Driving Frustration

[secretariat]

This F80 M3 has got to be one of the most frustrating cars to drive around town (non-highway) that I have ever owned. Driving around yesterday to get gas and do a few highway blast I found myself behind drivers who do there absolute best to obey speed limits, cut in front of me to slow me down (POS Prius owner, since when are these people the road nannies) It seems like people see me in there rear view mirrors and automatically step on there brakes. I had to follow a Dodge Durango 5.9 RT, whatever the F**k that is, for about 6 miles on a one lane road. He absolutely refused to go 2 miles over the speed limit, probably because he was out of gas. As you can see I was so bored following him that I remembered what kind of car he had.

On the other hand, when I finally was able to get on the Parkway, I won't mention which one, the reason we buy these cars was all there. Fast, handling better than anything that I can remember driving, that beautiful sound in wide open throttle, and just blowing by all cars with a few blasts (and I admit a few foot to the floor blasts, just for passing not very long)
made me smile.

And now the funny part, I noticed in one of my blasts (for lack of a better word) a Cadillac Escalade trying to stay with me. What is wrong with these people? After losing him and then waiting for him to catch up I noticed his girlfriend or wife was none to pleased with his shenanigans. She was screaming at him, so I let him pass me only to make eye contact with him, and he reminded me of the guilty puppy in the picture on the internet.

It's always fun on Sunday mornings to go for a ride in these machines, but also frustrating. Thanks for reading, and letting me vent.

[Gstone]

New York!
Very inconsiderate and competitive.
Double parked, parked in fire lanes when there are open parking spots, drive slow in left and center lanes, don't use directionals, cut 2 inches in front of you at high speeds....Every day.

[CanAutM3]

I agree, this car can be frustrating on public roads, it way too fast. If you want to truly enjoy the M3/4 performance, go to the track . There is no way to appreciate the true performance potential of those cars on public roads. A small prob on the throttle pedal sends you flying at 2 times the speed limit and you need to drive crazy speeds to get the chassis to dance in curves.

For me, the best way to enjoy this car on public roads is to set everything in comfort, indulge the nice leather and sound system and drive in a relaxed manner .

[E90potentialbuyer]

Originally Posted by secretariat

This F80 M3 has got to be one of the most frustrating cars to drive around town (non-highway) that I have ever owned. Driving around yesterday to get gas and do a few highway blast I found myself behind drivers who do there absolute best to obey speed limits, cut in front of me to slow me down (POS Prius owner, since when are these people the road nannies) It seems like people see me in there rear view mirrors and automatically step on there brakes. I had to follow a Dodge Durango 5.9 RT, whatever the F**k that is, for about 6 miles on a one lane road. He absolutely refused to go 2 miles over the speed limit, probably because he was out of gas. As you can see I was so bored following him that I remembered what kind of car he had.

On the other hand, when I finally was able to get on the Parkway, I won't mention which one, the reason we buy these cars was all there. Fast, handling better than anything that I can remember driving, that beautiful sound in wide open throttle, and just blowing by all cars with a few blasts (and I admit a few foot to the floor blasts, just for passing not very long)
made me smile.

And now the funny part, I noticed in one of my blasts (for lack of a better word) a Cadillac Escalade trying to stay with me. What is wrong with these people? After losing him and then waiting for him to catch up I noticed his girlfriend or wife was none to pleased with his shenanigans. She was screaming at him, so I let him pass me only to make eye contact with him, and he reminded me of the guilty puppy in the picture on the internet.

It's always fun on Sunday mornings to go for a ride in these machines, but also frustrating. Thanks for reading, and letting me vent.

How fast were you trying to go? Changing in and out of lanes multiple times without indicator?

[secretariat]

e90potential, absolutely not. I don't drive like an idiot. All I'm saying( if you read the thread) is that's it's frustrating with this much power on hand to be stuck behind other vehicles and not be able to do anything about it.

Where are you getting that I was changing lanes multiple times without an indicator? Where is that coming from?

[BEMR]

To me best city setting "sport - comfort - comfort" efficient just to laggy, not to mention low throttle response low exhaust sound, gotta hear it.

[BEMR]

Originally Posted by secretariat

e90potential, absolutely not. I don't drive like an idiot. All I'm saying( if you read the thread) is that's it's frustrating with this much power on hand to be stuck behind other vehicles and not be able to do anything about it.

Where are you getting that I was changing lanes multiple times without an indicator? Where is that coming from?

I think what they were trying to say is that your gonna find lane monitors (slow drivers that could at least drive speed limit) anywhere in the country. Sometimes especially with others in the car we just have to just sit back and relax, although we may drive some of the fastest cars in the world, we must pay attention to speed on public roadways, at all times.

Highway speed is number one in traffic accidents, and fatalities, not slow drivers. The most fun in these cars is zero to 60, and cornering, in my opinion. Respect speed, it's a killer!

[ASAP]

IMHO... automative enthusiasts should not live in the Northeast... it's too clogged and the roads/laws are far too restricting. In a place like NYC, I wouldnt even have a car.

[SuspectisHatless]

The traffic in northern NJ is the same way. On single lane roads people regularly drive 5-10 mph below the speed limit. I remind myself that its probably someone elderly, or half-blind, disabled or extremely hung over. Time to focus on finding a good radio station, etc. I recommend getting away for a long road trip on the weekend. Travel upstate and put a few hundred miles on the car in in far less crowded conditions.

