Racing games increase likeliness of destructive driving decisions in the real world

[anticlutch]

Originally Posted by Azn Tr14dZ

Guess your right...I keep forgetting that when they do those MPG tests on the highway it's only ~60 Mph. But when driving from on state to another and no (cops) in sight...80...90...100...

We're all guilty of that sooner or later

[Azn Tr14dZ]

Let me ask you guys, do you drive the same day and night, or do you find yourself more aware and careful during night-time driving?

[tkpenalty]

honestly, drifting, burnouts, all these fads came out way before video games were realistic enough to allow these feats to be done. It is human nature for adolescents to be agressive and make bad descisions, not games. Most guys who are involved in crashes usually dont do any significant amount of gaming.

One of the major causes: Frustration, especially in australia, I want to start my Ls next year but the govenment decides we need more than 120 hours to be liable to start Ps.... now, how annoying is that? I will get my lisence when i'm god damn 22 not 18. Thats a few years wasted. Whats worse is that my car, some crappy 626 SOHC with a small turbo is something I can't drive, regardless of the lack of power, wtf?

Now after removing the limitations on turbos... the fatality and accident rate in australia has almost doubled T_T...

Originally Posted by Azn Tr14dZ

Let me ask you guys, do you drive the same day and night, or do you find yourself more aware and careful during night-time driving?

I would drive slower at night

[WarEagleAU]

Honestly, I didnt read the 35 posts that were more than a paragraph long, but I can tell you, that driving games do NOT influence my driving decisions. Simply put, I know real from fantasy. They blew alot of money researching this crap. Im sure they pocketed more than half of it

[demonbrawn]

Originally posted by tkpenalty:

honestly, drifting, burnouts, all these fads came out way before video games were realistic enough to allow these feats to be done. It is human nature for adolescents to be agressive and make bad descisions, not games. Most guys who are involved in crashes usually dont do any significant amount of gaming.

One of the major causes: Frustration, especially in australia, I want to start my Ls next year but the govenment decides we need more than 120 hours to be liable to start Ps.... now, how annoying is that? I will get my lisence when i'm god damn 22 not 18. Thats a few years wasted. Whats worse is that my car, some crappy 626 SOHC with a small turbo is something I can't drive, regardless of the lack of power, wtf?

Now after removing the limitations on turbos... the fatality and accident rate in australia has almost doubled T_T...

tk, I think you're right in that adolescents have the innate desire to be aggressive (well, boys at least), but at the same time, it has been proven that things like games and movies will only fuel the fire. For instance, when the movie (loooong before the game) "The Warriors" came out, several movie theaters stopped showing it because after the movie let out, several fights would break out and it was just because lots of people were hyped up and had fighting on their minds. Now, how crazy is that? I think it is possible that driving games can make someone want to drive fast. Hey, even my dad says that when he takes his convertible for a spin after playing Burnout.

[Chewy]

I guess it depends from person to person :P One thing for sure is to be able to control your desires and not go over the limit, have some fun but be responsable and respect surounding traffic.

[Taz100420]

I def know fantasy from reality. I drive safe in my Fiero(yea you know what I mean) Its a 4-speed stick and is WAY more fun to drive than any automatic I have drove and I was a Valet for a fancy ass steakhouse in Indy. For an 84 vehicle, I drove from Indianapolis to Fremont, ohio(300ish miles) on $17 worth of gas in a 10 gallon tank with prices of $2.30/gal. When I drive at night, I have to watch for deer, deadly for me.

[Dippyskoodlez]

Originally Posted by zekrahminator

In my opinion, if you'd like to drive economically, get a stick shift . A small list of advantages:

• You have much more control over the vehicle
• The vehicle has less mass
• There's less crap making friction in the transmission, unless you have a nearly-dead clutch
• Once you learn stick, you'll be much better with automatics (you'll know exactly how to use the advantages of automatics, and then you can go right back to playing with a manual)
• There's nothing quite like accelerating from 30 to 65 as you're merging into highway traffic .

??

you seriously can do everything in an automatic, just as a manual.

Its just different in /how/ you do it.

Manual gets finer control of when to shift, but only slightly, in comparison to a new car.

Highway acceleration is fun, but can be just as easily done in a decent automatic.

weight? eh. not terribly significant.

