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82 Posts
Okay, Friday night, nothing to do but post here.
When I misspent my youth, there were a number of "incidents" that thinking back I most likely would have "rethought". How about you?
1. The "kidnapping". In the fraternity I was a "member in good standing" of, we had a tradition of kidnapping pledges, driving them at least 50 miles away - and forcing them out of the car. One time the pledges refused to get out. We found a fraternity on the campus of the college we had driven to - and they and we "forced" the pledges out. I think today that action would be a felony. By the way, the "transport" vehicle was an old VW bug.
2. The "swap". One day, just after the "new" Honda small motorcycles came out (they had centrifugal clutches), I traded my stick shift bug for a cycle for the day. When my "bug" was returned, the clutch had mysteriously "disappeared".
3. The "skid". All of us must of had this experience with rear engine rear wheel drive cars. Was driving on I-84 returning from Connecticut to Boston one snowy winter day. I was tired, and falling asleep. The rear wheel of my rear engine rear wheel drive vehicle "dropped" off the left side of the fast lane. The thud of the rear wheel leaving the pavement snapped me fully awake - and of course I "overcorrected" tugging the steering wheel violently to the right. Of course, the rear engine caused the entire vehicle to start acting like a pendilum on a clock. Back and forth the rear of the car lurched. I was sawing desparately on the wheel trying not to "overcorrect" - and each time the rear of the car - would lurch a bit farther the other way. It seemed like maybe 10 minutes of osillations back and forth (probably it was 10 seconds) but eventually I regained control of the car without spinning. Needed an undie change after that.
4. Ice Racing: Every winter you can take your car (any drive combination) onto the ice of Lake Sunapee in New Hampshire and race it (one person at a time) against the clock. Different classes (ex. all wheel drive, no studded tires, front wheel drive, studded and no studded tires, etc). The event I went to was sponsored by the BMW Club of New England. In any event, fortunately I went with a friend and his BMW. He had no idea that when they "plow" a course out on the lake (there is often two or more feet of snow on the ice) that the resulting snow barriers at the side of the ice course - are harder than steel. Fortunately, my friend was the one to discover this - and about $4,000 worth of sheet metal "modifications", exhaust system (tore off the car) and other small "problems" later, he discovered that you really had to know how to drive on ice in order to drive on ice.
When I misspent my youth, there were a number of "incidents" that thinking back I most likely would have "rethought". How about you?
1. The "kidnapping". In the fraternity I was a "member in good standing" of, we had a tradition of kidnapping pledges, driving them at least 50 miles away - and forcing them out of the car. One time the pledges refused to get out. We found a fraternity on the campus of the college we had driven to - and they and we "forced" the pledges out. I think today that action would be a felony. By the way, the "transport" vehicle was an old VW bug.
2. The "swap". One day, just after the "new" Honda small motorcycles came out (they had centrifugal clutches), I traded my stick shift bug for a cycle for the day. When my "bug" was returned, the clutch had mysteriously "disappeared".
3. The "skid". All of us must of had this experience with rear engine rear wheel drive cars. Was driving on I-84 returning from Connecticut to Boston one snowy winter day. I was tired, and falling asleep. The rear wheel of my rear engine rear wheel drive vehicle "dropped" off the left side of the fast lane. The thud of the rear wheel leaving the pavement snapped me fully awake - and of course I "overcorrected" tugging the steering wheel violently to the right. Of course, the rear engine caused the entire vehicle to start acting like a pendilum on a clock. Back and forth the rear of the car lurched. I was sawing desparately on the wheel trying not to "overcorrect" - and each time the rear of the car - would lurch a bit farther the other way. It seemed like maybe 10 minutes of osillations back and forth (probably it was 10 seconds) but eventually I regained control of the car without spinning. Needed an undie change after that.
4. Ice Racing: Every winter you can take your car (any drive combination) onto the ice of Lake Sunapee in New Hampshire and race it (one person at a time) against the clock. Different classes (ex. all wheel drive, no studded tires, front wheel drive, studded and no studded tires, etc). The event I went to was sponsored by the BMW Club of New England. In any event, fortunately I went with a friend and his BMW. He had no idea that when they "plow" a course out on the lake (there is often two or more feet of snow on the ice) that the resulting snow barriers at the side of the ice course - are harder than steel. Fortunately, my friend was the one to discover this - and about $4,000 worth of sheet metal "modifications", exhaust system (tore off the car) and other small "problems" later, he discovered that you really had to know how to drive on ice in order to drive on ice.
