I dont know if any of you out there will admit this, but heres what Im feeling.....

I feel like a caged animal whos cage is getting smaller and smaller by the day. Back when I was younger (16 yay what a year) everything was impulse. Work on my car, race my car (track OR street), push it to its limits (MAYBE 115 it was a nissan 240sx). And I was happy, I had a blast. Women, friends, fun, happiness all came like second nature. But lately Everything has just begun to bear down. I have a good paying job that I went to school for, Im back in school for a second degree (this time in mechanical engineering) Friends have moved away, and "adulthood sucks big monkey you know whats". My outlet used to be with my "car team" juvenile as it may have been, irresponsible as staying up till 3-4 am where no cars were out and having little rally's to see who could get to point B from A fastest, eating cold pizza while covered in grease and gunk from the undercarriage of your car that you had been working on for hours upon end.... these were good days.

Now, it seems like all my remaining friends want to do is drink, get drunk and thats how they "cut loose" (mind you my group of friends ranges from 20's to mid 40's). Dont get me wrong, Drinking is fun, and I enjoy it. OCCASIONALLY. And now to my moreso main point as it relates to my corvette. Its not the most powerful thing out there.. pretty much stock except for the corsa exhaust and VaraRam. But I almost hate driving it now because I feel like I have to drive it like the other 8745298361 people on the road, EVERY morning, going to work, keeping your head down so the "man" wont slap you with a 3,000 speeding ticket and take away your driving rights...I mean... I just WANT TO SCREAM!! Ive been to the track, it doesnt excite me. The only reason im willing to put my corvette on the track at VIR is so that I can become a better/smoother driver on the street. I dont need to go ***** to the wall around a track and push it for a whole day, or weekend. I was much happier on the street. I guess im just annoyed. everything is so sensored, so toned down, and I just wanna break free and be loud, obnoxious, and fast. Maybe not just to break the law, but to show myself the HELL YES, YOU CAN STILL DO IT!!

Im not going to pretend like driving fast on public roads is safe OR smart. It isnt. But If I have to sit through traffic one more time, and know that I could make it to work 10x faster if I were just "allowed" to drive the way I can I might lose it. Ive been good, no tickets, not since I was 17 anyways. I just feel like my inner driver has been boxed up, put on a shelf, and is now collecting dust. Im sorry this is such a long rant, but I had to get it out SOMEHOW. Btw, no, I dont typically have any kind of roadrage to speak of. I would be so elated if they would build an autobahn over here. just to be able to wind her out through the first 4 gears would be amazing.

Problem is, I dont think this feeling is just the car, just the fact that instead of having one of my previous 6 cars where driving fast took a little finesse, the corvette is just brute power. hell, by the end of 2nd gear we are doing what, 70 mph+? (I wouldnt know, I dont look down). does anyone else feel like this?? tell me Im not alone... how do you deal with your... weaker moments of judgement, while in the corvette.. Have you ever just got bitten by that bug that SCREAMS at you, "DOWNSHIFT. PUNCH IT." and when you dont scratch that nasty bug bite, does yours start to fester too?? help me out here guys, im going insane...








For the conservatives, Im not like the other people on this forum who will edit their post and fall into the background because you come in here and preach how bad speeding is, if you so feel inclined to speak your mind, please do, all of your opinions are welcome, this is why I posted here on an open forum.

 

Me thinks you sound like about 99% of the General Population! Personally, I "tend" to drive the speed limit when within the city/town areas and then drive just a tad faster out in the middle of no where.

 

 

It doesn't go on like this forever, as you get older, you smell the roses more, you enjoy the car just for the ride. BTW, it sounds like you are ready for a sportbike. Dollar for Dollar, you can't find anything that terrifies as well as a CBR, GSX, or R-1!!!!! And you can take them up to VIR Saturday and ride it to work Monday. I just rode in my 24V, 6 cyl, 1981 Honda CBX today. It's an old bike and just a slight crack of the throttle in high gear and I'm 90mph.........Never mind my CBR 929, it's STUPID FAST!
I love my cars but there is NOTHING more fun than laying a bike down sideways and blasting through a set of corners at 70 mph! Here in Virginia,
whether it's the Shenandoah range or Blue Ridge there is INCREDIBLE RIDING!!! It's the whole reason why I relocated here!
I ride as much as I can and when I'm with the wife I take the 'Vette and explore MORE mountain roads. Just think, you could be living in a state that is very flat and doesn't offer the playground you have in your back yard!