Problem is, you lose durability.

Manuals are simplistic in comparison to an automatic, but are much easier to cause failure with.

Easier repairs compensate for this, but a faster failure rate (can you say SYNCROS? CLUTCH?)



Normally I'd be all for a manual over an automatic, but the **new** automatics are getting pretty fun if you know how to exploit the way they work.

Old automatics just suck though.

Originally Posted by anticlutch

We're all guilty of that sooner or later

Keeping up with fellow traffic isn't technicly "speeding" and I've seen most cops passing people on interstates in these situations. (Even had it done)

[Taz100420]

My stepdads 84 F-150 had a five speed stick and never had to get a tranny rebuild just 1 clutch since he had it in 84 but my 94 GTP's auto went out a couple times which sucked because it was compact in the compartment

[Wile E]

Originally Posted by Dippyskoodlez

Manuals are simplistic in comparison to an automatic, but are much easier to cause failure with.

Easier repairs compensate for this, but a faster failure rate (can you say SYNCROS? CLUTCH?)

Coming from a former mechanic, Dip. I have to disagree with you here. Most manuals are much more durable than an automatic (when talking the same model of car). Synchros don't wear out if you drive properly (IE: Rev matching, which any good stick driver should be doing). Sure, the clutch may wear out, but it's significantly cheaper to replace when compared to 90% of any repairs required on an automatic. The average lifespan I've seen for most automatics that I have seen in the shop was 150-200k miles, before requiring a rebuild or major repair work (there are exceptions, in both directions, of course.) Most places around here charge a minimum of $600 just in labor for repairing an auto, including removal and replacement. Average labor on clutch replacement around here for a stick is $300. Most of my clutch replacements came in between 90-120k miles. At very least, maintenance for a stick car (with a good driver, very key here) is equal to that of an auto. Cut those mileage estimates roughly in half for people that beat on or race their cars.

[Casheti]

Coming from England, EVERYBODY knows over here, that if you drive an automatic you are OBVIOUSLY A GAY. Manual cars frikkin' rule! Automatics are boring. Plus you can't jump-start an automatic (or at least that's the last I heard). Then again, living in England I can't drive until I'm 17. Now that IS gay.

I've been playing Test Drive Unlimited quite a lot lately, I must say if real driving is that fun, I can't wait.

Also...just one more thing to add. Flappy paddle gear shifting is WAY cool. Well...it is if you want to look classy, in say...an Audi, or a Mercedes. In an ordinary car like a Toyota Supra, ordinary non-flappy paddle manual is better.

[ktr]

Originally Posted by Casheti

Manual cars frikkin' rule!

especially with your 1.2-1.4 litter engine!

[J0N]

Originally Posted by Casheti

Coming from England, EVERYBODY knows over here, that if you drive an automatic you are OBVIOUSLY A GAY.

Dude! You are right. You see someone driving an Automatic, and you know they can't actually drive properly!

[Casheti]

Speaking of which, my mum can only drive an automatic, lol.

[J0N]

Originally Posted by Casheti

OBVIOUSLY A GAY.

[Dippyskoodlez]

Originally Posted by Wile E

Coming from a former mechanic, Dip. I have to disagree with you here. Most manuals are much more durable than an automatic (when talking the same model of car). Synchros don't wear out if you drive properly (IE: Rev matching, which any good stick driver should be doing). Sure, the clutch may wear out, but it's significantly cheaper to replace when compared to 90% of any repairs required on an automatic. The average lifespan I've seen for most automatics that I have seen in the shop was 150-200k miles, before requiring a rebuild or major repair work (there are exceptions, in both directions, of course.) Most places around here charge a minimum of $600 just in labor for repairing an auto, including removal and replacement. Average labor on clutch replacement around here for a stick is $300. Most of my clutch replacements came in between 90-120k miles. At very least, maintenance for a stick car (with a good driver, very key here) is equal to that of an auto. Cut those mileage estimates roughly in half for people that beat on or race their cars.

I'm not a mechanic, but I've personally only seen manuals need big time transmission help.

but then again, some of the people that drive them arent the brightest crayons in the box..

But I'm just over 100k miles, and my syncro's suck. (Got the car around 70k)

Its the fact a rebuild costs more than the car at this point.