Do you get a lot of people wanting to "race" your G70s?

[Aquineas]

I've found for example that I'll set the cruise to 80 or 85 or so (usually no more than 10 over speed limit) and when I go to overtake someone they'll speed up to match my speed or try to stay in front of me. It's highly annoying, because I'll be a half mile back and will approach them, which some might remember from Calculus would indicate that in order for that to happen in the first place, I would have to be traveling at a faster velocity. But suddenly as I go to overtake them, they are motivated to speed up?

To the "proverbial" knuckleheads out there (who probably won't read this anyway, but hopefully my fellow G70 owners can relate): whether or not you pass me or I pass you makes no difference to me. I will make an effort to get out of the way if I'm in temporarily in the passing (note I said passing, not "fast") lane and you're approaching from behind. Things I don't want to do:

1. Be driving next to you side-by-side for very long, if traffic conditions permit. This leaves too little margin for error if something unexpected happens. I don't care if you pass me; just don't pass me and then slow down in front of me. In other words, set your speed independent of me; we're not a team, and generally speaking I don't want to be anywhere near you on the highway. Nothing personal, just go your way.
2. I do not want you in my blind-spot, and I do not want to remain in your blind-spot for any length of time if it can be helped. See number 1: separation is good. Set your speed, and if it turns out we're roughly going the same speed, I'll accelerate or slow down a bit so that you're not near me. Please don't accelerate or slow down with me because you see my Valentine One and are too cheap to buy one yourself.
3. Please don't tailgate me if you can help it. I promise you, if you're behind me and want to pass, I'll let you pass as soon as I possibly can. My phallus dimensions are not impacted by driving, nor is my ego impacted if you pass me.
4. Yes, I see you zooming up to catch up to me. Please just keep that speed up. I get that you probably haven't seen too many G70s before. Honestly the first time I saw one in Austin I was excited too. But don't violate 1,2, or 3 because you like my G70. If you were overtaking me at a certain velocity, please continue that velocity and we'll have separation.
5. Don't vary your rate of speed just so you can remain the first position in the passing lane. Listen, it's bad enough that you're parked in the passing lane to begin with with no one in front of you. Unless there is a significant difference in the quality of pavement (which there is sometimes), there's no reason for you to be in the passing lane if you're not passing and there's no one in front of you. But let's assume for a minute you're a complete moron and you've toodling along with 22 ticked off drivers stuck behind you and the overloaded truck that's in the travel lane (right lane in the US). If someone manages to break out of that quagmire and pass you (unfortunately on the right if you've left them no choice), do NOT speed up to match their speed. If you were going the speed you sped up to the entire time, there wouldn't be a line of cars waiting to pass your dumbass. The correct thing to do if you get caught in the passing lane with no one in front of you and someone is forced to pass you on the right is to let them pass, then move over. Set your cruise control to whatever you want to set it to and keep on moving.

 

[joegr]

The behavior that you describe is not "wanting to race," and it's not specific to the G70 or Genesis or performance cars. I have noticed this behavior regardless of what car I am driving. I always use cruise control, and I think that makes it easier to notice.
In the extreme cases, they are consciously doing it, and I don't know what their problem is. There was one guy that used to work at the same company that I did. He would speed up to keep you from passing him on the interstate, then slow back down to the speed he really wanted to travel, once there was enough traffic to keep you from getting around him. I talked to his coworkers, and they said he had emotional problems. He wasn't here for too long.
All that said, I think that most do it unconsciously and don't realize they are doing it. I agree that it is very annoying. I try to drive so that no one else has to react to me, and I am only in the passing lane when I am passing other cars. Still, if you pass me a couple of times and then slow down and not get out of my way, I will sometimes actively try to keep you from passing again. (If you stay out of my way, I don't care how many times you speed up and slow down.)

 

[Ernie3647]

Same as Joe I drive mostly with cruise set whenever possible. It’s amazing how much you notice about other people’s driving habits while your car is at constant speed. Foremost it shows just how erratic people’s speed is. Excessively late or early braking is another. Using the cruise extensively has altered my normal driving habits considerably. I find my self watching my speed more (easy to lose track with this car) and unconsciously maintaining about the same distance to the car in front as I do with the cruise on. As with Aquineas when using cruise I realize you subject to very annoying other drivers on the road. Most are impatient and absolutely annoyed and unwilling to be corralled by anything like a speed limit. You represent to them just another obstacle on the road. Don’t get me wrong I bought this car for what it can do and how well it does it but it’s being aware of the proper time and place to do it safely.

 

[Husky]

The behavior that you describe is not "wanting to race," and it's not specific to the G70 or Genesis or performance cars. I have noticed this behavior regardless of what car I am driving. I always use cruise control, and I think that makes it easier to notice.
In the extreme cases, they are consciously doing it, and I don't know what their problem is. There was one guy that used to work at the same company that I did. He would speed up to keep you from passing him on the interstate, then slow back down to the speed he really wanted to travel, once there was enough traffic to keep you from getting around him. I talked to his coworkers, and they said he had emotional problems. He wasn't here for too long.
All that said, I think that most do it unconsciously and don't realize they are doing it. I agree that it is very annoying. I try to drive so that no one else has to react to me, and I am only in the passing lane when I am passing other cars. Still, if you pass me a couple of times and then slow down and not get out of my way, I will sometimes actively try to keep you from passing again. (If you stay out of my way, I don't care how many times you speed up and slow down.)