John

 

Relax. Some of us feel the same way sometimes. Like this morning on the way to work. A Pontiac G6 GT and a Honda CRX (yes a Honda) were weaving in and out of traffic and accellerating like they had speed. They were tailgating unbelievably-even VERY close on a motorcycle. I would have loved to engage the Pontiac and blow his doors off but I try to stay within the law - and it really ticks me off.

My constructive release is martial arts. There is nothing like kicking and striking a real person to let off steam. Of course that goes both ways.

 

I can understand what you are going through, but as the years pass nothing stays the same. The fun days of your youth are gone forever. But over time as you grow older and make new friends and try new experiences things do start to settle in. Traffic is just something we all have to put up with. There is still a lot of life to experience out there. Sounds like you need to expand your circle of friends. Trust me what you are going through is not the end of the world. The only person that can do something about your situation is you.

Keep an open mind and enjoy life, and your Vette while you can..

 

Dude...take a Prozac.

 

Here's mine:

 

Funny you should say that... I ride a 2006 Hayabusa LE. heres my lineup of cars/bikes

1993 240SX (~220hp with JDM motor)
1996 ProbeGT (who cares, it was a turd)
1989 Supra (~320 HP with upgraded turbo + goodies)
1992 Honda prelude ( left motor stock and made it look nice, then gave to little sister)
2003 350z (left stock, too expensive to mod)
1997 Corvette ( VaraRam, Corsa, LS7 stuff, etc)

1999 Kawasaki ZX6R
1996 Suzuki GSXR 750 LE
2003 GSXR 1000
2006 Hayabusa 1300 LE

 

that was a great rant. i can relate, same situation when youre young then everyone changes. I live in a congested area and sometimes i wish i lived in the middle of texas with open, flat, staright roads forever. Stupid suburbs of NYC.

 

To get me feeling better I head to the back roads in my Vette and open her up and get my stocker really rolling and with 700+ rwhp it does get rid of the pent up feeling fast

 

You are just now realizing that your teenage years are gone for good along with perhaps many of your old friends. Marriage and children change us. Jobs start to wear us down. But, cheer up! you will adjust and find other things that you will have fun doing.

Expand your circle of friends and experence new hobbies. Perhaps travel while you are still in good health. You are the only one who can change things.

 

Time to trade in that Vette for a Taurus so you won't feel the need -THE NEED FOR SPEED
Me a little more push to the wrong direction and I will leave the Vette world as I too am on the edge. Maybe I need Prozac too. But I think the stigma of owning a Vette is starting to get to me
Here are the stereo typical stigma's
1. Keep the car clean at all times
2. Don't drive it in the rain or snow
3. Everyone thinks you drive like a maniac/fast
4. Or every other car wants to race you
5. You're a show off
I know that there are Pros of owning a Vette, but with my growing family - I'm afraid the room is getting smaller and smaller - just like you said "Boxed up!"

 

Want to play where there are very few speed limits?
Where your 'seat of the pants' has to gel with your head
..you have to think through what you're doing to what you are gonna have to do in a few minutes?

Go flying.
It really is easier than most people think.
Takeoff is pure drag race ..keep it straight and PUNCH it, HARD!
Landing is all head game.. you have to think about where you are, where you want to be, and do what you have to, to get there, from here.
The more you 'get into it' ..the more there is to do
Flour bombing, Spot landing contests, aerobatics, haulin some serious butt down by the tree tops (nowhere around people!)
Flyin a 'new' type and gettin signed off on it.

Yassir . . I've flown 400mph at <100 feet sittin behind a 1700hp Merlin just purrin away after a split-ess from 8500 feet.. in a TF-51D they call 'Crazy Horse.'

