ive owned an SVT now for about 2 months and in those two months, my gf (who also drives the car) and I have been challenged to street race at least 10 times. mostly by cars that i have no chance against, namely mustang gts, SRT-4s and WRXs. before the SVT, i owned a ZX3 for 4 years with only 3 challenges to have ever arose.

my friend has a WRX with a japanese STI motor and he has been challenged twice in the 2 years that hes owned the car.

what gives? is it because they see SVT drivers as willing and easy kills? its getting to the point where, when im stoped at a light, i force myself to look straight ahead so i dont make eye contact with adjacent drivers revving their engines.

people see SVT and want to mess with you, its all about import vs. american, SVT is like the best known american performance "badge"

Originally posted by xgambit



its getting to the point where, when im stoped at a light, i force myself to look straight ahead so i dont make eye contact with adjacent drivers revving their engines.

Same here. I've had countless people do ricer fly-bys trying to get me to notice them. I'm not into street racing/imports at all, so they just are a nuisance to me. I would rather do auto-x or go to an open track day. Sometimes I wish I had an "uncool" car so people would leave me alone.

Sometimes , that is [:p] [:D]

LoL ive had so many people attempt to race me. Mostly imports but i usually back off now. Its just about domestics vs imports - domestics RULE! even though i'll be getting an import i still love domestics

debadge your svt

Originally posted by shadyltd
debadge your svt

No way. I have never even understood debadging non-SVT vehicles, let alone a non-SVT. Just ignor the idiots who want to street race, and laugh at them as they waste gas.

As for ricer challenges, my father has had several people challenge him in the one month he has owned his SVT. He can't wait until he gets outside of the warranty, beefs up the engine and installs his turbo kit, and has some punk challenge him. Surprise! You just got smoked by what you thought was a stock SVTF!

BTW, several people have challenged him to racing on a 25 mph city street in the middle of the day. WTF?!?!

People rarely try to race me...in the few months i've owned my car...i've only been challenged to 4 races...all wins thankfully :-) People see the 5 door and don't think it's an svt...haha...suckers!

With regards to the original post about WRX's and such, sounds like people who just want to boost their ego without taking any real chances on the possibility of losing a race. [rolleyes]

there's a time and place for street racing. Going to the track cost more money than to do it on the road. About wasting gas...you're doing the same thing at the track as you are on the street. I don't see what the difference is on the street and at the track, gas wise. And when you're at the track are you put up next to a car that you can possibly beat? I've been next to srt, talon tsi, corvettes. I just never get a win at the track.....atleast on the street you can pick and choose you're battles. Also common sense is a great thing to practice while street racing. I never race in city limits. Atleast go out to the country.

I'm not gonna get started on street racing again. I caused a small commotion the last time I did that. IMO, race at the track only. Streets are for driving, the track is for racing.

BTW, my father checked out the local track near his house, and $20 will get you three 1/4 mile runs. I like that as a better judge of performance than some punk you beat while violating a ton of traffic laws.

up to 55 maybe 60 is breaking a ton of traffic laws?[???:)] and $20 will get me a full tank of gas

Its not the speeds- its the fact that you are racing on public roads. And you may not consider it racing (which realistically it may not be), but the cops just love to bust kids and their cars.

To add to what stephen was saying... go read the little reference book for driving that your state puts out. It's not just speed, it is the manner in which you are driving. WOTing it on a public road to race some a-hole next to you is not considered driving udner control or following the general rules of the road. Try telling the cop, "But officer, I was only doing 40 in a 35... I know you heard my wheels screech and my unmuffled exhaust, but I wasn't speeding." He, and the judge at a later date, will laugh at you.

If you can't spend the $20 for an evening out at the track to see how your (and other people's) car performs in a race/speed legal environment you probably shouldn't be spending any money on mods or street racing. You can't afford the ticket, the fine, or the jail time of street racing, and you probably shouldn't be dedicating so much of your time and money to a car that has zero value at the end of the day.

Has nothing to do with driving an SVT Focus...and everything to do with driving a focus.
Focus' are genericaly slow cars, running 16sec ETs. Easy prey if you have no balls to mess with someone in the same league.

i never said i was for street racing. where did you guys get that idea?

i just posted that i get challenged alot. and im tehorizing that its because othe rdrivers think SVT owners are easy pickings. and i wanted to see if you guys get the same reactions and feel the same way ( or different). i never even posted that i took any of the challengers up on their offer.

in fact, im not a big fan of 1/4 mile drag racing. a faster car will just beat a slower car 98 percent of the time. on a road course with turns, driver skill becomes much more important. ive seen miatas own cars with double the power in scca events.

lastly, i would never pay a single dime to just go in a straight line. whats the fun in that? charge me $100 for a fun and exciting road course with chicanes and 180's and im there!
im in love with my old zx3 and my svt now due to their unbelievably fun handling. if i just wanted to drive in a straight line, i would have bought something else.

Originally posted by Lupuri
Has nothing to do with driving an SVT Focus...and everything to do with driving a focus.


but i never got this treatment in my old zx3 that i owned for 4 years. [???:)]

drag racing tickets are some of the hardest to prosecute, im not sure about other states, id bet cali/florida and maybe a few others have stricter laws but in IL the officer has to witness the start of the race and catch both drivers, example late one night i had a chance encounter with a wrx in my crx and we were going about 25 over when this cop just happens to pull out about a block up getting ready to make a right turn so we both hit the brakes and my radar didnt go off until i was below the limit so when he pulled me over i knew he had nothing and so did he so he just acted like an [:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)] gave whatever tickets he could(exhaust, no front license plate) and sent me on my way

I think in many instances street racing is flat out stupid, but honestly if its late at night and youve got people watching a stretch then its all in the drivers, but the same idiots who actually get drag racing tickets are probably much more likely to get in an accident first while not being safe and doing something stupid like racing through heavy traffic

Debadge it, Its appearence is cleaner looking. I think it's kinda funny I know street raceing is not legal in one way or another but I'm with most people give me a clean deserted farm road(clean black top) or a circuit track and you bet I will drive it like I stole it. Yes I have debadged my SVTF and I still get the same crap in the city like I would even take a second thought of doing it actually. I don't know I don't blow off the guys revving there engine I let them have a sample of whats under the hood to. But yah I thought I was the only one that tried to ignore them, Not becouse I want them to think I'm an ass and I'm to good for them but for the fact that If I got busted it would suck. But on the second or third rev I haft to give them a taste of American Made. But any ways I suppose even if you do debadge they could pick an SVTF out of a croud so it really wouldn't matter.

