Donuts? Go nuts!
January 15, 2007 8:21 PM   Subscribe

How to drive... like a maniac. The affable Tiff Needell illustrates how to get more out of your FWD, RWD, and AWD vehicle. And, of course, how to manage on two out of your four wheels. (youtube)
posted by Eideteker (18 comments total) 10 users marked this as a favorite
 
Links brought to you by my current equivocation between the EVO and the STi. Loads more car enthusiast videos on youtube; just search for Fifth Gear or Top Gear.

And, umm, the youtube playlist link seems to work about 50% of the time, so if you get an error, I'm sorry. So very, very sorry.
posted by Eideteker at 8:21 PM on January 15, 2007


An anecdote regarding "donuts"... My SO, a police officer, recently ticketed a group of teenagers who were doing donuts in the grocery store parking lot... We live in a very small town where everyone is pretty affable with the cops, and the teenagers in question were complaining to my SO, "Aww why are you giving us a ticket? I'll bet you did this same stuff when you were our age"...

My SO's reply: "Yep, I did do the same stuff. And I went to the courthouse and paid my ticket without whining. You can do the same." lol
posted by amyms at 8:42 PM on January 15, 2007 [1 favorite]


Tiff Needell seems the antithesis of the steely-nerved quick-reflex driver.
posted by stbalbach at 8:54 PM on January 15, 2007


He reminds me of Mr. Rogers a little bit.
posted by anthill at 9:25 PM on January 15, 2007


Watching that Mini up on two wheels makes me think of the massive fleet of SUVs that will spend 99.9% of their life on paved roads. How long until we have "trick" cars for sale which can easily be driven on two wheels for a pretty price but will also spend a vast majority of their time in hum-drum four-wheeled service?
posted by peeedro at 9:57 PM on January 15, 2007


[this is two, three, and four wheels good]
posted by SteelyDuran at 10:39 PM on January 15, 2007


Alright. Go to the FWD link.

The latest comment, by "bumpak", is:

"im not gonna lie that was shit they act like that stuff is hard ive been driving like that since i was 15 man those guys suck balls.!! LAMERS!!! (all black people should die)"

I think I'm going to quit the Internet.
posted by geodave at 11:15 PM on January 15, 2007


Man, we were trying to get a Camry (auto) to pull a Rockford for a movie and couldn't get it right. Wish we'd seen this beforehand.
posted by Poagao at 11:22 PM on January 15, 2007


Thanks, Eideteker. I'm going to waste a lot of time on these.
posted by IronLizard at 11:28 PM on January 15, 2007


I was watching Getaway in Stockholm just last night. (Can't screen vids at work, but I think this is the original.)

That seems somehow relevant.
posted by LordSludge at 6:19 AM on January 16, 2007


Eideteker, thanks for the videos. And by the way, you need an Evo, not an STI. I'd try to convince you with a drive in mine if you were on the other coast.
Why?
Less expensive than the Subie to start with and less expensive to modify. I'm putting out 410hp at the wheels for under $3k. The 4G63 motor is easier to open up than the boxer in the STI. Cams are cheaper. The car is more neutral-handling than the Subaru. The 5-spd transmission is absolutely bombproof, and the diffs can hold over 500whp. The list goes on- do some comparisons between, say, i-club and norcalevo.net for more reasons to drive an Evo.
posted by wzcx at 9:12 AM on January 16, 2007 [1 favorite]


Stockholm looks nice, too.
posted by wfc123 at 9:29 AM on January 16, 2007


Ah, Tiff ... there's two things that I always remember from when he first came on the scene:

1. Great helmet design
2. Bog slow in an F1 car
posted by Relay at 10:27 AM on January 16, 2007


Top Gear was, arguably, better when it had Jeremy and Tiff.

James May is indeed a far better presenter, though.
posted by dansdata at 10:28 AM on January 16, 2007


Get the STi. Much more fun. More power != more fun.

Though, honestly, they are both ugly as sin.
posted by linux at 11:27 AM on January 16, 2007


Get the STi. Much more fun. More power != more fun.

Forget it. Get a 70's datsun Z. They re-invented fun. Restoring one to good condition, however, may be more work than you'd like. For bonus points: throw in a supercharged chevy 350 and you have a power to mass ratio unequaled by anything you can afford.
posted by IronLizard at 4:17 PM on January 16, 2007


Had a 77 Z that I taught myself handbreak turns. Lived on a big curve with a driveway halfway through. Neighbors hated it.
posted by mss at 4:31 PM on January 16, 2007


Actually, my dad had a 70's Datsun for awhile. He loved that car and I loved going for rides in it with him. Good call, IL!
posted by Eideteker at 5:48 PM on January 16, 2007


« Older Making Fiends   |   It is the public scandal that offends. To sin in... Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments