Treating drivers like adults

Spiegel Online recently published an article called

CONTROLLED CHAOS:European Cities Do Away with Traffic Signs

From the article:

European traffic planners are dreaming of streets free of rules and directives. They want drivers and pedestrians to interact in a free and humane way, as brethren -- by means of friendly gestures, nods of the head and eye contact, without the harassment of prohibitions, restrictions and warning signs.

Now when I first started to read the article, my first thought was of the death and carnage that would result as cars ploughed headlong through crowds of pedestrians, unchecked by any barriers or warning signs.

How could this work? Drivers and pedestrians need to be told where they can and cannot go. They need to be told what is and is not dangerous. How would people know when to stop, when to give way, and when it was safe to proceed?

But do they? In my experience, most drivers by definition are adults. But what happens when you treat adults like children, by regulating every little thing they do?

Once again, from the article:

Psychologists have long revealed the senselessness of such exaggerated regulation. About 70 percent of traffic signs are ignored by drivers. What's more, the glut of prohibitions is tantamount to treating the driver like a child and it also foments resentment. He may stop in front of the crosswalk, but that only makes him feel justified in preventing pedestrians from crossing the street on every other occasion. Every traffic light baits him with the promise of making it over the crossing while the light is still yellow.

So the more we try to legislate for common sense, the more we drive it away. It's something we see with children, with employees and indeed with drivers. If you treat them like children and don't give them any responsibility, they will act like irresponsible children.

"The many rules strip us of the most important thing: the ability to be considerate. We're losing our capacity for socially responsible behavior," says Dutch traffic guru Hans Monderman, one of the project's co-founders. "The greater the number of prescriptions, the more people's sense of personal responsibility dwindles."

By introducing more and more rules, we're encouraging people to think less. We training them to simply obey the coloured light, the arrow or the number on the sign, rather than being aware of their environment and thinking of the consequences of their actions.

I only see two barriers to introducing this in Australia. One is minor and one is major.
a) the current culture of treating drivers like morons has created a generation of morons. Over time this will slowly change, and since the majority of drivers are sensible adults, this should not present a huge problem.
b) Removing all these controls also removes the various fines for disobeying them, and hence a huge revenue stream for the government. This presents a major problem, and thus I predict that it won't happen, but the reasons given will be because of "safety concerns".

Subaru Impreza WRX MY02 sedan

A Quick WRX History Lesson
The WRX (or Rex as it is affectionately know) has well and truly become a cult-classic. The original formula of stuffing a powerful turbo-charged engine and drivetrain from a larger car into a smaller body was popular in the early to mid 90's and driven by the desire to be competetive on the world rally stage. Both Subaru and Mitsubishi took the drivetrains from the larger Liberty/Legacy and Galant respectively, and shoe-horned them into cars one size smaller. The resulting Subaru Impreza WRX and Mitsubishi Lancer GSR were lighter, faster, more nimble, and more importantly for the man in the street... cheaper!

Toyota eventually followed suit in 1997 and produced a WRC Corolla, however never produced a road-going version of the same car. Maybe they didn't need to. Subaru however focused almost all their marketing around rallying, and the success of the Impreza WRX and Subaru in general was evidence that they had made the correct decision.

When first released 1994, the Impreza was available with a 2.0 litre turbocharged boxer engine and all-wheel drive running gear. Now more that 10 years later, the fundamentals have not really changed. In Australia, only the MY06 Impreza WRX and STi received a change in the engine department, upping capacity to 2.5 litres. Prior to the MY06, the biggest change to the Impreza was the release of the MY01 "bugeye" model, which had a new chassis and body.

The Bugeye
The MY02 is the model I'm looking at today. The main reason for this choice is that I own one!. Hopefully I'll be able to offer a nice balanced view, but I'll state right now that I love all wheel drive. It adds a huge amount of ability to any performance car package.

The MY01 and MY02 are fairly unique in the Impreza lineup, in that Subaru decided to jump in with some sheetmetal and engine changes sooner than is usual. This was due to the rather polarising effect the styling of the car had when released. In fact, it copped quite a hiding in both the media and around the traps. I myself remember stating that I'd never buy one! The fact that the bugeyes were also heavier, and thus slightly slower than the previous classic shaped WRX only added to the negative press.

This to be fair tended to mask the fact that the bugeye WRX was greatly improved over the previous model. Torsional stiffness was up by 185% and longitudinal stiffness up by 250%, and the track on the sedan was increased by 20mm, which made for much better, more precise handling. Wheels were now 17" and there were a few extra features such as cruise control. It had much improved crash performance and NVH levels were much lower. There were also minor changes to the engine, such as a larger turbine wheel, larger repositioned intercooler and larger wastegate port. While these changes didn't improve peak power, they improved the power curve elsewhere by bumping up torque throughout the range, make for a more driveable car.

