Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   The Indian Car Scene (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/)

-   -   How obsessive are you? Enthusiast thoughts while driving (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/244279-how-obsessive-you-enthusiast-thoughts-while-driving.html)

Hi,

I am starting this thread as I have started noticing how much I think about the car while driving on so many aspects while my friends, just are casually thinking about other things in life while driving.

Some of my thoughts are below, tell me if I am weird. rl:

• Clutch vs Suspension - If I don't slow down for each speed breaker, this will lead to lower usage of my clutch but will take a toll on my suspension. However this will also result in lower wear and tear for the brakes and better fuel consumption. Which approach will be more cost effective.
• Guessing the RPM - I am always guessing what RPM the car is at without looking at the tacho and I am almost always accurate with my guess in a wide variety of cars.
• Judging people on the road with bad driving manners - assuming people who drive poorly are low IQ. People who drive at 50 on the first lane on the express highway. People who change lanes at high speed without indicators.
• Birds of same flock - I always try to notice the driving patterns of other vehicles and I am always trying to spot cars with are tagged along (friends / family / security)
• Anticipatory driving - Its a game I play with myself to see how well I able to anticipate the traffic behaviour ahead of me so that I can drive with lower usage of brakes with only engine braking (I would be a great EV driver I guess!!)

As a result of all this, there is so much going on in my head that I am a very boring guy to travel with, however the trips are always fun for me! :cool:

How many close encounters will I have with the BMTC bus(constant pain as they block free lefts/rights) dudes and the autorickshaw guys. I've had horrid experiences with these in the recent past and you can't win an argument with them. Although I may be right, I just swallow my pride and vacate the scene. It is just not worth arguing with them. Also, I keep wondering if I can ever find a stretch that's free of uneven surfaces during a drive. The only time when my car doesn't rattle is when I'm in the apartment basement or when it's parked. All thanks to Bangalore's miserable roads.

Agree with you, and I am somewhat similar. When I drive a car, I am totally engrossed in the driving. I say that I keep talking to my car and the car keeps talking to me. We have our own secret language that nobody else understands :-)

Driving is a like a game for me and I play that game very seriously. I only keep thinking about the car and how the car is performing, the road, the traffic and other cars, also my navigational/trip data (I love looking at maps and continuously calculating and keeping a mental track of things such as distance traveled, average speed, distance to go, ETA at next stop etc). There is so much interesting and fascinating stuff like this that I think about. I hardly ever think about life outside the car when I drive.

That is why solo drives work the best for me. Luckily for me, my wife knows me well and she is totally fine with this. She loves to sleep in the car when we travel. Thus, we have a very happy partnership where she peacefully sleeps in the car when we go on a long drive, and I get engrossed in the game of driving the car without talking to anyone.

On the other hand, some of my colleagues and non-car enthusiast friends are totally opposite. They keep talking about so many things while driving the car (work, news, personal life, other topics) and they hardly ever pay attention to actual driving. I find it a bit weird. And I am sure they find my driving behavior weird too. I guess it is only fair to say "to each their own" :-)

I dont think you are weird at all buddy! That's the passion in your mind thinking.

I was very similar or even more over the board, imagining the cornering forces, traction of the tyres and what not! However, nowadays, there's too much going on in life that an A-B transit isnt as involving as before. Even then, I feel the need to be truly connected to the car while driving!

All the sounds dont go unnoticed, or appreciated! Similarly the handling, power, comfort and more! :)

Steering wheel and gear shift in hand, favourite music playing and eyes on the road - nothing else gets on my mind. Makes me a poor communicator especially if the roads are busy but my co-passengers have accepted it.

The erring co-occupants of the road do get a mouthful from me once in a while. But they can't hear me at all as my windows are rolled up, always. I just exercise my freedom of expression and right to privacy in one go.lol:

Observe and anticipate - these are very useful skills which help mitigate risks. Have been using them forever now, whether I am driving or just walking.

Steering wheel holding with both hands while on the highway and with one hand on the wheel and the other on the armrest. Both of them are my favorite driving positions.

Yes, I do judge someone's driving especially when he/she is in my way. I seldom play music while on the move. I love the sound of engine rather than loud music. Helps me connect more while driving.

For me, the best drives I have been in isolation. The feeling of doing cruising speeds on the highway, with music playing, is unmatched. I rarely get access to the car, but whenever I do, It's something which I really enjoy.

I certainly do get angry at most people who violate laws or are not driving properly. But this anger is mostly kept to me, as I don't want to be part of any form of road rage, despite cases where the other party may tend to provoke or cause problems.

I am sure someone who could be entertained by merely driving, I am surely obsessive while driving

Whenever a vehicle overtakes me, I calculate how much faster than the speed limit they are going because I always follow speed limit.

Some of my traits:

Identify the good ones: While driving along the highway, I tend to identify vehicles and drivers who are driving 'well'. By well, I mean, they are covering a lot of distance very fast without too many sudden bursts of acceleration or darting across lanes. Thats how I intend to drive and so I admire if someone else does the same thing. I try to keep these 'good ones' in my sights for as long as possible, just to make sure I am also making steady and fast progress. Its OK if they are far ahead, as long as I see them as a spec, its OK.

