Weak Se and a question about driving

[gabrielle]

I was thinking maybe motor skills have more to do with this.

In my experiences, this is why I have a better time driving my old car than the new car; once the power steering went out in the old car, I loved it! I knew exactly, from a hands-on standpoint, what my turns were doing based on how hard I had to pull the wheel. Got me to take it easier on the tires. On that note, the much-thinner tires I replaced my old tires and wheels with made me feel like a previously-invisible veil was lifted off of me, because once again, what the road and the tires and the car were telling me weren't dampened by inches of pillowy, pressurized air; there was no dulling of the ride, and almost nothing separating the car from the realities of the road itself; I felt myself smash every pothole, I felt the grain of the road itself beneath me and whether it was asphalt or concrete, I felt the specific bumpiness of a peeled-up road ready to get paved. A direct and wordless communication existed loud and clear between my body, the car, and the road beneath me. When I pressed on the brakes, the car slowed down in respect to how hard I pushed on the brakes. Driving a new car took all of this away, and I felt like my body itself was blind; the brakes jerked, the ride of the car itself told me nothing at all, it made as much sense to me as walking with my eyes duct-taped shut.

100% agree with what you've described and love the way you worded it. You captured exactly what I do love about driving. For this reason I only drive cars with tight suspensions and the less computerized bells and whistles the better. I also learned basic car maintenance from a guy neighbour down my street when I got my first car as a teenager. Having that hands on and logical knowledge of how the car works makes a big difference, I think.