Driving

As stated before humans like to move forward and driving an automobile is a literal solution for mankind's need of movement. While this is not in the main focus of this webpage (yet) it is still worth exploring. As some may know, I live in Germany, the Länd of the Autobahn and unlimited speeds. As some may not know, there is a speed limit virtually everywhere and only certain roads like some stretches of highway and some toll roads like the Nürburgring are unlimited (the latter not really as well). Also having the freedom of legally being able to drive as fast as you want doesn't equal it being a good idea (due to traffic etc.). I personally however like going fast and in this abstract I will explain how to do it both safely, legally and still fun. I will also look into some of the deeper mechanisms behind driving.

My personal view on the issue

To preface this abstract, I do not condone nor endorse any form of speeding or unsafe driving. You have to understand that the open road is not your personal racetrack and you are not only putting your own but also the life of others at risk. Driving is unsafe enough for a number of other reasons; you do not need to make it unsafer than it already is. To briefly touch on the discussion regarding a general speed limit in Germany, I will first of all say that this reminds me a lot of the USAs discussion about gun control. I personally would like both to be put into effect, but both are ideologizised beyond reason. A speed limit of around 150kph would help traffic flow better and make highway travel much safer. I understand that 150kph is technically still too fast, but see this as a possible compromise. Also, among enthusiasts and people driving a lot (like delivery/trucking personnel) the general consensus is highly positive towards a speed limit. If somebody still wants to drive faster they will find a way and the pure numbers won't stop them.

The Goal

At a certain point you will realize that driving cars is both a privilege in that it allows you to transport goods and people ultimately free and a burden in that it isn't really fun but rather more tiring and unnerving to drive. However, a certain breed of people still has fun in driving and gets their kick in one of a few special ways. I do this by driving streets and street courses as fast, precisely and safely as possible (Autocross and Time Attack). Other people may want to drag their cars, go drift them or race in a circle for 2 straight hours. I do understand that, but I do not like or respect these people as much as fellow streeters. This is because they are simply different people: they build cars on a budget and try to fix errors made by the manufacturer in order to achieve better driving qualities instead of putting in tens of thousands of dollars just to go in a straight line fast for 4-10 seconds. They (usually) do not fight over what or who is better but respect each person's choice in cars and parts. Lastly, they behave responsibly and don't try to literally tear up the streets.
Overall, I like the streeters more because they are the nicer enthusiasts and ultimately on a quest for perfection and salvation, for the perfect amalgamation of man and machine. They will settle for some car eventually which they deem perfect and I can respect each of their choices for they are reasonable. If someone however drives a certain car for its price tag or that cars ability to be 2% faster around a track compared to the previous model (looking at you, Porsche) I do not respect them the way I do street enthusiasts.
The whole point of streeting is to end up with salvation through the perfect combination. You want a build you can drive hours on end in, that aids in driving as precisely and perfectly as possible and that still provides the highest level of usability, safety and comfort. Most importantly that build has to put the signature smile on your face; it has to do that not the first but every single time you step on the gas. I also hate SUVs, nonfunctional mods and even F1 with a passion.
While the description I give above is highly idealistic and not realistic, I still withhold it to have some truth. Streeters either have a perfect car or they are unhappy.

