What to do with street racers...

[Dangerous Doug]

I had the power/weight ratio advantage, so I wasn't worried about losing.

I did enjoy watching his ego go flacid when I ask him if he was joking...

I tell ya, after watching "Gran Torino" I almost laugh out loud when I see a white kid dressed up like an urban black kid. The guy in the WRX was one of those...

DD

[trularin]

I seem to get a lot of idiots. I am not sure if a sign pops up in back that says, "go ahead and try". Everything from teens with the school project to guys in 7 second cameros. Everyone want to, "try the Cobra". It is almost impossible to go on Woodward on a Friday or Saturday night.

But, then again, I smoked em at 30 mph next to some guy who wouldn't stop bothering me. I was more scared I would slide into him than anything else.

I got too much into my car to get hit and I hate fixing things that break.

[JBCOBRA]

Sometimes I just reach over the passenger side foot-well and pull out a helmet and put it on.............then look back over at the other guy and ask him "do you really want to do it??" The expression on their face is usually priceless LOL

[jhv48]

When confronted by a guy that wants to race at a light, I just look over and say "Sure, but you gotta give me a head start."

Then we both bust up laughing and slowly motor away. Face saved!

You don't have to be an A-hole to anyone. Never know when that guy is packing heat!

You know you can easily beat 99% of the guys that challenge you.

But if they persist, DUST EM!

[Dangerous Doug]

I think next time I'll reply, "Go ahead and take off. I'll catch up to you."

DD

[smith]

Not from my own experience as a driver but i've been a passenger in a car that's had a few encounters.

The first one, a simple "toss them some pipes" solved the problem, the second one was where my friend was being a bit cocky and tossing some revs at an snotty sounding nova. Well, he got the bobcowan (see page 1) line lock response and proceeded to duck his head in shame and take off normally.

The THIRD was the best. It was a light before a school zone (during school hours no less), some young guy in his fart-piped, super large tach honda civic reving and trying to get a race. Well, my buddy of course looks over and tosses a teeny little rev back at him and when the light turns green we just sit there and let him "destroy us" completely as he boots it into the school zone.

Of course, he was in the right lane, we were in the left lane so *WE* could see the cop sitting behind the school sign with his radar gun out, little civic boy had no clue. But I can tell you one thing, he wasn't very happy looking when we caught up to him and cruised by at the speed limit and gave him a little wave as the cop was walking over to his car. I'd imagine he's not driving anymore since he was REALLY booting it when he reached the cop.

[Thieleng]

I had a guy pull up next to me on the main street where I live. He was hollering out the window and generally being an ass. I blipped the throttle all the time noticing that a local sheriff was pulling up to the light on the side street, he launched and got about 20 yards before the sherrif was on his tail, I pulled off slowly allowing for the sheriff to pull this idiot over. The sheriff waves as I drive by slowly. Talk about justice...

[Three Peaks]

Originally Posted by Thieleng

I had a guy pull up next to me on the main street where I live. He was hollering out the window and generally being an ass. I blipped the throttle all the time noticing that a local sheriff was pulling up to the light on the side street, he launched and got about 20 yards before the sherrif was on his tail, I pulled off slowly allowing for the sheriff to pull this idiot over. The sheriff waves as I drive by slowly. Talk about justice...

Great story! I just love happy endings....

[SP01715]

Originally Posted by Great Asp

From a dig, there are lot's of slightly modded STI's that would destroy a 289 Cobra. So he did not think he was kidding.

Street racing is dangerous. The roads stink for high speed passes, and it puts others at risk that don't even know they are at risk.

But come on, some of the holy posting on this thread have at least pulled the label off of a pillow before.

E

I raced a guy in fairly highly modified STI through some mountain roads, and the guy was shocked. The STI cornered better, but the cobra had more than enough power to make up for it and the STI could not shake me. There was no room to pass on the two lane road, but I could have easily on the straights if there was room. I stopped at a gas station and the guy pulled in to check out my car and could not stop talking about it. Cool younger guy that was shocked that old technology could outperform his tricked out STI.

BTW, there were no other cars around, and it is a very rural area.

[Xavier]

Oh yeah, I have to say this, guys come over to my car when I show it, and they whisper loudly to eachother (they think I am deaf) and say "I can blow it away, if it wasn't for the NOS bottle!"

They are pointing at my fire extinguisher.

[Great Asp]

E

[Argess]

I live in a rural area about 5 miles from the nearest town. Speed limit is 80 kph (50 mph) and all houses have driveways entering on to the highway. Kids, dogs, and Aunt Marth (backing out), etc. all come out of those driveways. Dangerous to speed and it's got a lot of corners to boot. Corvettes, Camaros, etc, ...if they come up behind me, they all wait courtiously as I drive the speed limit into town. Not so the 18-20 year olds with the ballcaps on backwards, hunched over the steering wheel of Dad's Pontiac as they decide to pass on blind corners at crazy speeds. I just let them go and hope that the ambulance gets there before I pound the crap out of them if they get in a accident that involves others.

As far as rice-rockets go, most of the ones around here are limited to the Soup Can mufllers and a few body mods such as air damns and rear wings. They just usually hang around the mall Sat night and yak. Before them, it was the 4x4 crowd, and before that, the Camaro clan. Times change.

