Anyone else drive like a granny?

[Deleted member 35775]

I call it cruising; which I do most of the time during daily driving. Exceptions include: ¾+ mile highway entrance/exit ramps (to other highways) and open roads with good forward views. In Dallas, my favorites are the 121 Tollway exit ramps heading south on the North Dallas Tollway. These are 1.1 miles long with a 110 degree curve that I can take at 75 and hit 110 after the curve before merging. It's a great place to test the brembro brakes, too.

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[gamecoc430]

I'm over 70 YO but still like to have the power available. Usually only go over speed limit by 5 MPH, no tire burning starts, no line lock - yet. Will wait until right before new tires to burn up the current ones. I do enjoy the mountains (Tail of the Dragon, etc.) but on public streets I take it pretty easy. Have taken it to the track a couple of times (Carolina Motorsports Park) and had a ball. Pushed it pretty hard but not so much I lost it. Just an easy drift, but my front tire did have balls of rubber on them from the turns at speed. Going back next month to do it again. As someone posted earlier once on a track street crazies aren't needed. Drag strip later this summer is next just to se what it can do. I have enjoyed the comments I get from my license plate (UD L05E) and have had law enforcement roll down their windows and ask about my Mustang. All in good fun.

 

[jimmerheck]

Well you could say I drive like a Grandpa and it's because I am a grandpa at 61 years old. Always loved high performance cars, will drive them until I can't any more. I take care of my cars- they are a passion in life for me. I drive them as daily drivers but I drive them carefully and don't take off fast at every light- I take off easy and save wear and tear on the drive train. Most cars will floor it and beat me off the line- they are in a massive hurry only to slam on the brakes and get to the next light- with me next to them again. I witness it every single day. I cruise at 5-10 MPH over the speed limit on back roads once up to speed, I don't ever tail gate. On the high way I'll drive the speed limit if it is 70, anything less I'll go 5-10 MPH over. Driving this way I am rewarded with fantastic gas mileage- especially with manual transmission. Oh yeah I sure do open it up once in a while- and it's great to have a high powered car that will open up and get out of it's own way when I need it. But most of the time, relaxed driving, just enjoying a nice car.

This is almost exactly what I what have written, except I am 55. I dont beat on my stuff.

 

[jcl78]

Yeah, it is good to clarify, perhaps instead of "driving like granny" it should be "not driving like teenagers on public roads". My GT is so comfortable, really a great driving car whether cruising or during spirited driving.

 

[boos550t]

I drive like a granny most of the time. Gotta keep those MPGs in the high teens lol. I also find myself not really braking that much and just cruising to a stop in gear cause I wasn't driving like an idiot to begin with.

But i'll let her rip every now and then. I still enjoy downshifting and hitting it under bridges and tunnels.

 

[Tutone]

Time and place makes a big difference on how I drive. The Wife is prone to motion sickness so I practice smooth shifting with the manual and try to keep the acceleration and deceleration to a minimum. On longer trips I can actually put her to sleep with the rhythm of gear shifting...just channel Barry White and it's easy.
Early morning heading to work or kid's hockey practice at 6am on a Saturday morning? Don't slow down much for corners, wind out the gears on onramps, blip the throttle and decelerate hard with gears coming into offramps...experience the whole joy of driving a powerful 6 speed manual sports car.

 

[Hack]

I've found that when I'm in a car that's capable of a lot I tend to slow down and take it easy most of the time. Getting to the road course a few times a year also helps to get some of the desire to drive fast out of my system. And even just owning and regularly driving a car that is fairly quick helps me to cool it when I'm driving something else. Maybe not granny level though.

 

[bcreed1983]

I have a 20 mile commute each way to work through mostly rural twisty hilly roads. Most of the time just cruise but do have a few places that are just too fun to pass up the chance to take turns quickly and/or accelerate very quickly out of them.

 

[Tin O' Spam]

Short answer: Yes

Edit: Got the average up to 32.2 MPG over the next 600 miles

 

[Rover]

Short answer: Yes

Edit: Got the average up to 32.2 MPG over the next 600 miles

Get a minivan

 

[frank s]

Surprising the number of members who took the trouble to state the obvious:
"Yes", "No", "Sometimes", "Only When I Feel Like It".

I make a point of driving at or very near the posted speed limits, and true to the Basic Speed Law. On longer freeway runs I like to go two or three miles per hour faster than the majority of traffic, figuring it keeps me alert and lets me enjoy seeing all those other cars as I pass them. Also figure that a little fast allows for better control of most situations, what with braking more potent than acceleration in most circumstances.

I also take note of, and try to emulate, the perceived rate of acceleration produced by using the "Resume" button on Cruise Control. It's a little more enthusiastic than I expected, and I guess the engineers had reasons to make it like that. Might have been due to a BMW study that showed quick-but-not-extreme acceleration resulted in better fuel economy than slow easing up to speed.

Where I live I can reach the end of a freeway in about fifteen minutes. It's a busy piece of road that ends in a four-way stop light. Traffic coming on to the freeway from head-on has to stop as well. I make a U-turn there when the arrow goes green, and can pretty safely speed up to triple-digits for about a mile, with no traffic until a little-used merge at about the one-and-a-quarter mile mark, where I get to test high-speed braking.

So my answer to the question "Do you drive like a Granny" is:
"Yes", "No", "Sometimes", "Only When I Feel Like It".

 

[boos550t]

Short answer: Yes

Edit: Got the average up to 32.2 MPG over the next 600 miles

lol i'd be lucky to even hit 20 in my gen2

 

[Blue Moon]

Oh and if you want to look good arriving, sell the mustang and get a Porsche, Merc or Audi. Not only will you look good, but they will know you spent a lot of money doing so.

I'm not a bit impressed by how much money someone spent to buy a car. Any fool with money can buy an expensive ride. What impresses me is a car that someone built up with their own time, sweat, and ideas.

 

[Mscratch]

Let me be clear. I'm 44 years old, have had my fair share fast cars ranging from R Volvo's to MB AMG's. However although my car is a GT PP1, I tend to really like to cruise. I don't feel the absolute need to smoke the tires at every stoplight nor drive like Tom Cruise in Days of Thunder. I love the fact when I want to put my foot down, the power is unleashed but normally I just cruise. Maybe because I think she looks soo good.

Anyone else feel the same?

Ironically yes. I'm 54 years old and have done the CAI, Magnaflow Street cat back exhaust, strut tower brace and few other things but only step on it now and again. Knowing that I have all that power is enough for me. I typically average 17-19.5 mpg city driving. It maybe the fact that I'm an LEO and through the years I've had to drive very fast to emergency calls in my 28 career.

 

[frank s]

Ironically yes. I'm 54 years old and have done the CAI, Magnaflow Street cat back exhaust, strut tower brace and few other things but only step on it now and again. Knowing that I have all that power is enough for me. I typically average 17-19.5 mpg city driving. It maybe the fact that I'm an LEO and through the years I've had to drive very fast to emergency calls in my 28 career.

You'll have several shadings of understanding of he oft-repeated suggestion that "Driving a Mustang GT is like driving a loaded pistol."

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