getherejune

OK, so we have owned our C5 for about 4 months. I swear about every 3 weeks i get some doofus who wants to race me-be it from a stop light, when i'm cruising down the freeway, in a 25 zone going to the post office-holy cow, its now to the point of being comical! I got a ticket about 6 months ago in the wifes corolla (yeah, a corolla!) for doing 10 over on the freeway, so when we drive the vette anywhere its 5 over at the most-its arrest me red so there is no way i'm going to do something dumb. Plus it teaches my teenagers when they are in the car to not be stupid just because you have a fast or sporty car. So today we were coming back from a corvette show (corvettes at the marina in westport, wa) and i see a black mustang about 1/4 mile behind me. so i tell the wife ive got a feeling this guy is trying to catch me. sure enough he pulls up next to me IN TOWN and starts the typical american graffiti stuff with me. We didn't acknowledge his antics, and when the light turned green he dumped the clutch, got a little sideways, and chirped off into the distance. Now i was in a mustang club and restored vintage mustangs for about 10 years, and have a soft spot for them, but all 5 times this stuff has happened, its been a Mustang! In my 66 coupe and 65 vert, people would be next to me and give me a thumbs up or a wave, but never try to race (i guess a 66 mustang coupe doesn't exactly scream power tho!), but my wife started just laughing and giving the dorks a thumbs down. I'm sure you more seasoned vette owners have this happen frequently-just wondering what is the best response? (and hell yeah, deep down i want to turn it loose, but that won't ever happen. I know how mad i get when my 17 year old is driving me somewhere and some idiot in another car does something dangerous). I tend to want to ignore them, but man it was hard today....
jp

koolaid117

Ignore them. I know when I was younger it was easy to do some street racing, but now, I don't care. Let them act that way. Not worth the possible consequences. Enjoy your vette!!

grampi50

A dude who was selling a C5Z told me every Mustang owner he encounters wants to race him...too bad for these Mustang guys as this guy had about $10K of performance upgrades to his Z and he said it dusts all but the very fastest Stangs...I think he said the only one that pulled him was a twin turbo Roush, and even then it wasn't by much...

Eaglerulez

I usually race them and beat them.

radar502

Don't have to show the world you have fast ride ,you know it what's all that matters .. I just give them the go away wave ( Like as if ) I had a Toyota Camry a few years back racing me to the ( left lane ends in 1000 yards deal ) Slammed my 04 450 RWHP in to 3ed see ya ,the nerve .. There is a right time and place for everything ,sounds like you'll know when that tine is .. Got to love it ..

friou

When I was a teen in So Cal I guess I did my share of dumb stuff but even back then we reserved our all out racing to the fair number of strips operating in the area in the 60's. Racing on the street has all the potential for disaster in more ways than one. Ignore them and they will get the idea in short order. Best wishes!

knewblewkorvette

I used to just laugh at them in my 98 C5 (767 rwhp). Unfortunately, I sold her. On the bright side, I just purchased a 99 C5 (617 rwhp) so I can still just laugh at them.
In my younger years, I raced. Now, I REFUSE to street race, it illegal because it's very dangerous.

GUSTO14

I bought my first Corvette in the late 60's while still a teenager. It was a '63, 250hp 327 with a 4-speed. I loved the car, but it seemed like everybody with a muscle car wanted to race. Shortly after buying it, I took it to a friends body shop to show him my "new" car and he immediately told me he had something I needed. He brings out a '67 427 stinger hood and says yours for $50 and my hood in trade. He even shot it black for me to match my car. Then he asked what about the emblems? I said heck, leave them on and when I paint the whole car later we'll remove them and fill the holes.

After that I still had the wanna-be racers running up on me at stop lights, but then they would look over at the hood and slowly creep off when the light changed. I never lost one of those races...

I was also pulled over 8 or 9 times in the first 6 months, but never received a citation. Almost every one of the Officers did remind me that they would be watching me. I don't think I've ever felt so looked after since. Not a ticket in over 45 years!

Good luck, and knewblewkorvette is correct, street racing is just too dangerous! Take it to the track...

GUSTO

Vetteman Jack

Unless it is at a track, it's best to just ignore them. No sense getting a ticket for racing on a public street.

ArtClassShank

I've had my car coming up on 8 months, driving 50 miles every day. Never get messed with. No idea what you guys are doing! My car is black though...

Crosis

Not worth it to race. Depending on the state it could be far worse than a ticket. In Florida you get arrested and your car is impounded with a rather steep impound fee. After 3 times your DL is revoked and your car is sold at auction. Let the little 'stang fella play his games. You're in a vette. There's nothing to prove.

typeav

once you add exhaust they stop messing

sirdano

Every morning when I leave work I get the rubber band eclipse trying to race me. His idea is to zip in and out of traffic. I just laugh as he passes and I am going the speed limit.

Really want to call police and have them nab him... Tempted

Mo Fun

In the city, I just pay more attention to the big trucks that cannot see me, 'wanna be racers' get to think they are top. But there are a few back road single lanes that always get my attention, I make it a point to go that way so I can take the corners with lots of, shall we say, the attention they need. That gets it all out of me and man these cars can handle the back roads just as well as they can off of a red light. Why risk it?

Forcedvert

Most of those new mustangs are an even match or are faster than a stock C5. So ignoring them is a good idea. It would not be a quick 2 to 3 second stomping. So it would become a "race" where bad things could happen. These guys know this and don't care about the consequences and will stay on the throttle to try to prove how fast their car is. If that annoys you it takes some serious mods to shut them down in 2 to 3 seconds from a light and their done.

Shaolin Crane

Interesting, when I had my fox it was always C5's that wanted to race. I didn't bother because I had near 700rwhp and didn't need to prove anything, now that I have my FRC I get the same thing, but it's always from a Prius.

Forcedvert

it's fun to see a car flex just a bit (in a safe way) with 700 hp maybe just 1.5 seconds. I saw a C7 Z06 accelerate from a light the other day, not out of control, just a steady pace up to speed limit. I must admit it was cool, not many that could afford one of those would do that. JMHO

Patches

Used to have cutouts on my head/cam/header C5. A ricer pulled up next to me one early Sunday morning as we approached a red light and revved on me. As we slowed down, I opened up my cutouts and just casually kept looking straight ahead - didn't even rev it. When the light turned green he slowly made a U-turn at the intersection and went on his way.

Red Square

I get a certain percentage of people wanting to race. I also ignore them.

What I get constantly is guys between 16 and 50 that want to....no...have to simply pass me.
It is always guys, never women. They are never older folks. The make/model of their car is irrelevant. I guess in their mind, passing me translates to "I can beat a Vette".

Forcedvert

even better ^^^^^ha ha


I may have to get cutouts