The Thrill of Spirited Driving: Balancing Passion with Responsibility

The Thrill of Spirited Driving: Balancing Passion with Responsibility

Driving is always a thrill to me. Besides, I love driving so much that I want to know how it feels! It connects to the heart. It touches the emotions. But obviously, it is a matter of passion. Without passion, there is nothing.

Let’s talk about spirited driving. It’s not about scary things. Fun, yay!

First, let me tell you the definition of spirited driving.

Spirited driving is for people who have a keen sense of risk versus reward.
What is the reward?

Well, the reward is I get to enjoy my car, drive a little bit faster, have some fun, and do stuff that maybe isn’t appropriate in certain settings. What’s the risk? Well, the risk is I could crash my car, hurt myself, or hurt other people. Other people did not choose to drive spiritedly. They are just driving to get to the shops or wherever they’re going. They haven’t made the same choice you’ve made.

 

Spirited Driving

 

Driving spiritedly in this scenario is not appropriate. The risk is far too high for too little reward. There are a bunch of people walking around, like kids and grandmothers trying to cross the street. The road has a 20 mph or maybe a 30 mph limit. There’s no space here for having legal or slightly illegal fun. So, you have to have a very keen sense of risk versus reward to enjoy spirited driving properly. Let’s get on to some better roads, and I’ll show you what spirited driving is actually all about.

I am on a road that has opened up a little now. There are fewer pedestrians, fewer people, and two lanes.
Can we drive spiritedly here? No.

The key part is the reward.
What’s the reward for driving spiritedly here? There’s nothing.

There are no corners for me to enjoy and interact with the car. There’s no upside to my spirited driving. A lot of young, reckless petrolheads will try to drive spiritedly in these conditions, weaving between cars.

There are roundabouts here, but this is not what we’re looking for in spirited driving. I’m talking about a little country lane with a 50 mph limit. Maybe we can have a little bit of spirited driving there. When you want to enjoy a corner while driving spiritedly, you need more control over the wheel.

Maybe you take third gear and squeeze it through here, just to have a little fun.
Guide the car through this corner and enjoy what the car gives you.
You paid for the car, so you might as well enjoy it, right?

Enjoy the little corner, the bouncing around, the sound of the engine, the feel of the steering, and the way the car moves under you—all the interaction that you get. But note that when I’m doing this, I’m not trying to go as fast as I can. My car can go a lot faster through those corners, and I’ve got tons of space in front of me. There’s no car for a long way in front of me, and no car for a long way behind me.

When I take the corners, I stay within my lane. That’s the whole point of spirited driving on the road. You have this balance between risk and reward. I’ve got a little tip for you if you really enjoy spirited driving.

From my driving perspective, I’ve just entered a national speed limit zone right around the corner. There are a few slow cars you might have just seen. There’s no one behind me, so if I want to have a little bit of fun, what can I do?
I just slow down and leave a huge gap in front of me.

This is something I do all the time because it’s not always clear on the roads when I want them to be clear. So again, with the view of not pissing off or annoying everyone around us, it’s a great way to do it. You inconvenience yourself a little because you have to drive slowly. But once you’ve got a bit of a gap, and there’s an amazing corner coming up, it’s time for some spirited driving.

In second gear, I’m not sure if I’ll put the power down, but I’m going to floor it. Let’s find out.

My tires are amazing—Good Year Eagle F1. Check them out and get yourself a set because they’re great.

I do love cornering, and they’re really good. But this is the real world. That’s the end of my spirited driving for now. That’s the way you should approach it—it’s all about balancing risk and reward while keeping everyone happy. Make sure your spirited driving doesn’t harm others.

When I’m driving spiritedly, I don’t want to lose control and understeer into pedestrians or people out for a run. I want to have fun, but I don’t want to negatively affect others. How hard you can drive depends on a lot of factors. When I drive through town, I’m in the highest gear possible to keep the noise down. It’s all about being a responsible petrolhead.

Yes, we’re all petrolheads. We love our cars, love driving fast, and enjoy interacting with them.

But there has to be a balance. The old people at the side of the road who are just chatting don’t want to hear me coming down, popping and banging, and ruining their day.

An important part of spirited driving is your mindset. If you’re driving spiritedly, you’ll likely be the fastest car on the road, which means you need to be the best driver on that road.

I’m a Marvel Comics lover, and I remember a quote from Spider-Man: “With great power comes great responsibility.”

So it’s up to you to not be a jerk, frustrating everyone around you and making all the locals hate car enthusiasts. That’s not what it’s about. We find the right time and place, and that’s when we enjoy our cars. If you’re stuck in traffic or driving on your favorite road with a car in front of you doing 40 mph, you have a responsibility not to scare those people.

There’s also a time and place for spirited driving. I’ve come out too late to have a fun drive. In the morning, people are living their lives—visiting family, shopping, doing their normal activities.

It’s tough to go for a spirited drive, especially on narrow country lanes with limited overtaking opportunities when there are cars on the road. The best approach is to go out when the roads are clear.

The best time is super early in the morning, especially in the summer. When the sun rises around 5:00 or 5:30 a.m., just head out at the crack of dawn, and you’ll have the road to yourself.

 

sun rise driving

 

You’ll get a good 2 to 3 hours of blissful, uninterrupted driving.

That’s the way to do it. If you go out later, you’ll just encounter traffic and have to resort to tricks like slowing down to create gaps, which isn’t much fun.

Another important point is your choice of car if you like this kind of driving. Here’s something slightly controversial:

Less power is often better. The problem with a car like mine, with 300 horsepower, is that I have to leave a massive gap between me and the car in front. My Renault RS 300 accelerates quickly, grips well, and corners well, so I need a huge gap because I catch up so fast.

If you have a slower car, maybe an older one with skinny tires and less power, like 100 or 120 horsepower, that’s actually better for this type of driving.

You’ll have more opportunities to go full throttle and enjoy the car because your ultimate grip and speed will be lower.

For spirited driving, that’s great. If I had a slower car, I’d be able to go full throttle and enjoy the drive, even at this speed. But with the RS 300, she’s got a bit of performance, you know. She feels like a caged animal right now—she just wants to go.