Bad attitude on the road....
 

Is it just my imagination? I've been in the 8 for about a week now, and yes, there are those that seem to really like the car, but it seems that there are drivers on the road that take exception my new car. My 8 - red GT - a bit flashy, I admit. My last car was a black 'stang GT convertible - I consider that car a bit showy as well but I never got the type of attitude that I'm seeing in my 8.

For instance, I'll be doing 100-120km/h in the left lane, and some road hog in front of me would absolutely REFUSE to move over. If I pass on the right, then I look like a jerk - if I stay behind, I start to feel the road rage building up. It's comical that these road hogs are resolute in not letting my 8 go by.

The other day, some idiot in a 50km/h zone driving a Pontiac GTO (I think) saw my 8 and sped up to catch me. We stopped at a red me in the left lane, the GTO in the right lane of a 2 lane right turn. Sure enough, when the light turned green, the GTO nails the throttle. I'm on the outside line and I must admit, I gave into emotion and just went full throttle. No clutch drop nothing, but I spanked the Pontiac. Then I just got mad at myself for being goaded into race.

Then there's the usual assortment of minivan drivers who tailgate me. The a$$hole in the Lexus ES300 that honked his horn at me just because I left 2 carlenghts in front of me in a TRAFFIC JAM!

I never used to get attitude like that in the 'stang, never in my Maxima, just in the 8. Anyone else get this or am I just overprotective of my new ride?

I also have a new (less than a month) Red GT here in Montreal. I must admit I haven't noticed your negative reaction.

You are probably just hyper-sensitive to all the idiots that are out there right now.

As far as getting goated into a race with a GTO (I'm assuming you mean a new Sunfire GTO), I hasn't happened to me yet. But I know some 16 year old in a Civic with a coffee can exhaust will pull up any day now.

Enjoy your new ride!

i drive a Red MT too, but i get quite the opposite reaction. over here, the overtaking lane is the right lane. and when i am cruising on the right lane about 5km above the limit (alot of ppl do that), everyone seems to just move to the left when ever i am on the right lane, even if i'm doing the same speed as them and not closing in on them. they seem to be trying to get the hell away from me even tho i'm driving conservatively. i cruise around the same speed in my civic.... and ppl always block my way even if i'm trying to pass them(in the civic tet is)....

so yeh, normally i get a lane to myself almost when driving the 8. quite a weird feeling

I've discovered that my car, just by virtue of being on the road, seems to be a personal insult to many other vehicles on the road. What's even worse is that I don't go out of my way to speed or even drive in the left lane, and when I do, I only stay in it long enough to pass. At lights, If I'm behind a semi-sporty vehicle, or next to one in the front of the pack, it's like an instant threat- I've NEVER raced anyone at a light (and I never will) in this car, yet they all take off like they have to get in front of me to prove something. Driving our pickup truck, I get ignored. Driving the 8, people are constantly accelerating the minute they see me, as though I care when they're going faster than I am. Are we supposed to be impressed? I just want to drive...

your my kinda woman elara- always so classy! ;)

I'm with Yanje. People get out of the left lane more now that I have an 8.

Of course, I used to have a Miata, talk about no respect on the freeway!

No, not Pontiac sunfire. Maybe it was a Grand Prix or something like that. But the point is irrelevant.

BTW, to the guy in the Lexus es300, if you are reading this thread, AT LEAST STOP YAPPING ON YOUR CELL PHONE WHILE YOU HONK AT ME!

I'm generalizing. Most drivers are courteous. It's just that I see a greater incidence of road stupidity since I got behind the wheel of the 8. Maybe it's a seasonal thing or it's a full moon or whatever......

BTW, this is happening under normal driving. I'm not speeding. In my neck of the woods, the speed limit is 100 km/h. The cops usually tolerate 110-115 km/h. Having a "ticket-me-red" color car, I take steps to really, really be on good behavior.

