No, I wanted something that is plug and play, relatively cheap, well-proven and wife-friendly. I could just see it now..."Sorry Hon, just give me a minute to re-program the boost maps.", "Yes I know we're late for your parents, but I've only got the fuel map left to do...", "Ok, I'm done now...it'll just be a couple of minutes for the throttle body adaptation.", "Oh dammit, I forgot to correct that air map I screwed up yesterday"

.....and just to top it off, then realising that my empeg needed a stable version of Hijack because I'd left one of my dodgy development kernels on it..

I really like my wife, and I'd like her to keep liking me!

I have to agree with you. It's very baffling that of all the valentine 1 reviews, this is the one bad review. Strangely enough, all the car magazines for the passport features and highlights that web site as authoritative. I suspect the web site is not very independent at all.

Calvin

What I would like to see the radar detector manufactures do is have an option that would turn off the sound if you are going under 25 mph. Most of the time it would be in a parking lot at the grocery store or Mall. And you aren't concerned about speeding tickets when you are going under 25 mph.

That's a great idea. Wish there was a way for them to implement it easily and inexpensively.

My detector will still beep at me in "City" mode if I drive very close to a door opener. But the 25mph mute would solve that problem. Heck, I wouldn't even need the City/Highway mode if it did that.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.... Since I've already dismantled the detector and could easily put a relay switch on the speaker wire........................................

HMMMMMMMMMMMMM................

Okay, who's got ideas on how to implement this?

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I've noticed a strange side effect though - a desire to drive at least 10 miles to buy convenience items that I'd normally just go down the road for.

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I have a similar issue with one of my siblings - chipped his TVR Chimeira 4.5 and did a serious bit of outlet manifold insulating. Now when he comes round for a chinese he is insistent that I don't get the food in before he gets here. We go down to the restaurant via the roundabouts!!!

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Much sideways-ness

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I have a similar issue with one of my siblings - chipped his TVR Chimeira 4.5
and did a serious bit of outlet manifold insulating. Now when he comes round for
a chinese he is insistent that I don't get the food in before he gets here. We
go down to the restaurant via the roundabouts!!!

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As someone who is (a) an American, and (b) extremely tired, that sentence had
multiple points in it where the cognitize dissonance caused me to start over and
reparse.
Perhaps this is the simplest sentence which has caused me to back up and re-read
it 3 or 4 times.

Varied images: issues with your siblings, chipped paint, chimeras on TV VCRs,
picking up a Chinese person on a motorcycle, dangling a forkful of food
just outside your mouth.

Uh, maybe it's just me. I need a nap.

Or maybe... maybe... I just need to buy a Coke at that little convenience store
just 100 miles from here.

Hmm...I had no problems with that sentence...except that it gave me a yearning to go to Milton Keynes. There just aren't any decent roundabouts here in MA. The ones that are here suck.... the designers obviously didn't have a clue, and people don't seem to know how to drive around them.

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... a yearning to go to Milton Keynes ...

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Now that's a phrase I've never heard before!

They do have one of the only 2 indoor real snow-slopes in the UK though, which is my excuse to visit it.

That and the roundabouts, anyway

Hugo

There just aren't any decent roundabouts here in MA. The ones that are here suck.... the designers obviously didn't have a clue, and people don't seem to know how to drive around them.

The problem is that not everyone understands the rules, which in Mass are different from everywhere else.

The rules:

1) Highest velocity wins
2) Anyone making eye contact automatically forfeits the right of way.

Simple.

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Highest velocity wins

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That is unusual - most places go by momentum. Hence, White Van Man.

That is unusual - most places go by momentum. Hence, White Van Man.

Predatory drivers in the Bay State know that White Van Man generally has higher and more lucrative liability insurance than they do. White Van Man knows it, too. So they keep it simple, mass-wise.

IIRC, the rules I saw in Germany were more complex, but mass was still not a dominant factor. Something like

Roundabout ROW = (velocity*(sqrt(vehicle mass)) / (vehicle value in Euros)

Again, however, if eye contact is initiated, that driver's velocity is set to zero for purposes of the calculation.

When I was growing up on a farm, it came as quite a shock to go from driving tractors and combines to driving little things like landrovers and 16-ton flatbeds, and having to sometimes give way. Size definitely counted for more than speed (prolly 'cause speed isn't an option on our narrow, bumpy Yorkshire lanes). I think that having a big bale spike on the front helps, too.

The problem is that not everyone understands the rules, which in Mass are different from everywhere else.

OK, now... you have forced me to jump to the defense of East Coast drivers.

Admittedly, my East Coast experience is limited to just two cross country trips (New Hampshire to Alaska), one year apart. But both times I was amazed and impressed by the courtesy and by the "lane awareness" of the drivers on the freeways.

In rush hour traffic in Boston (four lanes each direction, bumper to bumper, occasional spurts to the utterly mad velocity of 25-30 MPH) time after time I saw people "trapped" in one of the inner lanes turn on a blinker to change lanes and thus get to an exit, and immediately the person behind and to the right would slow, open up a gap for him to get in.