Agree 100%. I notice this a lot on highways around here, regardless of what I'm driving. I have to chuckle and shake my head every time one of these unconscious drivers ends up falling way behind me, after having sped up, once I goose it to pass them, even though I go back to the speed I was doing when they passed me. Some just don't seem to like being passed (usually a pickup in my experience), others don't seem to realize they're doing it. Just like they don't seem to realize that they're blocking the left lane, despite the line of cars behind them! I'm getting worked up here, need to take some deep breaths, haha.

 

[mrcleeaan]

Unfortunately I haven't experienced anyone wanting to race. I've been waiting for the opportunity to do a quick run just to see!

Oh wait, I lied. There was only one time where a couple young guys in a older truck with a loud ass exhaust you could hear from half a mile away wanted to race from a roll around 30mph. Of course I blew it away and when he finally caught up after I let off he said he was stuck in low gear?

*They also thought it was a Bentley.

 

[Husky]

He's stuck in low gear alright

 

[rmod]

My daily commute includes a lot of freeway driving. I see the kind of people you mention who want to be ahead a lot. I understand that in their mind they must be in front of me....So I pass them, let them pass me and then I stay behind them while they speed to stay ahead all the while escorting me to my exit.

 

[Aquineas]

My daily commute includes a lot of freeway driving. I see the kind of people you mention who want to be ahead a lot. I understand that in their mind they must be in front of me....So I pass them, let them pass me and then I stay behind them while they speed to stay ahead all the while escorting me to my exit.

Precisely this. So long as they don't slow down and force me to as well, they can clear the path all they want to.

 

[Philip2]

I was taught that if you keep up with traffic, the chance of a ticket is low. If they see you are going faster than them, they may speed up because you are now defining the upper limit.

 

[TinsleyC]

Aquineas, you should teach driving school.

Edit: you know how they have defensive driving classes? There should be an offensive driving class as well.

______________________________

Help support this site so it can continue supporting you!

 

[Philip2]

another thought

The G70 is a great stealth fast/fairly high performance car. It does not look like a racer or threat to anyone's penis dimensions so I do not think they perceive us as a threat .
I see what you are talking about in Southern California with Ferraris/Lambos etc.
I would get this with my 1993 Supra turbo, but less so after I removed that huge spoiler after I backed up into a truck and destroyed it.

 

[Aquineas]

I was taught that if you keep up with traffic, the chance of a ticket is low. If they see you are going faster than them, they may speed up because you are now defining the upper limit.

Maybe there is truth to this. I'll be honest, if I see a bunch of people hauling ass past me and it's safe to do so because of traffic conditions, I might up the notch a couple of ticks myself. A couple of differences might be, I wouldn't be parked in the passing lane in the first place (unless of course there's a big difference in pavement quality, and believe me, sometimes there is). The other difference is I am not trying to keep up with that traffic "clump" or become a vehicular Remora- I don't even care if they leave my sight. I'm simply relying on the fact that if I am already going 10 over and one or more people haul ass and pass me, the risk of them getting a friendly introduction to the local constabulary is exponentially higher than for me. Let them clear the path (which doesn't mean you abandon your rear-view mirrors).

The other thing I've found is, the clump theory doesn't necessarily protect you anyway. I was first in a long line of cars who were Remora one time, driving on the PA Turnpike between Harrisburg and Philadelphia (the PA Turnpike is a wretched stretch of highway in practically every way), and the constabulary pulled over the second car behind me. I'm sure he/she was ticked about that, but I was tickled, because they'd been glued to my backside for miles (I was driving a 1990 Escort at the time, and thus couldn't pull away from anyone).

Another time while driving north on I-95 in South Carolina, I observed a clump of cars pass me maybe 10 minutes earlier. I paid them no mind and continued on my pace until I came upon an overpass, with a single person standing on top of the overpass, with no vehicles around them. I thought that particularly odd since it was a rural area and it was an odd place to be standing in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere. Well as I got closer I saw that lone individual reach behind him and before I knew what was going on, the Lidar indicator on my Valentine One lit up like a Christmas tree. A half mile up the road there were about 20 chase police cars parked, with that "clump" of traffic (along with a bunch of other cars), all parked there with them waiting to be ticketed. There was an officer standing there who was in radio contact with the guy on the overpass, pointing at traffic telling them to pull over. It was clever, highly effective, and "evil" in its implementation. It was similar to what one would call a "honeypot" in software; I was within 45 minutes or so of the border with North Carolina and hadn't seen a single State Trooper the entire time I had been in South Carolina. Everyone had been lured into a false sense of security.

So, traffic clumps can work, but not always. I generally don't feel like they're worth the additional risk. If you want to speed and you don't live in Virginia, buy a Valentine one or an Escort Max, leave the red Corvette at home, pick up Waze, and take your chances. If you do happen to live in Virginia, consider moving or don't speed- certainly don't speed "excessively" because they lock people up for that there.

 

[Husky]

Yeah, my wife and I refer to the cars that pass us going considerably faster as "Rabbits", as in something for the cops to chase.