The rather negative reception of the original MY01 bugeye resulted in a few changes to the MY02. The most significant was the use of a 4.444 diff ratio to gain back some of the performance lost in the weight increase. Contrary to popular belief, this had virtually zero effect on the standing acceleration time to 100km/h because Subaru also changed the MY02 1st and 2nd gear ratios bringing them back in line with the MY01. The change in the diff therefore gave 3rd, 4th and 5th gears more punch, dropping rolling acceleration and overtaking times in these gears, chopping the 50-120km/h time by more than 1 second.

The rear diff on the MY02 was also changed to a Suretrac unit, as found on the STi, which Subaru engineers claim will deliver power to the wheel with grip even if the other wheel is not touching the ground.

So What's It Like To Drive?
What does all this mean in the real world?

The bugeye is fast. Here's where I tend to disagree with many motoring writers and others with a fixation on 0-100km/h times. The MY02 is slightly handicapped by its gearing in this regard, and requires a 2-3 change just before you hit 100km/h, thus adding up to 0.5 seconds to its time. In the real world covering distance is more important that reaching a velocity, because in a side-by-side comparison, the time to distance will be a direct indicator of who will be ahead at any point. This is where all-wheel drive shows it's hand, able to get off the line with the minimum of fuss.

No the MY02 is probably not quite as fast as the earlier, lighter WRX models, or the later more powerful ones, but anything else without all-wheel drive should be worried. As with most all-wheel drive cars, the punch off the line is fantastic, and over the first 100m it more than makes up for the weight penalty. For example the MY02 WRX will cover 100m in around 5.8 seconds, whereas the Holden 5.7 litre SV8 will take 6.2 seconds. You need an LS2 Clubsport to be able to cover 100m in 5.8 seconds, and for all of that time it's behind the MY02... gaining fast near the end. In the wet there is no contest whatsoever. The WRX leaves RWD rivals wheelspinning far behind. On public roads beyond that 100m you'll most likely start travelling at illegal and expensive speeds, and so it all becomes rather academic.

When I first drove a turbo Subaru (a Liberty RS turbo) it was a bit disappointed until I worked out the engine characterics. Down low a turbo Subaru can feel just like a little shopping trolley. But once the revs build, the acceleration comes on with a rush. To many people this is what they love about the RS turbo and WRX. The MY02 isn't as bad (or good depending on your perspective) as the Liberty RS, however you can get caught in the wrong gear, and you need to remember that at least 3000rpm is needed for decent acceleration. To achieve the best standing acceleration times as published in magazines, you need to build fairly high rpm (at least 4500rpm or more) and to be fairly brutal with the clutch. If you take a leisurely approach to getting moving, then if that V8 beside you tries to get in front, you probably won't catch him.

Where you will catch him is when the road starts to bend. The WRX handles well, being stiffly sprung with low profile tyres, but is not outstanding. What is outstanding is that you can get on the power almost anywhere, so the punch out of corners, and hence overall point-to-point speed, is so good. It's also relatively small and therefore nimble. The stock WRX tends towards understeer when pushed, however my car has an anti-lift kit fitted, along with a good alignment and Goodyear F1 GS-D3 tyres, which have gone a long way toward curing understeer at sane speeds. The anti-lift kit, despite common belief, actually increases fore and aft pitching slightly by reducing the "anti-lift" characteristics of the suspension. This effectively softer suspension gives greater front end grip. It also gives slightly more caster and camber. All this reduces understeer and increases corner speed. In fact the turn in can be sharp enough to cause the rear to step out in some cases, and getting on the power too soon if grip levels are low can result in power oversteer. This is obviously predominant if tyres are worn or roads are slippery, and caution needs to be excercised. The extra grip of the all-wheel drive system means that you're probably going to be travelling much faster when things let go!

Despite its rally heritage, the WRX is more geared to tarmac than dirt. Smooth dirt roads can be despatched quite comfortably, however once the road gets a bit rough or corrugated, the firm suspension and low profile tyres conspire to rob you of grip, and the WRX will skip and crash across rough patches while the ABS buzzes beneath your brake pedal. Braking distances increase and cornering grip drops away, although that phenomenal grip under acceleration is still available if you're brave or foolhardy enough to use it. Oversteer rears its head again under these circumstances.

