Do you/Can you, really enjoy DRIVING your supercar anymore?
Discussion
With the increasing number of unmarked , camera-equipped road safety cars around , I don't think you can anymore .
Modern supercars are too long-geared , and in particular the gaps between the lower gears are spaced too far apart , for the speed limits in the UK , and the EU .
Combine this with supercars that produce colossal amounts of power , and you have very limited opportunities for changing gear , and to compound the problem , very little time in which to enjoy the build up to the crescendo just below the red-line .
This is before even beginning to talk about congested and pot-holed roads .
Or ,the gross width , and poor sight-lines of most supercars
And the fact that supercars stand out , makes them even more vulnerable to the afore-mentioned unmarked camera-equipped safety cars .
So I am genuinely intrigued by owners who say that they really enjoy DRIVING their supercars ---where , when and how are you getting these thrills ?
Modern supercars are too long-geared , and in particular the gaps between the lower gears are spaced too far apart , for the speed limits in the UK , and the EU .
Combine this with supercars that produce colossal amounts of power , and you have very limited opportunities for changing gear , and to compound the problem , very little time in which to enjoy the build up to the crescendo just below the red-line .
This is before even beginning to talk about congested and pot-holed roads .
Or ,the gross width , and poor sight-lines of most supercars
And the fact that supercars stand out , makes them even more vulnerable to the afore-mentioned unmarked camera-equipped safety cars .
So I am genuinely intrigued by owners who say that they really enjoy DRIVING their supercars ---where , when and how are you getting these thrills ?
carspath said:
With the increasing number of unmarked , camera-equipped road safety cars around , I don't think you can anymore .
Modern supercars are too long-geared , and in particular the gaps between the lower gears are spaced too far apart , for the speed limits in the UK , and the EU .
Combine this with supercars that produce colossal amounts of power , and you have very limited opportunities for changing gear , and to compound the problem , very little time in which to enjoy the build up to the crescendo just below the red-line .
This is before even beginning to talk about congested and pot-holed roads .
Or ,the gross width , and poor sight-lines of most supercars
And the fact that supercars stand out , makes them even more vulnerable to the afore-mentioned unmarked camera-equipped safety cars .
So I am genuinely intrigued by owners who say that they really enjoy DRIVING their supercars ---where , when and how are you getting these thrills ?
Yes ...... In Europe where they know how to drive , appreciate a nice car and its vast area means you can go to places where there is no one else about sticking their nose into your business !Modern supercars are too long-geared , and in particular the gaps between the lower gears are spaced too far apart , for the speed limits in the UK , and the EU .
Combine this with supercars that produce colossal amounts of power , and you have very limited opportunities for changing gear , and to compound the problem , very little time in which to enjoy the build up to the crescendo just below the red-line .
This is before even beginning to talk about congested and pot-holed roads .
Or ,the gross width , and poor sight-lines of most supercars
And the fact that supercars stand out , makes them even more vulnerable to the afore-mentioned unmarked camera-equipped safety cars .
So I am genuinely intrigued by owners who say that they really enjoy DRIVING their supercars ---where , when and how are you getting these thrills ?
There are still plenty of quiet country roads in this country, places the police don’t worry about speeding (because these tend to be roads where if you have an incident, you’re less likely to kill or injure others).
Plus - I enjoy driving my car at lower speeds as well, under and at the speed limits. I even get some childish amusement from the impatient queue of hatchbacks and people carriers that form behind me in 30 limits!
Plus - I enjoy driving my car at lower speeds as well, under and at the speed limits. I even get some childish amusement from the impatient queue of hatchbacks and people carriers that form behind me in 30 limits!
carspath said:
With the increasing number of unmarked , camera-equipped road safety cars around , I don't think you can anymore .
Modern supercars are too long-geared , and in particular the gaps between the lower gears are spaced too far apart , for the speed limits in the UK , and the EU .
Combine this with supercars that produce colossal amounts of power , and you have very limited opportunities for changing gear , and to compound the problem , very little time in which to enjoy the build up to the crescendo just below the red-line .
This is before even beginning to talk about congested and pot-holed roads .
Or ,the gross width , and poor sight-lines of most supercars
And the fact that supercars stand out , makes them even more vulnerable to the afore-mentioned unmarked camera-equipped safety cars .
So I am genuinely intrigued by owners who say that they really enjoy DRIVING their supercars ---where , when and how are you getting these thrills ?
Is this for your book or just genuine musing?Modern supercars are too long-geared , and in particular the gaps between the lower gears are spaced too far apart , for the speed limits in the UK , and the EU .
