I was driving back from Palo Alto Southbound on 280 Saturday with the GF. I could see the Mitsubishi Eclipse cutting across lanes behind me in my rear view mirror. He pulls up along side of me and sits there with basically no one else in any of the other four lanes of the freeway. I’m not sure if it was an Eminem or Vanilla Ice’s wanna be driving the car. He then slows down and swings behind me flashing his lights, then pulls up along side of me again. The only way we could accurately describe the way he was acting in the car was that he was jumping around like a monkey (just got done taking a couple hits on the meth pipe???). He then starts honking his horn. He did have the performance six inch diameter exhaust pipe, so I can only imagine he wanted to race me. His passenger looks rather embarrassed sitting there looking away. Then he pulls in front of me and puts on his emergency flashers. WTF??? All I did was slow down. He eventually figured out I wasn’t going to play with him. And sped off.

It was either a frightening or hilarious experience, not knowing what this lunatic was going to do, the possibility of damaging my car and then the subsequent damage I would do to him. If you watched it on TV it would seem like a skit on SNL. What an idiot!

Later on Saturday we were passed by a Mucielago and wondered if we should drive up along side him and see if he wanted to race!

Not to say that just ricers can be idiots. Earlier we had parked far out in a parking lot near a brand new black F430 spyder. We were leaving the car when the owner walked up with some girl he is working on, gets in and punches in the parking lot when he took off. Real safe and I’m sure that was really good for a brand new cold car, but at least it sounded sweet!

 

I think some of that behavior stems from a basic insecurity complex. Thet have to prove that their "ricer" is a worthy vehicle, so they go around challenging any upscale euro car they can find. not that don't challenge other ricers etc., its just an all greater victory if they can fall and expensive porsche or some other euro sports car.
sure, these cars can be made to out perform our NA cars, but at the end of the day, their still in their throwaway ricer and were in a very capable and keepable 993.

YMHO.

Jeff N.

 

Not often, but it is usually effective when you pick up your Cell phone, point it at them, smile and start dialing. If they don't give you the "#1" sign and take off, complete the call and report them for "road-rage" driving.

 

Ricers Suck! They are like an annoying nat that flies into your ear. Give um da pimp hand.


Ryan

 

What is the deal with turning the emergency flashers on? I've had that happen to me a couple times and they speed up in front of me for no apparent reason and turn on their flashers.

 

Bob beet me to it. Picking up the phone will end it pretty quick. If he gets in your face after that, dial 911 and report him as an intoxicated driver. The cops really do want to know about drunk drivers on the road, and it is okay to dial 911 for this, so I've been told by CHP. Before the days of cell phones, I would pick up my mileage log (a small notebook) and pen, and write down his plate - making sure he saw me do it.

 

I always give them a hard look, nod my head forward and signal the green flag start by pointing ahead, they normally push their gas pedal thru the floor at this time and I nail the throttle for about 1 second then slow down, that way they can go tell all their ricer friends that they blew off some old dude in a Porsche, never knowing that I could have welded their doors shut.
I agree that you were challenged by a tweeker/ricer who are the most dangerously bad drivers in the world. Glad you let him go...............
ZP44

 

Well the Eclipse could have been seriously fast. Usually for me, its the WRX folks that want to race or rev their engines around me in the 993. The Evo drivers just drive on by.

I don't like making generalizations and I respect both WRX and EVO, just something I have noticed over the years while driving the 993.
-terry

 

Kids will be kids....Unfortunately... Thats how I look at it.. Sometimes I also get he stop light reving rotuine tryng to get you to race as well...

Last year a pick up truck tried to stay with me as I was getting on the freeway through a tight 270 degree downhill on-ramp that was 2 lanes wide. I was in the outside lane and he came up on me in the inside lane.. When I heard his tires screeching I thought he might slide into me, so I slowed down to let him go ahead. He almost crashed getting onto the freeway in front of me when he lost rear wheel traction and fish-tailed violently... Its a jungle out there.

 

Happened to me last year when I was driving my ex-RS America. Rice Boy in a winged, fart can exhausted Nissan Maxima flagrantly challenged me on I-75 just North of Atlanta. I ignored him.

Same thing happened a few weeks ago on my way to the Daytona 24 in my 993, but this time it was a VERY nicely tricked out, and very subtle silver Mitsu Evo VIII. This was on A1A just South of St. Augustine. Although this was pretty tempting, I declined in the interest of not getting my clock cleaned and/or getting arrested.

I'm certainly not a fan of the Japanese tuner thing, but the Evo and STi are pretty darn cool daily drivers.
______________________
Cheers,

Jack
'96 993

 

Maybe this is the secret ricer code signal for wanting to race??? Like the X-mas tree light at the dragstrip.

 

Happens occaisionally.

I usually just let them see me laughing at them, like they wouldn't have a prayer, while I slow down.

They finally get pissed off and pull away.

 

I thought about that afterward and the funny thing is we had just passed two CHP's. I think we were really in too much of a shock at the moment as to how someone could act like such an ***. I don't think my description describes how bizarre this really was...

 

Yeah, what a weirdo. I get this sort of crap a lot. Happened last week, the guy wouldn't back down, and escalated it to trying to follow me home.

 

Most WRX & EVO drivers are great in a straight line but get in some deep braking hard corners and watch them try to hang on to your tail. Come to think of it, this exactly what I do to Mustang & Corvette drivers too.

One other thing is, every WRX & EVO I see has a baby seat in the back, what's that all about?

ZP44