Now that I've had my 8 for about 5 days, I think I've pissed off a few drivers...but it's not my fault.

Just cause I drive a car that looks fast, doesn't mean I'm going to drive it fast. Since I'm still in my break-in period I drive pretty slow and short shift at 2500 rpm unless I need to get on a freeway...I still haven't revved the motor beyond 4000 rpm in the first 250 miles.

I've had more than one person honk their horn at me already cause they think I drive too slowly when the traffic light turns green. Part of the reason is because there are so many SUVs and vans on the road now, if one of them is in front of me at a traffic light, I can't see when the cars in front start moving.

I don't like sitting and waiting with the clutch pressed so I have the car in neutral and only put the car into gear when I see the car in front of me starts going. For the guy behind me...that's not fast enough :mad:

If it's just cars in front of me then I can see a few cars ahead and put the car into gear when I see the car 2 or 3 ahead of me start going but it's those SUVs and vans that you can't see in front of that makes me wait until they start moving before I put the 8 into gear.

Then when you're short shifting from 1st to 2nd at about 12 mph, the car sort of stalls between shifts cause I'm not trying to be Speed Racer here, I'm babying my new 8, and that pisses off the guy behind me even more cause I took too long move when the light turned green, then I don't drive fast enough :D

I'm a pretty old guy so my driving has mellowed a lot over the years and even after the motor is well-broken-in I doubt that I'll be zooming all over and revving the motor way up.

Peeps with AT need to realize that not everyone is driving an AT vehicle and cannot just slam down a gas pedal when the light turns green ;)

Sounds like you should have gotten a Caddy, lol.

Enjoy your new car but it will be happier with some higher revs.

And I will be happier if I am behind you and can get through the light too!

If one guy honks at me, I look at him. If people honk at me on a consistent basis, I look at me. Just a personal point of view there. :)

It's not a diesel! Rev that thing!!

The problem with SUVs is, they think you are a speed bump and they're surprised when you move. ;-) But I agree with the others, rev it a bit higher, at least 3000. Are you shifting smoothly? I don't understand that comment about "stalling" between 1st and 2nd. That shouldn't happen and maybe it's what the gripe is. It would annoy me too if I was behind you and things got hung up at around 12 mph.

Besides that, enjoy the ride! Don't set a hat on the shelf behind the rear seat; its a dead giveaway that you're an old coot! LOL

BTW, you don't sound like an old guy; your writing style is much younger. Just how old are you? The dead giveaway is your avatar; no truly older person would figure out how to do that. ;) ;)

i3man - the Renesis has a lot of stuff that only works at higher RPM - extra ports at 4 and 6k, air intake at 7k, other injectors etc.

If you dont rev up to at least 7kish they wont even be used, never mind worn in...

Just dont keep it at 7krpm all day.

I think I got the gist of what you were saying.. I too like to keep my foot off the clutch and only shift until the car in front of me starts to move. This is also beneficial in stop and go so I don't have to keep putting in the clutch. But by far the worst are the people (not always) in SUVs who start creeping up on you before the light turns...added bad points for when its on a hill!


as for the 1-2 shifts you are probably doing a nice and slow shift which makes the car slow down. I too still have that.. I have been trying very hard to get smooth 1-2 shifts that this one is still slow(all the rest are perfectly fine!)

Granted I was a bit more lax on my break in period.. under 4K for 200 miles then under 5K til 400 and under 6K until 600 miles..

I'm 40. By "stalling" I meant slowing down...you know how it is when you press the clutch in the MPHs tail off quite a bit if you're not acting like Speed Racer.

Say I shift from 1st to 2nd at 12mph, I step in the clutch and the MPH might fall to 10 mph before I start going in 2nd. On an AT with constant accelearation you'd probably be at about 15 mph so the guys behind think slowing down :)

Most people assume you have AT in your car so the impatient ones right on my tail have to almost hit the brakes when I shift LOL

Originally posted by i3man
I'm 40.

Damn, and I was all proud of you as a senior citizen trying out something new. I'm 45! As far as I'm concerned, anyone who drives an '8 isn't old, regardless of how many birthdays you've had. It's hard to look/act/feel feeble when you're cruisin' in one of these.

