OK so this is the story...

The weather in NY has been relatively nice this past week, asides from the cold, so I’ve been taking the Z out day to day, to do Christmas shopping, run errands, and to college to take my finals... well yesterday I had the last straw....
I teach private saxophone lessons and on my way from one lesson to another, I take Hempstead Turnpike (3 lane road in each direction, island in the middle) . During the course of my 20 min trip no more then 4 cars pull up next to me, rev their engines and gun it out in front of me. One Firebird, some Civic rice rocket, a Mustange, and a Kompressor... I looked to see if I was doing the speed limit, and I was, about 5-10 mph over, so I know they weren't pissed at me going too slow... The thing that gets me, with exception to the Civic Rice rocket, all the other drivers looked to be older then me (I'm 21), and I'm wondering if I’m missing something.
It was 5pm, semi rush hour traffic, and these jerk offs want to race and show boat? I really am not a fan of street racing, find it somewhat dangerous, but if I’m going to race, its going to be in a safe area, away from other cars, and pedestrians, and not in 35 degree weather where there could be Ice on the road...

I have to say, it is sorta flattering, but then later last night, i really got my feathers ruffled.
Last night, after hanging out at a buddies house till 12am I was on my way home, and decided to 'take the long way'. I really just wanted to cruise around, listen to the stereo, and relax... well no sooner do i start to realx, then a guy pulls up along side me at a light, in a Black SUV. His passenger is staring at me, so I roll down my window to see what he wants, and he yells "You wanna race?" to which I reply, "This against an SUV, no thanks man" as I roll my window up, and get ready to drive away, I hear him yell. "It’s my moms, its really fast"... now again this guy looked to be in his mid to late 20s..The about 30 min later a young kid, pulled up next to me at a light in a Civic, again, and start talking about his car, and mine, which i don't mind. The he started saying stuff like "You wanna race? I beat that with this car ill beat you by at least 1.5 cars", blah blah blah, and I said, im sure you could, rolled up my window as the light changed, and went on my way, only to have him shoot out in front cut me off, and drive away.

To cap the evening off I had some girls in a Jetta cruise up to me on the parkway, and stare, so that sort of made my night a little better. (I always appreciate the gazes from girls) but this racing thing is just crazy, 5-6 times in less then 12 hours, and it wasn't like I was out looking for it, driving crazy or anything like that.

So I guess I’m just wondering does anyone else get this. Or is it just me, and the area I live/work in.? I’ve had the car for 3 months, and I’m sure its only going to get worse when the summer rolls around. Its just fustrating when you go out driving, to relax, or to go to work, and you have to deal with this sorta thing

 

haha....i live in brooklyn and people do this all the time..i never roll my window down and they can never tell when i look back at them (i have tints)

get tints..gives you more privacy...

what i hate most is no matter how fast you are driving you will always get some shmuck in a car that he knows cant beat the Z, flying by you

one time this accord pulls up to me at a light...i know he wants to race cause he just flew by me (you know theres nothing better than speeding up to a red light )...anyway....i was gonna race him just to stick it to him...but then he pulls away wayyyyy before the light turned green

what a complete moron...people in NY for SURE dont know their place...wtvr..its amusing

 

Hot cars deserve attention, and that attention will not always be positive. Racing is just part of the Z package that you buy, along with the flirtatious glances from women.

 

I actually find it amusing when people roll up next to me to rev their engine. It just tells me I have a car they can't keep their eyes off of. The only time it annoys me is when someone rolls up next to me and block the way unintentionally the exit I was going to. That happened to me in Parkway. But I got out just in time. Or when they roll up next to you for a good quarter mile to look at your car and then speed off to cut you. I just laugh sometimes. Some of them try too hard. Never race unless you want to though. Don't ever get forced on to a race. That's the worst.

I never roll down my windows though. The only exceptions I make are from women who want to make a conversation. They're harmless.... for the most part.