I do have one story, which I had posted in the FE tech section to give those guys a tale. Here it is:

Here's a story....a few years ago some guy on a green crotch rocket (my son says a Kawasaki Ninja 1000 or some such thing) with his matching green biker clothes and green helmet, started following me around town. I was heading up to the highway to take a short cruise and then get back to town via the next exit. The motocycle guy was behind me as I started gently up the on-ramp. I could see him looking over his left shoulder checking for traffic, as he was itching to pass and leave me in the dust. So I let him pass. Just as he got by, I gave the car about 1/2 throttle in 2nd gear. And I caught up, and in fact, had to back off the gas a bit. Meanwhile this guy is going up through the gears winding it to red-line with every shift. So he finally relaxes and looks in his side mirror expecting to see me 1/2 mile back. Instead, I was right on his tail. He did this amazing double-take in the mirror. Too funny to see his helmeted head check the mirror, look forward, then snap back to check again......

Anyway, not too shabby considering the power to weight ratio advantage a motorbike typically has.

[twin turbo]

Hmmm, 1/2 throttle pulling on a Ninja 1000 and still had to hit the brakes, I take it you're making over 1000 rwhp? And you're running BF Goodrich TAs with this acceleration? I would be interested in hearing about your combo. Cheers.

[saki302]

Never underestimate some bikers' inability to ride the bike correctly

My brain screams for me to shift well before I come near redline on my R1- I had to train myself to wait for the shift light

-Dave

[Argess]

I'm really not certain what type of bike it was....a green crotch rocket. 14 year old son identified it. He could be in error. 1/2 throttle.....well, at 1/2 throttle my front wheels are getting very light in the steering department and I get worried about the rear-end sliding out. Crane did a computer profile of my enigne and got 480 hp, but that's very optomistic since it assumes perfect ignition timing and perfect fuel delivery. All I can say, is that the story is true.

Oh, and I didn't hit the brakes, just let off the gas a tiny bit.

Anyway, the point is, I didn't race....I just surprised him.

The problem with racing on the street....when you meet at a light, etc., is that there is no upper limit....no identifiable end. If the idiot wants to hit max speed, things will go wrong. I've always thought the Cobra met my criteria of "It's not how fast you go, it's how fast you can get to the speed limit"

EDIT: I bet it may only have been a 650. Being curious, I found specs for a 650 are 71 hp and 401 lbs. Cobra is about 2500 lbs and 425 hp. That gives the Cobra a 0.17 power to weight ratio and the Ninja just under 0.18 (o.177)....only a 4% dis-advantage for the Cobra in theory, and then there's the factor of the drivers...... Doing the math again and adding 300 lbs for two passengers in the Cobra and 150 lbs for the motorcycle driver, we find the situation reversed and a 17% advantage for the Cobra.

[mdross1]

I look forward to anyone who is willing to play a little.These big block cars with a good gear are pretty hard to beat.Most of the time an encounter happens,it's over very quick.The rate at which this car accelerates most of them just give up.Honestly,when I'm out putting around around here in the summer,the traffic is quite heavy.

[twin turbo]

Argess, thanks for clarifying. I'm not familiar with a 650 ninja, but I thought the 600 (599cc) Ninja makes about 100 rwhp. A modern 1000cc crotch rocket is no joke, which is why there was some skepticism on my part. I can pull on a Busa (at the strip), but it takes full throttle, and the Busa needs to be stock. Cheers.

[saki302]

I'd love to feel 480hp My 351W FMS engine is rated at 385hp- the car feels pretty darn quick already. I'll drive it around awhile first before considering adding power to it.
Twin Turbo- I read about your setup- that must make anything else you drive feel downright boring

-Dave

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by saki302

I'd love to feel 480hp My 351W FMS engine is rated at 385hp- the car feels pretty darn quick already. I'll drive it around awhile first before considering adding power to it.

Can you get wheelspin up through second and maybe into third? If so, more HP really doesn't make that much of a difference in "the feel" on the street. There's a sweet spot, and depending on your tires and differential, I tend to think it's in the mid to lower 400's where additional HP really doesn't do anything for you. On heavy acceleration with my 295/15 Yokohamas and Limited Slip I can get wheelspin all the way in to third and by then I'm doing over 70 and one false move with wheelspin at those speeds can be disastrous. Really, almost any unexpected wheelspin on acceleration, not coming off the line, is a little scary. For the overwhelming majority of us, I don't think there's that much difference on the street between 385 and 480 horsepower.

[JWilly]

This is not about street racing and I was not in my SPF at the time but it does have something to do with "justice". A few years back I was driving on one of those circle interstate hiway loops around a small city (Knoxville, TN) and an absolute downpour started. I mean it was the definition of raining cats and dogs. The rain stopped, the sun came out and shortly I had to exit off of the loop onto another interstate hiway. As I approached the exit ramp, about 3/4 of the exit ramp was fairly deeply flooded and although the exit ramp was two lanes wide, only one lane of cars could pass safely through around the flooded area. All-in-all, people were being reasonable and courteous letting cars in each lane pass through in an alternating fashion, one car going from one lane and then a car from the other lane passing through. My turn came and I started to ease on through when suddenly a young guy, reverse baseball cap type, came up beside me on the left, in a tricked out japanese beer can (evo, I think), forcing me over into the water. I was in an F-150 and I was not sure I was going to make it through. I hit the water and water went everywhere. The beautiful part...the guy's passenger side window was down and I absolutely filled that sucker up with water. I watched him throw a fit in my rear view mirror. I'm sure he was bailing water for a while. I still smile when I think about that jerk.