The other day, I was driving in my wife's Forester. I was behind a Taurus that was just cruising.
This particular road opens into an additional lane (on the right) right before a roundabout (3 entrances/exits). The roundabout has an inner lane, for those going left only, and an outer lane for those going straight or left.
So, the Taurus lines up on the left lane (inner), and I was pulling up parallel in the right lane. Almost daily, I'll pass people on the outside on this roundabout. He cut me off by going halfway into my lane, and I had to slam on my brakes so that I didn't hit his sorry butt. Then he had the gall to yell at me. I was observing the speed limit and observing the posted lanes... and he thought I was the idiot driver.
I was driving home from an autocross that was only a few miles from my house in my ESP mustang with my V710's still on.
A ricer-civic started tailgating the hell out of me heading into the offramp on my way home. The ramp is a cloverleaf type and I decide to take it at the speed that only Rcomps allow. Ricer came VERY close to hitting the guardrail as he tried to follow in at my speed.
A few weeks on I hear from a friend who hangs around that crowd that there was much awed discussion about the event. Kids couldnt figure out how a mustang could handle so much better then them, lol.
Last week I had a new Ford Harley Edition pull out right front of me and thecar coming the other way. He took forever to get up to 45 in a 55 mph zone. I did not ride his butt and I got a quick brake check and he then slowed down to 30. I knew what he was going to do next so I just shot down another road and took the back way. I was not in the mood that day.
Shaun
Reader
9/12/11 10:56 a.m.
Sorry about the unpleasant driving moment-
I have had several chip/intake/exhaust or better diesel trucks want to race me in my wee civic hatch over the last few years for I guess what has something to do with big vs. small and/or impotent vs. iorn. I have not taken them up on the offer, and I have been quite impressed with the jumping belching billowing diesel performance.
What an A-Hole. (The truck driver, not you.)
Shaun
Reader
9/12/11 11:01 a.m.
In reply to Apexcarver:
I has a similar experience with 4 kids in a (not a wrx) subie who were tailgating me on a secondary road while I was in my Civic with star specs/konis/sways/sportlines. I bolted off yonder and I saw them almost maim or kill themselves in a very stupid attempt to keep up. It scared me.
I had an experience where my buddy and I were in his old, 2-door suburban and we passed a CRX (with all of the body kit, fart-can, spoiler action it could handle) on a four lane highway. He was unhappy and started tailgating us, probably about 5-10 feet off the bumper doing 65mph. Well, ahead in the road we see a big carpenter's bucket. My buddy waits until the last second, does any emergency lane change and I turn around just in time to see that bucket (apparently full of something) bury itself into the CRX's oversized front bumper. I'll bet he thought twice about tailgating from then on...
Guys like that remind me of cavemen; "Me Crunk, me no let little car man pass. Me hast to be faster."
Or if you prefer, replace "Crunk" with "Grimlok." (From the Dinobots.)
Cotton
Dork
9/12/11 12:55 p.m.
This weekend I was on the Speed Triple and a Cvic was crawling along on backroads. I get to a passing zone and pull out and he moves to the middle of the road. A quick flick of the throttle and I was past.....not hard considering the Speed has more power than the civic.
DustoffDave wrote:
I had an experience where my buddy and I were in his old, 2-door suburban and we passed a CRX (with all of the body kit, fart-can, spoiler action it could handle) on a four lane highway. He was unhappy and started tailgating us, probably about 5-10 feet off the bumper doing 65mph. Well, ahead in the road we see a big carpenter's bucket. My buddy waits until the last second, does any emergency lane change and I turn around just in time to see that bucket (apparently full of something) bury itself into the CRX's oversized front bumper. I'll bet he thought twice about tailgating from then on...
I have done this to serial tailgaters in big SUVs that drive a foot off the back of my car. My favorite place to do this is 295N->29 split at Trenton NJ where the exit ramp is 2 lanes, sharp, blind, and a bit off-camber. It can be taken at about 85 in a small, well handling car such as an E30 or 911 :) Not so much in a 7000lb truck.
If they don't see brake lights to tell them its time ... hilarity usually ensues in my rearview.
You know what's fun to do to tailgaters? Slow down. Seriously, I coasted down to 25 once on the highway before he got the idea. My Mom was worse when she drove: Once in the '70 Bonneville someone made the mistake of honking at her to move a microsecond after it hit green. She put it in park. It was a busy intersection, so he couldn't do anything but wait.
Agreed with the good Doctor - slowing is usually the most maddening thing you can do to excessive tailgaters. I have been amused by many a contorted face in the rearview.