That's why you don't squeel the tires and be stupid enough to do it with people around....again common sense comes into play. Country roads that you know. No hiding spots for cops and open enough so you can see other cars comming or going. All I'm doing is expressing my opinion and you're dictating to me about how bad street racing is bad. I'm replying to your comment of about how you can spend $20 for a day at the track at WOT....'wasting gas'...like you said....You'd be doing the same thing on a country road or open highway. So in that aspect you paid $20 to race plus the gas you 'waste' while you're at the track. I say save the $20 for gas and/or mods and race someone that went to the track, knows how fast they are, and beat them or they beat you. That way you know what kind of ballpark you are in.

As far as 'unmuffled' exhaust, there is plenty of other cars with holes in the exhaust or no exhaust that's a hell of a lot louder than mine. Honda's and older beaters are well known for this. And if us 'a-holes' get caught we get caught. You assume the responibilities when you get into your car. The same as when you go to the track.....What happens when you go down the track and blow a tire, rod, trannie, what have you? Samething if you were racing on the street or highway.

I know how some cops are and i'm friends with some of them here in my home town. That's why i go into the country or highway. It's also how you talk to the cop as well. You can't be an 'a-hole' to them and again....have common sense when you do street race. It'll save you in the long run.

Debadging....thats stupid, i think it makes you look like your ashamed of your vehicle! What cracked me up today was this Cavalier that was debadged. Now why in the world do you need to debadge one of those? Seriously, theres only one big difference, Z24's and regular ones, which are like, what, 10 hp difference? Ridiculous, but i think it looks better with all the badging so you can strut your stuff. As for the racing bit, add some mods and burn some retards, mustangs screw with me at times, sometimes they're 6 bangers and sometimes they're modded 6 bangers that put aup a pretty good fight but they're both still fords so you talk to the guy afterwards and tell him nice car. And for the stupid ricers, Smoke em, thats all i've gotta say, save up for a turbo lol. And also, i've been doing some interstate racing with some of my buddies for the last month or so and with 4 GTP's, a trans am, an older thunderbird, and an SRT4. The GTP's are not much of a problem, the TA puts up a fight, the thunderbird has a 90 mph governor (hahaha, but hes cool lol), and my best friend drives the SRT so its not a competition. There's only one of the GTP's that is faster and he has a little bit done to it, but hopefully soon i'll be able to add an upgraded throttle body, cam sprockets, underdrive pulley, and offroad pipe to my arsenal (only aem cai, short throw shifter, plugs, and plug wires for now) and be pushin the rest of those guys a little bit harder than now. And i hate that all GTP's are autos, they make it seem like such soccer mom cars lol (i see more of them driving them than kids or guys).

i get challenged ALL THE TIME. same as Shady R, after about the 2nd or 3rd rev, i go ahead and woop on them up to a certian limit. ( keep in mind i live in the small town of cleburne, and al that drives around here are POS's and an occasional mustang or T/A that i will ignore. PLENTY of rice burners all around here, and ive spanked on just about every one of them, except the ones that know better, and dont try anything. i wont race in traffic, but if theres noone infront of us... sure ill give them a sample of the asswoopin there about to get.

I cant stop at a light without someone trying to run me...
Must be the 'SJ' mentality ;)

same as Turbo_SVT420

Originally posted by Lupuri
I cant stop at a light without someone trying to run me...
Must be the 'SJ' mentality ;)

^ same thing im getting. im not sure why.

ive also owned an 80 mustang LX 5.0 and never got challenged. ive even owned a 79 trans am, also never challenged. but in the SVT....

Originally posted by Lupuri
Has nothing to do with driving an SVT Focus...and everything to do with driving a focus.
Focus' are genericaly slow cars, running 16sec ETs. Easy prey if you have no balls to mess with someone in the same league.
I go looking for cars that are "ALL RICED UP"
when I get next to 1 @ a light I reach back all slowly and turn on the bottle...
but they see the svt on the wheels and want no part of it ...Its making me mad ...so I go pick on v8 mustangs& firebirds

ZWhat's even funnier is the one's you beat then slow down and carry on your merry way, then all of a sudden they blow by you like it's some HUGE deal.. i just shake my head and laugh

^^ This is what's known as the "ricer flyby" and is a lame attempt on their part at saving some face, even though all it does is make them look even more stupid.

I usually get fly-bys by Hondas and stuff, but not enough "fast" cars (cars faster than mine) to really meet one on the street. And if anyone wants to challenge me I say meet me at the track. And if its a vette or something I say meet me at the track and do you mind if I bring the Cobra. Oh, and getting caught street racing in my area is now a free ticket to jail. and here its 15 bucks for all night racing at the track, challenges are allowed and emergency crews are on site. I really dont see a point racing on the street.

Edit: I really dont get many challenges, around here, few people know what an SVT Focus is, so they really dont have any idea what has been done to it. They know what SVT is, and they know what a Cobra and a lightening is, but they have no idea what I have under the hood.