smoogdog

This is not a race story. I am an adult, and I do not race people on the public roads. Rather, this is a sad story about my '03 TL-S and its inability to get ahead of a Jetta 1.8T entering the freeway.

I came to a red light prior to the freeway ramp and chose to take the open spot up front next to a Jetta 1.8T. I got in the lane that I knew was going to run out in about 400 feet, but I figured no problem getting out ahead of the fat lady in the Jetta. No such luck. Light turns green and I stomp the gas. I never even considered that the Jetta would be right next to me, so as I began to merge I checked my blind spot and was shocked to see this silver VW along side my rear fender. She would not yield, and my lane was going away. So I braked and let her by.

My car is not modified at all. It has 2,300 miles on it, and I weigh 178 lbs. The lady in the Jetta looked to be tipping the scales at 225 lbs. at least. She was also in her early 40s, so I doubt she dumped a bigger turbo in her car. I've had quite a few regrets after buying this car, now I feel like a complete fool. Anyone else feel this way?

r10apple

I'd go to the store and buy some twinkies. She apparently did, and not only is she fat and happy because of them, she beat you!

The heat must be sapping your car, your car is sick, you can't drive, I dunno. A 1.8T (if you saw a "T" I think that means turbo) shouldn't be quicker than a TL-S...

thsiao

There is no way in hell a Jetta 1.8T can be faster than our 3.2-liter V6 260 horses TL-Type S. You probably didn't push your car to the limit (high revs).

smoogdog

The heat must be sapping your car, your car is sick, you can't drive, I dunno. A 1.8T (if you saw a "T" I think that means turbo) shouldn't be quicker than a TL-S... [/B][/QUOTE]

I figured I would get a juvenile response to my post.

I've driven stick shift cars my entire life, so maybe there are some skills I need to learn to be able to handle the automatic in the TL-S. I mean, it's really tough to punch the gas and go. Give me a break. There is no skill required to drive the TL-S up a highway onramp, particulary when the session takes place in 1st and 2nd gear. There isn't even a shift you can perform to help yourself.

As far as the heat is concerned, she was driving right next to me and it was 7:15 AM and about 85 degrees outside. We were both battling the same environmental conditions. Perhaps the compression of hot air by a turbo creates less hp loss than in a N/A motor (as is the case at high altitude), but it just wasn't that hot out, and either way, its sad.

If my car is "broke," as you so eloquently put it, then I feel like even more of a fool for buying a car that breaks before 3000 miles.

smoogdog

I had the car in SS and pushed the gas to the floor for the entire event. Other than grit my teeth and crowd the steering wheel, I don't know how much harder I could push the car. And, it's sad when you have to push your car to the limit to beat a fat lady in a Jetta anyway.

thsiao

I have driven stick shift all my life too! Until I got my new TL-Type S.

There is no skills involved in steping on the gas pedal in an automatic car (that is the sad part of ALL automatic cars).

I really do not know what went wrong. I have raced a Honda Civic with a V-TEC engine and I kicked his ass badly... so I dunno how a Jetta got you.

paultl

it could be a chipped 1.8T....chips can do wonder on that little turbo

goldendragon576

There is only one explaination for this...you didn't push your car to it's potential.
"I can't put my finger on it but there is just something not right about it!...are you sure you have a Type-S?" ~my friend Raf, a 1.8T owner

My friend and I have sorta raced a few times and the only time he has given me a scare was when he had the chip turned on. Other then that you shouldn't have had any problems overtaking the fat lady...I guess she was singing in her Jetta. The fat lady sang!

smoogdog

OH MY GOD, I looked at the badge on my car and it says Civic Type Hybrid!!! Was I ripped off?

LOL. Of course it's a Type S. And if the fat lady put a chip in her car then I would feel much better. Problem is, I doubt a 43 year old fat lady mods her Jetta.

DrivebyTL-S 03

Its the twinkies, I know the lady, her name is Shelby and she got her fat a$$ on a dyno and the twinkie package with the chocolate yoohoo added 0 hp and 2 lbs torque to her Jetta Spielberg edition

And next time, use your right hand for gas, and your left for brake, steer with your knees and honk with your adams apple, a little technique would help you beat Jettas and Supras forever

r10apple

:clown: Good for you! At least we know you aren't stupid...