I get a lot of people who will drive along side me and if I speed up, they do to. If I slow down, they do the same. It's not a problem for me, but twice now I've had to turn to get into the lane the guy is in, and they're not letting me do it since they're shadowing my moves. I end up having to hit the brakes hard and going behind them.

I also drive about 3-4 seconds behind a car, I don't tail gate because I don't want more rocks in my front fender. I've already got 3 chips :(

Sounds like normal idiot drivers in AZ to me. I've had the same problems in my 93 escort, 99 matia and now the 8. I can't believe all these drivers can't read my mind and get outta my way! :D

hehe, i normally leave 3 car lengths or so from the car in front of me on a freeway/highway. abit closer on slow roads, but never within 1 car length (i know the danger of unexpected idiodic driving of some ppl, or even pedestrians or cats and dogs for that matter). but now with the 8, i increase the gap just slightly more coz i dun wanna see that beautiful front ruined.

and from experience, driving closely behind a truck or semi trailer is quite annoying. they tend to pick up the pieces on the road which lands right on ur bonet or windshield. hence i overtake them whenever possible even if they're not driving slow.

Re: Bad attitude on the road....
 

I've never been challenged in my Firebird but a few times in the RX-8, so I will agree on your observation.

Our car seems to bring something out in others.

About you "spanking the GTO".. I don't think that driver was giving "full throttle" as you believe. You'd only have seen his tail lights.

Or maybe it was not a GTO? The GTO looks a lot like GrandPrix; and an RX-8 could beat a GrandPrix.

-Peter

yes that means if you beat a GTO then you had a 3 second head start. Even us RX8 owners know you are full of sh!t.

yeah i get a little of this too, but it all becomes even when a chick whistles at ya :)

Pidge, why the nasty remark? Maybe it was a GTO maybe not... who cares really. And maybe the idiot in the GTO was a very bad driver !

It had to be a GTO. Its body looked smoother than a grand am or a grand prix. It looked new. Listen, I wasn't ahead by a car length or anything. but when I'm in the outside corner and the Pontiac had the inside line my half a carlength "win" after about 300 feet, I consider that a victory. I could tell he was trying - he hunted me down from a block and a half away.

Anyways, I'm probably just full of shit. BTW, were you that guy in the Lexus?

Did someone piss in Pidge's cornflakes today?

I thought a gto had a 0 to 60 of like 5.4? that is not THAT much faster than an 8 and if it is in the right range and he was a bad driver it is possible. jeez guys :) ALSO, it is hard to mistake the god-awful sheer ugliness of a GTO! ;) IMHO

God awful, sheer ugly=350z, not GTO.

Conservative and understated=GTO.

God I miss Montreal! You have some of the best roads for fast fun driving i've ever been on. 117 from Montreal to 113 up to Chibougamau and then back down 167 to Lac Saint-Jean is a blast! I've done that twice back in 1986 and 1987 when I had my Merkur XR4ti. Little to no traffic, no cops, no towns, nothing but open road, trees and lakes. I have to get back soon. Also that crepe restaurant on Rue Denis by the satute of the guy bent over holding his head is still fresh in my mind. Go to get back soon.

What do you mean "today"? He's always like that! ;)

Regards,
Gordon

ha

No big difference?

5.4s is a HELL lot faster!

Let's take 6.2s for the RX-8 (since he said he wasn't doing an 8k launch)

In the differencs of 0.8 seconds, at a speed of 60 mph a car travels 0.0133 miles that's over 70 feet or 21.5 meters.

We're talking 4 (four) car lengths!


Now let's assume the 8k clutch drop and Canzoomer's mod.

5.9 seconds. Difference 0.5s
Distance travelled @ 60 mph is.. 13 meters or 44 feet.
2 and a half car lengths.


I had an M5 take off on me the other day and I thought I was in neutral or in reverse or something.

