I did, which got me on the, "having jumped in ... " thing. I couldn't tell where the discussion broke down.
The right way to enter the freeway is to get to speed on the ramp, then slow if needed. One should never enter the freeway at less than the speed of cars already there in hopes the car can speed up in the last 10 feet.
Do yourself a favor: take a Scion tC for a test spin, and then get behind the wheel of a decently running Supra that has had the brakes maintained.
Either way, experience is rewarded...
It also depends on the car. I'm obviously not going to out-power OR out-brake anyone with my Mazda or my Subaru, but I'll take all bets in the Supra or the Scion.
You have to drive to the car's capabilities, and even more important, to your *OWN* without impeding anyone else.
The safest bet is the best bet, but not one everyone (especially here in Mass) chooses...
That's what I wrote. You do it that way because the brakes are the more powerful system.
Again, brakes are far more powerful than engines if working correctly. This is why I hate usenet. Doesn't matter that the subject should be filed under captain obvious and was over and done with many times over, someone still insists it's wrong.
If the brakes are less powerful than the engine, something is wrong with the brakes or someone took a very low powered car and dropped a lot of hp into it and didn't bother touching the brakes.
Then I agree with you ...
Of course you have to drive your car's capabilities. But there should never ever be a car on the freeway that can't get up to speed on the onramp, then slow if needed to actually affect proper entry.
If the car can't get to speed on the onramp then slow as needed, it should remain at home. If the drive is not up to that standard, he or she ought to not be driving.
Though I agree in essence with what you're saying, what speed are you talking about? Some say that merge lane should be filled by cars doing 80mph who have moved there so those in the middle lane can do 81mph. That's the problem with guys who are telling everybody else how to drive, and making rules for them. My "rule" is I take care of myself, and others to the extent I'm not endangered, and don't think any "rules" are going to protect me. Everybody's got different rules. The trick is adjusting to those rules, otherwise you'll come to grief.
--Vic
Me thinks you miss the point. Yes, I can hold the brake and hit the gas, and the car won't move...
but WHY hit the brakes when you can out-accelerate everyone else?!?!?
My Subaru rarely goes on the highway. It's good around town, and on the rural roads around here, but the only time I take it on the highway is for the 2 miles to get to the bank.
Thing turns 4,400 at 65 MPH!
I'd still rather have a car where I can hit the gas instead... ;)
Because at the speeds you'll be traveling, you can brake far faster than you can accelerate, unless you've got an order of magnitude more power than your average road car.
nate
Sounds like you are referring to every 4cy Camry driving around in the mountainous parts of the county. They can't get out of their own way, except when they are going down hill LOL
You can shit in one hand and wish in the other, and see which fills faster.
As a practical matter, there's no such car that does what you want, that's why onramps are so long. You will note that the short onramps built in the
50s and 60s are not built like that anymore _precisely_ because cars can not get up to speed as fast as then can shave off a few mph.Your 50 to 60 time will always be longer than your 60 to 50 time.
If the merge lane is filled with speeders, then you may have trouble getting up to speed. But, if you are trying to merge at 45 or 50, and the merge lane is filled with speeders, then somebody is going to die. Everybody concerned is better off if your car is doing at least the speed limit of the freeway that you are entering.
If you're in the merge lane doing 80, and somebody wants to merge, then it is your obligation to let them in if they are in front of you and running out of room. But, this demands that the guy running out of room is not going so slow as to cause you to slow. And if he is going that slow, they you're an idiot for running up on him so closely as to create a hazard.
I always watch the onramp to see if anybody will get to the end at the same time I get there, and either adjust my lane selection or my speed.
I really see no need in this discussion. Get your ass going on the onramp, and watch the onramp when you are speeding in the slow lane. End of discussion.
When you're going 40mph and the traffic is doing 80mph, how is being able to out accelerate them going to matter? Or are you accelerating fast enough to warp time and space?
[snip...]
Not in all cases, though. This link from the California Driver Handbook website shows otherwise, although obviously that's also only applicable to California driving:
If there are only two lanes in your direction, pick the right lane for the smoothest driving."
[snip...]
Don't confuse them with facts and sense, man. This is usenet!
Damn, it's been a long time since I've driven past Getwell Road. Or Shotwell Road, for that matter.
Charles the Curmudgeon.
Unless the ramp has a sharp corner, I'm usually up to 60 by the time I hit the end of the ramp, traffic permitting.
40-60 in my car is about 4 seconds, and I can usually take the sharp corners at 45-50 MPH.You really should check out a Scion tC.
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