Hummer Drivers Get More Tickets, Survey Finds

Dreaz said:
Won? I didn't know we were in competition with each other. I can't tell if you're trolling or just defending your own ego.

I'm not mad about your truck, I'm mad about people who purchase a Hummer and ride it around the suburbs. Just because you can afford something, just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should.
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*grabs pitchfork*

Hum... C-c-commie!!! I found a commie!
 
i didnt know there was such hate towards hummers and their owners...i have no problem with them..i guess i havent had my one ride my ass on the highway yet:p
 
that's funny.. I've always regarded the tC as a "bitch ride". They are rather popular amongst girls and some what amongst older folks. at least from what I've seen. despite the bitch ride status I feel it has, I drive one.
 
I still think Jeeps -xj's, maybe some Zj's, and wranglers are way better for offroad, and getting a hummer for that kind of a money is just a waste. Check out AEV for example.
 
In London they get loads of parking tickets just because they don't fit the parking bays since they are so stupidly big, of course that is if they can even fit down the street.
 
I'm sorry, but the H2 is built on the same platfor as the Yukon and Tahoe, a modified platform mind you, but the same base none-the-less. The most obvious difference between a real Hummer and one sold to the public is the rear axle.....







If someone takes their H2 or H3 off road then more power to them, at least they're having fun with it and it's not just some sort of status symbol. I'd say most Corvette owners fall into this disliked group as well. Most Vette owners have no idea how to drive and use about 25% of the car - I've owned three, and I used to beat the hell out of each one of them either at the track or on the road when there was no traffic around. I got rid of my last Vette in 2004 (it was a '97 model) when I realized that I had outgrown it (mentally/maturity wise). If someone buys a car/truck and uses it like it was intended I say good for them, but most people buy vehicle just for the "look at me" factor. Unfortunately most times everyone just get lumped into the same group
 
Oh, and for what it's worth, don't bitch about the Hummer's MPG. There are plenty of CARS that get worse. Audi A8, the big Benz's, Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute, etc.
 
Grimham said:
If someone takes their H2 or H3 off road then more power to them, at least they're having fun with it and it's not just some sort of status symbol. I'd say most Corvette owners fall into this disliked group as well. Most Vette owners have no idea how to drive and use about 25% of the car - I've owned three, and I used to beat the hell out of each one of them either at the track or on the road when there was no traffic around. I got rid of my last Vette in 2004 (it was a '97 model) when I realized that I had outgrown it (mentally/maturity wise). If someone buys a car/truck and uses it like it was intended I say good for them, but most people buy vehicle just for the "look at me" factor. Unfortunately most times everyone just get lumped into the same group
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QFT. I don't think it's really the gas mileage or even necessarily the size, but the excess of those things in the absence of intended utility that irks people. Sort of like when people buy $5000 gaming rigs and use them to play online Flash-based games (or something else of similarly low system requirements -- just an analogy). Nothing necessarily wrong with the machine -- it's just irritating to see it used to such low potential.

I do have a real-world reason to be wary of certain Hummer drivers, though. I worked at a valet company a few years back, around when the H2 first came out, and we all had a bad experience with one this one evening. The volume of traffic was bad as it was due to the narrow street the event we were hired for was at, but then this guy and his girlfriend pulls up in an H2, stops it close to where drivers/passengers got off and we got in, and then dashes into the crowded party. Problem: they didn't give us the keys, and either didn't hear or outright ignored all the calls for "driver of the black Hummer, plate # XXXXXXX, please come to the front," etc. etc. When they did eventually come out, conveniently towards the end of the event, the guy claims he gave us the keys. After some back-and-forth talk, the girlfriend pulls out the keys from her purse, and they leave soonafter.

Seems awfully unlikely for someone to just "leave" a then-brand-new Hummer sitting in front of a crowded event, without "knowing" where the keys were.

Aside from that incident, the frequent tailgating doesn't really help the stereotype, either...
 
Enjoy your gigantic station wagons that "look" like off-roaders but are not remotely capable of off-roading without thousands of dollars in modifications.
 
phas3d said:
QFT. I know a number of people who own Hummers and i'll just say that all of them have serious personality issues.
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You act like a douchebag, you tend get treated like one....like just now. :D

gibber said:
Hummer drivers deserve to get tickets once a week just for driving those obscene beasts.
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You helped buy one by posting here. I suggest the best way to get your Hummer rage out is to never post here again, because I am spending ad revenue from all your page serves to pay for gas. :O

Dreaz said:
Won? I didn't know we were in competition with each other. I can't tell if you're trolling or just defending your own ego.
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Hehe, if you can tell it is probably a lack of intelligence leading you to not come to a conclusion.

Grimham said:
I'm sorry, but the H2 is built on the same platfor as the Yukon and Tahoe, a modified platform mind you, but the same base none-the-less. The most obvious difference between a real Hummer and one sold to the public is the rear axle.....
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Please prove your statements? I actually know what I am talking about but I figured I would give you enough room to show us just how much you know what you are talking about.

