in the near future. We'll still exchange that secret-handshake-like wave or nod when we pass each other on the roads.
CalzoneGolem
> Atlantian
05/19/2014 at 15:09 |
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I love commuting. It is the most Zen part of my day. I will be driving myself to work thanks.
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Atlantian
> CalzoneGolem
05/19/2014 at 15:11 |
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But is it as fun as driving that same commute (that you replicated with GPS data from your smartphone) flat out on Gran Turismo 6 while your car is driving itself to the employee parking lot?
CRider
> Atlantian
05/19/2014 at 15:14 |
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I wasn't aware I was only allowed to drive to work and back. See, there are roads out there not clogged with cops and slow as fuck assholes on the phone cutting you off while eating a breakfast burrito and putting on makeup.
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CalzoneGolem
> Atlantian
05/19/2014 at 15:15 |
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I would rather drive to work than drive on Gran Turismo 6.
MPA
> Atlantian
05/19/2014 at 15:21 |
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My commute is always at 10+mph over the limit. If you're doing 60, you'll get run over. And each day I get to take this cloverleaf - some days I'm stuck behind some idiot, other days I have free reign to try and reel in the car in front of me.
Today I reeled in the car in front of me, and had to come to a complete stop because the idiot in the front of the group didn't know how to Yield and deal with the cars getting on to the entrance ramp at the end of the little exit lane. So I let the other cars go out onto the road, dropped it into 1st, turned off the traction control, lowered my window, and gave the guy in the FedEx truck a show as I laid into the gas, spinning the rear tires, and banging it into 2nd gear as I listened to the sound of the V8 exhaust and tires squealing as I went under the overpass.
I do not welcome our overlords of self-driving. There will always be old cars with real transmissions and 3 pedals, and those will be the ones I drive until I can't drive again.
The only time I would want a self-driving car would be for a long drive, like STL to NY, or if I felt like going out an getting completely shit faced one night.
TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
> Atlantian
05/19/2014 at 15:22 |
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I'll be the guy next to you in the 80 year old car paying massive amounts of money keeping it on the road with parts made from my 3D printer/ CNC machine.
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Atlantian
> CRider
05/19/2014 at 15:22 |
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There are back-roads, but a lot of my tickets (from riding motorcycles and driving a bit fast in automobiles) in my youth have been issued by cops hiding around bends in the back-road.
It's really better to heed advice from racing drivers and sanctioning bodies alike- keep it to the track.
Even when people aren't putting on makeup or on their phones, I see drivers in Oregon merging without signaling and tailgating me in the rain up. I would much rather draw the blinds down over the windows and fall asleep on a long drive or playing video games. Wouldn't that be nice?
Forgetful
> Atlantian
05/19/2014 at 15:25 |
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There's a lot more to car culture than just a need for speed. Some people are in to cars for the technical and mechanical aspect, or the aesthetics or even just plain cruising, but if speed is what you're after there are plenty of ways to get your fix. Drag racing, autocross, track days, it's all there for you. I often go driving up mountain roads on the weekend, just for fun
If anything, the closer the automobile moves to efficiency and autonomy, the better of we as enthusiasts will be. If we can get most daily transportation to use something other than fossil fuels then the internal combustion engine will be liberated from daily work duty and we won't be at the mercy of emissions controls and mileage standards.
Reigntastic
> Atlantian
05/19/2014 at 15:54 |
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I would argue that racing is only a fraction of car culture; the plethora of cultures that subdivide enthusiasts more than proves this. Of course there are the track rats, like myself, but you have the people that want to go fast in a straight line, race on unusual surfaces like dirt/snow, off-roaders, low-riders, stancenation, motorcyclists, cruisers, or even just people who enjoy antiques, to name a few. Not everyone enjoys driving for the fastest lap, some people just want to cruise. Some people like to do both!