I didn't say broke, I said "sick"...
There could be a myriad of reasons for your outcome. You are correct in that a turbo will certainly be better equipped to deal with its potential than our car in the heat. The TL-S just loves the cold. If you know about Honda, traditionally their cars have their performance stretched higher into the rpm band. Maybe you didn't "shift" high enough in the range or you dropped it into something other than 2nd or 3rd. I find saying just stomping it and going to be a bit odd since you also claim to have been in s/s. Maybe you had wheelspin. Maybe you misjudged the distance to the ramp. Maybe its sick 'cuz someone dumped sugar in your gas tank. Maybe Ms. Fatty indeed chipped and turbo'd her little krautmobile and you got run legit. Again, I dunno...

If you feel like a fool, no one can help you but you. I haven't felt like a fool in my entire life, so I can't sympathize with you and unfortunatelty my empathy seems to have been lost somewhere. If you hate your car, oh well. I love mine. What are any of us to say to convince you otherwise. Why should we?
If you are indeed a grumpy person lacking self-esteem, I could recommend a book for you by Jack Handy or have Mr. Robbins send you a video.

r10apple

Pretty funny to start and then:
Very nice! Kudos to you DrivebyTL-S 03!
Sorry swoog...You got oWN3d by Mama Kass and now by a very funny fellow noob!
ROFFL...Spielberg. Very nice work...

yield2s

of coarse your car is faster than that vdub as you already stated in your post.the problem is that its not a corvette to taurus differance. there are many cars that are slower than ours and some cars faster, but any car that's in the 6.x sec 0-60 even low 7sec wont let you just "leave it" on a 600' on ramp.
Hell i just drove my Aunts 03 corvette and of coarse that thing hell on wheels but taking the same straight freeway on ramp with her car at WOT will yield close to the same merging speed as my tl. point is a fraction of a sec is alot on paper but really not as noticable in the real world

vandy786

Good post. I was just about to say that.

smoogdog

More juvenile nonsense. Great, just more of what I expected.

Some in this group have a lot of trouble dealing with anything critical about the TL. I find this strange. I do not attach my self worth to my car as some do. Life is too short for this kind of nonsene.

As for shifting, read the tread. The entire episode took place between 1st and 2nd. Unless you have a different setup than I do, the car shifts automatically into 2nd at the rev limit. I cannot outshift the automatic in this case. I make no "claims" about SS or anything else. I am just telling this group about what happened.

And, the ghetto slang goes a long way toward proving your point. "Got run legit." Okay, well stated. From the sound of you, I think a little reading might actually be in order for you. The one good point you made is that if I am unhappy with my car and other are not, big deal. This is very true. I just wanted to pass on an experience for the group. Sad that there is so much insecurity here.

I do, however, apologize for misquoting you earlier

njtls

i think my type-s has a normal 225 engine...i was driving around the other day and i floored it and the tires didnt even break loose...maybe both our cars suffer from the same problem

DrivebyTL-S 03

What!?!?! WHO IS INSECURE?!?! You calling me a punk?!?! Youre talking about me right?!?! I got a 10 pound cock and a TL-S that can drop a turd on ANY corvette out there cause I am my car and my car is me. My car is the greatest and if there is any reason for my car to lose a race its because I probably hit the rev-limiter or they got a jump on me in hot weather and I was playing Jamdat bowling on my cell phone and mashed the brake instead of the gas. BELIEVE IT!!! you WERE talking about me right?!?! Werent you?!?! I just want to make sure

smoogdog

This is just getting stupid now. Yawn.

DrivebyTL-S 03

Im just confident...... BUT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT ME RIGHT?!?! I just want to make sure...... cause im not sure..... but im pretty confident you were talking about me...... right?

Moo

Maybe the fat lady farted and that gave her some extra boost.

A418t81

iTrader: (1)

A stock Jetta will lose. A chipped Jetta will give you a run for your money or slightly beat you(if its a 5 or 6 speed) and a BPU Jetta/GTI will be checking your Acura from his rearview. I speak from experience on all of this

02+ GTI's/Jetta's with BPU mods run the better part of 100 mph in the quarter or slighly above that if its a strong car.

Mr Hyde

Maybe you hit the rev limiter at the top of 2nd, maybe your actuator is busted at youare only pushing 225hp (would expect a TL-P to be quicker too), maybe you just didnt punch it hard enough, maybe she had a stick and was in the sweet spot, maybe you got some bad gas on last fill up and your timing was retarded. Who knows why you didnt come out ahead. Other than checking your actuator to make sure nothing is wrong with the car, stock vs stock, I've taken several 1.8T's by a good margin; A4 & Jetta, and that was back when I was stock.

The only time I gottaken by a 1.8 A4 was when I was driving my 4 banger Accord, and he took me by a few lengths, but my TLS would have smoked both cars.

The rest of this childish BS in this post stops here.