DustoffDave wrote:
I had an experience where my buddy and I were in his old, 2-door suburban and we passed a CRX (with all of the body kit, fart-can, spoiler action it could handle) on a four lane highway. He was unhappy and started tailgating us, probably about 5-10 feet off the bumper doing 65mph. Well, ahead in the road we see a big carpenter's bucket. My buddy waits until the last second, does any emergency lane change and I turn around just in time to see that bucket (apparently full of something) bury itself into the CRX's oversized front bumper. I'll bet he thought twice about tailgating from then on...
I did something similar to a highway patrol once. Back home, the local fuzz will get bored, and this guy had been on my ass for 2 miles (seriously, pass me or pull me over, but don't just sit on my ass until I make a mistake). Up ahead was an empty cardboard box, I swerved around it, he took it full in the grill. Of course, the flipside of this, is that I was in a convertible and he saw me laugh when he hit it, so of course the lights came on immediately.
Yes, I got a ticket. I don't care, it was worth it.
A ticket for what? Avoiding a hazard?
On a somewhat related note, what about the guys in the lifted Super Duties with chrome wheels, Truck Nutz ,an 18" drop hitch to pull the ski boat, and the chrome vinyl sign in the rear window advertising "Bob's Custom Muffler" so that the whole thing is a write off? When one of these guys cuts me off, I have 2 thoughts:
-
Bob is a dick, and I will take my business elsewhere.
-
If his "company truck" is any indication of how Bob manages money, he is not going to be able to offer me a very competitive price, and I will take my business elsewhere
.
I have had a few interesting ones, but undercover cop cars can be a bitch, glad I was the one driving it...
Like the ricer boy who passes the nondescript 6 year old 4 cylinder sedan and then cuts in front and slows down, brown wrapper tries to make a legal overtake and is balked three times leading to a flash of the hidden blues, leading to a strong conversation and a suspended license, who says there's never a cop around when you need one.
Had one guy blow by and glance over, spotted the uniforms and tried to nail the throttle, he managed to go 30 feet sideways in a HQ Monaro before plunging off the road and down a very very steep hill into a tree.
My favorite thing to remove stubborn tailgaters is an extended application of windshield washer fluid. If this happens to precede an interesting road element, bonus. I just wish I had a rear mounted camera I could toggle on.
How are these chipped diesels allowed to spew all of this visibility-reducing smoke? It seems like a huge road hazard, I can't believe it's legal.
If you think that Diesel haze is annoying when you're in a car, try again on a bike .
There's a ton of roadworks on the way to work so you tend to end up getting stuck there for a while. A couple of weeks ago I got stuck behind some dude in a "tuned" pickup truck who had to rev his engine every couple of minutes to check that it was still there, belching out a huge cloud of diesel smoke every time.
Very pleasant if you're behind them on a bike, even though I had clocked his truck on the way up and was keeping a fair amount of distance.
I had a fullsize Ford pickup ride my ass while I was driving my old Miata. We were on a four lane highway and he was going 50-55 and I was going 60-65. I suppose he didn't like being passed by a red Japanese sportscar with a rollbar and all so he accelerates and pulls up real close so I could get a good look at his grille in all my mirrors.
Since my top was down, I reached into the center console and pulled out some very large nuts and bolts that I found at a construction site. Seriously, they were so big that only three or four would fit into my hand at once. Anyway, I did a preemptive downshift into fourth and tossed the nuts and bolts over the rollbar hoop and right onto the hood and windshield of the Ford, simultaneously punching the gas. When the nuts and bolts hit his truck the guy slammed on his brakes and I put a bunch of distance between us until I could exit the highway and go home a different way. Pretty stupid move on my part but I hope that it was a learning experience for him.
NGTD
Dork
9/12/11 10:59 p.m.
scardeal wrote:
The other day, I was driving in my wife's Forester. I was behind a Taurus that was just cruising.
This particular road opens into an additional lane (on the right) right before a roundabout (3 entrances/exits). The roundabout has an inner lane, for those going left only, and an outer lane for those going straight or left.
So, the Taurus lines up on the left lane (inner), and I was pulling up parallel in the right lane. Almost daily, I'll pass people on the outside on this roundabout. He cut me off by going halfway into my lane, and I had to slam on my brakes so that I didn't hit his sorry butt. Then he had the gall to yell at me. I was observing the speed limit and observing the posted lanes... and he thought *I* was the idiot driver.
We have a similar style roundabout in the City I live in. It is on my way to work. I NEVER trust anyone in the inner lane. I have had so many of the "drift" over that I stay behind them and wait for the inevitable move.
After, I pulled back inline behind the truck, I got to thinking how rediculous he was. Not letting that little economy car pass his big powerful truck and I started laughing.
I don't know if he saw me but he turned off at the next intersection..
That's even worse. Racing someone or not letting them pass, only to turn off at the next exit/street. Ungh.