"car guy" automotive pet peeves

corytate wrote: People who dont know a gd thing about performance but wont shut up about how fast their 5 speed camry is because its a manual.

at least it's a manual

Vigo wrote:

Prius drivers who are clueless about keeping right... you know, keeping out of the way of cars streaming past both sides of them? No, they don't get it - apparently high mileage negates the need for common sense.

Not a problem in my Prius-owning family. We haul ass and spend less doing it.

This reminds me of another: car guys who can't appreciate or understand why anyone would own a hybrid.

irish44j wrote: 1. people who leave dealer badges on the car (or let dealers put them on in the first place). This goes also for license plate frames, since they're even easier to get rid of. 2. people who leave political stickers on their cars after elections. Or really, people who put political stickers on their cars at all. It's not like I'm gonna vote for your guy because you happen to drive a car. I may not vote for your guy if you cut me off in traffic though :)

Dealer stickers - one of the first things I remove when I buy a car. We have a newish buy here/pay here dealer and I have seen everything from the little trunk decal to giant stickers on the rear window. I often wonder if their terms vary depending on sticker size. I was behind one yesterday and there were a total of 4 stickers on the BACK of the car for the same dealer.

Offensive bumper stickers. It used to not bother me so much, but now that my kids can read, it gets a bit awkward. Political stickers just let me know that I won't like you.

Using a perfectly good, old term for something else entirely. Example: using "double parking" to describe encroaching on adjacent parking places. Double parking is the act of parking two abreast on the street, and has been for most of the last century.

bigdaddylee82 wrote: Double parking shinny happy people. I appreciate a nice car, classic, exotic, cars/trucks, I get it, I don't want door dings, or parking lot damage either. So park further away and walk, don't take up 2 or more spots for yourself.

(Don't get me wrong: People who effectively block more than one space with a single vehicle are scum. Exemptions given for firefighters doing their grocery shopping in the company vehicle, etc.)

Another example is "stagger". Stagger, going way back, is using taller tires on one side of the car, either front or rear. It's a circle/oval track trick. Somehow the term is now often used to describe the use of different diameter or width of tires on the front versus the rear.

Another peeve: Leaning on, sitting on, or even just touching cars without specific permission of the owner is just wrong. And it doesn't matter the perceived condition of the car. One of the last times I drove my classic to work, I looked out to see a customer with his butt parked on my car, talking with one of our salesmen. Yep, I chewed on the salesman afterwards. Chewing on customers is, apparently, frowned upon in this establishment, so the sales guy took the heat. Another time, at a pre-race car show, I saw a woman change a baby's diaper on the hood of a GT-350 clone with which she had no affiliation.

When people refer to a pickup truck saying it gets a certain mileage whether it's loaded or not. If that were true it would defy physics. It takes energy to do work. It takes more energy to do more work. A heavier load requires more energy to do more work, and that requires more fuel.

bravenrace wrote: When people refer to a pickup truck saying it gets a certain mileage whether it's loaded or not. If that were true it would defy physics. It takes energy to do work. It takes more energy to do more work. A heavier load requires more energy to do more work, and that requires more fuel.

Along the same lines, people on message boards (GRM!) who always quote their peak highway MPG #s when talking about a car rather than a measured average of some sort. C5s and Miatas are not 30mpg cars.

In reply to ProDarwin:

Yeah, on a flat surface going 55 my E46 gets 37mpg. Really it does, but in the real world it averages 28.6 almost every tank. That's a big difference.

In reply to slantvaliant:

Pedantic, may be a colloquialism, I've never known of any other term to describe the situation. Not a lot of opportunities for parallel parking in the land of Walmart. Though I can appreciate your position, people calling fire arm magazines, "clips" irks me.

People who are driving a decent speed in the left lane, then suddenly slow 15 mph, so you have to pass on the right while you see them texting or on the phone, only for them to notice you passing them so they speed back up.

Zomby Woof wrote:

SnowMongoose wrote:

Zomby Woof wrote: Wheels any larger than 15" on a classic.

What if it's to accommodate massive brakes?

Then it's even more retarded because it's one of those "pro touring" abominations.

I'm Knurled and I support this message.

