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A few questions/comments on car owner attitude/street racing/ricers/etc...

1457 Views 34 Replies 27 Participants Last post by  PSI, 
D
I was just poking around on LS1.com, and boy do alot of those guys HATE Mustang owners. Some of them talk about us the way we talk about ricers. (Every mustang owner thinks they have a race car, etc...)

I was reading this stuff, and it hinged with some q's I've had lately about the car enthusiast mentality, and I'm just curious what some of you think. I'm not sure how specific some of these questions will wind up being, the reason I haven't posted alot of this before was because I wasn't sure how to bring some of this up precisely....

For one thing, why is it such a big deal to them (LS1) to beat a stock GT? I mean really. If I get my butt handed to me by an LS1, I will take it as an expected event, enjoy the race, and be happy if I can put up a decent showing. We KNOW that this is what's going to happen with comparable drivers in a straight line. I'm not too proud to admit it, but at the same time, it's not like my car is a dog next to one of these, either. I'm sorry, I'm not going to hang my head in shame because you have a bone stock car that is 1.5 to 2 secs faster than my car in the quarter. I know to a drag racer that's like an hour, but really. What percentage of vehicles on the street are going to hang with a GT or up Mustang? Plenty of cars will, but how many of them are you likely to be next to at a light? Can't the Fbody be faster than our cars without it meaning that our cars are dogs?

Same is true for us, though. I generally have as much disdain for the "ricer" mentality as anyone else. But really, if someone wants to do all that, what's the harm as long as they aren't trash talking posers? Do we really need to get all that excited because we sucked the doors off of a 1.8 liter Honda? Unless the guy's really a trash talking idiot, there's not too much satisfaction there.

I've actually gotten to where I feel bad for all the crap being talked about the Honda guys everywhere, because alot of them may not even care about having a fast car, they may just get alot of satisfaction putting aftermarket parts on, and feeling like they've done something to improve the look of their car. To each his own...

As for racing... As someone who until recently never owned anything fast enough to to a whole lot of racing (though I'd wind the old T'bird out pretty good without much arm twisting), I'm never sure if I'm being someone who is going to be referred to as an "******* in a mustang" later. Setting aside legality and safety concerns (assuming all of us here are smart and mature enough to asess these things on their own), whats the common outlook? I mean, other fast car owners are driving around having fun in their cars, too, right? If I pull up next to a camaro and rev at a light, am I being a punk, or just checking to see if he wants to have a good time? How serious are most people about these things? I played with one guy in a camaro who was clearly willing to die to beat me. I let him go. The way the guy was driving was just reckless, and I was an idiot for staying with him as long as I did. I played with a kid in a new camaro who honked and gave me a wave/thumbs up when traffic got too thick and I turned around to head back where I was originally headed. He was cool, and I'd like to run across him again.

So what's the norm? What makes someone say "*******" vs "fun race"? What's the unwritten code? Someone write it down for me. Does everyone know that when you flick your hazards on you have shut it down, etc?

Just some random q's, hoping to get a good conversation...

Joe

And PS: How about a rough "spotter's guide" for F-bodies? I guage whether I'm likely to lose solely on how new the car looks... :smile:

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: DHG-1934 on 2001-09-01 12:05 ]</font>
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B
I have a few comments on this matter. As for "ricers" I do make fun of them. In fun though! As a motorcycle and car buff I can appreciate the craftsmanship that they have put into their cars. I do not agree on the style, but if someone is going to put that much time and effort into making their car theirs I give them "props." I personally started out in lowered trucks (OK bring it on). I worked real hard into making my truck just what I wanted. I did all my own work and had a blast doing it. I then moved on to a Ford Probe, which I heavily modified (completely new engine and suspension). I didn't "rice" it up because after the truck I wanted an understated look. While I had the Probe I built an 81 Sportster from a basket case. The point being, now with the Bullitt I have covered the spectrum on custom rides, and I give a certain amount of respect to anyone that feels like making their ride theirs what ever that may be.

As for street racing, it all depends on whom you line up against. If the person has no etiquette then there is none to use, leave them alone and let them post on ls1.com about how you chickened out. If the person seems reasonable, run them safely and have fun!
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Railcop094
I equate street racing with the gun fighters of the old west. No matter how fast you are, there is always someone faster. It's just a decision you have to make about how much you want to do it. I have also jumped out there and played with a few Mustangs, Camaros and ricers. Some of the guys were cool about the deal and some were, just like you said, ********.

