Spouse Behind the Wheel

[CRZN 427]

I put this Thread out here as my wife wants to drive it. Her DD is a Honda CRV and Honda Accords before it. I am getting ours inspected Friday and should be able to tag it the same day. My concern is that I don't think she respects the ability of the car. I had her read the Thread entries for new owners and those thinking of becoming an owner of one. I did not get a warm fuzzy when I asked her what she thought, not one word about this Car can and will kill you if you don't respect it. With power steering the car is very responsive to just the smallest input on the steering wheel. I am going to delay her long enough till I feel competent regarding the capabilities of the car, then I am going to give her a small sample of what the car is capable of doing in straight line acceleration. Feel free to offer any suggestions.
Thanks


Doug

Are you concerned that you wife will get in the FFR and do a full throttle burnout from the garage? From what I've seen over the years most female drivers are a lot more cautious when getting into a new vehicle and not as likely to press for the upper end of the performance envelope even after several occasions of driving it. Taking her out to show her the scary aspects of the car before she has a chance to try it out on her own will likely lead to strong criticism or your intentions.

JMHO but I'd give her the basics of how to operate the car (where the starter button is locate) and let her have at it. Ride along if she wants that, but keep your running commentary of her performance to a minimum.

Regards, Rick.

[Bobby Doug]

Are you concerned that you wife will get in the FFR and do a full throttle burnout from the garage? From what I've seen over the years most female drivers are a lot more cautious when getting into a new vehicle and not as likely to press for the upper end of the performance envelope even after several occasions of driving it. Taking her out to show her the scary aspects of the car before she has a chance to try it out on her own will likely lead to strong criticism or your intentions.
JMHO but I'd give her the basics of how to operate the car (where the starter button is locate) and let her have at it. Ride along if she wants that, but keep your running commentary of her performance to a minimum.

Regards, Rick.

Good advice.
My intentions are to let her first drive it in a LARGE vacant parking lot. We will go from there.
Thanks
Doug

[Dave Howard]

Are you concerned that you wife will get in the FFR and do a full throttle burnout from the garage? From what I've seen over the years most female drivers are a lot more cautious when getting into a new vehicle and not as likely to press for the upper end of the performance envelope even after several occasions of driving it. Taking her out to show her the scary aspects of the car before she has a chance to try it out on her own will likely lead to strong criticism or your intentions.

JMHO but I'd give her the basics of how to operate the car (where the starter button is locate) and let her have at it. Ride along if she wants that, but keep your running commentary of her performance to a minimum.

Regards, Rick.

I fully agree with CRZN 427. At the end of the day, it's just a car. Mind you, no stability control, no launch control and most with no ABS. Powerful, lite and short wheel base can be tricky. So when starting your wife off, or any new driver including yourself, consider the following. Take is easy. Get comfortable with how the car feels and drives at normal speeds. Then step it up a little. Find a big empty parking lot and feel the straight line power. Is the engine powerful enough the break the rear tires loose if you kick it down say at 50 mph? Good thing to know if you're giving someone a quick pass on the highway. OK, now you know how fast it'll accellerate. Now, stand on the brakes and see how fast it'll stop. How much effort is required to lock up your brakes. Then, in the same empty parking lot, from a stop, turn the steering wheel half a turn, rev up the motor and drop the clutch. Let off the gas after the second donut. NOTE TO SELF....Don't do this when exiting the lot onto the street. The outcome might be very embarrassing (until you know what you're doing).
The more time any new driver can put behind the wheel, the better.

Also, you may be surprised that your wife is a better driver than you. No testosterone. Probably a smaller ego.

If you're afraid of the car.....sell it before you kill someone. Gain the respect for the car's capabilities and understand you're driving abilities. After that, have the time of your life and enjoy.