I'm 40 and don't drive the FD like it's fine china. Well, sometimes I do when I flashback to all the tickets I got in my teens and twenties and the *cough* fish-tailing curb hit rim/axle episode. No boosting mid corner for me. Point it straight and mash the throttle unless on a road course. The 8 is not as "spastic". ;)

Rotaries are spirited horses that want to rev and run. Babying a rotary builds up carbon deposits in the rotor housings and apex seals. Tap that redline buzzer! You gotta stretch their legs occasionally, if not speed then RPM-wise. Soot on the tailpipe is a good thing. The clutch requires little break-in so try this: SHIFT FASTER! The synchros can handle it and the rpm should not drop to neutral between gears. Iit's hard on the clutch with jerky shifting and not matching revs.

But I understand your engine break-in concerns. Enjoy the car, or trade it in for the eventual golf cart.
:D

Alright I get the picture :p From today this baby is gonna hummmmm. Revving to 4-5000 RPM during the break-in period should be OK right?

here (http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16668&highlight=breakin)
here (http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16166&highlight=breakin)
here (http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16014&highlight=breakin)
here (http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15591&highlight=breakin)
and here (http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15561&highlight=breakin)

Hope these help, especially the last link.

Three words: Frequent Oil Changes. ;)

Originally posted by i3man
Alright I get the picture :p From today this baby is gonna hummmmm. Revving to 4-5000 RPM during the break-in period should be OK right?

Yeee-haw, hang on for the ride. And yes, 4-5K is what you should do during break-in. You can even exceed 7K, just not for prolonged periods. For myself, when I shift, the RPMs drop by maybe 200 or so, say from 5000 down to 4800. It's not hard with a smooth motion. If you're dropping lots of revs in your shifts, then you're taking too long and no wonder everyone's honking at you.

When dem bastards beep I pull away just a wee bit slower just to piss them off!

Oh yeah i love this topic.
When being tailgated.....I drive slower.
When being tailgated and get the guy who thinks flashing his lights helps get me to move.....I drive slower and wait for the ass to try to pass then i let her rip.
When i have a swerver behind me i laugh and try to swerve in sync with the person, try this one some time it REALLY pisses people off.
If i ever have an outraged driver stopped behind me at a light i check all the sections of the intersection hoping for a hole so i can bolt through the intersection if need be.
Also, whenever possible i try to keep my 9mm in the front passenge seat for those who think they are some tough punk gang banger wannbe that need a wakeup call. God i love having the right to bear arms.
On a rare occasion i will antagonize the asshole behind me until i know he/she is just pissed the FK off and then i pull off the road and wait to see what the reaction is.

Note to self: no vacations in Idaho this year... :)

I dont play games on the road anymore
My friend and I pulled over to exchange words with another driver and he pulled a gun

There is a real art to not letting some @-hole tailgater pass you, but acting like you totally don't know he's even there. At my age, I'm getting away with it pretty consistently, people expect me to be oblivious to my surroundings at the advanced age of 45. For a real jerk that tailgates, I wait for the right moment, slow just 1-2 mph, inducing him to try to overtake on my right where there's a gap. Then I speed up imperceptibly just enough so he can't pull in front of me and he gets stuck in the right lane behind some RV. It's a real riot and I'm getting pretty damn good at it.

On a really good day, I hold my speed till the next guy back is on my tail, then speed up and the two of us move ahead, leaving the jerk in the right lane behind the RV now several cars futher back than he would have been if he'd just been driving calmly. Damn, it is gratifying when I pull off the entire stunt. Near as I can tell from my peripheral vision ('cause the whole thing hinges on acting like I don't even know this is going on) the guy thinks I'm ignorant, but doesn't know I'm dissing him on purpose. Is this wrong?

Why don't you just move over to the right like you're supposed to?

I see the same SUV/Truckosaurus on the way to work every day. More often then not he's of little or no factor to me, but last week he was all over me then did the end-run "cut-me-off" thing. Needless to say I was ready the next day. 8_wannabe, it sounds like you and I went to the same driving school because it was damn-near textbook that I did the exact same thing you described.

There's just something to be said for a little personal satisfaction in small everyday victories... :D

Originally posted by Speed-ER doc
Why don't you just move over to the right like you're supposed to?
It's not so much the whole left-lane/right-lane thing as it is a "quit running over everyone else with your frickin' 'I bought this huge-ass SUV that'll never ever see a dirt road so I could cart the kids to their play date' dinosaur killer."

I don't mind people driving big cars or trucks, but don't expect me to move for you if I'm already over the speed limit and I'm not moving fast enough for your Festiva-crusher. Just makes me wish I could crawl up behind them in a big army deuce-and-a-half or something equally as menacing.

