What's with the increasingly restrictive speed limiters on new cars?

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IcePickFreak

Platinum Member
Jul 12, 2007
2,428
9
81
Whoever came up with this law should be killed. It would be literally impossible to pass if it involved going the speed limit. How many hours or days would you spend in the oncoming lane if you were only going 5mph faster than the car you're trying to pass?

:rolleyes:

1 mile = 5280ft
5280ft x 5 = 26,400ft
26,400/60 = 440ft/min
440/60 = 7.333ft/second

So 2-3 seconds to pass a car at a 5mph difference.
 

SparkyJJO

Lifer
May 16, 2002
13,357
7
81
Yes it fucking is. People who are retarded not only drive slow, but they drive at an inconsistent speed so I can't use the cruise control. I can't even benefit from tailgating them to get better gas mileage. I don't mind tailgating big trucks since they understand how gas pedals work, but retards who fluctuate between 50mph and 70mph are frustrating to follow.

fact: people who don't use cruise control (or drive really god damn fast without cruise control) need to be executed.

You were talking about 5mph under, now you're talking about a 20mph swing in speed. Make up your mind :rolleyes:

BTW, if you tailgate me don't whine at me if I have to hit the brakes suddenly and you end up with my trailer hitch through your radiator. Idiot.
 

exdeath

Lifer
Jan 29, 2004
13,679
10
81
:rolleyes:

1 mile = 5280ft
5280ft x 5 = 26,400ft
26,400/60 = 440ft/min
440/60 = 7.333ft/second

So 2-3 seconds to pass a car at a 5mph difference.

Of course it doesn't work like that in the real world. If you were only passing someone that slowly at 5 mph, 99 times out of 100 they will get a hurt penis and start speeding up so you cant pass, as soon as your front bumper gets 1" in front of theirs. *Especially* if they know they have a better/shinier/more expensive/more botique and fasionable car than yours and you're in a beater.

Lowered BMW with tinted windows, chrome rims, HIDs on in the middle of the day, and a cocked open sunroof going 50 in the right lane? I guarantee you with 9000% certainty hes not going to let you pass in your lowly Corolla if you switched to the left lane and sped up to 55. Hes going to play games with you, speeding up and slowing down and showing you whos boss and making sure he stays in front. Or wait until your rear bumper is at his front bumper and then floor it and cut in front of you, only to be in your way again going 50 a mile or two down the road. Well fuck that.

So to be safe, best to have a car with an overwhelming power advantage over any conceivable car you will encounter on a daily basis so that can drop the hammer in the blink of an eye to tie an aircraft carrier to their bumper and pass them anyway. All before their dumb ass can speed up from 50 to 60 at WOT.
 
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zsdersw

Lifer
Oct 29, 2003
10,505
2
0
It's pretty simple... slower traffic keep right.

I don't care if people drive slower than I do, but they damn well better not be in the left lane on the freeway not passing anyone when the right lane is wide open.
 

A5

Diamond Member
Jun 9, 2000
4,902
5
81
It's pretty simple... slower traffic keep right.

I don't care if people drive slower than I do, but they damn well better not be in the left lane on the freeway not passing anyone when the right lane is wide open.

I actually agree with you on this.
 

CraigRT

Lifer
Jun 16, 2000
31,440
5
0
Wow, 96 is really low... I've hit 90mph more times than I can count passing cars on the secondary highway I commute to work on. 96 is a little low, even despite the tire rating being discussed.
 

ShawnD1

Lifer
May 24, 2003
15,987
2
81
:rolleyes:

1 mile = 5280ft
5280ft x 5 = 26,400ft
26,400/60 = 440ft/min
440/60 = 7.333ft/second

So 2-3 seconds to pass a car at a 5mph difference.
You are a criminal and you suck at passing. By law (in my area) you must be at LEAST 2 car lengths back before passing otherwise it's tailgating, and you need to be at least 2 car lengths ahead before going back into your own lane otherwise it's cutting the other person off.

A car is 212 inches long, or about 17.7 feet. Two car lengths back, plus car, plus two car lengths ahead = 5 car lengths needed to pass. That's 88.5 feet. At your 7.33ft/s speed, it would take 12 seconds to pass.
Since you are going 60mph and the oncoming traffic is coming 60mph, the gap between you and oncoming cars is closing at a rate of 120mph.
120mi/h * 12s * (1h/3600s) = 0.4 miles.

Honestly, you're suggesting someone take 0.4 miles to pass. You must be suicidal. Please buy a gun and kill yourself at home instead of doing it on the highway and taking out some innocent family.



Of course it doesn't work like that in the real world. If you were only passing someone that slowly at 5 mph, 99 times out of 100 they will get a hurt penis and start speeding up so you cant pass, as soon as your front bumper gets 1" in front of theirs. *Especially* if they know they have a better/shinier/more expensive/more botique and fasionable car than yours and you're in a beater.
I think one of the ATGers said this happens a lot when he drives his Camry. People won't let him pass, or they'll turn right infront of him when he's going 60mph because they assume all Toyotas are driving way too slow. It's weird how people behave completely different when the vehicle changes.
 

zsdersw

Lifer
Oct 29, 2003
10,505
2
0
By law (in my area) you must be at LEAST 2 car lengths back before passing otherwise it's tailgating, and you need to be at least 2 car lengths ahead before going back into your own lane otherwise it's cutting the other person off.

How's it going over there in the People's Republic of Nannying?
 

MotF Bane

No Lifer
Dec 22, 2006
60,801
10
0
You are a criminal and you suck at passing. By law (in my area) you must be at LEAST 2 car lengths back before passing otherwise it's tailgating, and you need to be at least 2 car lengths ahead before going back into your own lane otherwise it's cutting the other person off.

