[NST440]

Driving slow is a pleasure and i feel it totally is mood oriented. Todays life is so stressed and there is so much traffic that the pleasure of driving is almost negligible in the city, so i usually take on highways, especially at night with some good music or video and if in mood can pick up something to eat/drink on my way.
It also feels good to see people hurrying and rushing as if they have to catch a plane and i, in the slow lane enjoy the drive, Live to Drive.

[nepalken]

After 15 years of driving, now I have started to enjoy driving in rhythm. The lesser brakes I use, the more rhythm it picks up ( I slow down with downshifting instead of brakes). If I go very slowly, I feel drowsy, If I go too fast, after few hours I feel tired. If I maintain the moderate rhythm (not so fast not so slow), I don't feel tired at all.

One thing I can say is that you don't drive the vehicle on road, its the combination of road and vehicle that drives you.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Driving slow... Funny thing is that I am enjoying it more and more recently.

Just tonight, I barely exceeded 40 on Chennai's OMR. with people overtaking at 60 and much more. I drive for about 5km on that 3-lane road, then it's back to lanes: driving it gently really makes no difference to my overall journey time.

So why am I thinking of buying a more powerful car? --- I ask myself!

[rajeev k]

I used to drive very slowly on bumpy roads and speed up only on good stretches. Driving slow on bad stretches has its own disadvantages by way of honking from behind byr rides will be quite comfortable.
But slow driving overall has a relaxing effect on mind and body especially on highways after midnight when roads are almost deserted and when you are not in a hurry.
The Maruti adage of yesteryears "Enjoy the pleasure of slow driving" is quite right.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Enjoy the pleasure of slow driving

That's a funny way to sell cars!

[Pacifica]

Great thread.

I really used to enjoy driving at high speeds when I was in the US; the temptation of a big powerful V6 SUV, unending highways, and generally disciplined fellow drivers was irresistible.

Here in India I find that I never even go above 100kmph even on empty roads. Main reasons:

1. Empty roads in India mean nothing; you never know when there will be an obstruction (animals, people, wrong-side drivers, farmers drying grain... endless list)
2. Just doesn't feel safe to drive a Maruti Esteem beyond 100kmph (no airbags, floating sensation at speed, too light...) Even with a more modern, safer car I still stick to sub-100kmph speeds.
3. No confidence in the driving abilities of my fellow-drivers on the road - so better stay slower to give myself more reaction time to their crazy maneuvers. Some of the antics I've seen on Indian roads are simply out of this world. Idiots, most of them.
4. My father taught me to drive and he always said that it was most comfortable for the passengers if you maintain a steady speed instead of speeding up and braking like a maniac - that just makes everyone else uncomfortable and irritable. So now I try to be like a manual cruise control and keep the needle fixed at a specific speed as much as possible.

Then my wife and I went to Nainital with our dog and he was so happy to have his head lolling out of the window at 65kmph (above that the wind is too much and he has to put his head inside) so we drove most of the distance at that speed. It turned out to be the best long distance trip ever.

Now I only drive above 65kmph when my dog is asleep in the car and even then I stick to around 90kmph on the left lane.

[fireblade007]

For the last 6 months or so I have been driving slow, and I have started to enjoy it.......I have also developed a kind of sympathy for those believe themselves to be michael schumachers on their ROAD cars.

[gostel]

I prefer to drive at a steady slow pace, and find that this is a luxury rarely bestowed upon a driver. A long lonely road with interesting scenery around and a good weather sprinkled in are just what I would order to go with my leisurely drive. Alas, I am often jerked into reality and pushed into fast mode by impatient drivers for whom a millisecond saved means a great saving.

I drive fast to avoid becoming a hindrance to other cars in city traffic. At other times I drive fast on the highway when I have to reach the destination within the planned time. However, at the planning stage I factor in a relaxed drive hence the speeding up is seldom required. Sometimes I also speed up for short distances as speed driving is also fun, but I cannot sustain this for longer periods.

[shuvc]

Originally Posted by GTO

A sensible driver knows when to drive fast, and when slow

+1 to that.

While I do drive pretty slow at times - say 50kmph on roads where most cars are doing 80kmph - I get a feeling that in such situations driving that slow is not really safe for me. I tend to get too relaxed.

Hence, ideally I prefer to be at a speed which would keep me naturally alert. This could be 20kmph or 120kmph , depending on the road conditions and my own comfort level.

[AstonMartin]

Nice thread. May I say philosophical. Yes,driving slow is way better and more satisfying. The time difference is negligible. Theoretical Physics might differ. But your wallet and car would agree.

[Thad E Ginathom]

It's nice to know there are so many members that enjoy a slow drive

[RGK]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

It's nice to know there are so many members that enjoy a slow drive

Yes. It is risk free and you get more time in the drive - you can talk a lot, eat, get more time to set the audio, clean the glass inside once a while, etc...
I feel always 70km at all roads in any car and 60km during night are safe at the present traffic conditions.

[prince_pervez]

Originally Posted by RGK

I feel always 70km at all roads in any car and 60km during night are safe at the present traffic conditions.

Yep. No wonder when the NHs and the expressways may look inviting and tempting they are restircted by speed limits idiotic to the conditions and BHPs under the hood, but safe for you and your family.

This is not only in India. Some states here have speed limits of 65-75 on freeways and it is really tempting to rip the car but we got to understand two things, those limits are for our own good and the cop tickets are really high priced in excess of 150$ .

[Bigzero]

I used a Santro for close to seven years and I have driven quite fast through most of the long trips I made. I think in the last 1-2 years I have slowed down in general as far as my driving is considered, and ironically, after I moved onto a much more powerful and quicker i20 CRDi, I am actually driving slower! except for a few sections where I had to stick to higher speeds to reach earlier, I have observed that I am keeping to around 100 kph and less in the i20.

Cruising between 80 & 100 in a diesel is a terrific experience, and I am enjoying every minute of it! The best one was the recent drive to Pune where I focused more on driving steadily rather than driving fast. The fatigue levels were much less overall, after the drive.

Away from those major highways, I have dropped my speeds further. In my recent trip to Kerala, I was steadily going at around 65 and no more than that.

I have become a convert to moderate, steady driving. Good for the car, good for everyone around.

In fact my driving style in the city too has changed a lot in the last 2-3 years ( nothing to do with the car ). I dont try to overtake at all, unless its quite safe and necessary to do, I stick to sedate speeds all around, no frequent gear changes, and overall, I dont keep any time targets while driving in the city. The improvement in stress levels is enormous.

Oh and I get terrific FE nowadays! 23+ in the highway is more than what I bargained for!

[Gansan]

I always drive at around 75 - 85 KMPH on the highways and find that speed to be the most relaxing, with great FE and not adding too much to my ETA at the destination. I have seen that people doing 100+ speeds and whizzing past arrive at the destination sooner than me, but not significantly so.

The engine is very relaxed and almost inaudible at these speeds, and what one hears is the mild rush of air outside the closed windows, the distant hum of the tyres and the soft noise of the blowers. It is most soothing to me, and any music or conversation is sacrilege!