Say what you will .. there aint *nothin* I've done with clothes on that comes close to pure man-machine fun of that flight.

www.stallion51.com

Your local flyin field will have an instructor that will let you learn to fly ..
..usually startin with a $30 'orientation' ride where they take you up in a Cessna or some such and let you take the controls to see how you like 'doin it' instead of just ridin in it.

I was hooked right at takeoff

-Frank (and ya .. tower said to keep it under 250 indicated for the overhead break to downwind for landing ..LOL)

 

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...72499744357853

Of course my son-in-law put NOS on his custom!, told him to get $250k more life insurance, which he did. Don't want my daughter and grandkids left with no money after the big tank slapper. I had some great street and dirt bikes back in the old days including a new Norton Commando in 1971 along with a 1971 Rickman w/650 Triumph engine. New Suzuki GS1000G , but the most fun street bike was a Yamaha 400 Daytona Special. Built it for my son,with Bassani chambers, special Mikunis, Koni shocks and cafe faring and bars. I drove this little bike to work for two years through Tampa traffic. Still there is nothing like dirt if you have access. Steve Mcqueen had a Rickman desert racer so naturally my buds and I purchased 3 new ones at Daytona in 71.
My only toy now is my C5, kinda miss the bikes but at 66 I know that i just do not have the reactions anymore and I don't like to go slow!
Get a MC
OGC5

 

I feel your pain. I just turned 66 and feel caged. I had an exciting 26 year military career. But maturity and responsibility has to come sometime. I can't tell you not to make the same mistakes I made along the way cause you'll make some of them anyway.

What you have to realize is that you're responsible for what you do and if you screw up big time and hurt or kill somebody, then step up and take your whipping like a man.

 

Do not worry it will get better....moving the last one into his freshman dorm tomorrow! Now I am trying to mod an engine hoist to drop me into the vert so I can drive it ,since my old knees won't bend any more!

 

Here's my Taurus on Putnam race day:


I was too scared to take it farther at the time, but I have the 144mph speed limiter removed. Not much of a cure for the need for speed. I can't wait to get my vette on the track someday!

OP, I feel your pain. and I know the feeling. so many days I just want to drive the car the way it should be driven, but I don't want to do anything illegal. The depressing nature of the roads as VA politicians have made it is really awful. There are some days which I have literally talked myself out of going somewhere because I didn't want to run the risk of some cop pulling yet another stupid law out of his you know where and slapping me with a ticket for it. I've been pulled over for just about every stupid law you can think of. You know the ones where the cop sits in his car for 15 minutes pouring through his traffic code book trying to find the law I broke because he has no idea what it is. the kind where the lady at the courthouse has to do the same thing to figure out what the fine is because she didn't even know it was illegal! yeah, I get pulled over for those all the time. it really hits you hard when you decide to channel your enthusiasm for your car away from speed and power and towards things like making it look better, or sound better, and then they come down on you so hard for that too.

 

This is kind of depressing, though even I feel the building angst for traffic. I grew up in the rural area of richmond, va which is now the premier site for urban sprawl in the va. That means more traffic than ever, and now that my girlfriend lives in Poquoson that means I gotta drive down the dreaded 64 on a regular basis. I think there are too many people doing their own thing and its frustrating almost to the point where I wish I wasnt even driving. Thats upsetting, I love driving but I cant stand stopgostopgostopgo all the time. And now, like you I have to be on a constant lookout for the big $1500 dollar regular speeding ticket now prevalent in Va.

But, when I get home I hug my girl watch tv with her and I forget all about driving in crap traffic and all the other things that stress me out for that matter. maybe its because Im at the point of my life where settling down is new and fun in its own way.

Chin up and take a deep breath, Im sure those trapped feelings will pass as everyone always seem to do.

Ever need someone to go riding with give me a ring, I got a 06 GSXR1k

 

Thanks for all the replies guys, you are really helping me get through my morning here @ work. Dont get me wrong, I like my job, but I hope its forgiveable to spend 5 or 6 mins here and there throughout the day reading a forum to keep me happy and complacent.


My god, If Im going through this at age 22, I dont WANT to know what 44 is going to be like... (if i make it there...)



stuart, ill definitely hit you up to ride, im selling my 06 and picking up a used 08 next season.