(you know what fits under 15" wheels? 12" rotors. 12" drums.)

dropstep wrote: Another one is the guys with 800 internet horsepower who go the track and run 14's....the crushing of there pride is normally great

I saw a customer's car with a for sale ad in the back that listed the engine as being 900 horsepower.

The engine was maybe a bit over a third of that. A pair of eyeballs and half a brain would point out that there were multiple bottlenecks that would prevent the engine from making even 500hp. More proof was that the car was on 215 width all-seasons connected to a Ford 8" and the back of the car wasn't covered in lava floe like dried rubber and/or broken drivetrain parts.

Wonder why he couldn't sell it.

bravenrace wrote: In reply to ProDarwin: Yeah, on a flat surface going 55 my E46 gets 37mpg. Really it does, but in the real world it averages 28.6 almost every tank. That's a big difference.

THIS! You can trust GRM'ers dyno numbers, quarter times, and lap times at road courses all over the country, but the minute MPG's come up it's a parade of fish stories!

Knurled wrote:

dropstep wrote: Another one is the guys with 800 internet horsepower who go the track and run 14's....the crushing of there pride is normally great

I saw a customer's car with a for sale ad in the back that listed the engine as being 900 horsepower. The engine was maybe a bit over a third of that. A pair of eyeballs and half a brain would point out that there were multiple bottlenecks that would prevent the engine from making even 500hp. More proof was that the car was on 215 width all-seasons connected to a Ford 8" and the back of the car wasn't covered in lava floe like dried rubber and/or broken drivetrain parts. Wonder why he couldn't sell it.

My prostreet truck was advertised as having 750HP. I'm betting closer to 400, but am dynoing soon and will find out for sure then.

It's a 383 with an old B&M 144 supercharger.

What are pet peeves I have that a normal car owner might not notice/care about?

• Tailgating. My personal definition is driving less than 3 seconds behind someone on public roads.

• Obviously under inflated tires. I see cars and light trucks running around with tires so under inflated the sidewalls have road wear on them. It makes you wonder what else is neglected.

• All wheel drive vehicles (Subaru's, Audi's, pickups, SUV's, etc.) being driven in snowy, icy, or wet conditions at normal dry weather speeds. You may be able to accelerate normally in crappy conditions, but you can't stop or turn the same way.

chrispy wrote:

irish44j wrote: 1. people who leave dealer badges on the car (or let dealers put them on in the first place). This goes also for license plate frames, since they're even easier to get rid of. 2. people who leave political stickers on their cars after elections. Or really, people who put political stickers on their cars at all. It's not like I'm gonna vote for your guy because you happen to drive a car. I may not vote for your guy if you cut me off in traffic though :)

Dealer stickers - one of the first things I remove when I buy a car. We have a newish buy here/pay here dealer and I have seen everything from the little trunk decal to giant stickers on the rear window. I often wonder if their terms vary depending on sticker size. I was behind one yesterday and there were a total of 4 stickers on the BACK of the car for the same dealer. Offensive bumper stickers. It used to not bother me so much, but now that my kids can read, it gets a bit awkward. Political stickers just let me know that I won't like you.

Maybe that's how many times the dealer has sold the same vehicle.

I admit that I try to remove the dealer stickers on my cars, after all they are not paying me to advertise for them. But it depends on how they are put on/what type. If I have problems removing the sticker without damaging the paint then the sticker stays.

slantvaliant wrote: Using a perfectly good, old term for something else entirely. Example: using "double parking" to describe encroaching on adjacent parking places. Double parking is the act of parking two abreast on the street, and has been for most of the last century. Another example is "stagger". Stagger, going way back, is using taller tires on one side of the car, either front or rear. It's a circle/oval track trick. Somehow the term is now often used to describe the use of different diameter or width of tires on the front versus the rear.

So what do "we" call it when the front and rear tires are different sizes?

Okay. People who provide answers based or principle or stereotypes about a given car.