For the most point I don't really give a crap about teeny boppers with there little bondo laden POSs. I bought my Bullitt for its rarity. I have fun driving it. I don't baby it that much. I have had it to 145 MPH so far and it still had a little more motor but I had no more road. I don't plan on trashing it trying to prove something with all those commoners in their regular Mustangs, Camaros, etc.

But I do agree that sometimes you just have to eat one every now and then.
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texasbullitt
and like the old gunfighter, the fastest doesnt alays win...but the smartest does...pick you battles carefully and smartly
as for the honda's,,,damn good car. if it wasnt for the bullitt I was looking at an
s-1000 annd my wife had a taurus and hated it but loves her accord...and I bleed ford blue, but I will not settle for less either
i say live and let live... if anyone comes up and challanges i will usually respond but again be smart be stealth and have fun
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S
I don't listen to the F-Body owners....most of them treat us like ****....Expect when I whoop there ass!
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S
In my car that is..... :smile:
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B
The only qualification for owning a fast car is the abiltity to make the payments. You are going to come across every level of maturity on the road. So far my experience has been positive. Most of the guys I streetlight raced with have been very cool. I haven't had anybody take big chances or be an Ahole if they won or lost. I usualy have a nice banter with the driver after we race. For me it's alll in fun. I don't take a loss to seriously and I don't gloat over a win. I LIKE CARS, so I repsect any car that has something special going for it.
On the subject of Ricers: I personally come form a school of less is more. I have never understood doing something to a car to make it look fast when it isn't. Beleive me wher I live I daily see several way out there ricers. Anyhting from a Civic made to look like a testarossa to an Accord with no suspension and wire wheels sticking so far out of the fenders that I can see the backside of the rim. The are offenses against good taste. Now if a guy wants to take a civic and make it go fast and then do some things to enhance the handling and appearance that cool, but some people just don't know when enough is enough. I think the reason the term ricer came about is because it is almost always some poor Japanese car that these things seem to happen to.

Have fun and be smart!!

Eric
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J
I like the gunfighter idea, as to racing street or professional some one is always going to be faster, the smarter will live to fight another day. So why be a mooron about.... I was passing out flyers for my Clubs next show. I handed this chevy guy one and He say's, "Oh Found On Road Dead", "Uh". I looked him in the Eye and said, "Why did you just say that"? He looks at me like I got this big Pimple in the middle of my forhead. And Say's "I hate Fords". So I say to him, "You don't have many friends do you? Because with That closed mindless outlook a **** load Of people must think you some a$$hole". I walked away. (I'm a big guy most people don't screw with me)
My Point is fun is fun, sometimes Your on top sometimes your on bottem. So why limit yourself. And why be a A$$ about everything, enjoy and don't go looking for trouble. Someone wants to be a A$$ then let him, walk or drive away. Most people will realize it to.
I wonder in couple years if these same LS1 guy's that are acting like Mooroons. Will keep their car when something is faster or are they going to dump it like trash? Have you noiced all the people wearing shirts from the winning superbowl team.... Takes a real fan to continue wearing the losing colors. Just ask any Bills fans! Not all Ls1 guys are a$$es. (that was my disclaimer).
As for Ricers I remember my first car. A 66 Ford Galaixe 500. 289 2bbl..... Not a fast car but had every Kmart sticker I could put on and some I made, I really loved that car. I sure now, that I was a pre-ricer.... That was 30 years ago. So I just remember that when I see one... That youngster, is just like me 30 years ago. But instead of a old ford, He's got a Honda.... Both cars at their time are dime a dosen. I didn't have nose rings but my hair was down to my A$$....
That my friends is my 25 cents worth
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D
<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>As for Ricers I remember my first car. A 66 Ford Galaixe 500. 289 2bbl..... Not a fast car but had every Kmart sticker I could put on and some I made, I really loved that car. I sure now, that I was a pre-ricer.... That was 30 years ago. So I just remember that when I see one... That youngster, is just like me 30 years ago. But instead of a old ford, He's got a Honda.... Both cars at their time are dime a dosen. I didn't have nose rings but my hair was down to my A$$....
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