-Peter

It sounds like they were on a curve. That being the case, it is very possible. The GTO won't be able to use all that go on a curve. (especially with an average driver)

I concur. I'll never understand what it is and I suppose it doesn't help that I'm a woman *shrugs* And I get a similiar reactions when driving in my 'stang.

But a 16 year old in an RX-7 is cool though... right? :D

This post just seems like a thinly veiled way of telling everyone on the forum that he beat an imaginery GTO. FYI, Bobo the money could blow your doors off in a GTO, the driver doesn't have to be good, he just has to have a pulse. The rest of his original post sounds like the same thing anyone could encounter on any given day in any car.

Montreal's great. F1 here next week hehehe. Hey 911SC, don't forget Decarie Hot Dogs, Orange Julep, Crescent Street!

Haha - good one IkeWRX. BTW, I dusted off a 300C Hemi in the same corner.....hahaha.

But seriously, I left work at 2:30 today, Picked up my kid from school. Really nice day in MTL. Driving home on the expressway taking it easy crusin' at about 80-90 km/h in the middle lane. In the fast lane some guy was driving an econobox with a BIG rear deck spoiler that looked kinda home made and a single muffler the size of a coffee can. He had girl in the passenger seat. As they pull even with me, I see that the girl really liked the 8. You know, when someone points at the car, smiles and turns to say something to the other person....you get a sense that they must be saying good things, no? Anyways, I'll be darned, if the little schlep doesn't floor it to get away from me as fast as possible. LOL. This ever happen to you? The kid was in the car with me so I set a good example and behaved. LOL.

I don't get too many challenges, and when I do it's usually some old beatup econobox or ratty pickup for some reason. When my wife drives then the sportscar drivers want to race...

Maybe that's it- we're women, and the cars that do this that I see are always guys- perhaps we're supposed to be impressed? I mean, gosh- I don't know about you, but I am seriously turned on by manly men with their fart pipes flying past me at mach 2:D

I'd guess around 70% of the people I notice driving Mustangs are female. So much so that I expect the person behind the wheel of a mustang to be female rather than male.

Riced out Civics on the other hand... almost always male :)

No, that sounds like something the average riceboy, aka WRX driver, would post. I guess you having a car that's useless for anything other than a quick take off wouldn't understand that it's possible for a lighter, better handling car to take a right turn faster than a heavy ass coupe, regardless how much power it has.

I think you might have something there....lol... If I think someone is trying to race me or is going to take off at a light, I'll go EXTRA slow just to make them look even dumber.... like they are racing themselves.... I have no desire to race, besides I think you can get your license suspended for racing and then I would be on the bus instead of in my baby car. Don't get me wrong, I really like to drive fast and have my fair share of speeding tickets but I don't race people. :D

I'm sorry, I don't speak fanboy. Could someone translate for me?

Translate into what, Riceboy? Simple: add a few 'dudes' and 'sucks' every few words, and voila, even someone like you could understand.

bring the flame suits

Is the 2004/2005 GTO even out yet?
I highly dout it
besides theres not way the stock 8 can surpass the Gto with over 350hp!5.7liter

I love my 8, dont get me wrong but I know what it can do and what it can/cannot take on...

this one I'm going to have to call bullshit.

but its pretty fucked up I agree I get ppl who are agressive to me when I drive too... so no it isnt just you. they are mostly ricers that are soon seen in the rearview ! :D

My dealer (Mazda, Pontiac, ..) had a red GTO in his show room in February already.

I've seen them on ebay auctions.

I've yet to see one on the streets. I certainly look, but every time it turns out to be a 2004 Grand Prix.

About the bullshit that you call.. since they were making a right turn, I think it is possible. I've driven a circle around a 320hp Camaro on a curvy mountain highway. On the straight I'd have no chance.

I did that calculation (0.8 seconds equal 4 car lengths) only because someone else had stated that for a 0-60 time, 5.4 is not much slower than the RX-8 (estimated 6.2s).
0.8 seconds is a huge difference when doing 60 mph.

