Re: Almost lost to turbo CIVIC
Hello,
I found this thread by searching for dataloggging and that's still what I'm looking for, so if you know a good thread for datalogging on a syty, please point me in the correct direction.
However, I read the above posts regarding racing/street racing.
I can confidently say I've been racing/street racing for more years than some of you have been alive. To me, there are two types of street racing. The impromptu lineup at the traffic light on regular streets in town and the "illegals" where everyone goes out to an abandoned or seldom used road and races.
The problem with the illegals is cops bust them from time to time (which I think is a mistake on their part) and the occasional drunk or high idiot who poses a risk to everyone. I was almost run over by one of these idiots on more than one occasion. Also if a car gets out of control, people can get hurt with no one to help. Something to think about, although I feel this form of "street racing" far less dangerous than the "stop light grand prix."
The "stop light grand prix" has a lot of problems. "Civilian traffic" is the largest. People turning into the street from driveways and other streets is a very high risk. Right now there is sitting out in a landfill what used to be one of my fastest and best rides. I was street racing and this lady just pulled out in front of us and stopped. No explanation, she just stopped. Anyway, I clipped her and to make a very long story short, my car ended up totaled. There was a not a straight piece left on the car. True, I was able to salvage the drivetrain, but i had $25k in custom work done to the car, (body, paint, frame mods, suspension, etc) not to mention the car itself. (in today's value, about $25K) Oh yea, and the $5K I paid the lawyer to keep me out of jail and the $2500 fine I paid to the court and the $6000 increase in my insurance premiums over the next 5 years. Oh yea, I had to pay $1500 to have her car fixed and no one else (that the cops knew about) was injured. (One of the things the lawyer used to get me off without jail time.) Oh yea, and I didn't have a decent ride because of the financial hit I took. It took me about 10 years to recover from that one incident. And in today's dollars the lawyer would probably cost at least $15K and the insurance probably double. What the cops didn't know as I had a passenger, my best friend. But we called his wife and she came and got him before the cops got there. I paid for his medical bills, which thankfully weren't that bad because he put most of it on his insurance. His injuries weren't too serious, but he did suffer some serious pain (we went into a cactus and he got the worst of it.).
And in my case, we weren't really on any main streets. We had turned down a very seldom used side street to race. It was 2am and I never thought for a minute we'd have to worry about something like this happening... but that's just it, you never really know.
I don't like the local drags because it's not really any fun. The fun part of street racing is just facing up with someone for a few bucks and "run what you brung." If you win, you're the bad ass (till the next race.

) and if you lose, you go home and wrench on the car and try not to let that happen again.

But at the race track, you don't have any of that. You don't have the thrill of just facing off against someone and I have to admit, I get a thrill out of shutting down some braggart or loudmouth. I also like testing myself against others I respect just for the thrill of the race.
I still drive fast cars and I still drive fast. But I drive with a very different understanding of what can happen. If someone had been killed, I'd not be writing this from my home which I own and I'd not have any nice cars to drive because I'd have been sued and never had a dime for the rest of my life. (Not to mention, I'd have spent a decent number of years in jail.)
Racing is fun and I'll never change, but I really choose the time and place carefully. WAY MORE CAREFULLY. I might do a 1st/2nd gear burst, (not much over the speed limit) but if they want more than that, it's either find a really suitable location, or no race. (BTW, even a 1st gear burst with another car is consider "drag racing" or "exhibition of speed" so you can still get a ticket for that.) In the old days, what we'd do is cruise the local strip and maybe have a few 1st/2nd gear digs with several cars throughout the night and then meet up later at the illegals (in a remote part of town with ZERO traffic) to make a full race with those that still want to.
What I'd like to see is drag strips closer to town and they should be open more often and longer (till 5am on the weekends) and they should have more than just drags. They should have food, sell race gas, maybe a little music over the PA system, etc. And no time clocks, just the christmas tree and win light. I'd even enjoy a road course too!

I have no objection to helmets, basic safety inspection, and a few dollars entry fee. When I go out to the illegals, we spend more time talking and hanging out than we actually do racing. It's just cool to hang out with friends and like minded people. If we could just move that social gathering to a decent drag strip the problem of street racing would be greatly reduced.
Anyway, I just wanted to give you my experience and I hope you learn from it.