I used to attempt to race my v6 camaro on the street at the time last year, and then I finally realized how stupid it was. I mean just thinking of getting the ticket was lame as hell.
I'm going to save up for a year and get a lightning, and all my racing stays at the track. I just hear way too many damn stories of people getting killed on the road by street racers and dont want to risk it.

 

Uhhhhhh...

I nearly pissed on myself!

 

I like to race and I'll do it any chance I get.

 

I think we are all guilty of street racing in some form. Aftrer all, we don't just wake up one day and say "hmm, I think I'm going to try going fast in my car for once" and then head to the track. It's having fun on the street that gets us addicted.

You hear horror stories all the time about this accident, and that person getting killed, and so on. It's a shame, especially when innocent people get killed.

I'm not going to sit here an preach about not street racing. I'm guilty of it as much as the next guy. I like to have fun and mess with other guys oozing testosterone who also like to have fun.

So instead of the usual "don't street race" type advice, I'm going to offer practical advice. If you are going to mess around on the street, be somewhat smart about it and do it somewhere safe. By safe I mean- no pedestrians, no sharp turns, no side roads, no public places nearby, etc, etc. Find yourself a good long stretch of highway or county road, with no traffic lights or people nearby. The worst that can happen then is you either get pulled over or crash, both of which only affect you, and those are the conciquences you risk when racing.

 

Let me add some practical advice also.
Know the area.
Have a police scanner.
Have a fast vehicle.
Have a good lawyer.
Have some money to pay the lawyer.
Live next to a bus stop so when the law takes your license you can get to work.

 

Sal, that's the most realistic post I've about street racing in a long time. I think that there is a definite difference between a short squirt between stop lights and a "street race".

In the "Stoplight Grand Prix", it doesn't take a long blast to show the local import boys whose vehicle is faster. These trucks are so quick, that a shot to 60 mph is only 4-5 seconds. The rice boys are way behind at that point, so shut it off.

Besides, the stop lights are so close together out here in crowded So Cal., you'ill never get a very long run anyway.

Street Racing out here involves marked out tracks in empty industrial areas at night and on weekends. Those races should be taken to the tracks. Some of those vehicles involved, can run up to 130 in the 1/4 mile.

 

At least I could beat up on some rice. I just couldnt afford insurance on a v8..

 

I had a stickered-out Corvette want to pass me yesterday on a residential street

It took a lot of restraint not to just burn off some rubber on onto his hood, since he was riding my bumper and swerving back and forth to try to go around me, so I decided to make a left turn and put some distance between me and the idiot...he of course floors it and nearly sideswipes my truck on his way around while I was waiting on oncoming traffic to clear...

I see it happen on the freeways as well, at much higher speeds. I've been driving on the major freeways out here, 65 speed limit, heavy traffic, and have kids in riced out cars blow past me like I was sitting still. It's downright criminally negligent with all the innocent folks around...

 

him:

Serious ricer, huge exhaust tip, 18" wheels dropped Civic hatchback

me:

<yawn> Mercedes C32

Just for fun I rev it at the stop light, he doesn't really look over, but when the light goes green, his wheels are spinning and hopping all over the place. I hit the gas, the traction control smoothly engages and I have 5 car lengths on him by 35mph.

Now that's what I call a race

Coldie

 

Don't know if anyone here knows Beastie. He has a 95 F-150. He says when he is out cruising around the lakefront and veterans he'll see people racing and hear them using nitrous.

Take in mind we live in New Orleans and we drive around in the suburbs. Not exactly a safe area to be using Nitrous.

 

I love the L and all but you guys brag about how ****ty rice is and everything all the time. The thing is some cars are built to race on tracks with uhh ohh here it comes TURNS!! You may smoke a wrx in a straight line but come race me in the santa cruz mountains and all you will see is my taillights or a tree. Just thought you guys should put into account that a lot of the rice you all "kill" are not made to race in straight lines not that this one was not or anything but IVe seen you guys brag about killin wrx's and I just think its funny.

 

okay, my question:

why do the owners of the rice bring them to drag strips, if not to go in a straight line?


i don't take my truck to the road course, there isn't one near here. (although i know lightnings do pretty well on them, check out http://www.spikeengineering.com/quicktime/index.html )


if i remember correctly, the quarter mile doesn't have any turns. the owner of said rice, should know this, yes?
i mean, they all watched that movie didn't they? you know the one... the one where it took 2-3 minutes to show them race one time, and they all shifted 13-14 times during the quarter mile..

no flame, but if the owner of a WRX brings it to a drag strip, he does so on his own accord.. i didn't make him do it.
if i race him and win, then i mark that one down as a "kill".

your results may vary.

 

chevyeater,


DUH! Maybe you should tell THEM that! Oh and some cars weren't made to race at all!

 

ChevyEater, you are partially right. The Lightning stock is not the best handling vehicle. It handles better than the majority of cars, but I would never put it up against a NSX or a WRX or a RX-7 (three best turners I can think of).

BUT:

Do a little bit of work and the Lightning is able to exceed all but the best drivers (i.e. it will handle better than you are willing to drive it.

Drop it 2-4 inches, harder springs bigger bars, nice shocks can be had for under $2K (installed) and will result in an amazingly tight vehicle.

If you don't believe, look up Ruslow and Spike.

Coldie

 

DB, I had a similar incident not too long ago. Some kid in a riced out Focus was weaving in and out of traffic on the Hollywood Fwy. He was coming up on me, and I could see I was going to be his next target, until I hammered it and closed the gap he was counting on using. Sucked to be him. He had to slam on the brakes, to keep from missing the car in front.

I think it pissed him off. The guy went ballistic, and started moving into my lane, towards my truck. I returned the favor, and pointed the truck right at his drivers door. I guess he didn't want to tangle with a 5000 lbs truck and backed off.

Next thing I see, is Focus boy going down the emergency lane at about 80 mph, with dust ahd ***** flying everywhere. I got a little further down the road, and I see him pulled over, trying to yank his crushed air dam out from under his car.

I couldn't resist, so I honked and waved as I went by. There is justice some times.