 

I had a buddy in high school that had a POS Fireturd. When ever he would race someone, he would get smoked of the line, but then fly by the other car after he clearly lost

His thinking was this.....and I qoute..." You may beat me off the line, but who is crazy enough to do 100+ on a main street?"

Everytime i see a car do this i think of him.

dan

 

Same problem in Miami, but it's mostly with guys my age (23) and younger as most of the older people seem to drive Porsche????

Best was the day I got the car, I'm just out cruising in it a little and I stop at a light. Kid in a convertable something (maybe sunfire, I didn't look too closely) with his girl next to him pulls up and revs engine. I'm on cell phone chatting with friends back home so I take off the hands free headset and roll down the window to hold phone out. Guy rolls down his window and yells 'WANNA RACE?' then he sees cell phone and me laughing my *** off. I get back on phone and my buddy has probably wet his pants he's laughing at this kid so hard who's revving his engine like mad and his girl is covering her head in her lap now. Then light turns green and I just start to go (remember, car under 1200 here) and still beat him as he tries to gun it and can't shift. He pulls off and into parking lot real fast.

Another time I was following a buddy of mine from school who drives e46 M3. We pull up next to eachother on US1 where it's three lanes each direction. Kid in riced out civic pulls up on my right (i was in middle, buddy in left) and wants me to roll down windows. So I do and I get my buddy to do the same and the kid yells out 'I just wanna see how bad both you guys will blow me away...will you do it?' So we did, of course my buddy killed me but at least the kid was being real.

 

Yeah its where you are. I'm on hempstead tpk all the time and if you're talkin about near hofstra then everyone on earth around there wants to race. I live down the street from hofstra and any time I touch the tpk after 6 or 7 someone wants to race. You'll just have to get used to it and yeah havabooz is right tint your windows if you want to cut it down a little.

 

I have the opposite thing happening.

Perhaps it's a midwetern thing but in the time I was on the road (before winter) I had 1 person rev at me.

I can't even get a wave from the few other Z's Ive seen on the road. I drove next to another 350 and tried to give a thumbs up to the gal behind the wheel. She looked frightened and crossed 2 lanes to pull off at the next exit.

I'm no street racer but I figured I'd at least get a little attention on the road.

When I'm stopped @ the gas station I get plenty of complements but that's about it.

 

I live on a very popular road, so whenever I wash my car on my driveway I get A LOT of attention. I can't even count how many people pop their car in neutral and rev as they pass my house.... usually civics or cavaliers. All I can do about it is laugh though cuz just hearing these guys show off their engines is ridiculous - their engines sound like they're struggling to breathe.

 

the worste is when your a kid (im 18) so people expect you to race....the only time i really enjoy flooring it is when i am by myself...at night...with little cars on the road

 

I hear what you're saying.

I drive a 40 mile stretch of I4 between Tampa and Orlando almost every day. It’s always crowded, even in the middle of the night, and about half if it is under construction at the moment.

Does this stop people from racing? No sir-eeee Bob! Gotta fling that SUV, rust rocket, rice racer, dump truck, or whatever, down the highway at killer speeds. Slower cars, concrete barriers, potholes? Just different kinds of obstacles.

Couples of years ago there were more police. People slowed down, but there would still be three or four picked off by the police every day.

Drivers’ Ed. 101. Lesson 1: Number one cause of accidents: Speed too fast for conditions.

Why is this so difficult for so many people to understand? The interstate is designed for 70 mph. Traffic is moving at about 70 mph. The machine is working.

Inject a dump truck hauling a$$ at 90 mph into the machine, and the machine breaks, with some ugly results.

[/RANT OFF]

 

ya don't get me wrong, it is kinda nice to get the attention, but its annoying when your actually trying to drive, and people are being a hazard...