Combine this with supercars that produce colossal amounts of power , and you have very limited opportunities for changing gear , and to compound the problem , very little time in which to enjoy the build up to the crescendo just below the red-line .
This is before even beginning to talk about congested and pot-holed roads .
Or ,the gross width , and poor sight-lines of most supercars
And the fact that supercars stand out , makes them even more vulnerable to the afore-mentioned unmarked camera-equipped safety cars .
So I am genuinely intrigued by owners who say that they really enjoy DRIVING their supercars ---where , when and how are you getting these thrills ?
I don’t need to drink and get bladdered to have a good time at a party. I don’t need to drive like my hair is on fire to enjoy my car. Plenty of fun to be had beetling about A Roads and B Roads at or around legal limits, blipping up and down gears flowing with the bends and straights, overtaking etc..
I live in the country rather than near any big cities so, may have an advantage over some. Just getting in the car and pulling out the garage puts a smile on my face, before I have even gone anywhere!
I live in the country rather than near any big cities so, may have an advantage over some. Just getting in the car and pulling out the garage puts a smile on my face, before I have even gone anywhere!
Superleg48 said:
I don’t need to drink and get bladdered to have a good time at a party. I don’t need to drive like my hair is on fire to enjoy my car. Plenty of fun to be had beetling about A Roads and B Roads at or around legal limits, blipping up and down gears flowing with the bends and straights, overtaking etc..
I live in the country rather than near any big cities so, may have an advantage over some. Just getting in the car and pulling out the garage puts a smile on my face, before I have even gone anywhere!
Agree, with that V10, you don't need to be ragging it for aural sex...I live in the country rather than near any big cities so, may have an advantage over some. Just getting in the car and pulling out the garage puts a smile on my face, before I have even gone anywhere!
Thank you for all your thoughts.
Focussing specifically on the ' enjoyment of DRIVING a supercar ' , it would seem to me that most of your responses would confirm my suspicion that this is something that is no longer readily achievable
The replies suggest that to maximise your chances of a decent drive while retaining your license and liberty , you have to go through an inordinate amount of planning and compromise (very early morning start 4.30am ; selected B roads ; driving the car at a less than ideal road and engine speed )
I find these cars totally boring when they are driven at 1/3 of their maximum engine speeds , in the first 2 of their 6 or 7 available gears .
With respect to getting thrills from :
1) Acceleration : you barely have time ( what , maybe 4 or 5 seconds ? ) to appreciate that push from 20 mph to 80 mph , before you are past the legal limit +
2) Continental driving : France and Spain and Italy are now ferocious in their attitude to speed.
Let's not mention Switzerland . Germany's famed roads are essentially a network of road works. I drove 9,000 miles on the continent last year , and with some very notable exceptions , the limitations in the UK were replicated there . (Admittedly , much , much less congestion in France, Spain ,Portugal , Baltics and Eastern Europe cf UK )
3) Track-day driving : Supercars are so fundamentally unsuited to track work ---- too heavy , too many driver-aids, too wide , poor sight-lines , too expensive on consumables like brakes and tyres , too expensive in terms of damaged body panels in case of an accident.
Surely , a Caterham or an Atom or a Brooke or an X-bow would give a purer track experience, more enjoyment and at less cost .
My starting this topic might seem like a 'wind-up ' exercise , but I started it because I genuinely think that an era is coming to an end , and that it might be sensible to acknowledge this .
I have long been an advocate of the virtues of a working alarm clock in the summer .
I enjoy the odd track-day in an open light-weight car.
Twenty years ago , I too enjoyed planning the route and time , preparing a serviced and inspected car with new but run-in tyres , getting in the middle of a 5 lane , single direction road on the Continent , and then maxing a V12 ----- its something that I will remember forever . (I've only fully max'ed a V12 once ).
With each passing year , driving becomes more restricted in one way or another, and the enjoyment of it declines in direct proportion .
I think that the basic engineering of modern supercars (xs power and torque , gearing chosen to keep emissions low , xs weight , width etc,etc) makes them very poor road cars in real world 2018 , and I wish that more of my fellow petrolheads would acknowledge this . (So that we can ask for a different type of Supercar from the manufacturers )
Supercars are often things of beauty , and often represent the pinnacle of engineering know-how , and maybe we should be more honest in acknowledging that we love them for these reasons , rather than for what is now the often touted , but far less achievable goal of ''driving enjoyment ''.