Originally posted by Speed-ER doc
Why don't you just move over to the right like you're supposed to?

S3/P3/E2 answered pretty well, but I'll add my own. If I'm in the left lane overtaking cars in the right lane, I'll move over when there's a break in the right lane. If I'm not overtaking cars in the right lane, I'll move over whether or not there is someone behind me. I don't go in the fast lane just 'cause I can, I do it to pass slower traffic. This is how it is meant to be.

If I am clearly overtaking (meaning more than a few mph's faster than the slow traffic) and someone comes up and rides right on my bumper then screw 'em. Like S3/P3/E2, it's the "I-got-a-big-ass-SUV-and-everyone-shall-kneel-before-me" syndrome that rubs me the wrong way. This is vastly amplified if there is no room ahead of me in the fast lane, meaning I'm keeping pace and not impeding traffic, the guy just wants to get one car ahead and will immediately encounter the next car in line. Sometimes the speed of traffic is the speed of traffic, and no matter how big you are you ain't a-gonna change it. There is a difference between someone wanting to pass me, and there is open road ahead, I respect that and let him by. As opposed to, he wants to pass me and there ain't no open road ahead. My feeling is, hey I also want to go faster but there ain't nowhere to go, so just cool your jets. These are the cases that I really try to jerk the guy's chain. It's like fishing: With skill I can lure him into the slow lane thinking he'll advance one more spot in line, then I hook and reel him in, leaving him stuck and farther behind in traffic than he would have been if he'd just been patient and courteous. It's great sport and very entertaining.

To paraphrase: "Don't meddle in the affairs of old people. For they are subtle and quick to anger." LOL, did I get that right?

Originally posted by S3/P3/E2


....I'm not moving fast enough for your Festiva-crusher.


haha... mental images are so great.. it reminded me of an old high school teacher that used to have a festiva.. I remember we moved it one day.. boy that was funny..

Originally posted by 8_wannabe
...There is a difference between someone wanting to pass me, and there is open road ahead, I respect that and let him by. As opposed to, he wants to pass me and there ain't no open road ahead. My feeling is, hey I also want to go faster but there ain't nowhere to go, so just cool your jets.

I agree with that, and no longer get as frustrated with people who do as you do. I get angry at those who don't know that the left lane is for passing only no matter what speed you are going.

You don't know what kind of emergency the person behind you might be headed to.

So get off of your cell phone and move it on over. I promise I won't tailgate you or flash my lights unless you clearly are NOT going to move over out of some misguided attempt to regulate my speed. Then, when you STILL don't move over, I will eventually go around you very fast and give you a dirty look and cuss at you while blazing by.

Don't shoot me for that please.

Originally posted by Speed-ER doc
Why don't you just move over to the right like you're supposed to?

No shit. The left lane is for faster moving traffic and is a passing lane. If someone wants to go faster than you, who are you to judge how fast someone can go. What if there is something really important they need to get to. I had this asshole slow down on me in the passing lane one time when a good friend was in a major accident and needed me to get there asap. He kept slowing down and blocking me in, and thought it was really funny. I ended up passing on the shoulder and opened the sunroof when I got back in front of him and threw a pepsi can up in air and it came right down on his car. I would have followed him home and shot his ass I was so pissed. So instead of trying to block people I just move over a lane, let them pass and get back in lane I was in. It is that simple, no hassle. So why try to be the fucking cool guy blocking others??

sigh.. you may have an emergency.. (take a large crap :) , kids sick, wife in labor) but you STILL have to follow the rules of the road. Yeah it sucks, but just as the guy has no right to go <50 in a passing lane you have no right endagering him or others to aggressive driving. Jeez.. makes me want to say: "Stop the gun control lobby!!! We have a bigger threat to our nation than unregistered handguns."

Preaching to the choir about the left-hand lane - it annoys the hell out of me. My lone beef is with this same retard I see EVERY morning slaloming through traffic and plowing people over. For cryin' out loud - if you're in this big of a hurry leave 10 mins earlier.

Hi,

As I see it, there are generally two groups of retards that contribute to this problem. The first "overly patient" group insists on driving in the left lane, even when they can safely move out of the left lane without have to slow down. They let the distance between themselves and the car in front of them continue to grow way past "safe following distance" while make damn sure no one can pass them and don't seem to give a damn that traffic is piling up behind them.