In the practicality stakes the Impreza loses out a bit. There's no hiding the fact that it's a small car. Our other car, a 99 Holden Vectra, weighs about the same, has similar crashworthiness, but feels bigger in every respect. More interior space, and a much bigger boot. While the Impreza does at least have four doors, it's only a family car for a small family.

Cruising interstate in the WRX is reasonably economical for a car of this performance level. We generally obtain around 8 litres per 100km cruising on the highway, although the gearing in 5th means that at 110km/h the engine is spinning at 3300rpm. Not ideal for economy or NVH levels, but does mean that changing down a gear to overtake or climb a hill is uneccessary in all but the most extreme situations.

Overall though, the WRX is easy to live with once you learn its foibles, and is a ball of fun to punt along winding stretches of tarmac. In wet weather the performance is almost the same as dry, and many is the frustrated V8 owner who's had to put up with a WRX "playing with him" in the rain. It won't cost you a fortune in fuel unless you're very liberal with its performance, and 17" tyres these days are very common. Resale is quite good (which is bad if you're buying), and currently you can pick up an MY02 from a dealer for between $25k and $30k. Private sales are generally cheaper, but caveat emptor! (buyer beware). While Subaru's are generaly fairly solid and reliable, a vehicle inspection is always worthwhile as the WRX tends to be harder driven then most.

My final judgement is to give the MY02 WRX
4/5 STARS - * * * *

Some of my movies: Rally and Historic

I thought I'd have a play with Google Video uploads, so I've placed two of my recent movie making efforts online.

The ARC Rally of Melbourne 2005


Historic Winton 2004

Enjoy!

Rex Pics

Subaru Impreza WRX MY02 Sedan

What does an ALK do?

ALK stands for Anti-Lift Kit and is a common aftermarket suspension modification. It's basically a new set of lower suspension mounts that adjust the front geometry and alter the anti-lift character of the suspension. Cost of a kit for my 2002 Impreza WRX is around a few hundred bucks. If you're serious about track work and altering the front suspension you'd be better to go straight for a full kit with new strut tops. For the odd weekend squirt the ALK is ideal. Cheap and effective.

A common misconception is that the kit will REDUCE front end lift on acceleration. This idea comes obviously from the name anti-lift, however the revese is in fact true.

Normal suspension in any car has a characteristic known as anti-lift, which defines how much forward or backward force is transferred into upward and downward force when braking or accelerating. This force results in pitching and diving. A suspension setup with a 100% anti-lift will not pitch or dive at all, but instead transfer all forward and backware force to the tyres. This is bad however, because the tyres have to do much more work and you will much sooner overcome the level of grip they provide. The tyres will also spend less time in contact with the road if the surface is anything but billiard table smooth.

A car with less anti-lift (or more tendency to lift) will pitch and dive more, however the level of grip is higher because the fore-aft load on the tyres is reduced and they spend more time on the road. This is the reason why cars have springs and shocks. Less suspension movement and firmer suspension is good in terms of responsive handling and quickly changing direction, but bad in terms of outright grip, so some sort of happy compromise is required. That's why any car, even F1 cars, have some form of suspension to allow vertical movement, and do not simply bolt the wheels direct to the chassis.

The WRX ALK does two things.
1) reduce the anti-lift characteristic of the suspension, which in turn increases the level of front end grip for the reasons outlined above.
2) increases the amount of caster which in turn gives more dynamic camber when cornering.

In concert with the kit, a slightly different set of wheel alignment parameters can be used, and are generally provided by the manufacturer of the kit.

On the road, the difference is quite noticable. The WRX turns into corners much more eagerly, and higher cornering speeds can be attained. The natural tendency to understeer is reduced and power can be applied to better effect. Overall I'd recommend this modification to anyone.
For the dollars it's a very effective modification.

A WRX, a Monaro and a Mountain pass

I had the pleasure yesterday of driving the spectacular strip of bitumen that winds from Marysville past Lake Mountain over the range to Reefton and Warburton. The route we took can be viewed on Travelmate.com.au, which has an excellent Map Maker feature for creating maps and routes.
Marysville to Reefton Map

What made it even more fun was that one of my mates was tagging along in his dark purple Holden Monaro CV8. Known in the USA as the Pontiac GTO, and in the UK as the Vauxhall Monaro, this 2004 build example is the last of the original classic shapes before they got the Septic styled bonnet vents. All in all it's a nice looking car with a purposeful stance. It sports the Chevrolet sourced Gen III 5.7 litre V8, pumping out 245kW and 465Nm, giving it an 85kW edge over my 2002 build WRX, but also hauls an extra 300kg.

