Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms SUPERCAR

Not sure whether the "art" is lost or people are simply being realistic. In the family car ( Merc 200 diesel) I mostly dont even try because it takes a long time to achieve an overtake and there's always another car in front. Sometimes, as last weekend, there are 10 more cars in the queue.

In the Ferrari I might have a go if its just one or two cars but again if there is a convoy I dont bother. Much of the time there isnt a suitable gap between cars in front so its either overtake the lot or none at all.

And there is an issue I've not got used to yet - terminal speed. You look where you are going when overtaking and not at the speedo. So you have a clear stretch and a couple of cars in front, press the loud pedal to the floor, and come out at the other end into three figures and needing rapid braking. And my car is at the bottom end of what might be called a supercar - God knows what a la Ferrari must be like.

Truth to tell, I am happier and I reckon safer overtaking on the bike. The stats disagree.

I agree...

Talking to my kids I get the impression that the young are taught that overtaking should be avoided and speeding is always wrong.

When overtaking, using the Plus 8, I use the "Cake Slice" technique taught to me by a Police instructor on a bike safe course. This ONLY works when your vehicle has a satisfactory excess of power....as most bikes and the Plus 8 do. Called the cake slice as your path, seen from above, is roughly along 2 sides of a triangle.

I. Change down into the appropriate gear then without speeding up pull out into the opposite lane, at the speed the car you wish to overtake, is driving.
2. Check there is nothing coming and you have space.
3. Accelerate smartly and pull back in front to the target(s).

The BIG advantage of this technique is that you can always pull back into your lane and you don't add power until it is obviously safe. A further benefit is that if you get it wrong and have to swerve back onto your lane you are aiming at the hedge, not the car coming, so the accident will not involve others and probably only you.....

I was also told that it is acceptable to exceed the speed limit when overtaking a slow moving vehicle so that the overtake is made as quickly as possible. You must, of course, slow promptly to drive within the speed limit. I was further instructed that to pass a slow vehicle showing an amber flashing light it is allowed to cross a double white line.

My experience is that the sudden bark from the Plus 8 exhaust frightens the hell out of the dozey idiot I'm overtaking. This adds to the satisfaction....

I well remember to this day, in my early years of driving, I was bumbling along in my A30, window open, in a convoy of cars, at around 45mph, all keeping well apart, when I was woken from my reverie by a totally unexpected overtake from a barely silenced Lotus 7, with the exhaust on the nearside. I literally jumped, and whilst I admired both the car and the manouvre, which was perfectly safe with the power and speed he had, it did make me realise the danger to the overtaken car, and as 'advanced' drivers, we should all be aware of our actions on other road users, hence my question about the closing speed. I was once gently reprimanded for overtaking too quickly when making progress on an observed drive. One should only use the speed required for the situation and no more, although I am still learning the art of self control with that one.

I will admit to be embarrassed by the side exhausts on the Aero Coupe when executing an overtake on small back roads.

I use a similar technique to Peter but tend to hang back and build speed prior to the overtake when on known roads. Minimum time exposed to danger was the mantra I was given.

If your throttle is wide open and you are higher up the rev range then the noise level is colossal. As you pass them I suspect it might induce a moment of utter panic as it blares past. I tend to try and lift a little as I come past.

I also have a tendency to hold a long headlamp flash as I cross the white line and begin the overtake if there is more than one car so the second car is fully aware of my intentions. I may not have been seen in the mirror as the Coupe is low and will often not be seen through a fat SUV. Same for lorries, long flash if approaching quickly as they are not agile and need prep time for any amendment.

I will often feel comfy overtaking a group of two/three cars given the power available but just don't trust them not to do something stupid.

One should also be aware of the possibilty of a bike coming the other way at high speed. This happened to us on the Fosse a year or two ago. A short straight with plenty of time to pass, but with a blind right hander at the end. I nearly went but held back - it was one of those 50/50 decisions. A bike came round the bend flat out. Must have been 80 plus. I could have easily been on the white line at a similar speed and he couldn't have missed me. That's how easy it is.

You shouldnt be on the white line on a right hander Dave - maximum vis is given by being on the left side . Particularly key in a RHD car.

I'm wary of the sudden noise argument. Used by a lot of bikers to justify loud exhausts but a loud unexpected noise certainly causes me to flinch. Particularly relevant in a traffic jam when bikes are filtering between lanes, and drivers are dozing. Yes I know we shouldnt doze but certainly I find it difficult to maintain full concentration in nose to tail slow moving traffic. Sop its easy to imagine someone startled by a noise involuntarily jerking the steering wheel.

I would have only been to the right had I overtaken the car in front Howard, but the bike came round well over to the centre of the road.

One of my favourite activities on a bike run was to drive as much as possible without using the brakes; as many on here will know, the engine braking on a big twin makes this a fun and fairly safe exercise; I used to use the technique when trying to help a friend improve his riding skills by attempting to rid him of the dangerous habit of going into a corner too fast and then braking in the bend (the bike then wants to stand up and go straight ahead making cornering even harder!) and if you have ever followed a rider doing this on a ride or even worse a long tour it's a nightmare. To be honest I try to use the same technique in the Morgan at times and it's amazing how smooth the drive can be if you're not using the brakes all the time and just concentrating on being in the right gear and doing the right speed.

The other thing I used to enjoy on the bike was coming up behind another vehicle and waiting - patiently - to see how long it took before the driver realised I was there; I could look straight into their rear view mirrors and could tell quite easily whether or not they knew I was there; sometimes it took them minutes rather than seconds to realise there was a bike behind them. Of course wearing a white helmet, reflective jacket and riding a predominantly big white bike with some blue and red bits here and there meant that nine times out of ten the first response to seeing me in their mirror was to hit the panic switch and brake! But at least I knew that when I came to overtake they knew I was there.....too many bikers (and possibly cars, especially those that come up at speed) are hit by vehicles pulling out of a line to overtake without going though the mirror, signal, mirror procedure....all down to lazy and dangerous driving. Sadly this is almost a weekly occurrence here in North Wales (and no doubt other areas of the UK as well).

I have no problem with people driving slowly (well not too slowly, but say well within the specified speed limit) but what I hate (and it has been mentioned on here already) is the fact that they drive so close to each other that those that wish to press on cannot get past them at all. Waiting behind a nose to tail queue of 4 or more vehicles all driving along like 'follow my leader' with their driver's minds in neutral (or looking down at their mobile phones) is extremely tedious and often results in those that wish to pass having to take bigger risks than they should need to in order to get past a long line of vehicles. It's poor driving and discourteous to hold up other road users without good reason. It was less of a problem on the bike as I had a lot more power to hand and just had to watch out for them trying to do something to kill me.....in the car it's an issue because I don't have as much responsive power to hand and I have less room for manouevre if they do decide to step or wander out of the line - and even if I had more power in the car, I would still be short of space to take avoiding action if someone moved out into my path.

So apart from ranting I'm afraid that I just have to accept that a lot of other drivers just don't give a toss about anything or anyone else on the road and, if I try to pass them I assume that they will try to kill me by doing something unpredictable. Or I have to go out early or late and avoid the traffic as best I can.

G&T time I think.....

Hear hear!

Very true. In my Roadster I found a massive difference in cornering between a balanced throttle or decelerating in a corner. On a balanced throttle the car was very smooth indeed.

It's less true on the Aero chassis - you can feel it, but it's not as pronounced.