Intimidated

[The Mic]

well i just got my car back, some of you may remember some of my posts of complaining for the 2 mos the shop had my car for an sr swap. Well my car has a sr in it. The thing is i feel intimidated when i drive it though. many times id rather just drive the pos maxima i was driving the whole time my car been gone. Heres the thing, my car has been in the shop for 2.5 mos and ive been driving an 87 maxima this whole time. Ive gotten used to the maxima and im fearless with it. Well the week i get my car back i was really excited and happy. But then after driving awhile it feels just somewhat different, like not teh same car i had before. When i had my ka in it, i was fearless (drifted, did really stupid things) and i had no problem with it. Now that my s13 is back i always feel tense when i drive it, like im afriad of something but im not sure what it is. And when i shift i shift horrible. Its prob bc of the new stage 1 clutch i guess. I just feel like its a wild car liek a wild horse that hasnt been tamed, heh my parents even suggested that i take a few classes w/a driving inst. in my car. Well ill prob get over this in about a a couple of mos i guess. I just feel like i needed to vent. ill post pics when i get my car back from tinting. Later

-mike

[whiterps13]

yea, when i first turned 16 i was afraid to drive fast at all, and 3 months later i rip thorugh gears like its going out of style. its all a confidence thing. also, when you get your car back from an extended period of shop-time, you have to learn the way it responds, and that just takes time. good luck

[SienSil80]

I'm afraid I'm gonna be like that when I get the new motor in my vr-4. Are you scared that you might break the car and the new engine after spending all that cash on it? That's why I'll be a little girl while driving the vrrfo.

[[s3]]

I quickly slowed down from 140MPH after boosting on the highway w/ the Z the first time I got it.

Was more fun than intimidation. Don't be scared to drive the car hard...after all its a car..its suppose to driven.

[drifter sx]

i think i get what he means.. its like coming back from surgery.. you wanna take it easy so you have time to heal. i wouldnt wanna break it right after i got it back.. although i think its all in your head. after i swapped clutch and transmission.. i noticed EVERY little bump and rattling sound i never heard before, felt like something was wrong and i drove like an old lady. but after a while, those new sounds and feelings became normal and now i know that everything is cool after a few months... just takes getting used to, it'll pass

[IvoryJ30t]

its better to be careful and get to learn your car. when i was 16, the day i got my license, i jumped in my 5 speed 1st gen MR2 and started ripping it. mid-engined oversteer is awesome when your just beginning to drive on your own. two weeks later the car was totalled by me being a dumbass and doing 70 mph around a 20 mph highway ramp. got hit going 70 mph by a jeep cherokee goin 60. i was real lucky i didnt get hurt, and i had my seatbelt on. that was the first and last car my parents bought me.

[Structure240sx]

jsut give it a month or less

[Antyoo]

my friends and i jumped an 86 maxima, then attatched a tow rope to the spring and ripped the strut out of the car, lol

but yeah, it just takes time to get used to the car, the power band is all different.

it really is a different car

[fiznat]

huh thats interesting... I guess I never really considered that too much. I'll probably be going through pretty much the same thing, adding around 200 horses and a turbocharger (KAT @15psi). Care to elaborate at all? Is it cause the car is acting different and you dont feel like you can controll it at all, or is it just that you are afraid of breaking something?

How long have you been driving all together?

[BadMojo]

heh my parents even suggested that i take a few classes w/a driving inst. in my car. Well ill prob get over this in about a a couple of mos i guess. I just feel like i needed to vent. ill post

I think that's a great idea. You'd probably gain a lot from one of those performance driving schools (like Bondurant). Maybe some local car clubs could hook you up with some information.

[D1SR240]

yea let urslef get used to the car, get a feel for, and give urself some time.

[themadscientist]

you make being intimidated sound like a bad thing. If you are not comfortable going fast now don't. It's good that you respect the bump in power, it means you are less inclined to crash your new toy being billy badass. Enjoy your car and don't feel like you have to tame it or some mellowdramatic crap like that, you have nothing to prove.SR though:tisk:

[The Mic]

heh no i am not a drama queen its just that i needed to vent. Anyways good news, i just got back from driving a while from my friends house and i feel lot more comfortable wiht teh car now. Yeah i prob am gonna take some classes bc my parents would feel more comfortable that way. I think what im really afraid of is the cops, bc i always look at the speed limit and my spedometer and im so paranoid that i dont go over the limit bc in CA these things are a *****. Ive been had my license since June so i think im doing well. I do have another question though, on my new clutch theres like bad recoil (bc of my inexperience) when i push in the clutch all teh way to shift gears, but i shift a lot better when i barely press the clutch in and shift. Is it ok if i just do that bc i shift better or would that wear down my clutch more?

thanks guys

-mike

[Structure240sx]

my spec stage 3 i might push the clutch pedal in an inch. i also removed teh clutch damper but its prolly just cuz its a better clutch. as long as ur not grinding gears u should be jsut fine. if that recoil ur talking about is the car jerking when u **** i get it almost all the time. in my celica u can hardly feel the shifts

[christopher]

I didn't feel at all scared when I got my motor in but I scared the hell out of some passengers. Just make sure you break it in correctly. Definetly be scared of it during your break in period, know what I mean?

I also made a couple of my friends pretty upset. My brother in law especially. He has spent all kinds of money tuning his Integra and upgrading it. He drove my basically stock SR powered S13 once, never above 5000rpm and he knew who was faster. He didn't talk to me for a week. hehe.

[BadMojo]

Ive been had my license since June so i think im doing well. I do have another question though, on my new clutch theres like bad recoil (bc of my inexperience) when i push in the clutch all teh way to shift gears, but i shift a lot better when i barely press the clutch in and shift. Is it ok if i just do that bc i shift better or would that wear down my clutch more?

Maybe I'm misinterpreting what you're saying, but it sounds like you're letting your revs fall to low when you're shifting. Just keep practicing, and your shifts will get quicker and smoother. I was always taught that you want to keep your clutch at the friction point for the shortest period of time possible. This will prevent premature wear.

Try giving it a little throttle as you're letting the clutch out if your revs have fallen too much. This should keep your revs up and prevent the lurching feeling. I always try to clutch all the way in when I shift.

Let me know if I've totally misunderstood what you were saying.

[EazyBreazy]

when i shift its coming out of gear when im pusshing the clutch and going into gear when i have it fully ingaged. thats what works for me. youll figure it out your self.

on a race track there may only be one fast line. BUT the techniques each of the drivers use to follow it will most definately be different. point is your style/technique is and should be different. you just have to find out what works for you

[TurboKA37]

i know what you mean by not feeling comfortable in it. i drive my car alot so i feel really comfortable when accelerating hard, shifting, handling. but when i drive my dad's 330i its a completly different car so it drives completley different. the clutch is very different, along with the throttle, and the seats dont fit me the same way as my 240 does. just take some time until you get used to the way the car drives then your confidence will come back