The car

I personally look for certain things in a car: It needs to be reasonably cheap, ideally have a turbo diesel mated to an automatic (currently), seat at least 5, have at least 100hp/ton, ideally be all wheel drive, have a trailer hitch and fit at least 5 cases of beer (about a weeks worth for the passengers). Also it needs to be safe, comfortable, efficient and so on, like any other modern car really. I need to basically daily this car and be able to have a lot of utility (more than an SUV can provide). This role was best filled with a VW Bus for as long as I can think for me and my family and we currently have a T6 for that purpose with pretty much exactly the specs above.
Now for streeting I don't have the perfect car yet and you probably do not either (for I am perpetually unhappy). This is because your streetcar evolves over time and one has slightly different needs regarding it. You likely still need to be able to daily it and it still should be a good car, but there are certain things I especially look out for. I see the perfect enthusiast car to be a reliable piece of engineering with a beautiful, timeless design; a car having enough power to keep up with your poster cars and putting that down through a manual transmission on good tires; a predictable, connected, mechanical and supporting but comfortable feeling machine highlighting the drive, not the utility or goal of it. There are many fine choices in this area, my neighbour drives a 230 TE Wagon, a friend a Porsche 924, a colleague a Golf VR6. I personally really take a liking on Škoda Octavias. While they are more than fine, as stated, I ultimately want a different car.
With my previous driving experience I really want to own an FD RX-7. The FD has that speedtail design nobody ever gets right because it is both limited by aerodynamics and personal taste. Veilside & Rocketbunny give two hot takes on what the FD could have been, but I like the stock styling better. The rotary then also provides just enough torque (that, thru turbos, can be amplified to more than acceptable levels on the low end) while revving to ten grand to make enough power to slay giants. I just really like coupes like these with an iconic recipe like the RX-7s had.
Why no RX-9? Because it is not out yet. Also the proportions do not look remotely right. Its shape in the renderings is similar to the AMG GT which is really ugly because it is fat. Also I suspect that it is going to be like a 100 grand new and that is just too much. I hope Mazda will make it (and relatively cheaply), but that is utopian and I do not think Mazda can capture the true meaning of rotaries.

Octavias

Anyways, Octavias. Octavias are really good cars in general. To be fair, they are a boring choice, but equally sensible. Until recently (iV), Octavias were arguably the best sedan/wagon by the VW group. A4/A6? Expensive and bloated. The general mass of people wasn't looking to buy these. The Passat? Since the B5, VW is somehow outclassed and outsavaged by Škoda. Škoda has VW tech with a body designed by someone working in the field (instead of doodled by 5 year olds), a feature set inspired by Audi but carefully reconsidered (aka made cheap): you do not need electric seat adjustment, but "coming home" and puddle lights are pretty cool. Lastly, Škoda actually employed accountants at the time so you could get Octavias for the price of a Polo. Until recently, Octavias were simply clever and offered more car for less money compared to even their in-house competition.
I like Octavias and respect the people driving them (usually). Generally, the people buying Škodas are based hardcore-german working class individuals looking for simply a good enough car, without all the bullshit. The 'terminus technicus' with the young generation is 'dampfbetriebene Turbo-Alman', with older folks 'der deutsche Michel'. I, too, am a lot like this and uphold Octavias as a good choice by the people.

Setup

To truly utilise your car you need three things: a road, your own skills and a proper setup. Setup is very much down to personal preference. I will go over my two current Octavias which are both FWD only. Everything in this chapter can only reasonably be applied to these two cars. The first is an Octavia 1U sedan with the 2l petrol engine currently doing 120-ish hp. That car had the Borg-Warner K03 you might know and love from the 1.8T. It's currently basically stock again because I don't daily it anymore and others need to drive it. Thus it also has Bridgestone All Season tires. Stock springs in the rear, a little stiffer in the front, some aero pieces on the hood and front to solve just how bricky that body is, all-wheel disk brakes and 5-speed manual with a close final drive (because this was the main Autocross car). This car is stupid easy regarding setup. In driving, it is simply clean and predictable; offering decent power from 2000 to the 6000 redline because it is a 2.0 I4. The block is stupid easy to modify too, you have about a foot of clearance around the whole engine in the engine bay (because that engine bay also had to fit the 1.8T and 2.0TDI and this originally Porsche 2.0 is tiny). The 90°C™ VW cooling system can handle every type of abuse (unlike on modern VW's, seriously VW fix your cooling).
I currently daily an Octavia 3 sedan. FWD, 6-speed manual, the same power as the old one but out of a 1.2T. I had the engine up to about 190HP accidentally, which meant I could pull on the 2.0T A3 of a friend. While this was fun, I ultimately reverted it due to reliability concerns. This car is currently standing on good summer tires (and sus ones, too) with the relatively spongy suspension this budget luxury sedan version of the 5E has. The early progressive VW shocks are weird and require you to really load them in corners to maximize grip. While I am not really happy with the setup (especially the turbo which literally has the same volume as the engine), I am happy with this car needing less than 5l per 100km and (if not for current government subsidies) being cheaper to run than an EV. While this engine has a turbo of the same displacement stuck to it (along with the turbo lag of a diesel) it is really reliable and more than good enough for the car. Also, you are always fighting body-roll in this car and the rear end can get loose somewhat unpredictably while braking in corners (a suspension issue). Understeer really isn't that much of a problem because VW MQB (truly ingenious chassis design) and I4 with no power: The car is really well behaved up to a sharp limit. I miss the old setup for the linear torque curve, but the new car is less spartan and more luxurious (i.e. better to daily). This car is the sensible and economical choice.
You can, even with that little performance to work with, still have fun driving this car hard. The old Octavia was easier to get right and in the new Octavia everything you are losing in power I need to make up for in driving. The for FWD impressive corner handling makes up for straight line speed if you have the right road.

