Re: AMG Performance Secret

AMG Performance Secret
I saw a new CLS 63 AMG on the road today. What caught my eye was not its striking appearance, but it's bolting onto the freeway and across several lanes, landing forward of me in mine.

What performance. I thought that perhaps AMG has achieved such nimbleness by lightening the load, unburdening the transport of equipment that must have become superfluous: turn signals.

Yes, the car seemed to be completely without turn signals I realized as I continued to watch it maneuver until it disappeared altogether. And why not, every stealthy performance advantage Mercedes can wring from an AMG is obviously savory.

But then as I continued to ponder, I realized that it probably is not a secret: many other cars I see on the road seem to be similarly specified without turn signals.

It's a friggin' epidemic.

Problem with signalling is it takes a lot of the fun out of driving. Don't you enjoy knowing what another driver is going to do before they know what they're doing? How else are you going to hone your psychic skills?

by edging toward the lane markings several seconds before actually changing lanes.

signalling once they're halfway into your lane, in order to make you aware of what are doing. ....on the other hand, maybe it's just their thought process catching up to their actions.

...and of course, there are the drivers who don't realize that those pretty decorative lines on the roads are there for more than just enhancing the beauty of the pavement.

I think sometimes it's extreme cheapness: saving the signal lever mechanism and the light bulbs. Of course, the ensuing collision from not making adjacent vehicles aware will cost orders of magnitude more. The same is true for those who are saving their cars' high beams for... for what? "I hit a deer and destroyed the front of my car, but heck, the headlights still work!"



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/21/2014 07:33AM by Laz. (view changes)

If you are going to execute the move before anyone could reasonably react.

It's keeping in communication with the drivers around you so there are no surprises, because you don't know what plan of action the drivers around you have in mind.

Lots of examples - just a few.

6 (or more) lane highway with busy traffic. Middle lane is wide open, so a car from the left and one from the right lane decide to move into the center lane at the same time. By signalling, they know the intension of the other driver and can adjust their move to avoid a collision.

2 lane road. Two slower cars in front and you're waiting for the car in front to pass the first car. Finally, you (well, at least I) signal, then pull out to pass and at that moment, the car in front does too (no signal). Yes. I know Porsche brakes are great, but if he had let me know of his intention, I wouldn't have had to scramble.

Lots more examples.

Thing is, lane change whether to pass or just prepare for an exit or whatever, is a pretty simple process.
- check mirrors again (because we check them on a regular basis)
- signal (most if not all cars now have the lane changer signal - short press and signal flashes 3 times)
- final shoulder check
- change lanes

Just a few second can save you a long wait for a wrecker at the side of the road....etc, etc.

That said if you're weaving aggressively through traffic the blinker is probably too slow to even light up before you've executed each move and even if it does happen to light, it's a rare driver that will see it before it's too late. The driver that does see it is the one who is paying close attention to his surroundings. And that is the driver least likely to need the indicator light in the first place.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/23/2014 09:40AM by Boxsterra. (view changes)

I never use my signal here in Miami when I'm on the freeway. The drivers here are the most aggressive, obnoxious jerks I have ever encountered. Its always a race on the roads here, so If you signnal, the idiot behind of you in the lane you want to change to will immediately speed up to make sure you can't change lanes and get in front of him. I just check and go.

Quote
San Rensho
I never use my signal here in Miami when I'm on the freeway. The drivers here are the most aggressive, obnoxious jerks I have ever encountered. Its always a race on the roads here, so If you signnal, the idiot behind of you in the lane you want to change to will immediately speed up to make sure you can't change lanes and get in front of him. I just check and go.

I know that there are obnoxious jerks on the road, but I'm not going to let them drag me down to their level.

There are all kinds of drivers out there. The percentages vary from place to place. All those places have their good drivers too (including Miami - I've driven there). I'll stick with the good ones. The more people we can get to join the good guys, the safer the roads will be.

I seem to recall seeing this discussion in the past....

Reflecting on the turn signal issue today, and playing over in my mind some of the scenarios I've been involved with relating to aggressive drivers, here's my reasoning FOR using my turn signals (above and beyond typical common sense):

If the driver behind me in the lane I'm about to change into is an aggressive enough jerk that he (or she, but probably not, lol) would accellerate into my way to keep me from executing the lane change, then I wouldn't want him on my ass anyway! Any time I signal and someone does that to me, I'm grateful to be that much further away from the idjut...

Well it's true you want to get away from the idiots, but I'd rather have then behind me. That's why I drive a good 10 mph or more faster than the flow of traffic. That way the idiots are behind me and all I have to do is worry about traffic in front of me. I hate driving in the rear view mirror.