A car is 212 inches long, or about 17.7 feet. Two car lengths back, plus car, plus two car lengths ahead = 5 car lengths needed to pass. That's 88.5 feet. At your 7.33ft/s speed, it would take 12 seconds to pass.
Since you are going 60mph and the oncoming traffic is coming 60mph, the gap between you and oncoming cars is closing at a rate of 120mph.
120mi/h * 12s * (1h/3600s) = 0.4 miles.

Honestly, you're suggesting someone take 0.4 miles to pass. You must be suicidal. Please buy a gun and kill yourself at home instead of doing it on the highway and taking out some innocent family.

Uh, no.
 

zsdersw

Lifer
Oct 29, 2003
10,505
2
0
It's legal to cut people off? I guess that explains why driving in California sucks so hard.

The arbitrary demarcation of 2 car lengths is absurd. 2 car lengths may be too little or too much distance depending on conditions: traffic density, average speed, weather, road quality, vehicle driveability.
 

ShawnD1

Lifer
May 24, 2003
15,987
2
81
says the guy who purposely tailgates others :rolleyes:
You hate on me because I care about the environment


http://kwc.org/mythbusters/2007/06/episode_80_big_rig_myths.html
Full-scale test

Freightliner lent the MythBusters one of their new Cascadia big rigs, which they are billing as the most aerodynamic big rig on the market.

Mike Ryan, Hollywood stunt driver, was there to educate Grant on the ins and outs of drafting. Also on-hand was Andrew Smith, test engineer, who helped them hook up a computer to the fuel injection system to accurately measure the fuel consumption.

55mph control: 32mpg
100ft: 35.5mpg, 11% improvement
50ft: 38.5mpg, 20%
20ft: 40.5mpg, 27%
10ft: 44.5mpg, 39%
2ft: 41mpg, 29%

The fuel economy actually dropped at 2ft. Andrew Smith's theory was that at 2ft, Grant got nervous with the throttle as it was difficult to maintain that 2ft gap.

[myth] confirmed
 

ShawnD1

Lifer
May 24, 2003
15,987
2
81
No, rather because you're a danger to other people on the road, and a hypocrite for telling others they're dangerous and breaking the law for tailgating when you do the very same thing.
Don't worry brah, law is on my side. Slamming on your brakes to intentionally cause an accident is called insurance fraud.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insurance_fraud#Automobile_insurance


I don't know why people think insurance fraud is legal. "Watch me slam on the brakes so the guy behind me hits me and causes a 4 car pile up during rush hour lololololol"
Those people should get the death penalty if it can be shown beyond reasonable doubt that they slammed on the brakes for no reason. Thousands of people die in car crashes every year, so intentionally causing an accident should count as attempted murder.
 

SparkyJJO

Lifer
May 16, 2002
13,357
7
81
Don't worry brah, law is on my side. Slamming on your brakes to intentionally cause an accident is called insurance fraud.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insurance_fraud#Automobile_insurance


I don't know why people think insurance fraud is legal. "Watch me slam on the brakes so the guy behind me hits me and causes a 4 car pile up during rush hour lololololol"
Those people should get the death penalty if it can be shown beyond reasonable doubt that they slammed on the brakes for no reason. Thousands of people die in car crashes every year, so intentionally causing an accident should count as attempted murder.

On YOUR side? :rolleyes:

The law is to NOT tailgate. It isn't safe, because what happens if the guy you are tailgating has to slam his brakes on because some oaf up ahead pulls out in front of him, or a deer jumps in front of his car, or any other number of legit reasons? You rear-end him. Then it is YOUR fault, not his.

Don't be an idiot. Leave proper following distance. "Caring for the environment" isn't a valid excuse to be a road hazard.

Interesting how everything you don't like should be reason for the death penalty.
 

ShawnD1

Lifer
May 24, 2003
15,987
2
81
On YOUR side? :rolleyes:

The law is to NOT tailgate. It isn't safe, because what happens if the guy you are tailgating has to slam his brakes on because some oaf up ahead pulls out in front of him, or a deer jumps in front of his car, or any other number of legit reasons? You rear-end him. Then it is YOUR fault, not his.

Don't be an idiot. Leave proper following distance. "Caring for the environment" isn't a valid excuse to be a road hazard.

Interesting how everything you don't like should be reason for the death penalty.

Maybe I should be extra safe and keep my left foot lightly pressing against the brake while I'm driving. That way I'm really really prepared for stuff. Sure it will probably make the brakes start on fire and fuck up my gas mileage, but safety is more important than the future of the earth and the human species god damn it!
 

SparkyJJO

Lifer
May 16, 2002
13,357
7
81
No.

Now you're just being totally ridiculous without any sense of reason whatsoever.
 

PlasmaBomb

Lifer
Nov 19, 2004
11,636
2
81
You are a criminal and you suck at passing. By law (in my area) you must be at LEAST 2 car lengths back before passing otherwise it's tailgating, and you need to be at least 2 car lengths ahead before going back into your own lane otherwise it's cutting the other person off.

A car is 212 inches long, or about 17.7 feet. Two car lengths back, plus car, plus two car lengths ahead = 5 car lengths needed to pass. That's 88.5 feet. At your 7.33ft/s speed, it would take 12 seconds to pass.
Since you are going 60mph and the oncoming traffic is coming 60mph, the gap between you and oncoming cars is closing at a rate of 120mph.
120mi/h * 12s * (1h/3600s) = 0.4 miles.

Honestly, you're suggesting someone take 0.4 miles to pass. You must be suicidal. Please buy a gun and kill yourself at home instead of doing it on the highway and taking out some innocent family.

/facepalm

Math fail.


This x1000. +1000 internets to Bane!