But most amazing of all was when the freeways "opened up" with less traffic. Average speed would be (like everywhere else) speed limit +10MPH. My average speed was somewhat (not a lot) higher than that -- my near-invisible ShoWagon equipped with V1 radar detector made me feel pretty secure. It was so amazing to me to look ahead and see traffic lined up nose to tail literally for miles -- and all of it in the right hand lane! Occasionally someone would pull out to pass, and then tuck right back into the right lane. If I caught up to someone in the left lane that was passing a line of trucks, almost always he would slip in between a couple of them to let me by, then come back out and continue passing himself.

This was such a refreshing change of behavior from the drivers in my part of the country that I was just simply amazed.

It should be noted that the further West I got, the less prevalent this kind of driving became. By the time I got to Idaho, it was business as usual, and California and Oregon were... oh, don't get me started.

So, if you're driving on the East Coast, count your blessings.

tanstaafl.

By the time I got to Idaho, it was business as usual, and California and Oregon were... oh, don't get me started.

/me considers moving to the east coast.

Either that, or finding out what they're putting into the water back there to make people obey this rule.

Think it's a question of enforcement? Or perhaps public awareness campaigns on the subject?

Size definitely counted for more than speed

I don't disagree. I was just being a PITA (note my little "things are different in Mass" inertia joke!). I'm just being penzantic...or crafting a euthanism. None of my rotary/roundabout formulae are destined, alas, to make it into a college physics textbook.

I *do* hold my general generalities to be true....In Mass, the vehicle *in* the rotary only has right of way to the extent that the driver avoids eye contact and behaves fearlessly....in Germany the clapped-out VW Polo has supreme right of way over the shiney new Mercedes!

OK, now... you have forced me to jump to the defense of East Coast drivers.

You have taken on a difficult job!!

I agree with some of what you say, but I think that some of your experiences may have been atypical.

Admittedly, my East Coast experience is limited to just two cross country trips (New Hampshire to Alaska), one year apart. But both times I was amazed and impressed by the courtesy and by the "lane awareness" of the drivers on the freeways.

Camping in the left lane with cruise control set to speed limit +2 is terrible in Washington State, worse only in Oregon. I have approached cars at 5AM on I-5 in Oregon -- no other cars in sight -- camped in the passing lane. My theory is that it is easier for the driver to sight over the driver's side fender and line it up with that yellow stripe. West coast loses this one in a big way. Some of it is made worse in Washington by a higher proportion of left-lane exits -- bad traffic engineering.

Things may be better in Mass because such ill behavior has been met with more aggressive responses over time -- tailgating, high beam flashing. Anyhow, it it is true that folks aren't as brain dead.

In rush hour traffic in Boston (four lanes each direction, bumper to bumper, occasional spurts to the utterly mad velocity of 25-30 MPH) time after time I saw people "trapped" in one of the inner lanes turn on a blinker to change lanes and thus get to an exit, and immediately the person behind and to the right would slow, open up a gap for him to get in.

There are a few really nasty highway intersections in Boston (the old I-93 northbound split that will be retired by the Big Dig) that rank as the worst anywhere and where folks have developed altruistic merging behaviors. Overall, though, I'd still rate Boston as the capital of antisocial, drive-like-hell-and-execute-a-no-eye-contact-forcible-merge-at-the-last-moment merge behavior. I still drive in Boston a few times a year (after driving there 1969-1988) and can contrast it with Seattle where *generally* people begin a cooperative merge maneuver when first they see a "X lane closed ahead" sign. I must assume you didn't get in the merge for the Callahan Tunnel!

But most amazing of all was when the freeways "opened up" with less traffic. Average speed would be (like everywhere else) speed limit +10MPH. My average speed was somewhat (not a lot) higher than that -- my near-invisible ShoWagon equipped with V1 radar detector made me feel pretty secure. It was so amazing to me to look ahead and see traffic lined up nose to tail literally for miles -- and all of it in the right hand lane! Occasionally someone would pull out to pass, and then tuck right back into the right lane. If I caught up to someone in the left lane that was passing a line of trucks, almost always he would slip in between a couple of them to let me by, then come back out and continue passing himself.

Better. Unlike Washington/Oregon, the Massachusetts DMV may no longer issue licenses to the deceased!

This was such a refreshing change of behavior from the drivers in my part of the country that I was just simply amazed.

It should be noted that the further West I got, the less prevalent this kind of driving became. By the time I got to Idaho, it was business as usual, and California and Oregon were... oh, don't get me started.

So, if you're driving on the East Coast, count your blessings.

Agree re: The West, but I still feel like your eastern experience was atypical....but this is from a refugee!

So, if you're driving on the East Coast, count your blessings.

Well, maybe in the Northeast. In Raleigh, N.C., it's awful. People camp in passing lanes. People rush ahead to pass you and then slow down. People refuse to let you merge from an entrance ramp. People slow miles before getting in their exit ramp/turn lane. People rubberneck over cans in the road. But at least you can't see anything except the SUV the size of a barn in front of you.