Syentifiq thats too weird, i actually go to hofstra, don't really see alot of Zs around campus, there is a SB with penn plates, and a CS with NYs, ive got the SS obviously, but ya it did actually happen on the strech of Hemp Tpk that runs from newbridge to hofstra... All those NCC kids love to race, its like the winston 500 around there when classes let out for the day... small world

maybe ill get tints, but only draw back is that the ladies will only be able to admire my car, and not the legend inside of it

 

two things, first, i drive an accord, slightly modded, more show than go, i get revved on ALL of the time, and i don't even look for races cuz my car's slow, i can hold my own but i sure cant take a z, but there's people in stock cavaliers and civics, like mentioned above, that rev on me, and i know for sure that i can 99% of the time take them, so i don't try to race, but sure enough they rev and speed off like they just beat me or something, second thing, my windows are tinted black, very dark, and since that's been done there's a lot less girlies smiling and waving then there was before, but when the window's down, i get the waves

oh one more thing, also mentioned above, why is it when ya actually do give in and race, you smoke them and slow down cuz it's obvious they don't stand a chance, and then they come flying by like they just beat you....i just don't get some people????

 

I hear where you're coming from. I took my car out Saturday for a ride since it was a nice day. I went cruising with my 10 year old who loves to go for rides and within a 45 minute span we had 3 cars come next to us and rev their engine and take off as soon as the light changed. I laugh sometimes as my son really gets a kick out of it but after a while it does get annoying. My son knows my rule about street racing but he thinks the attention we get is cool.

 

I went to Tacobell last night and at every stoplight (with the exception of one) the people in the other lane revved their engines. We're talking SUV's with a ton of kids in them. Racing? I don't think so.

 

The Z intimidates people as well as provokes a feeling of envy for
many people. Many times all sorts of cars will rev on me or fly by me
just cuz the Z makes you feel that way. Most of these
drivers know thier car cant beat me but they want to see the Z go!
It's like you expect your favorite Rock Stars to be wild and crazy,
well I guess most people just assume that when they see a Z they
expect a certain behavior. Sometimes they get it and most times they dont.
I pick and choose my battles and most of the time it's under the
safest conditions, that usually means the dead of night on a deserted
street. usually if a guy has a car faster than my Z he wants a kill, and
a Z kill is highly prized notch on your belt.

It's not always mean spirited and every situation is unique.
The other day an old man in a Miata revved at me hard at a red
light and then took off. My ego kicked in and I gunned it.
I eventually caught up to him and blew by him at 125MPH.
When we got to the next red light he looked over at me smiled
and gave me a thumbs up.

Just good'ol fashion fun. Thats why I bought my Z.

 

I never really got into any type of street racing. I don't know why - I guess I just feel intimidated by the whole scene heh. Something about driving at like 120 and then getting a cop on my *** scares the **** out of me :O

 

yea theres nothing wrong with flooring it at a stoplight against some rice rocket i usually just ease on to the gas and if they pull then i pull up to 60... by that time theire sufficiently smoked and i just let up... i just cant afford 6 points for racing here in NJ

 

So true. I used to be from NJ. At least if you had the 'hook up' you could get a PBA or FOP card but I doubt that'd get anyone out of a 6 pointer :P Of course, I've seen crazier things if you're a cop and speed heh.

 

This would be a good place to post my story as well I guess. I was heading to Wisconsin for the weekend and I passed a conversion van doign about 65 (I was at 75-80). I didn't buzz the guy or anything...he was just in another lane. In any case as we're coming up to a light I was thinking about pulling into the lane where the van was because there were an additional 4 cars at the light in mine. But I notice the van coming towards the light at a haul *** speed. Basically it appeared that he didn't want me to change lanes in front of him even though I was about 15 cars ahead of him. In any case I just let him go and figured I'd pass everyone after the light. Seems that he took me passing him as a challenge and just started bobbing and weaving between cars to lose me. Well it didn't happen. Eventually we got to a light where it was me and the van at the line. That was the last time I saw him until we hit more traffic at another light. (this particular highway has a few lights on it in certain sections) So again he caught up and started playing the weaving game. All in all I was ahead but decided that it wasn't worth racing anymore because now we were getting into actual traffic and he would pull ahead then sort of force cars to let him in by slowly changing lanes into them which forced them to move over and slow down to let the dumbass in.