Identify the ones in a hurry: Anyone who uses quick transitions of direction or acceleration to make progress, I tend to leave them alone. Assuming that they must be in a hurry, I let them go.

The above 2 help me stay fast and safe.

Anticipatory driving: A while back when I used to take the Mumbai-Pune expressway, me and my brother played a game on the Civic AT. The game was how long can we go without touching the brakes. This would give us a lot of insight on how well each one of us was driving? Could be anticipate hazards in advance? Remember, the engine braking on a manual is much higher than on an Automatic so we literally had to keep track of vehicles ~500-1000m away to be able to ensure we were driving safely.

Throttle manipulation: I used to do this more on the bike than on the car. I would actively try to find the minimum possible throttle that I can give while still maintaining my Highway cruise speeds. I could genuinely go back at least 2.5-3 degrees with the bike still holding my preferred speed (of around 105-108 kmph in 5th). Don't know why I did it, its just something I did. Doesn't work too well on cars though.

Boredom activities: During long rides, I would entertain myself by trying to estimate whether the sun would go down before I reach my destination. This I would do by looking at the position of the sun, its speed of going down in the past few kilometers, the number of km remaining, the terrain (plains have late sunsets etc.). I would look at as many outdoor visual cues as possible but not look at the watch (no time display on the P220 console), weather report or the Google ETA :D (because that would mean I have to stop, I hate stopping when I am running late).

I do almost all of the mentioned, and also some more like,

• Noticing repeat events, like finding faulty signals, bad patches and improvement (let me rephrase - no improvement) for years together.
• Honking and flashing lights warning people ahead while some idiot tries tailgating or cutting corners like Rossi or Hamilton.
• Predicting pedestrian or animal crossing intent (I get it right sometimes) and analyzing if the vehicle behind me will stop or should I stop to let them cross.
• I rarely let others drive and always point out possibly better reactions to a scenario.
• Try to calculate speed and distance on speed bumps so that I can save some fuel.
• Trying to utilize maximum momentum on downwards slopes and have A/C run and turn off in higher gradients or slow moving traffic to increase some FE. I wish that I had auto climate control.

Right hand on top of steering. Left hand on the gear lever and elbow on armrest. That is how I like to roll.:cool:

Keep the revs where the engine is at happy. Start slowing down early. Use lots of engine braking, tapping on the brakes only the end.
There's so much feedback and communication from the vehicle. Never needed any additional stimulus like music.

Drive bare-feet when possible with no one around. I am sure there are folks who don't like using condoms.;)

I had not given much thought to it, but I guess I am also in the same boat. I generally do not talk much and I am worse when driving. More focused on the driving, noticing the smoothness of the DSG shifts, the fast kickdown when you floor the accelerator, the revving sound when I pop it into the S mode for a quick overtake, the quiet nature of the TSI engine when cruising on good roads at 60kmph.

In addition, I keep glancing at the instrument cluster for any surprises, the MID mileage indicator, keep appreciating the feel of the steering even after 8 years.

Externally, normally switch on maps on longer drives and I keep track of how ahead or behind the predicted time I am. See how others are driving, notice instances of poor driving behavior on my part including any risks which I should have avoided.

And above everything, the thought that is always there is whether my DSG is happy and whether there is anything out of the normal I am observing. :D

If the left hand is not busy on other activities (gear change, AC/fan control, DTE check, dashcam still photo etc.) both hands will be on the steering, with left hand getting some support from arm rest. I keep soft music on all the time. Occasional glance on Google map and TPMS (two different phones).

I let the vehicles to overtake who are seemingly in hurry. I try to maintain speed limit and have a relaxed drive. Love to enjoy scenic routes and also capture few still photos with my dashcam. I feel insecure nowadays without front dashcam and TPMS ;)

Likewise man :thumbs up. A good car with good roads and good music = total bliss. Such drives are therapeutic to me. Almost like meditation, I "get in the zone" and have some of my best thoughts & ideas...be it on the personal, business or spiritual fronts.

Enthusiast-wise, and I'm sure it's the same for all of us, I sort of create a bond with the car. You listen to it, pay attention to all the communication the car is giving you. The really good machines become like an extension of you. From recent drives, I experienced this with the XUV700, although not the Bolero Neo (as an example). I drive fast, but smooth and don't really worry about the hardware or health of the car.

I'm similar, while driving my total focus is on the driving! Since I drive primarily in Mumbai, it needs utmost concentration as driving here is stressful. I keep checking the mirrors so as to keep the notorious rickshawallas & bikers at bay. Anticipating the potholes & lane change since I take the same road most days. And when driving I talk very very little & this upsets my spouse!:D I have invariably lost my focus & concentration for a split second when my wife insists I talk, so now I make a conscious effort to talk a little at traffic signals.:)