I hear ya there... my first car was a '78 Chevette. Well, I had a '78 Fiat, too, but that blew a head gasket within 2 weeks after I got it. At any rate, both of those were ricers by any definition... (except for being American and Italian, respectively) The Fiat had blue and white zig-zaggy lines on the back window and rear side windows, was bright yellow, and had about 3 bottles of Armor-All soaked into the black vinyl interior by the time I drove it the first time. (On a side note, my very first passenger in that car exited unintentionally on a left hand turn due to that very Armor-All. No one was really hurt and it was funny.) My Chevette had some loud brown and gold striping on its coffee brown exterior, ~1" of rear lift with "coil spring helpers", and an Ansa "Turbo-Chrome" wool packed exhaust tip in place of a muffler. :grin:
Of course, I had sense. Ford Escorts were my favorite prey! I wasn't silly enough to go revving at a 5.0 or Cambird, and therein lies the difference! :lol:

As for looking for trouble, past outbursts aside, I really don't. I DO like to find people on the road who want to goose it a little, given safe road conditions, etc. My confusion was whether I was likely to come off as a jerk trying to let people know I wanted to play by revving or whatnot. :smile:

Joe
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R
My beef with the import crowd is attitude as well as priorities. Many of these guys are more interested in image than performance & that (to me) seems very typical of much of society today. Looks take precedence over substance; I think many of these guys would fit in very well in Hollywood. As far as attitude, what gets me is that some ricers think a Hyundai, Honda, or Jetta has the same character that an old GTO or 'Cuda does. It's apples to oranges. A perfect example is a summer intern we had at the office who did all of his own work (interior & graphics, no performance mods) on his Accent, which I can respect. But every time a couple of us car guys would discuss timeslips or musclecars, he'd jump right in like he had some frame of reference with his car. He was a decent guy, but such a motorhead-wannabe it was pathetic. & that's how I feel about most ricers. If they want to get on it at a stop light, great, I'm game. But rarely do they have what it takes & if they do, I usually attribute it to Daddy's credit card, but that's my biased blue-collar mentality. But there's definitly room for everyone in the automotive enthusiast universe, so live & let live.
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S
There will ALWAYS be the GM people hating the Ford people. That's a FOL! The sad thing is that most Chevy people hate Ford people because......... that's right!! BECAUSE.

Ask them why and they can only answer "BECAUSE". They grew up with the hatred and either do not have the intelligence or mentality to truly answer why. You read our website and there is mostly dialog with respect to our vehicles and very little Chevy bashing or even ricers as far as that goes. We are of the mentality that appreciates a unique car and has fun with it making it even better. It is always fun to try and better the "bigger" machine, but to constantly bragg about beating the "smaller" machine only shows one's ignorance.
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<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
On 2001-09-04 10:16, schmedlap wrote:
The sad thing is that most Chevy people hate Ford people because......... that's right!! BECAUSE.

They grew up with the hatred and either do not have the intelligence or mentality to truly answer why. It is always fun to try and better the "bigger" machine, but to constantly bragg about beating the "smaller" machine only shows one's ignorance.
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

I've found this attitude with AMC too. When I was a tikester and saw my first AMX, I knew I had to have one. I had no idea there was this whole stigma about AMC. I just saw an incredibly cool car. Now the problem is, I get hassled by all camps. Not just Chevy, but Plymouth, Dodge, Chrysler (NO! AMC is NOT a Mopar!) and Ford. It get's old having to constantly combat peoples ignorance.
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L
I've enjoyed owning GM's, Fords and Mopars. Back in the late 60's, the differences among them seemed more profound. Nowdays, they all seem more similar. Probably because they ALL get their parts from the same suppliers; they're just screwed together in different shapes! My last car was a '99 Camaro SS with the infamous LS1. It was indeed a fast car. But I got my head handed to me on several ocassions by Mustangs. Just last night I did a quick street race against a 2001 RamAir Firebird. I beat him in my Bullitt by a nose. He was alone and I had a passenger. Go figure. I don't see any reason to be apologetic about our Bullitt's supposedly being slower than an LS1; the LS1 does put out more horsepower and torque (atleast at the flywheel), but the F Body is not nearly so rewarding to drive. And not once in 3 years of SS ownership was I ever able to hear the sweet sound of barking my tires when shifting into second and third as I do with my Bullitt. And I was supremely satisfied when my lowly 4.6 beat that large nostrilled LS1 Firebird last night.
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D
Heh, loving the dialogue!