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by BEMR

Highway speed is number one in traffic accidents, and fatalities, not slow drivers. The most fun in these cars is zero to 60, and cornering, in my opinion. Respect speed, it's a killer!

That is because speed limits are ridiculously low in North America, so it is easy to blame excessive speed. I have just spent 4 weeks driving in Europe on my ED, and the discipline on the road is so much superior than what I see here in North America. The whole traffic system is made so traffic flows.

I would say that the true #1 killer on roads is distractions while driving (cell phone use and texting being the worst).

[ASAP]

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

That is because speed limits are ridiculously low in North America, so it is easy to blame excessive speed. I have just spent 4 weeks driving in Europe on my ED, and the discipline on the road is so much superior than what I see here in North America. The whole traffic system is made so traffic flows.

I would say that the true #1 killer on roads is distractions while driving (cell phone use and texting being the worst).

Yes times 100... I would also add lack of awareness and lack of confidence while driving.

[secretariat]

Suspectishatless, I agree with those drivers probably being elderly or handicapped or whatever. Listening to the music is what I do when stuck behind someone. But listening to music doesn't make it any less frustrating. And not all of these drivers are elderly, maybe I'm paranoid but I had the distinct feeling that some of them were intentionally driving slowly or slowing down when they saw me in there rear view mirror approaching them, not at an unsafe or very fast speed.

I'm positive that the Prius driver saw me coming and turned into the lane I was driving in and then slowed down, and I wasn't flying down the road before everybody says I was.

[rz3]

Add vehicle care to the list of issues. I drive east to work every morning. It amazes me how many people have to slow to a near stop because they can't see out their nasty front windshields with the sun's glare. Buy some decent sunglasses and some Windex, people!

[Needsdecaf]

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

That is because speed limits are ridiculously low in North America, so it is easy to blame excessive speed. I have just spent 4 weeks driving in Europe on my ED, and the discipline on the road is so much superior than what I see here in North America. The whole traffic system is made so traffic flows.

I would say that the true #1 killer on roads is distractions while driving (cell phone use and texting being the worst).

Driving has a different mentality in Europe. Harder to get a license (you have to do more than fog a mirror), more expensive, and more restrictive when you're a youngster. Generalizing of course, but you get the point. Last time I drove in Europe, I came home and wanted to kill every driver within 15 minutes of leaving EWR.

Problem is, we have a country set up where public transportation can take far less of us where we need to go. And also, if we tried to adopt European standards for licensing, you'd have every special interest group in the country protesting that it was racist / economically discriminatory / etc.

[Boss330]

This seem like the opposite of what the Germans call "Überhol prestige", that is when a car has a front end that tells other drivers to get out of the way

Works very well most of the time here in Europe. If you drive a car that has a aggressive front end (like a M3/M4, M5, RS6 etc), people tend to move over and let you pass. Just because the car looks aggressive and signals that I want to drive faster than you

Unfortunately that exact same look/presence seems to have the opposite effect where you drive...

[dreamsongs]

Aside from maybe the volume of traffic in NY, it's much worse here in FL. Remember that there's tons of retirement towns and communities for retired people. And they pretty much almost drive until they can barely see and hear.

If you want to be truly frustrated, come down to South Florida. I promise you your blood pressure will be dangerously high within a week of driving around here....

[karussell]

my own version of gearhead hell is having a F82 M4 in one of the Hawaiian islands. Kauai in particular. 35mph speed limit. locals going 25mph. absolute hell.

opposite end is pretty much any RWD car at the Nurburgring. mecca.

[Accel Junky]

I can't stand how people drive around where I live. Maybe I have become impatient...but it seems nobody drives with a sense of urgency. It is like they have all the time in the world and nowhere important to be... The ratio of busy-body stay-at-home soccer moms to actual commuters around here (Cobb county, GA) is pretty high though I would say.

[Algol]

The M3/4 is really too quick for the road sadly. At least in Atlanta I feel the only time ill be able to really drive the car in anger is on the track. I do get your frustration because I have no idea what the limits of this car are. I think im going to have to sign up for a track day soon.

[NYR31]

Living in the 'burbs i get to drive mostly country roads, but in those occasions when i have to drive down to the NY/NJ airports, i remember how much i hate drivers. NY is the place where dumb drivers and a-hole drivers meet. You have the idiots going below the speed limit, followed by the a-hole riding his ass then going around the idiot on the shoulder or on/off ramp and zig zagging in/out of traffic.

[e90post_user]

Now with our wonderful mayor setting the speed limit to 25 MPH in the city, you wish you were riding your bike instead.

[cah1708]

Originally Posted by Boss330

This seem like the opposite of what the Germans call "Überhol prestige", that is when a car has a front end that tells other drivers to get out of the way

Works very well most of the time here in Europe. If you drive a car that has a aggressive front end (like a M3/M4, M5, RS6 etc), people tend to move over and let you pass. Just because the car looks aggressive and signals that I want to drive faster than you

Unfortunately that exact same look/presence seems to have the opposite effect where you drive...

When I had my 2013 Shelby GT500, people almost always got the heck out of my way when they saw me in their rear mirror. That gaping snout helped. Pretty much the same for my husband's Boss 302.