Even so, every one of my 160 kilowatts was lugging an extra 2kg on average, so the Monaro definitely had a lot of straight line squirt. In my favour, the CV8 was a 4 speed auto... (oh and a big heavy lump). We were both running Goodyear F1 GS-D3 tyres, though mine were 17" and his 18".

It was a brilliant day for an attack on a mountain pass, with not a cloud in the sky and temperature up around 30 degrees. To be honest, it was actually a bit hotter than ideal for the WRX, with the turbocharged engine preferring cooler denser air, the better to cram into the cylinders, but as it turned out that was nothing to worry about.

Winding up out of Marysville we were stuck behind a little Corolla for a few minutes, so I had a big purple Gen III looming in the mirror like a big playful doberman. Once the Corolla courteously pulled over and let us passed, we picked up the pace a little, but the straights and flowing curves meant that we were both pegged at the 100km/h speed limit.

Finally that sign that we all know and love appeared. The little squiggle with 35km/h recommended speed.

Left hander first... Here we go...

Late braking, blip the throttle into 2nd, point it in, nail it just before the apex and around you go. The corner tightens up but you can just wind on more lock and tuck the nose in... still accelerating. Exiting the corner, changing into third and straight into a right hander... short straight, on the brakes again, another left, another right.

The CV8 is nowhere... absolutlely nowhere to be seen. Within about 90 seconds I've put about a kilometer between the two of us. I back off and once the road opens out into short straights and sweepers, the big V8 comes looming in the mirror again. The top end of the Gen III is fabulous when it can be put to good use.

Then once again the road tightens up, snaking left and right with added savagery. The bitumen is smooth, sticky and limits of adhesion are very high. The WRX is in its element again, changing direction eagerly, transferring all 160kW to the road with the wonderful surge you get with a turbo Subaru and hurtling through the forest like a tiny white rollercoaster. I back off again and in short order I see the Monaro exiting the corner behind me nice and flat, but with a little twitch as the tail tries to step out. Off we go again.

Once or twice I enter a corner a touch too fast, but a slight lift of the foot rotates the tail out and nose in to put it back on line. Sometimes if you hurl it into the corner too eagerly, the tail comes out a touch before settling and hurtling onward again. It's a very easy, forgiving car to drive fast and it's easy to see why the WRX was a target for theives and ram-raiders. The sting in the tail is that if you do reach it's limits, you're going very, very fast!!

A passenger who rode in both cars commented that the Monaro was much more comfortable to ride in, but you could also feel the rear end twitching on corner exits as it tried to put down all 245kW through the 18" tyres.

All in all we had a great day enjoying two nice performance cars in an environment that they were meant for.

Fantasy Land?

Just for a moment I'd like you to imagine that you are living in a magical fantasy land. In this land there lives a man called Mr Mint who owns a number of widget factories. The factories are full of machines churning out widgets.

Unfortunately, the widget machines occasionally fail, and because they are running at speeds of up to 10,000rpm they tend to cause serious damage, and sometimes injury and death when this happens. This is a serious problem for Mr Mint because not only is it costing him money, but it is endangering the lives of his people.

One day Mr Mint comes up with an idea.
"I know!" he exclaims. "I'll run the machines at a slower speed. Then when they fail the damage will not be as severe!"
"Hang on Guv," exclaim the machine operators. "Why don't we look at why the machines are failing and try to stop it happening so often?? Maybe we need more training!! Maybe some of the machines are too old!! Maybe the materials being used are not suitable"
"No." says Mr Mint, shaking his head. "The speed is the problem. We'll run things slower and that will reduce the problem."

Unfortunately for Mr Mint the machines continue to fail, explode and generally wreak carnage with monotonous regularity. The machine operators are also having a harder time because now, rather than just monitoring the overall widget-making process and running the machines accordingly, they now have to keep an eye on the needle on the speed dial.

The continuing machine failures worry Mr Mint. "It must be those operators." he decides. "They must be running their machines too fast! I'll need to set some limits and penalties."

Mr Mint implemented fines for operators who were running there machines faster than the recommended limits, however there was still little change to the number of injuries, fatalities and the amount of damage created by exploding widget machines. He put in place random checks and cameras to ensure that the speed of the machines remained within the recommended limits, but still the carnage continued. The only consolation was the increasing amount of revenue from the fines,

Sadly for Mr Mint he was eventually fired for incompetence, but only after hundreds of operators had died each year and thousands were injured, not to mention the material costs involved.

But don't worry... this is all just a fantasy land... it could never happen in real life... could it?