JB : the proofs went in 2 weeks ago , and cannot now be altered , so this is purely for my own interest , but how did you know the title to the final chapter ?
Focussing specifically on the ' enjoyment of DRIVING a supercar ' , it would seem to me that most of your responses would confirm my suspicion that this is something that is no longer readily achievable
The replies suggest that to maximise your chances of a decent drive while retaining your license and liberty , you have to go through an inordinate amount of planning and compromise (very early morning start 4.30am ; selected B roads ; driving the car at a less than ideal road and engine speed )
I find these cars totally boring when they are driven at 1/3 of their maximum engine speeds , in the first 2 of their 6 or 7 available gears .
With respect to getting thrills from :
1) Acceleration : you barely have time ( what , maybe 4 or 5 seconds ? ) to appreciate that push from 20 mph to 80 mph , before you are past the legal limit +
2) Continental driving : France and Spain and Italy are now ferocious in their attitude to speed.
Let's not mention Switzerland . Germany's famed roads are essentially a network of road works. I drove 9,000 miles on the continent last year , and with some very notable exceptions , the limitations in the UK were replicated there . (Admittedly , much , much less congestion in France, Spain ,Portugal , Baltics and Eastern Europe cf UK )
3) Track-day driving : Supercars are so fundamentally unsuited to track work ---- too heavy , too many driver-aids, too wide , poor sight-lines , too expensive on consumables like brakes and tyres , too expensive in terms of damaged body panels in case of an accident.
Surely , a Caterham or an Atom or a Brooke or an X-bow would give a purer track experience, more enjoyment and at less cost .
My starting this topic might seem like a 'wind-up ' exercise , but I started it because I genuinely think that an era is coming to an end , and that it might be sensible to acknowledge this .
I have long been an advocate of the virtues of a working alarm clock in the summer .
I enjoy the odd track-day in an open light-weight car.
Twenty years ago , I too enjoyed planning the route and time , preparing a serviced and inspected car with new but run-in tyres , getting in the middle of a 5 lane , single direction road on the Continent , and then maxing a V12 ----- its something that I will remember forever . (I've only fully max'ed a V12 once ).
With each passing year , driving becomes more restricted in one way or another, and the enjoyment of it declines in direct proportion .
I think that the basic engineering of modern supercars (xs power and torque , gearing chosen to keep emissions low , xs weight , width etc,etc) makes them very poor road cars in real world 2018 , and I wish that more of my fellow petrolheads would acknowledge this . (So that we can ask for a different type of Supercar from the manufacturers )
Supercars are often things of beauty , and often represent the pinnacle of engineering know-how , and maybe we should be more honest in acknowledging that we love them for these reasons , rather than for what is now the often touted , but far less achievable goal of ''driving enjoyment ''.
JB : the proofs went in 2 weeks ago , and cannot now be altered , so this is purely for my own interest , but how did you know the title to the final chapter ?
The reason I still own my car is because I enjoy DRIVING it. It literally puts a smile on my face, even if I start in a bad mood - and that's without any pre-planning or getting up at 4am for empty roads.
But perhaps mine is old enough and slow enough that it doesn't meet the OP criteria.
But perhaps mine is old enough and slow enough that it doesn't meet the OP criteria.
Carspath, I agree totally with what you say. The consumers are suckered into buying the newest and best offering from the manufacturer and this monster is now unusable on the average road. Modern cars are things of beauty but ironically useless in the purpose they were created for. This has led to new love for the slightly older iterations, with less power, lower road-holding capability and overall less neutering of the sensory transmitters. They offer more driver involvement and for DRIVERS (as you noted) more enjoyment. For NON-DRIVERS, the latest versions are the king of the Top-Trump interaction around the dinner-table or in the pub. Each to their own.
Regardless of this, ever-increasing road congestion and the increasing concern about the environment, valid or not, will sweep the supercar off roads... sooner rather than later. Many of us stick our heads in the sand and ignore this.
Regardless of this, ever-increasing road congestion and the increasing concern about the environment, valid or not, will sweep the supercar off roads... sooner rather than later. Many of us stick our heads in the sand and ignore this.
Totally agree, it's a changed world and not suited to anyone who likes the thrill of speed. The general public lump 'speeders' with 'drunk drivers' with kiddy fiddlers, We've lost all sense of proportion/risk as a society IMO. There is much less sense of rebellion, with a lot of younger guys I know, it's even chic to obey ze orders and be compliant to our overlords. The kool aid has been drunketh. So in this macro environment we see a very different public perception to motor sport enthusiasts, far more sidelined than ever before IMO.