Then there's the other group of impatient "Festiva-crushers" who insist that even though you and the 10 cars in front of you are going the same speed and passing traffic to the right, they have a godly "emergency" to tend to which requires each of you to move out of the left lane.

When I'm behind one of the overly patient retards, I'm usually praying that a "Festiva-crusher" comes to my rescue. When that happens, I move over as soon as safely possible and usually the overly patient retard gets convinced to move out of the left lane by the "Festiva-crusher".

Of course, like everyone else here, I do my best to stay out of those two "retard" categories :).

Happy Holidays,
rx8cited

Originally posted by rx8cited
Hi,

As I see it, there are generally two groups of retards that contribute to this problem. The first "overly patient" group insists on driving in the left lane, even when they can safely move out of the left lane without have to slow down. They let the distance between themselves and the car in front of them continue to grow way past "safe following distance" while make damn sure no one can pass them and don't seem to give a damn that traffic is piling up behind them.

Then there's the other group of impatient "Festiva-crushers" who insist that even though you and the 10 cars in front of you are going the same speed and passing traffic to the right, they have a godly "emergency" to tend to which requires each of you to move out of the left lane.

When I'm behind one of the overly patient retards, I'm usually praying that a "Festiva-crusher" comes to my rescue. When that happens, I move over as soon as safely possible and usually the overly patient retard gets convinced to move out of the left lane by the "Festiva-crusher".

Of course, like everyone else here, I do my best to stay out of those two "retard" categories :).

Happy Holidays,
rx8cited

I see it that way too & I also wait for someone else to plow the path. :cool:

yeah my only beef is with left lane drivers. The worst is when they are there in the left lane and you decide to just go around them and there is also a car in the right lane but there is a big enough gap for you to get through, but then the laft lane driver speeds up to block that gap even though there are no cars in front of him he insist on blocking all traffic. I hate those f*ckers

Originally posted by SikRedRX-8
yeah my only beef is with left lane drivers. The worst is when they are there in the left lane and you decide to just go around them and there is also a car in the right lane but there is a big enough gap for you to get through, but then the laft lane driver speeds up to block that gap even though there are no cars in front of him he insist on blocking all traffic. I hate those f*ckers

Yea, I had a jerk like that last weekend. I go to the middle lane to pass him, he floors it, and instead of the passing taking 2-3 seconds, it was more like 4-5 seconds and I looked down and I was in triple digits. I don't know what engine the expidition (sp?) has, but for a huge SUV it had some power.

Edit: I think my models mixed up, I believe it was a lincoln navigator.

Originally posted by Jhouse
Oh yeah i love this topic.
When being tailgated.....I drive slower.
When being tailgated and get the guy who thinks flashing his lights helps get me to move.....I drive slower and wait for the ass to try to pass then i let her rip.
When i have a swerver behind me i laugh and try to swerve in sync with the person, try this one some time it REALLY pisses people off.
If i ever have an outraged driver stopped behind me at a light i check all the sections of the intersection hoping for a hole so i can bolt through the intersection if need be.
Also, whenever possible i try to keep my 9mm in the front passenge seat for those who think they are some tough punk gang banger wannbe that need a wakeup call. God i love having the right to bear arms.
On a rare occasion i will antagonize the asshole behind me until i know he/she is just pissed the FK off and then i pull off the road and wait to see what the reaction is.

It's OK to go slower while being tailgated, so that the tailgater will pass you. If you "let her rip" when he tries to pass you, you are being an immature moron. Why do you play games like this while driving? Just GTF out of the way.

If you lived in Texas, you would not live to see thirty with that attitude and your cavalier approach to antagonizing others and carrying firearms. Good luck and continued success.

Originally posted by SikRedRX-8
yeah my only beef is with left lane drivers. The worst is when they are there in the left lane and you decide to just go around them and there is also a car in the right lane but there is a big enough gap for you to get through, but then the laft lane driver speeds up to block that gap even though there are no cars in front of him he insist on blocking all traffic. I hate those f*ckers

Me too.

Originally posted by 8_wannabe
For a real jerk that tailgates, I wait for the right moment, slow just 1-2 mph, inducing him to try to overtake on my right where there's a gap. Then I speed up imperceptibly just enough so he can't pull in front of me and he gets stuck in the right lane behind some RV. It's a real riot and I'm getting pretty damn good at it.


I gotta keep going with this, this is my favorite thread ever.

