I have a Borla exhaust and because of the sound it makes, I get a lot of people wanting to race. Because a have a speeding ticket on my record 6 months ago I've been driving pretty conservatively. But since the Borla exhaust sounds so aggressive even at low speeds I think the other drivers next to me think that I'm wanting to race them, so they tend to go out of their way to overtake and cut me off. Has any one else had this problem with other drivers?

 

The borla sound will mellow with time. In fact, it sounds louder with the windows down than up.

People want to race with or without the exhaust. It's because of the car you drive.

 

Do you ask these people if they are racing because of the exhaust or because of the car? Just put a big sticker on your car that says the exhaust does not make if faster. You don't have to race anybody; nobody can force you to drive fast unless they are pointing a gun to your head. Are you sure these people are even racing you? I drive a different car all the time since I work at a car dealership and it doesnt matter if I am in a van, SUV, or Honda Accord people are always speeding fast past me, cutting me off, and out accelerating me at stoplights.

 

IMHO it's kind of hard to mistake a challenge.
Can't speak on exhausts on 8's specifically, but loud cars will always draw that kind of attention. And a loud car that looks fast as hell like the 8 will draw even more. When you make your car noticeable, especially audibly noticable, you're putting yourself out there on the "racer market" for lack of a better term. It doesn't say "Hey, I'll race and beat you whoever you are" but it does make people want a piece, a chance at a kill story to tell all the homiez. Stupid? Probably. But who wants a boring drive in an rx8?

 

My wife and I have both noticed that other drivers act differently when they are around the 8, as opposed to the 3 series.

People generaly fail to notice the BMW, but when we are in the 8, we see a lot more jerky motions..(like stabing the accelerator, or fast lane changes, or hard braking).

It seems like these people are saying "Hey, I see your car, watch what I can do with my civic!"

And yes, I think that your average "Ricer" associates a loud exhaust with a willingness to race.

 

True true...... I used to be (still am?) one of those average Ricers.

 

I don't know about the sound of the Borla, but after adding my Racing Beat exhaust, I've noticed a significant DROP in the number of ricers who rev at me at stoplights. Not that I care, since I tend to just drive at my own pace regardless, but still... The last guy who revved at me was just an FD showing his rotary appreciation.

~ Geoff

 

I get people trying to race me all the time and I'm stock! anything from big **** dodge pickups to modded ricer RSX/insert honda here people. there's suvs, grocery getters, all kinds of crap, I don't know why but my car has a tendency to make the surrounding drivers act like idiots, maybe it's just the super secret govt. funded automotive harassment sqaud. (ghas)

 

Race?! wat kinda ppl want to challenge 8?! Srt-4.?! or civic.. man.. U know wat.. all my friends. will never challenge my car again. since I drive 8. sad..!! sobing!! so... I will try to keep the limit speed. even is some ppl try to challenge me. cuz I know that's not funny....if I lose.. and..I have no interest to race with civic. or focus. and I have no gut to challenge evo. even is srt-4.. nvm...

 

On the plus side, I have less of a problem with left lane bandits with the 8 than I do with the minivan or the Subaru. I find people accually move out of the fast lane when I come up behind them. Sadly not all, just more.

 

Me too! I reckon it's only so they can have a decent perve......the same reason why I find people sit in my blind spot for a couple of miles on the freeway....

Gomez.

 

People want to race anything...just the other day I saw some pickup race a Dodge Viper off a stoplight...

Its not necessarily for the win, just for the fun

 

Funny, in the two weeks since I bought my car, nobody has tried to race me. But then every morning, two thirds of the cars I see around me are far more expensive than my 8. I see more m3s, SL500, S55s on the road than rx8s. The bay area is a weird place.

 

I have no friends, so I also drive stock.

For the most part I've noticed what alnielsen and gomez said. More people move out of my (left) lane when I approach from the rear. This is on the interstate.

I've only been "challenged" twice so far, once by a huge Dodge pickup (had a hemi no doubt) and once by a Lincoln Slabigator. What is it with those guys?

 

Only person that wanted to race me had a STi. I was like "Oh hell naw..I ain't racing you."

 

This isone of the reasons why I wont change the stock exhaust or intake. People DO noticeyour car more when it sounds louder and youget more attention from the stoplight racing crowd. Problem is thatthe aftermarket exhaust and intakes give **** for gains on our Rx8s so why would you want to sound likeyoure driving a monster when youre really not? My Rx8 is staying completely stock all around until turbo kits become available and the carcan actually be threatening to an STi and whatnot

 

I completely ignore any and all race challenges because it is retarded to do so on the streets. I do have the big *** Greddy tips and exhaust, and the sound is different, but I didnt get it for performance, I got it for the sound only.

Best free exhaust ever! (Thanks Mazda )

 

they dont want to race because of my exhaust
they want to race because my car looks like a red rocketship

 

For me it's usually Accords that want to "race" me.

 

'Tis weird how our cars seem sometimes to bring out the 'mine's bigger than yours' reponse.

Was being tailgated by a white Ford Experdition on 2 lane today.. long holiday weekend up here in Canada place so lots of traffic going nowhere but to Walmart, Costco, grandmas' ... whatever,.. I was travelling over the limit at 70 clicks on a 60 KPH stretch.. as soon as he could see a chance he passed on the shoulder on my right and with a onefinger salute.. roared away ..

Five minutes later there he was, trapped behind a blue Subaru WRX of all things that was braking and holding its speed between the 60-70 kph mark..


I could see the idiot's head bobbing left and right like a running half-back's looking for the big chance but the oncoming traffic was too heavy and the Sube was feinting to the right whenever the fool seemed about to pull another smoothie.

Eventually the Fomoco pulled a lefty onto a dirt road..and the Subaru took off.

 

I see grossly enormous American truckery as the last vestige of muscle cars. Big vehicle, big power, rear wheel drive, loud, way overrated. So in my estimation it's a patriotic pride thing. Just another group giving patriotism a bad name.
The other thing I deal with is the same group being a pushy bunch of bully posers because they're big. I cut them NO slack. As for sports cars, they're almost always given plenty of room to get over in front of me. Even ricers sometimes, as long as they're not ******** and they don't have "unesicary" wings whatever the hell those are. From my standpoint, they're not in trucks, SUVs or minivans so they're already on my good side.

 

Yeah, some of the SUVs are pretty quick in a straight line but I love smokin' them once we get to some turns... it's all over for them... :D

 

The 8 draws so much attention. People look at you at the lights and everywhere you go. I am invisible in my grandma's Camry, but the 8 just says hey look over here. I've almost been ran off the road by someone who was trying to get a look and came over too close.

 

why dont you guys race? lol. is it cause the cars cant keep up or what? Man... making the 8's look bad out there.... I would be racing every chance i got.

 

Heh. It's that kind of talk that could get one banned.