Just a small rant here.
Going down the road, I am behind a suburban doing 40 in a 50mph.. the brakes like are on for 59 seconds out of a minute (they occasionally flashed off) and I am holding way back because I cannot see around them and I do not know what they are doing.
After a few minutes I suddenly realise I am catching up on the burban at a HIGH rate of speed. I had to stand on the brakes and come to a halt less than a carlength behind it.. Thanks to their driving with one foot on the brake for the past 5 miles.. I never knew they were getting on the brakes to slow for a a car that stopped to turn left.
I wonder how long a set of brakes lasts on a Suburban driven like that. 10K miles?
That drives me berkeleying nuts!
Otto Maddox wrote:
I wonder how long a set of brakes lasts on a Suburban driven like that. 10K miles?
they last a long time because they're just resting their non-gas foot on the pedal enough to trip the switch but not enough to push pressure out of the master cylinder.
I see people doingthat all the time. Get your left foot off the brake pedal unless you're trying to left foot brake around a race track.
My guess is that they are in a 'burb because they want a big vehicle to protect themselves from all the bad drivers on the road.
Funnily enough, we can thank Big Brother and the idiots at Toyota for new legislation that makes a brake application over-ride a throttle-input on new cars, which has the deliciously ironic happenstance of making idiots like the Burban driver you're complaining about obsolete as they won't be able to left-foot-brake anymore.
I always get the urge to beep at people who overuse the brakes to move at a slow rate of speed.
It's fun when you're being followed by someone who's on the phone and has abdicated their role as driver, choosing to do whatever you do, and they're in an SUV and you're in an MA Miata w/ suspension and tires. You just suck 'em right down that off ramp with the decreasing radius bit at the bottom, accelerating the whole way...
motomoron wrote:
It's fun when you're being followed by someone who's on the phone and has abdicated their role as driver, choosing to do whatever you do, and they're in an SUV and you're in an MA Miata w/ suspension and tires. You just suck 'em right down that off ramp with the decreasing radius bit at the bottom, accelerating the whole way...
^^This^^
It's one of my favorite driving past times. Works with just about any car too. Even the yuppie in his bimmer is surprised how fast my VW or 240 can go around a corner. Panic lift is fun to watch in the rear view
rmarkc
Reader
4/6/12 5:23 p.m.
I've run into a loathsome deviant of brake riders recently. Maybe more of a brake-rider/tailgater hybrid.
Cars that will ride half a car length behind the car in front of them and constantly brake to keep that distance. When the front car turns off or gets into another lane, the brake rider zooms up to the next car and the cycle continues. They do this on 2 and 4 lane roads, fast or slow lane.
It is kind of entertaining to watch. Its like watching the worst "follow that car" scene ever.
Cone_Junky wrote:
motomoron wrote:
It's fun when you're being followed by someone who's on the phone and has abdicated their role as driver, choosing to do whatever you do, and they're in an SUV and you're in an MA Miata w/ suspension and tires. You just suck 'em right down that off ramp with the decreasing radius bit at the bottom, accelerating the whole way...
^^This^^
It's one of my favorite driving past times. Works with just about any car too. Even the yuppie in his bimmer is surprised how fast my VW or 240 can go around a corner. Panic lift is fun to watch in the rear view
I have never done this, ever. I have never looked in my rearview mirror and seen a tailgating shiny happy person hit guide rail. It wasn't me but if it was I probably would have laffed my anoos off.
There are a LOT of people who use the brake pedal as a switch.
Cone_Junky wrote:
motomoron wrote:
It's fun when you're being followed by someone who's on the phone and has abdicated their role as driver, choosing to do whatever you do, and they're in an SUV and you're in an MA Miata w/ suspension and tires. You just suck 'em right down that off ramp with the decreasing radius bit at the bottom, accelerating the whole way...
^^This^^
It's one of my favorite driving past times. Works with just about any car too. Even the yuppie in his bimmer is surprised how fast my VW or 240 can go around a corner. Panic lift is fun to watch in the rear view
Back when I had just quit racing, I did that to someone in a 1st gen CRX. Looked up to find him still there when the corner was completed. He waved, so I pulled into a parking lot.
"So, what class do you race?", he asked. He was an ex-Formula Ford guy that noticed the SCCA sticker on the back. He said that yes, he did it too. And that he could see me do a double-take at the rearview when I noticed he was still there.
Back on topic: I see fewer of them (brake riders) than I used to, and the ones I see seem to be older people. OTOH, I was behind one on a twisty bit close to the house day before yesterday, and I could smell his brakes.
friedgreencorrado wrote:
Cone_Junky wrote:
motomoron wrote:
It's fun when you're being followed by someone who's on the phone and has abdicated their role as driver, choosing to do whatever you do, and they're in an SUV and you're in an MA Miata w/ suspension and tires. You just suck 'em right down that off ramp with the decreasing radius bit at the bottom, accelerating the whole way...
^^This^^
It's one of my favorite driving past times. Works with just about any car too. Even the yuppie in his bimmer is surprised how fast my VW or 240 can go around a corner. Panic lift is fun to watch in the rear view
Back when I had just quit racing, I did that to someone in a 1st gen CRX. Looked up to find him still there when the corner was completed. He waved, so I pulled into a parking lot.
"So, what class do you race?", he asked. He was an ex-Formula Ford guy that noticed the SCCA sticker on the back. He said that yes, he did it too. And that he could see me do a double-take at the rearview when I noticed he was still there.
Back on topic: I see fewer of them (brake riders) than I used to, and the ones I see seem to be older people. OTOH, I was behind one on a twisty bit close to the house day before yesterday, and I could *smell* his brakes.
Hah!! I do this too. Never had one behind me hit a guard rail but have had them swing wide or go straight off the road. There's this corner going into the airport and I usually cut through the airport to go to work, it avoids the heavy traffic plus I do travel a lot. Last month I was going to the airport early morning and I was accelerating my RX8 into a left sweeper trying to get by an STI but the STI stayed with me all the way through the corner, never had that happen to me there before. As we were heading into long term parking at the airport we gave each other a nod and a thumbs up. He disappeared onto another parking level or I would have tried to talk to him.
T.J.
UberDork
4/6/12 8:54 p.m.
Wendell, I know that left turn you are talking about.
I've never had anyone go off the road or hit anything, but I have had many that were surprised and went into panic mode. It is especially fun when driving the Mini because it always seems to attract followers...not sure if they like the car or want to see how many clowns are in it, but they sure do follow and tailgate me. Off/on ramps or any bit of twisties is usually pretty funny. The MSM is similar with less attention.
iceracer wrote:
There are a LOT of people who use the brake pedal as a switch.
And the throttle, as well. I blame automatic transmissions.
