Another one gets bitten

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Now, first off, I'm not a "hoon" under any circumstances. I actually drive very conservatively and never dangerously - always to prevailing conditions and speed limits. However, there are certain roads (if you know where they are) where you can actually have a very satisfying drive while still being within speed limits etc. And so I found myself in one of these situations again with the Tig (what is it with this car?). Some of you have heard the experience with the XR6, unfortunately this one on the weekend wasn't so pleasant.

Anyway to cut a long story short, all I was doing was flying the VW flag and in the process just happened to seemingly shatter this fella's whole world. Unlike the guy in the Ford, this one was not at all impressed. I know this because again we happened to meet up. Not at a servo like the guy in the Ford that followed me in, but accidentally in the main street of the next town. This guy just gave me the finger and proceeded to let fly with a few choice expletives that included references to my mother and him being sick of "effing VW's and subaru's" (I could take the reference to VW, but couldn't work out the subaru reference for the life of me!).

Anyway, this got me wondering about the specs of new cars, and I came up with this - courtesy of some US site (so not sure if models etc are the same), but it makes some interesting comparisons:

He was in the following beemer:

2007 BMW 3-Series
Weight: 3700 lbs | 1678.3 kg

Displacement: 3.00 L | 183.1 cu in. | 3001 cc. Valves24 valves.

Horsepower: 230.00 HP (169.3 KW) @ 6500.00 RPM

Torque: 200.00 Ft-Lbs (271.2 NM) @ 2750.00 RPM

HP to Weight Ratio: 16.1 LB / HP

HP / Litre: 76.7 BHP / Litre

Coefficient of Drag: 0.35

0-60 mph: 5.5 seconds (hmmm, must be that low down torque).


2009 147 TSI Volkswagen Tiguan
Weight: 3397 lbs | 1540.9 kg

Horsepower: 200.00 HP (147.2 KW) @ 6000.00 RPM

Torque: 207.00 Ft-Lbs (280.7 NM) @ 5000.00 RPM

HP to Weight Ratio: 17.0 LB / HP

HP/Litre: 100.0 BHP / Litre

Coefficient of Drag 0.37

0-60 mph: not stated

Given that the Tig has the APR remap (not that I had the opportunity to tell him this, and I wouldn't have anyway!), I guess it's understandable to a certain extent. And given that he'd spent double the bucks for the beemer (that I'm sure is a lovely car to drive and own), unfortunately for him, has perhaps not ended up being quite as satisfying as he thought/hoped it would be.

[tinto]

BMW driver.
nuff said.

[Preen59]

That's gold mate.


If you think that's impressive you should have seen the look on this bloke in a GTO monaro's face when i drove around the outside of him going up Mount Victoria last year.. In my TDI Caddy! hahahaha.

[Pullstarter]

That's good work John, any opportunity to piss off a stinking Bavarian sausage mobile owner is a great day

Can't wait for my remap, i'm looking at sept 17 at this stage

[Sharkie]

Its easy to misled by the specs of an "opposing" car, so its always good to get the exact model designation though.

FYI those BMW specs are US and no such model available here. In Aus you get a range of 3 series models and 2 of those will have a chipped Tig for breakfast being the 330i and 335i . The other 3 series models are all slower .

I have had a few BMWs in my time and as a whole they are better cars than VW's; its a case of you get what you pay for. The only reason I don't have any now is that they don't sell (they do make them overseas) manuals in the models I like.

AND in general you get idiots in all types of cars, recently I've seen a GTI (on the cruise 2 weeks ago ), a TDI and TSI MK6 Golfs being driven in the way you'd expect a "quality" Jap *****box to be driven.

The TSI even repeatedly wanted to "race" my bike through traffic on the way to work . I commute by sportsbike daily and you see all kinds of idiots, but this white 118 TSI was just plain stupid and reckless.

That said it is really good to "merge" in front of something that the owner of thinks should be faster than a lowly VW 4WD ...

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The TSI even repeatedly wanted to "race" my bike through traffic on the way to work .

it never ceases to amaze me the number of people that must believe their car is going to be quicker than a sportsbike and do weird and dangerous stuff like this sharkie. Just the other day I had this guy in a X5 (yes another BMW - what is it with these guys? ) that looked at me sitting at the lights and then turned back with both hands at the wheel ready to drag. Lights went green and he plants it. I take off normally (not into dragging on the streets) and we stop at the next lights about 5k's at the end of a 100k/h section (at which point he must have hit well over the speed limit), and he's laughing his head off because I'm sure he has just convinced himself that he's beaten an R1. I just nodded politely - they're just not worth the effort.

And while we're talking about beemers and bikes, took the bikes out to the track today and this guy on - yes a BMW, decides that he is going to show everyone just how bloody stupid and dangerous he can be on his big fat beemer. Nearly wiped out half the grid through a series of stupid and ignorant cornering maneuvers, and then still continued to cause havoc. What is it with these guys?

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That said it is really good to "merge" in front of something that the owner of thinks should be faster than a lowly VW 4WD ...

the interesting thing was sharkie, it wasn't really just the speed - as I say, I don't go around thrashing the Tig and speeding everywhere. But, although the Tig was obviously quicker, it was the beemers inability to safely and quickly negotiate this particular stretch of road that may have rubbed salt into his possibly already wounded self image, and was the final straw for him. Then again, it may well have been his underdeveloped driving skills that was the real problem.

[Sharkie]

it never ceases to amaze me the number of people that must believe their car is going to be quicker than a sportsbike and do weird and dangerous stuff like this sharkie. .... I just nodded politely - they're just not worth the effort.

You're a better man than I am clip, I normally run next to them while they give it all and then with the simple twist of the wrist dissappear in the distance. Problem is, they normally don't learn from that ..... I know its not encouraged and I certainly don't encourage it, but sometimes the temptation is just too much .....

Not many people seem to understand that a decent sportsbike will do 0-100km/h in less than 3s and the qrtr in around 10s.

[Sharkie]

Then again, it may well have been his underdeveloped driving skills that was the real problem.

Yes, money certainly does not buy driving skills .... too many rich fat cats drive expensive cars (BMW's, Porsche's etc) with no skill at all and then normally cause havoc wherever they go. Worst is they seem to think just having the car actually makes them good at driving it.

Someting to be said for driver training no matter what you drive ...... I'd recommend an advanced driving course to anybody.

EDIT ... in fact pester Guy to get the drivegti.com driving days going again. Track days and skidpan days to get all that frustration out ..... bliss.

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You're a better man than I am clip, I normally run next to them while they give it all and then with the simple twist of the wrist dissappear in the distance. Problem is, they normally don't learn from that .....

yeh, they don't do they - tossers TBH. Not that I'm a vindictive person, but I can't help hoping that they go sprouting off at the pub or next dinner party and someone has the balls to tell them how they'd just been had.