I'm not here to BS you, I have done this too and it IS fun. If traffic is backed up and there is nowhere to go, you have to make it interesting somehow.

My beef is with jerks who obstruct traffic flow out of ignorance or spite.

I tried to multiple quote but I don't know how, but another poster said "we all have to follow the rules of the road." That is true if you understand that the left lane is for faster traffic and that if another driver wants to pass, then it is your responsibility to move over promptly and let him pass. That is the rule of the road.

IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW FAST YOU ARE GOING. It does not matter how fast he is going. The rule of the road dictates that you move over and let the other driver pass.

Certain drivers are ALLOWED to exceed the speed limit. In Texas, a police officer, whether marked or not, with lights on or not, may exceed the posted speed limit. A physician responding to an emergency may also exceed the speed limit (that is my excuse, and it works).

Bottom line: you do not know who is in such a hurry, and it really does not matter. Just move over, and do it promptly.

Thanks for listening.

Bottom line the left lane is a PASSING lane, It is NOT for cruising along. People are just lazy and sit there cruising figuring they will move when they need to.

I will keep anoying all the clods that stick in this lane blocking. I will not pass on the right unless I have been beeping and flashing lights at some moron for a couple minutes and they ignore them or get all pissed off and wave for me to go over them. I then pass them, get in front and slow down until they change lanes. Then I speed off.

If I have time for it of course. And since it IS vacation time, I have been educating quite a few dweebs.

I see it that way too & I also wait for someone else to plow the path. Move over and thank them for being nominated for the latest Darwin Award. Let them bird-dog for the radar cops, watching their brake lights. If they want to cut an 80-90mph swath then step in behind them at a more subdued pace. The point man usually catches the first round. Speeding SUV's are actually a blessing in disguise. Hi-horsepower rolling bricks like Navigators have a huge radar cross-section. If the local PD/patrol uses LIDAR you can usually pick up laser scatter with your detector too. Truckers know this rule hard and fast.
:)

We don't have passing lanes where I live...every lane is a driving lane.

Originally posted by i3man
We don't have passing lanes where I live...every lane is a driving lane.

Where do you live?

Originally posted by i3man
We don't have passing lanes where I live...every lane is a driving lane.

It really doesn't matter where you live. If there is more than one lane on a highway, the left lane is for passing. You can still drive in it, but be prepared to move right to yield to passing traffic.

In some areas this is mandated, with posted signs stating "Left lane for passing only." You can be ticketed for driving in this lane if you obstruct traffic (though I doubt that happens much).

Even if it is not posted, it is still the "rule of the road."

Originally posted by Speed-ER doc


Certain drivers are ALLOWED to exceed the speed limit. In Texas, a police officer, whether marked or not, with lights on or not, may exceed the posted speed limit. A physician responding to an emergency may also exceed the speed limit (that is my excuse, and it works).

Bottom line: you do not know who is in such a hurry, and it really does not matter. Just move over, and do it promptly.

Thanks for listening.


Unfortunately i don't think its as simple as saying your a physician in an emergency. My good friend in Ithaca NY is a volunteer firefighter and he was issued a blue light to affix to his car. This light is to allow him to move through stop lights and speed to get to the fire house when there is a call. I beleive this also holds true for unmarked police cars. Otherwise how is an officer going to know if this guy is legit or not. needless to say I think your story is a little misleading.

My point isn't "yay I get to speed," it is that it is not YOUR job to decide if I should.

We aren't required to use any lights btw. Both police officers and physicians carry identification cards if we are stopped.

The next time you are playing games in the left lane, stop and think if maybe that is a doctor rushing to the hospital to help YOUR injured/critically ill family member.

The only reason I need to move over is that someone else wants to go faster.

Originally posted by Speed-ER doc
It really doesn't matter where you live. If there is more than one lane on a highway, the left lane is for passing. You can still drive in it, but be prepared to move right to yield to passing traffic.

In some areas this is mandated, with posted signs stating "Left lane for passing only." You can be ticketed for driving in this lane if you obstruct traffic (though I doubt that happens much).

Even if it is not posted, it is still the "rule of the road."


No you don't understand. I live in Hawaii and the left is a driving lane. You might think it's a passing lane but it's a driving lane, trust me. I've been living here all 40 years of my life so I think I know a few things around here :)

Yes, each state has its own laws; there is no national standard. That's why I asked where you lived.

Maybe all of us "Need" to come over and you can show us first hand?? :)

I am sooo there...