[JimJohnson]

We have a Forester and my wife paid the price for that smoothness. They clocked her at 142 in a 90 which is an automatic license suspension, car impound, and a court date. Luckily we fought it and had it reduced below the "sport driving" level. She uses the cruise control now, as do I; religiously.

I assume this is the new 2021 Forester with turbo & CVT? I shouldn't laugh, but do FULLY understand. I suspect the performance electric & hybrid vehicles have the same issues. In our 2011 normally aspirated Forester, I sort of rely on transmission shifting and a sense of engine RPM to know I am maintaining a given speed. Yes, I regularly check the speedometer regardless of the car, but with the turbo & CVT speed can change rapidly and unknowingly.

Only once I hit the accelerator hard in the Ascent to pass another car. I went from 45mph/72kph to 80mph/129kph in few seconds and still accelerating - the only sensations were looking out the window and the additional G-force in the seat. The engine & transmission worked to smoothly maintain the optimum torque independently at each wheel. These are passenger cars, not race cars. I use the adaptive cruise control in our Ascent as much as possible.

[tim60]

We have a Forester and my wife paid the price for that smoothness. They clocked her at 142 in a 90 which is an automatic license suspension, car impound, and a court date. Luckily we fought it and had it reduced below the "sport driving" level. She uses the cruise control now, as do I; religiously.

I like cruise control for the same purpose.

Other advantages are that it releases cognitive and sensory capacity to deal with the other traffic matters.
And you keep a steady speed, not speeding and slowing in a way that annoys other road users when there is no road or traffic reason to change speed. Many English drivers on busy one Lane each way roads change speed by 10 - 15 mph when nothing happened, or when passing a fixed speed camera. That is really annoying on roads where you cannot pass because of the amount of oncoming traffic and the blind bends in the road. Get long queues of a mile or more at many times of day all accordianing because of the speed changes of the person in front.

[tim60]

BTW: Tim’s first law of traffic, just as good as Newton’s Laws.
When it is busy the person in front goes slow.

[StiffLegged]

StiffLegged’s second law of traffic: the more expensive the car in front, the more likely to slow down and rubberneck or video what’s happened on the other side of the road.

[Tako Kichi]

T K's second law of traffic corollary: the more expensive the car in front, the more likely it is that the direction indicators (turn signals) won't be operational!

T K's second law of traffic 2nd corollary: the more expensive the car in front, the more likely it is that the vehicle will deliberately take up more than one parking space!

[CharLac]

I assume this is the new 2021 Forester with turbo & CVT? I shouldn't laugh, but do FULLY understand. I suspect the performance electric & hybrid vehicles have the same issues. In our 2011 normally aspirated Forester, I sort of rely on transmission shifting and a sense of engine RPM to know I am maintaining a given speed. Yes, I regularly check the speedometer regardless of the car, but with the turbo & CVT speed can change rapidly and unknowingly.

Only once I hit the accelerator hard in the Ascent to pass another car. I went from 45mph/72kph to 80mph/129kph in few seconds and still accelerating - the only sensations were looking out the window and the additional G-force in the seat. The engine & transmission worked to smoothly maintain the optimum torque independently at each wheel. These are passenger cars, not race cars. I use the adaptive cruise control in our Ascent as much as possible.

2017 XT....2 litre turbo, 250HP

[CharLac]

I like cruise control for the same purpose.

Other advantages are that it releases cognitive and sensory capacity to deal with the other traffic matters.
And you keep a steady speed, not speeding and slowing in a way that annoys other road users when there is no road or traffic reason to change speed. Many English drivers on busy one Lane each way roads change speed by 10 - 15 mph when nothing happened, or when passing a fixed speed camera. That is really annoying on roads where you cannot pass because of the amount of oncoming traffic and the blind bends in the road. Get long queues of a mile or more at many times of day all accordianing because of the speed changes of the person in front.

Our Tacoma is even nicer, adaptive cruise so when traffic slows in front, the vehicle slows accordingly.

[CharLac]

Spoiling my brother - Piri Piri chicken in Darth Smoker one night and burgers on the fire pit the next.

[Tako Kichi]

I have been told I resemble the guy from Breaking Bad, Walter White. Good looking? I don't know... I even had a guy stop me in the street once down in the States. He was convinced I was Bryan Cranston. When I was younger, with that 80s semi-mullet look, MacGyver was who I was told I resembled....