For example, lets say a sports car happens to be rated by the manufacturer to tow 1000lbs. Ask a towing related question in a related forum, and you'll get a lot of comments about how their car isn't a pickup, and how they rub the car with a diaper every morning before they ride the bus to work, and how you're crazy to consider this.

wlkelley3 wrote:

chrispy wrote:

irish44j wrote: 1. people who leave dealer badges on the car (or let dealers put them on in the first place). This goes also for license plate frames, since they're even easier to get rid of. 2. people who leave political stickers on their cars after elections. Or really, people who put political stickers on their cars at all. It's not like I'm gonna vote for your guy because you happen to drive a car. I may not vote for your guy if you cut me off in traffic though :)

Dealer stickers - one of the first things I remove when I buy a car. We have a newish buy here/pay here dealer and I have seen everything from the little trunk decal to giant stickers on the rear window. I often wonder if their terms vary depending on sticker size. I was behind one yesterday and there were a total of 4 stickers on the BACK of the car for the same dealer. Offensive bumper stickers. It used to not bother me so much, but now that my kids can read, it gets a bit awkward. Political stickers just let me know that I won't like you.

Maybe that's how many times the dealer has sold the same vehicle. I admit that I try to remove the dealer stickers on my cars, after all they are not paying me to advertise for them.

The only time my grandfather bought a new car, they tried to sell him a '64 Fairlane covered their BS badges (I think it was a base? Poor KY farmers don't opt for craziness). What did he do? Refused to buy it unless they would bring him a car fresh from the factory, free of their B.S. Cash talked, and the dealer delivered.

Mike wrote: Okay. People who provide answers based or principle or stereotypes about a given car. For example, lets say a sports car happens to be rated by the manufacturer to tow 1000lbs. Ask a towing related question in a related forum, and you'll get a lot of comments about how their car isn't a pickup, and how they rub the car with a diaper every morning before they ride the bus to work, and how you're crazy to consider this.

That sounds like a whole different topic; Automotive forum pet peeves.

Ditchdigger fog lights on when not necessary.

Yes and No. If you mean the ones on the back of European cars, I agree. They can sure be bright and make it tougher to see the brake lights.

However in my part of the world there are all kins of critters, deer, etc. that can ruin your day if you don't see them on the verge soon enough. I always run the clear ones on the front when I need headlights, especially at dawn and dusk. If correctly aimed they have a very low, very wide pattern. Just the thing for seeing what critter might be near the side of the road in the bushes or tall grass. And again, if correctly aimed not a blinding issue for oncoming traffic.

Cotton wrote: My prostreet truck was advertised as having 750HP. I'm betting closer to 400, but am dynoing soon and will find out for sure then. It's a 383 with an old B&M 144 supercharger.

That's what this was, but smaller engine and crappy old iron heads. (old = before Chevy started putting accessory mounting holes on them)

I'd be shocked if the 144 could flow enough for much more than 300.

There is a whole lot of hate in this thread...

I don't really care what people do to their cars. It's their car, if they want to stance it, 'brodozer' it, or some other subset of automotive culture that I don't understand, then more power to them. However, the one thing that bothers me is the spreading of misinformation.

The problem that I have come across probably a hundred times is someone in a position of perceived power (a forum moderator, a parts salesman, or a long-time poster) telling someone on a forum that it would be a waste of money to upgrade the brakes on their car. (These examples are all from Porsche enthusiast forums. I've seen it elsewhere, but I mention these because I frequent them more often.)

These are direct quotes:

"if you have bumped up your HP it is conceivable that a brake upgrade to the 997 calipers and pads might have some benefit."

"I would suggest against it, as I don't see how bigger rotors/more piston calipers will get you any more braking power, considering the engine is stock. "

"I, too, can't see how improving the brakes on a NA 944 would make a difference, because IMHO these brakes are the best there is."

"If you aren't tracking it, it would be a weaste of money to do any serious upgrades."

This one takes the cake as my favorite dumb quote on brakes that I've ever read -

"With bigger calipers & rotors,the rotating weight of the calipers cost you in speeding up & probably balances itself out slowing down.

100mph is 100mph, but the 100 may be 120 for a 944t with the M030 pack, which I think is S4 brakes. The 100 for your 944 may be 95 from using torque to acelate the rotors."

Confusing usage of the terms crank or turn over.

Flat black paint on everything.

"Is that a Harley?" Me "No, it's an FXR!"

New and Improved!

Anything poser, fat tire Harley's, Chrome suspension on a lifted 4X, wings, fart cans, straight pipes.

Internet forum help with no validity other than "It works fine for me". We now know what your definition of fine is.....

This:

WTF?!

This reminds me of another: car guys who can't appreciate or understand why anyone would own a hybrid.

I autocross a hybrid, and may enter it in a time attack. where does that put me?