Of course, this is all contributed to by poor traffic engineering. We had cloverleafs that were removed because people couldn't figure out how to use them. We have roundabouts with stop signs to get in them. We have stop signs at the end of entrance ramps. There is only one left-hand entrance onto a highway that I can think of, but it occurs about 500 feet before a right-hand exit that has basically no slowing-down room, so that you're forced to slow down to about 40mph on the highway, so that you've got ridiculously slow-moving traffic in the right lane, and merging going on in the left lane.

Even so, it's much easier than trying to drive in Winston-Salem, which I'm pretty sure is the capital of the putrid-driving ignoramus.

And I've driven in Boston and other areas of the Northeast. The thing is that, while they're remarkably aggressive drivers, they're also very good drivers.

And I've driven in Boston and other areas of the Northeast. The thing is that, while they're remarkably aggressive drivers, they're also very good drivers.


And there I was believing that recent report that put MA drivers as the worst in the country....

Anyway, the Brits are definitely the best drivers....and they know how to design and drive around roundabouts. The key to roundabout design is all about controlling the entrance speed.

they know how to design and drive around roundabouts.

Yeah, got to be true if they can design and master something like the Magic Roundabout.
If I had encountered this sign while on vacation in the UK, I'd have turned around...

/Michael

Another thing beyond huge roundabouts that impressed me while in the UK was all the country highways. Most of the time, they were three lanes, with the middle lane dedicated to passing. Every mile or so it switched what side could use it for passing. Much better then the two lane system where noone drives properly to allow safe passing.

I dunno, growing up in california, I just view roundabouts as a cheap and dangerous alternative to real interchanges. Nothing beats a well designed cloverleaf...

Matthew

We have that sort of thing in random places; There are 3 lane stretches on US22 between Pittsburgh and Altoona, and then scattered further east across the state. It's ok, if the zones are long enough. Otherwise it's "tromp it, see how much you can get around, slow down, wait" and sometimes someone else pulls out to pass and is in no hurry. It's worse when there are hills involved, which is often.

Thankfully, since I got my license in 1989 they've been upgrading this to 4 lanes divided. It also connects near Altoona with a nice north-south highway, US220 (also known as I-99. what a travesty) which they're extending north. Can't wait for that to be done.

I dunno, growing up in california, I just view roundabouts as a cheap and dangerous alternative to real interchanges. Nothing beats a well designed cloverleaf...

Waaah, that's out West, pardner, where you got all that spaaaace, and all them thar deer and anteelopes.

If there's any excuse for how hosed up some of Boston traffic/rotaries are, it's that they were constructed in the 20s and 30s literally as recreation roads for Sunday drives for the 200 or so people in town who owned cars. Roads like the scarred-tree-lined Jamaicaway slowly became major commuter arteries without anyone noticing or changing anything. Many of those old MDC roads run through dense neighborhoods where there's no room to expand.

I think anyone looking for a representative driving experience there should fly into Logan, rent a car, and drive through the Sumner/Callahan then follow Storrow drive out towards Brighton during mid-day traffic. Fun for masochists!

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Nothing beats a well designed cloverleaf...

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The only cloverleaf around here[1] is notorious as the most congested junction locally, and will be removed when the Highways Agency get their way. Part of the trouble is the amount of westbound A14-A14 traffic that's crammed into one lane around the tight radius, then it's got to weave across the traffic leaving the M11-A14 eastbound before it can join the motorway. It's nasty.

[1] only 2 lobes, really

Yeah, got to be true if they can design and master something like the Magic Roundabout.

My brain practically exploded when I saw that. I have absolutely no idea how the rules would work on something like that. That's just insane.

Most of the time, they were three lanes, with the middle lane dedicated to passing. Every mile or so it switched what side could use it for passing

You would have been less impressed around 15 years ago, before we abolished the three lane system - whereby drivers on EITHER side could use the middle lane for passing. Eeep!

Rob

Anyway, the Brits are definitely the best drivers....and they know how to design and drive around roundabouts.

If only that were still true. Almost all major roundabouts are now traffic light controlled, completely defeating the point of them because a few brain dead morons don't know how to use them properly (main problem is pulling onto the roundabout when your exit is backed up, thus blocking the roundabout for everyone else).

Rob

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You would have been less impressed around 15 years ago, before we abolished the three lane system - whereby drivers on EITHER side could use the middle lane for passing. Eeep!

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Yes, they're scary. Modern ones, that are basically crawler lanes on uphills, feel much safer.

The last real 3-lane road I used was the A6 near Garstang about 5 years ago; I was there recently and it's simply been reduced to 2 wide lanes with advisory hatching down the middle. Even though the 3-lane roads are mostly (completely?) gone, people still use wide 2-lane roads (e.g. A5 Oswestry bypass) as if they were 3 lanes, ignoring the white lines. You soon learn to keep left after the first near miss with oncoming cars straddling the line!

They put a couple of these in Austin a few years ago ... but they hid them in some strange neighborhoods ... tiny little circles.

The first time I saw one it looked like a dead end street from half a block away. Even after I figured out what it was, I was too baffled to actually drive through it. I had this mental picture of some road crew guys hitting the bottle a little too hard before starting their work, and winding up with these whirly-doos or whatever.

Greg