-Peter

It's out and on the roads.

well i can smoke a hennessey viper in my close to stock 8... if corky is driving the viper

Guys, can you DROP the GTO thing so I don't have to close the whole thread because of a street-racing post that wasn't really a street-racing post?

You could probably smoke one with anyone driving considering most of them don't exist and are sold off for parts before they ever become a Venom. If they do actually get completed they usually end up not running a short time after leaving Hennessey. Hennessey is about the biggest crook in the automotive world.

Re: Bad attitude on the road....
 

You see, that's your problem right there~ why would you get mad at someone who doesn't move over to let you pass? Either you blow by them on the right and give them the stare as you pass, or you tailgate them until they can't take the heat anymore. If you can't do either of those, them just sit back and smell their exhaust, but don't get mad sitting there doing nothing.

Looking like a jerk? Oh wait, you are not supposed to pass on the right? Really?

key word there bub... MOST ... most of them dont exist... meaning out of this whole country there could be one... meaning that if that ONE pulled up next to an RX8 and corky was driving it then one of the following would happen a.) he stalls out b.) he stays in first for 10 seconds completely blowing the engine to peices or c.) completely loses control of the car ... but the point i was trying to make was that just because a car has more horsepower than another doesnt mean it will win on the streets... ike id like to thank your smart ass for bringin that up though, keep me on my toes! :D

Not that I care what a few tenths of a second make because the car is still plenty quick, but didn't some of the mags clock the RX8 at 5.9 sec 0-60. or is that only possible with and 8000 RPM transmission destroying,Tire deflating, Judge Ito type launch. Anyway I have to keep reminding myself, Rx8= curves and turns+ 4 passangers. Motorcycle= really fast 0-60. Anyway I was talking to a Guy in Texas who runs a turbo rebuild shop and also has or had a twin turbo Harly Davidson drag bike that he took over 200mph, now that's nut's! and I told him so, he laughed and told me it was like breathing air. No matter how fast your going, you are always going to get used to it, but a car that turns and corners like this while carrying 4 and also the the way it drives and exhibits mannerisms, never! Back to the point, sometimes I feel that people target you for driving the RX8 and I find that it's mostly girls, so I'll let them pass by. It has to make you feel good that people are paying attention to your car even if you percieve it as negative. They either love it or they are curious and for the Zs and others that blow by you and laugh, take note that this is the only thing they have to enjoy about the car and besides I'm sure plenty of Mustang Cobras or 350 Camaros ( real muscle cars) blow by them and laugh just as loud. It's all a state of mind, so think of it in the right light. After all we have one hell of a car for the money.

What a thread.

I would have to say that I have noted some postive changes. We have heavy traffic on my way home during our "tourist season" and I used to have to wait a bit for someone to let me in. In the 8 every single time I am let in almost at the same time I pull up to the highway. Also, I have been challenged many times by various vehicles. Primarily ones that know they are quicker - a Mustang Cobra, a Lighting Truck, a Firebird, etc. I never experienced that in any other car I have owned. The interesting thing is that Mazda built a car that resembles an exotic race car. The only problem is that it has above average power but not muscle car or exotic car power which people perceive it should have just by the look. I cannot tell you how many people have honked at red lights or yelled out to ask, "That's a cool car, is it really fast?"

5.9 - 5.4 equal .5 -.5 for over 100 hundred horsepower more, is simply pathetic! the GTO is heavy and NOT built for the corners :) Read RXHuskers track experience and see what an 8 can keep up with on a real track! (i.e. not stop light drag racing) have a great night! and please stop the negative vibes- this is just a discussion

I strongly doubt it was a GTO for the simple reason that we don't have GTOs in Canada (Bumper Restrictions). If it was an American up in Montreal, chances are he'd be more concerned with where he was going rather than trying to beat an RX-8...