Driving at the limit is great, but it's really much more than that to me. I may enjoy making calculated risks while driving my car, but even just feeling the smooth as butter transmission as I change gears during my normal commute can put a smile on my face. If driving the shit out of whatever you're currently piloting is the only thing you enjoy from your car, why did you pick it? A go-kart can do that, why bother with the extra ton of metal and luxury? I tailor my daily commute to take the most interesting roads I can on the way to work, and they are typically all but empty. I'll have to make a go-pro video, really. I enjoy my commute.
I say all of that, but I think automated commuting is a great thing. Let the people who don't want to stress over piloting a two ton death machine sleep through the commute, observing all traffic laws, and let the drivers who want something more from their commute continue on their way, without increasing restrictions or discrimination. I really want to believe it will be that way, but I would be amazed to still see human operated commuter vehicles in use in another 100 years, if they aren't banned altogether. It really is the beginning of the end.
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Atlantian
> Forgetful
05/19/2014 at 15:56 |
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There we go, it's insanity to beat a dead horse over making your only car an economical, fast, yet fun machine that you toe the line of the law with.
It's a fine line between enjoying your car and being "that guy" we hate for giving us a bad name.
I am simply embracing the fact that I could be willingly pay for an economical and automated commuter, while I just go to the track and enjoy some rotax karts that go faster than the speed limit, on the limit of traction (or get video games and a g-force simulator rig if I am going to be cheaping out on enjoying track days).
Nothing
> CRider
05/19/2014 at 15:57 |
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Agreed. Similar to my former sport bike jaunts on early Saturday mornings, those are the real gem of a drive. I'm looking forward to many of them this summer in the Miata and the ST. I also excited for some first ever track days in the Miata.
My work commute? I take the bus. Not only is it less expensive to do so for me, but inching in traffic with thousands of inattentive people is not my idea of good/fun driving time.
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Atlantian
> MPA
05/19/2014 at 16:02 |
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So you're saying your way of being an enthusiast is to treat road-laws as a mere suggestion? I love driving, don't get me wrong. I just have nowhere to do *actual* driving outside of a race track.
I have been driving my Passat for over 20,000 miles in the past year that I got the car, but even with at least 5 excessive speeding (over 100 mph) tickets and road trips, I still do not consider myself to have done any actual driving outside of test driving a kart and SAE car around a cone-field.
Before my girlfriend moved up to Oregon with me, I have been doing regular trips between Southern Oregon and Northern California. I got a diesel because I knew I was out in the middle of nowhere with my only transportation option being a Greyhound bus. So you should be able to understand my desire for self-driving cars, somewhat.
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CRider
> Nothing
05/19/2014 at 16:05 |
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Taking the bus to work and saving the car for weekends and track days is the way to go, if you can do it. Of course, that means you run on the bus's schedule, it can add a lot of time to your commute and you have to sit next to other people that take the bus... but it sure is good for the immune system!
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MPA
> Atlantian
05/19/2014 at 16:11 |
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Sometimes they're suggestions, as long as no cops are around ;)
But here in the Midwest, we also have some great roads, and I'd rather drive those roads at 5mph over the limit than anything else.
My favorite route site lists some rous in Oregon, hopefully some are near you - I'm sure that even though your Passat is a diesel, it's gotta be a little fun to hit the curves in it
http://www.sundaymorningrides.com/road/states/OR…
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Atlantian
> Nothing
05/19/2014 at 16:16 |
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Taking the bus is similar to what I was proposing with allowing a computer to take the controls away on a commute.
Except, if taking the bus can be comparable to flying on commercial airliners, riding with an electronic chauffour would be analogous to flying private.
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Nothing
> CRider
05/19/2014 at 16:24 |
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I'm lucky, schedule-wise. I ride an express bus. The park'n'ride lot is a scant 2 miles from my house. The bus is a one stop ride, so the end of the route drops off in easy walking distance to my office. Buses for my route leave about every 5 minutes in the morning, and about the same in the late afternoon/evening. If it added too much time, I wouldn't do it.
Spoon II
> TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
05/20/2014 at 01:10 |
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