Mid 2022

In the mid of 2022 I did 'minor changes' to the newer Octavia. It was briefly running more than 300 torque (which still was stupid, i dialed it back down). With changes to the chassis controller, I now have a stock map and stock handling when ASR is on and a modified handling setup without ASR. When turning assist off you 1. loose Antilag, 2. gain full boost through all gears including the really short first and 3. get about 240 torque to 3500 with the same peak power of 81kW at 4800 to boost cut at 5200. This car really is just a daily for me now as I decided to invest in dedicated track cars. For this purpose (especially driving around in Berlin) what it has to offer is sufficient. The utility is not fully there, but I still have the T6, a trailer for that or tractor-trailer combos to rely on. Still, one may sleep in the back, move houses with this car or load up on enough beer for half a year.
Also, because of work, I drove the Octavia iV 2.0 TDI Scout (a lot). Because of the specific position, this car was fitted with a DSG (:sad:) and also had 'minor upgrades' done at VW / Škoda. While e.g. all the denominators of VRS where removed, the car had a pretty distinctive wrap done and additional light systems. I got this custom company car (and raises) because of the associated risks of the job. If you were in the same industry as me that half a year you probably knew my story and that car. You probably still learn about the lessons and meaning of the car and position if you work that field.
Anyhow, AWD, Diesel reliability and efficiency, DSG and 650tq/250kW, mild hybrid. This car was more luxurious and better than the other cars in its own right and fulfilled its position perfectly. Also, because it is an Estate on the Golf platform, it was better behaved at speed compared to the other cars. The older Sedans have a tendency to get loose in the rear when making turns at speed. The Scout allowed me to take certain corners on the A10 in the rain at practically full speed, while in the sedans I had to limit myself to about 160kph (or ride the Oversteer out, which is notoriously difficult and dumb in a 5m wide off-camber turn at speed in a FWD car).

The road

I live in Brandenburg, Germany, a state with a whole lot of nothing. Everybody needs a car to get around so there are a lot of stretches of road leading through dense forest in between lakes and over hills. With enough skill on Google Maps or driving long enough you will eventually find a road you like. I have multiple loops in my area depending on what and how I want to drive. The nice thing is there are routes where you do not need to drive faster than the 100kph speed limit you generally have on these roads while still pushing the limit of you and your car. Some are like Cammissas test road for Hagertys "Revelations", some look like a WRC stage. There is also a 10km connecting road leading through plains with gentle twists sprinkled in between on wide, new tarmac. That road is seriously fun to drive and even though you can technically get up to 250 there, sticking to the speed limit and driving fast and fun is still possible.