Thirty years ago a lot of people thought I bore a striking resemblance to the legendary Eric Clapton even though my instrument of choice had two less strings and a much longer neck!

[Parallax]

T K's second law of traffic corollary: the more expensive the car in front, the more likely it is that the direction indicators (turn signals) won't be operational!

T K's second law of traffic 2nd corollary: the more expensive the car in front, the more likely it is that the vehicle will deliberately take up more than one parking space!

Pretty accurate.

I'd like to explain a local driving phenomenon; the "Pierre right turn". For the overwhelming majority of drivers in Pierre, SD there is a set procedure for making a right turn:
First, somewhere between 1 and 2 blocks before the point of the turn, whether it be a driveway, alley, intersection, or parking lot entrance, you slow to 10 miles under the speed limit, or less*. About 50 feet before the turn you slow to a crawl. When you get to the point you're starting to turn the wheel, STOP. After you start back through the turn and you're at least half way through you may (optionally) use your tun signal.

*This is only a slight slowdown for many as there's a large percentage of the population who seem to take great delight in driving 10 MPH under the speed limit all the time.

[StiffLegged]

I'd like to explain a local driving phenomenon; the "Pierre right turn"....

Ah Jim lad, it's the reworking of the "mirror, signal, manouevre" mantra from our driving instructors as deemed more relevant by the retired and wrinkly.

First, manouevre: Ah'm a-turnin' heeyah, ah am.

Next the signal: Y'all wondered, dincha? Now ya know!

Finally the mirror: Well jest looky thet bus driver, wouldya! Folks get all het up 'bout nothin', gonna hev a coronary like that.

[Racer X 69]

Another legend left us yesterday.



Charlie Watts, drummer for The Rolling Stones for the last 58 years.

RIP Charlie.

[CharLac]

Pretty accurate.

I'd like to explain a local driving phenomenon; the "Pierre right turn". For the overwhelming majority of drivers in Pierre, SD there is a set procedure for making a right turn:
First, somewhere between 1 and 2 blocks before the point of the turn, whether it be a driveway, alley, intersection, or parking lot entrance, you slow to 10 miles under the speed limit, or less*. About 50 feet before the turn you slow to a crawl. When you get to the point you're starting to turn the wheel, STOP. After you start back through the turn and you're at least half way through you may (optionally) use your tun signal.

*This is only a slight slowdown for many as there's a large percentage of the population who seem to take great delight in driving 10 MPH under the speed limit all the time.

Is this due to a large population of farmers in the area? I know when driving across the Canadian prairies you have to watch out for pickups swinging way to the left before making a right turn. The farmers driving the pickups are so used to driving a tractor and having to allow for the implements in tow making the corner that this swing to the left before making a right is instinctive.

[lesmore49]

Is this due to a large population of farmers in the area? I know when driving across the Canadian prairies you have to watch out for pickups swinging way to the left before making a right turn. The farmers driving the pickups are so used to driving a tractor and having to allow for the implements in tow making the corner that this swing to the left before making a right is instinctive.

Quite right.

Farmers on the Canadian prairies are in the habit of doing that as you say , and also because during the winter, back roads can get covered in snow drifts overnight (all that flatland with strong winds ) , and the last thing you want to do is judge badly, where the road and /or ditch begins and ends....when you can't see it due to snow drifts.

So you hope for the best, and aim for what you think is the center of the road.

Some people question why so many people in the prairies drive pickup trucks. Well, there are a good chunk of farmers and ranchers out here and large pickups with 4WD, good ground clearance and decent payload for carrying stuff, are of value.

You want to lessen your chances of getting stuck in snow (see above) and mud, you need to tote that bale (of hay, etc.) , and pull that barge, or at least a farm wagon.

[Parallax]

Is this due to a large population of farmers in the area? I

Quite right.

In general, for rural communities, that's true but Pierre is the state Capital. Far more state employees, their families, business/trades/retail people and their families than than ag people.
As to the pickup issue, yes, plenty of those and SUVs around here. When I first moved to Pierre some 30 years ago that's how the trades and ag people differentiated themselves from the masses but then they (the vehicles) became popular so now if you want to show that you're "local" you drag a trailer with you everywhere you go. I'm basing this theory on the fact that 90% or more of the trailers you see here are empty. If they were a necessity wouldn't they be empty only 1/2 to 2/3 of the time? i.e. either on their way to pick something up, have something on them after having picked it up, or on their way back after delivery.