Do Cars feel slower when you're driving?
03-25-10, 06:32 PM
#1
Do Cars feel slower when you're driving?
Hey guys, i have always wondered this. Does a car 'feel' faster when your in the passenger seat compared when your driving? I've noticed that other cars i've riden in feel alot faster than mine, but i beat them in a race. Maybe because when your driving you can hold on to the steering wheel and such so you absorb more g's? IDK Does anybody have any input because my car doesnt feel as fast as it is too me.
03-25-10, 06:41 PM
#2
I think because you have control of the car and are busy, you are anticipating the actions of the car. You are also looking ahead and your field of view is changing more slowly than a person looking out a side window. The same reasons you feel the car is moving more slowly is why only passengers tend to get motion sick - not the driver.
03-25-10, 06:42 PM
#3
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Being the passenger in a car always gives the illusion of going faster, especially when sitting in the back seat.
Part of it is the lack of control. Part of it is that you're looking to the side more as a passenger where things seem to fly by faster.
Part of it is the lack of control. Part of it is that you're looking to the side more as a passenger where things seem to fly by faster.
03-26-10, 01:00 AM
#5
i know what you mean felixsc300. my parents especially think im going way too fast on city streets, even though they can clearly see my spedometer near the speed limit. it doesnt help with every resonance from my exhaust either! 
03-26-10, 06:10 AM
#6
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Whenever my parents tag along there comes up a time where they say "slow down." I tell them to look at the speedo and it's at or below the speed limit... I don't usually feel as if im going THAT fast but a passenger's view and mind will be concentrated on different things than the drivers.
12-13-10, 11:26 AM
#7
Thanks again for the posts guys. The reason i asked this was that when all my friends go for a ride in my car they all comment on how quick it is. To me it doesn't seem as fast as they are explaining it to be. So there is a different feeling being a passenger in the car compared to the one being the driver. It's good to know that my car is actually "faster" than i think it is. 
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12-13-10, 03:29 PM
#8
Lexus Champion
I agree with the "control" argument, but I'd also add that the particular vehicle that you're controlling (as the driver) makes a difference; the better the car the less the sensation of speed. For example, I was going 80 mph in a Dodge Caliber rental, and it probably felt like 80 mph to my passengers. However, I was scared to death since the steering was numb and the brakes were horrible, so I felt like I was going 100!
12-14-10, 04:47 PM
#11
Lexus Test Driver
Agree with everyone here. My friend told me that the LS430 snapped his head back into the headrest when I floored it (I do feel a nice push, but it certainly doesn't throw my head back). Keep in mind that most of your guy's cars are probably putting out more horsepower than the avg non car enthusiast owner has ever experienced. This will make the experience that much different for them.
The loudness of the car also has an effect. I was a passenger in my friend's Mitsubishi 3000 GT a few yrs ago. He was doing around posted speeds on the highway, then dropped 2 gears and floored it. It felt ridculous, like someone had punched me in the back (probably b/c he didn't rev match his downshifts). I thought we were going the speed of sound, but he said we only hit 95 or so. The car had a loud exhaust and chip, my friend estimates it puts out 280 hp.
The loudness of the car also has an effect. I was a passenger in my friend's Mitsubishi 3000 GT a few yrs ago. He was doing around posted speeds on the highway, then dropped 2 gears and floored it. It felt ridculous, like someone had punched me in the back (probably b/c he didn't rev match his downshifts). I thought we were going the speed of sound, but he said we only hit 95 or so. The car had a loud exhaust and chip, my friend estimates it puts out 280 hp.
12-14-10, 08:42 PM
#12
Lexus Test Driver
The smoothness of the driving plays a role too. I can go 120mph down the highway but keep the car smooth and steady and it'll feel like 80mph. Only difference is the wind noise is louder and things move by faster.
12-15-10, 12:32 PM
#15
Great to hear everybody's input! How much of a difference do you think it makes though in comparison between being the driver and being a passenger. My car feels pretty quick driving, but i've never been passenger in it before. I wonder if it would feel noticeably quicker than i'm used to.