Advanced driving

As stated before, the most important thing to going fast is preparation. One great resource is an advanced driving course, in Germany offered e.g. by the ADAC. You can test your car out safely and do things like dodge maneuvers at speed or drift catching. You will gain an understanding for when things go wrong and what you can do if they go wrong. Next thing is car setup which you need to do correctly for your car. Then you need a proper road and drive up and down that road at normal speed to make sure there aren't any obstacles etc. If you are going to drive faster than permitted (thus faster than necessary) you need to make sure there isn't anybody else on the road you are endangering. For anything that can only be done on the street I work with other enthusiasts to ensure nobody is endangered. Just get on a private track if you want to do most of this, its generally easier.
Driving in a straight line should be pretty self-evident: drive in your power-band, shift late and pedal down (without speeding unnecessarily). Driving through corners is the interesting part with FWD. In a boring car like this you are always fighting traction and understeer. However, FWD is a get-out-of-jail-free card: If you go too fast around a corner, the powered front wheels tend to pull the car in the direction they are pointing. You are not going to spin as easily as in a RWD car. Cornering is simple in theory: You brake into the corner and on the apex roll onto the gas. However, the technique regarding cornering is what you need to master. You win races by accelerating faster out of the corner than others. Thus you need to be able to accelerate properly and drive in the power band through the corner. Thus you will need to downshift and heel-toe into the corner. All of the deceleration needs to happen on the straight before the corner. While you are on the brakes, the front of your car will dip down, maximizing grip at the driven wheels. Thus you want to actually use that grip and already be on the gas accordingly at the start of the corner and double-apex that corner. However, this only works in tight corners. Long corners can be driven faster if you carry more speed into the corner and accelerate out of it properly. This will however take weight of your driven and steering axle thus creating understeer. Also, you generally want to be in your power band at all times: You need to be fast at clutching and shifting to do so, but this way you either have the engine for additional braking or the possibility to stab the throttle and correct a situation getting out of hand. The real challenge when being mechanically good enough is anticipating things going wrong like a wheel suddenly losing traction in a fast corner and then being able to react correctly and save the situation.
Driving fast is a lesson in being able to properly drive and operate your car. You will need to learn certain techniques and ways of driving in order to drive as fast as possible. You do not need to speed, just cruising can be nice as well. You do not need to endanger others, there are enough options to drive fast safely. Also if you can properly drive fast safely, you can also cruise safely at lower speeds. You will over time develop a feeling for the driving errors of others and can help deescalate situations and lower accident rates by e.g. leaving more space or braking early if necessary. Also, over time you will find the car you like, a comfy and safe ride that has the performance to allow for fast driving but does not make it a necessity.
Whatever or wherever you drive, I hope you stay safe. There are a lot of fun combinations out there, legendary roads like the Ring, Pikes Peak or Irohazaka; legendary cars one can actually drive instead of just having them as a garage car like the M3, the Viper or a GTR. Stop just commuting but never stop driving.

The fun part

One may go fast like stink. One may find fun in breaking lap records. While that is fun and really engaging, I withhold to find the most fun in other parts of driving. I do like to take back roads to my destinations, not just because german highways are often congested or under construction, but also because it offers a really engaging driving experience. You tend to see stuff on the way and can appreciate your surroundings much better than on a boxed-in highway. Also, if it does not hinder your driving ability, putting on some music and going out past midnight while cruising through the neon-lit streets of a big city or the gentle sweeps of a road connecting multiple villages is godly. I like being out on a night cruise like that. You do not need to drive fast and achieve a sense of timelessness while cruising like that. There is a beauty to this I know not all other people appreciate that I also cannot communicate.
One can have a lot of fun with cars. They not only make a lot of other fun activities achievable through utility. Driving fast and on the limit, i.e. grip based driving is really fun (especially in a slow car). However, you can also find salvation in an ordinary journey. Just cruising, just moving forward does not have to be boring. I wish people would stop just commuting and try to find the fun in all the activities along the way.
Never. Stop. Driving.