Went on a 140 mile round trip drive in the mountains today had a lot of fun in the dips and curves, had a newer 911 turbo pass me in a passing lane, no problem, followed him for a while until we were separated by slower traffic and back in the curves. I was somewhat surprised by a pickup that while coming down the mountain did his best (I think) braking in the turns many which I didn't brake for, and accelerating in the straights just to stay ahead of me. I didn't push him but would have liked to pass but passing speed would have been to high. Further down the mountain another older pickup was flying oblivious to me behind him. I wasn't in full race mode but a little disappointed in myself as to the amount of effort it took to hang with him. Any one else here on the forum have any similar stories, I guess I expected to easily out drive non sport cars in the mountains, getting to old I guess.

 

No.

 

It makes me feel like a rock star, but not a better driver. Having never owned a true sports car before, I just like being able to throw this thing into a tight turn and have it stick like glue.

 

Nope.

 

Lot's of Bubbas in pick-em-up trucks around here and yes, lots of fun taking a 25MPH highway ramp at 45 or 50 and watching to see how long they try to hang with the Vette. The smart ones bail out early, the others provide lots of entertainment. Mustangs, BMWs etc do a little better. The last encounter I had with a Porsche was with the C5 so nothing to add here.

 

I've been to many driving schools including Spring Mountain and have a fair amount of track time. I'll never forget my first experience there at C6 Z06 school. The instructors were lapping all the Z06 students in this:



While a superior car helps, that's not true in the absence of superior talent.

 

If by being more involved with actually driving the car and not being distracted by other things, yes, driving a Corvette does make you a better driver than the majority of drivers on the road.

I used to drive over 40K miles per year when I was managing a large sales region. I always felt that driving that many miles did not necessary make me a better driver, just more experienced. And by experience, I saw a lot of bad driving and poor decisions over the years that has helped me anticipate and avoid accidents.

 

It doesn't make you a better driver, but it does make some of the people around you worse drivers.

 

 

I experience the same thing on the mountain roads on 97 and 20 in washington state. If they want to be first and can stay ahead I let them. The only time it gets annoying is when there is a long line of 30 cars behind them and they won't get out of the way and are driving below the speed limit

 

The Vette doesn't make you a safer driver. What makes you a safer driver is understanding how a car performs in a corner and how many Gs can be pulled before it takes a wider track through a corner. Cars don't fly off the road when they go to fast in a corner they just travel through a wider radius.

If you aren't used to taking corners fast you won't take them any faster in the Vette. Your brain will involuntarily lift your foot off the throttle. You may think you are cornering faster because the Vette doesn't feel as sloppy at the beginning and end of the turn due to a stiffer suspension. In the middle of the turn where the car has taken a set it will corner based on pure physics (radius of the turn, car speed and tire grip) and if you aren't used to pulling the Gs associated with going through a corner faster you will not do it no matter how well your car handles.

Most vehicles (including pickup trucks and box vans) will corner much better than their drivers believe. I believe the last time I looked it up the average driver only used a maximum 25% of the their vehicles cornering grip. When you run up against somebody that knows how hard they can push their vehicle and are able to do so you will find out you will not be able to keep up with them no matter how much HP you have unless you can change the wiring in your brain. That is what driving schools are all about.

Bill

 

Plenty of such idiots on the road. Did a 420 mile trip (haha, WA state too, oh the irony) yesterday to cross the 500 mile mark and found several. Mainly Priuses and Subarus that really wanted to show me who's boss (I'm driving a Yellow GS) and me just wanting to enjoy my drive. Similar lifted pickup truck but in my case he followed me through a couple miles of twisties getting way too close to my rear end. After reading about that Corvette whose roof got crushed in by a lifted truck recently, I was rightfully worried.

This so much. Around the city/suburbs here, all these damn WRXs, souped up Mustangs and Teslas seem to want to race me - slowing down, suddenly shooting off, displaying everything terrible there is to display about driving with a total lack of skill.

Showed some P90D (sub 3 second 0-60) who is boss on an empty, curvy on-ramp (oh those lovely Gs) after he wouldn't let me be. There is no substitute for actual training and time on a track to learn how to handle a car. Any idiot can accelerate off into the distance in a straight line with an all wheel drive with instant torque. Said Tesla idiot did exactly that after he ended up getting on the freeway well behind me after initially getting a very good jump on me with his insane 0-60.

 

Keep it safe on the street guys. Learning the limits of your vehicle or running into a situation you don't know how to handle at extreme speeds is a recipe for disaster. I don't do group rides anymore for this reason. Just isn't worth the risk, save it for the track

 

.....A skilled driver with a Madza Miata on a road course would put most Corvette drivers to shame on that same course.

 

not better - but happier!

 

Nope.

 

I might be a tad better because I pay attention to what is going on around me more, but regardless of that I am a HAPPIER driver. And I avoid playing tag with other sports cars or any other vehicle on the road. They want to pass, it's OK with me

 

It makes me a more careful driver in that I am more concerned with curbs, potholes, etc. I am just more protective of my C7 than my DD so in that case it makes me a better driver.

 

I don't think the Corvette made me a better driver, but the opportunity to go to Spring Mountain as a result of buying a Vette made me a better driver.

 

How did you know it was a P90D unless you saw the back of it?