To be honest, I can't quite beleive we're still allowed to go skiing and play rugby. The level of risk associated with skiing&rugby is crazy vs driving enthusiastically.
Back to suoercars.
Supercar gearing is too long, for sure, grip levels too high, ground clearance too low for traffic calmed roads.... , but the poor vis, more of that please - that's 1/2 the challenge and I won't hear against it!!
I think mid 90s was a pretty special time for road/car balance. Cars were not as accomplished, but still had comforts like fuel Injection and decent ac, and the roads were less stazi-d, a great era in my driving history.
Im actually giving some thought to a 90s supercar at the moment, not a modern one, for all the reasons you describe. Although what I'm. Looking at is far far too fast for UK roads, but nothing like a 720s or similar modern machinery. In terms of my 90s prey, Three main things that count against are ground clearance, gearing, and no cruise control! For me, all the modern Specs 40 zones etc... And motorway driving are really risky to drive in a powerful car with no cruise. And more and more of these roads exist now. It's just not relaxing without CC, you have to unduly concentrate on not accidentally creeping up. I've lost count of the times Ive looked down, realised I crept up by 10mph, and with no idea what my average was, have to creep along at 30 to get average back down. Infinitely more relaxing covering ground if you set the CC and forget about it, it's a big issue for me lack of CC on modern roads, makes driving too fatiguing without it. But that's just me. Gearing I can sort with lower range diff
To be honest, I can't quite beleive we're still allowed to go skiing and play rugby. The level of risk associated with skiing&rugby is crazy vs driving enthusiastically.
Back to suoercars.
Supercar gearing is too long, for sure, grip levels too high, ground clearance too low for traffic calmed roads.... , but the poor vis, more of that please - that's 1/2 the challenge and I won't hear against it!!
I think mid 90s was a pretty special time for road/car balance. Cars were not as accomplished, but still had comforts like fuel Injection and decent ac, and the roads were less stazi-d, a great era in my driving history.
Im actually giving some thought to a 90s supercar at the moment, not a modern one, for all the reasons you describe. Although what I'm. Looking at is far far too fast for UK roads, but nothing like a 720s or similar modern machinery. In terms of my 90s prey, Three main things that count against are ground clearance, gearing, and no cruise control! For me, all the modern Specs 40 zones etc... And motorway driving are really risky to drive in a powerful car with no cruise. And more and more of these roads exist now. It's just not relaxing without CC, you have to unduly concentrate on not accidentally creeping up. I've lost count of the times Ive looked down, realised I crept up by 10mph, and with no idea what my average was, have to creep along at 30 to get average back down. Infinitely more relaxing covering ground if you set the CC and forget about it, it's a big issue for me lack of CC on modern roads, makes driving too fatiguing without it. But that's just me. Gearing I can sort with lower range diff
BlueIn2Red said:
It still feels more like a "wind up exercise". All the replies disagreed with you, the posters saying they do still enjoy driving their cars on today's roads, yet you choose to interpret the complete opposite!
Exactly my thoughts, most bizarre if its not a total wind up One of the reasons I bought a Huracan PERFORMANTE is that with the naturally aspirated V10 engine and amazing soundtrack its still fun at sensible speeds.
This is where Lambo have got the SUPERcar bit right, the theatre and drama. Sorry and I own one but turbocharged cars are just not the same.
To me the sound is a massive part of the experience
This is where Lambo have got the SUPERcar bit right, the theatre and drama. Sorry and I own one but turbocharged cars are just not the same.
To me the sound is a massive part of the experience
"My starting this topic might seem like a 'wind-up ' exercise , but I started it because I genuinely think that an era is coming to an end , and that it might be sensible to acknowledge this ."
There is truth in this but maybe for another reason. My 3 children (all boys) and a very good majority of their friends for whatever reason think supercars are 100% uncool. Almost to the point where only 'kn*bs' drive them. Complete opposite to my youth when if your dad had a supercar he was cool, instantly. This is the next generation of car buyers saying this. Occasionally I meet one who still loves them but even those seem to lose interest as they get older.
There is truth in this but maybe for another reason. My 3 children (all boys) and a very good majority of their friends for whatever reason think supercars are 100% uncool. Almost to the point where only 'kn*bs' drive them. Complete opposite to my youth when if your dad had a supercar he was cool, instantly. This is the next generation of car buyers saying this. Occasionally I meet one who still loves them but even those seem to lose interest as they get older.
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