What exactly is the "stigma" that lies with AMC?

Joe
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B
It comes down to individual people. I've had some intelligent conversations with a couple people at LS1.com. I've also seen more than my fair share of idiots. In person most people are decent enough but the anonymity that is granted by the computer allows "Closet" A$$holes to come out and be heard. Most of these people wouldn't look you in the eye if you were to ever meet them up close and personal much less try to tell you that your car is a piece of crap to your face.
There's also the 14 year old factor to deal with. Meaning you have to sort through who is actually a car owner and who is just some kid who bums rides in his mom's minivan and posts late at night after spending 45 minutes trying to see naked women through the scrambling of the Playboy channel.
Then there's the inherent rivalry between the Mustang/Camaro crowd. Which is like the rivalry between Republicans/Democrats.. Protestants/Catholics.. Ford/Chevy owners.. PC/Apple people.. Intel/Amd crowd.. Cubs/Sox fans.. Bears and (are there any other teams worth mentioning? :wink: )
So now that you have such a car you have, like it or not, thrown yourself into the mix with the crazies out there.
Can I make fun of Camaro owners and the ricers out there? Sure I can. Do I like the Camaro? Not at all.. but then I didn't buy one either. I'm not going to begrudge anyone who did either. They may have the same passion toward their cars that I have toward mine. I may think it's misguided but then again.. I don't have to live with it. Can I also appreciate what kind of work it took to get a Honda Civic into the 12's? Yes. I can also appreciate the body and paint work it took to get a 7 foot wing grafted onto the back of a Hyundai Sonata without a visible seam. It looks like crap but then that's my opinion and is only that. An opinion.
The only people I'll openly ridicule are those with "Attitude". Bad attitude. When a punk in a Accord with a 12in exhaust tip pulls up next to me after seeing "The Fast and the Furious" and starts yelling profanities and gunning the hell out of his overworked 4 banger I have a choice. I can let him go and be the better person. Or.. as luck would have it.. I have a clear road ahead and can "Put my worries behind me".
By and large though it seems that most of the "ignorant" crowds hang out on the Msg boards. In real life it sems that most people are descent enough and we all can appreciate what we have. If not. Well.. we're not the ones who have to answer to our pissed off 17 year old Girlfriends because we've not only made asses of ourselves but we got beat to boot.
Bottom line.. Love your car. You'll find people who love their cars as well and there's where the fun begins.
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R
Blakwing,

perfectly stated. Nobody brought this up, but I will. I can't even begin to understand lowriders, but although I have different taste, I can't say that their owners/builders don't have as much passion or creativity. Some people's lives revolve around these oddly-over-stated-highly-testosterone-charged beliefs, that have no basis in reality, and you just need to step away. Live and let live, and hope that the other guy has enough brains to show you the same respect and courtesy.
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J
I need a group hug
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Y
<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
On 2001-09-04 17:09, DHG-1934 wrote:
Heh, loving the dialogue!

What exactly is the "stigma" that lies with AMC?

Joe
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

That they are dogs, have Chevy (327) or Ford (390) engines, slow, junk, ugly, Chryslers, the Pacer (I'll give ya that one. It is an ugly car. :grin: )or for old ladies. And in my case, the AMX isn't a Camaro or a Mustang. Oh, how many times have I been asked, "What year is your Camaro?" Sometimes I just wanna shake 'em.
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texasbullitt
personally....i liked the gremlin x heh heh
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C
I am thinking about taking a Pacer, tubbing the rear fenderwells and dropping in a bigblock with a supercharger. That would be a kick in the hooties at the track!

Let's don't go wringing our hands and worrying because a bunch of dirtbags and guidos on an LS1 board are making fun of us. Remember, that part of the fun of being a car nut is the friendly rivalries between camps! I have a ball trading jabs with guys at work who are into Gm or Mopar. My boss owns a Firebird and I give him constant rations of shi# because he won't race me. The key is that it stay good natured and fun. I think the Ramair Firebird is one cool ass looking car (but I won't own onw becuase I think that they are lower quality than a Mustang). I am also sad that GM is halting production of the Camaros and Firebirds - It won't be as much fun anymore.

The key is that it stay good natured. When people get profane or start acting like a--holes, I just grin, wink, and turn my back on them so I can look for an adult to talk to.

The CatSmasher
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