And to get the facts straight, the H1 does not have a back axle to compare to. It has two half shafts as it has independent suspension in the rear and front. So it had two "half shafts" which I have seen broken more than a few times. Never seen a rear axle on an H2 even damaged.

achensherd said:
I do have a real-world reason to be wary of certain Hummer drivers, though. I worked at a valet company a few years back...
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So what other car drivers are on your list because they made an error?

ÆonTrinity;1033676839 said:
Enjoy your gigantic station wagons that "look" like off-roaders but are not remotely capable of off-roading without thousands of dollars in modifications.
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Absolutely false and I am talking from experience. The H2 in its stock form is incredibly capable vehicle. You just have no idea what you are talking about.
 
I found a few more interesting quotes from another article:
"The H2 also likes gas stations: EPA fuel economy is 10 mpg city and 13 highway, although a 32-gallon tank allows reasonable range.

In tests in Michigan it took 10.7 seconds to reach 60 mph and 27.1 seconds to reach 90 mph — those are well down from the 8.3- and 18.8-second figures of the 5.3-liter Tahoe in "Living Large" on page 52.

As a public service, the wise driver should consider the issue of stopping the H2's considerable mass. The H2 does have four-wheel discs and a four-channel Bosch anti-lock system. However, our 6700-pound test car took 244 feet to stop from 70 mph. That compares rather poorly with the 197 feet required by our petite 5520-pound Tahoe."

"What we have here is a shameless appeal to latent male adolescence, with exterior styling that cries out for camo paint and machine-gun mounts. Although far more civilized than the original H1, it has few other redeeming virtues, aside from plentiful ground clearance. The love of my life called it "the male equivalent of a push-up bra," and I find it hard to argue otherwise."

Quoted from the H2 Hummer-Road Test. August 2002
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews..._passenger_family_haulers/hummer_h2_road_test
 
Dreaz said:
Won? I didn't know we were in competition with each other. I can't tell if you're trolling or just defending your own ego.

I'm not mad about your truck, I'm mad about people who purchase a Hummer and ride it around the suburbs. Just because you can afford something, just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should.
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Seriously...you know who you are talking to right?

I could really care less what people drive, it's their money, do whatever they want. The average mpg is like 10-12mpg combined, there are worse things on the road.
 
Also if you want to bitch about these large cars being on the road, look how many of them are running commercial plates, then bitch to the government. You get tax deductions of $25k for vehicles with a GVWR over three tons if you're using it primarily for "company" purposes. This is down from the high of $102,000 they used to offer. You also used to be able to deduct the depreciation.
 
Bellz said:
"H2 snaps a tie rod." I wouldn't want to be up in the mountains when that happens. It might be hard to get a tow truck on the trail.:D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxrdwXXat14

I'm not understanding your denial of the Tahoe/Yukon heritage.
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I would not want to be in the mountains when that happened and not have a spare.

First off, look around and it is not hard to find a video of pretty much any off road vehicle that has a tie rod in its steering setup snapping them, for bending them. In the video referenced, you point to a driver spinning up a 35" tire and heavy cast aluminum rim and slamming it into the ground with at least 1500 pounds on top of it. Where exactly do you think that energy is going to go? In the H2's case it gets pushed right into the tie rod. If the tie rod does not fail the next component will fail. The tie rod is easy to replace on the trial with two sets of vice grips, a hammer, and a jack. I have done it personally on my own H2 once, and various other Jeeps, H2s, and H3s. It really is not a big deal. If the tie rod does not fail and the next component inline fails, you have a HELL OF A BIG JOB on your hands and it is highly unlikely you will have the tools or the parts. I carry two tie rods in my off road bag. It is actually the only spare part I carry with my H2 for repairs.

All in all though, the moral of the story though is that you don't drive a 7500 truck like you do a light truck or jeep. When spinning ties get planted, they tend to stop turning and the energy had to go somewhere. Bottom line is that about 10 minutes of drivers training can stop this from happening fully. Using the gas and the brake at the same time to prevent this is actually even explained in the factory owners manual. Proper use of the technique will actually allow you to drive the truck through some conditions that you would not be able to easily do otherwise.


My issue with the Tahoe things is with the ignorant people that say "It is just a Tahoe." Now the fact that most of them are used like a Tahoe, is pretty much the truth, but they are two fully different vehicles and the Tahoe is in no way capable of what an H2 is.... EVER.

The frame issue always comes up....here is the frame. (Can't find my full size image any more.)

frame.blk.300.jpg


The blue part of the picture above is the only part of the H2 frame that is shared with the Tahoe. Actually it is shared with several of GMC's full size truck line. Tremendous changes where made in the front and rear frame assemblies. Yes, it shares some from end suspensions parts with the 2500 series GMC 3/4 ton trucks and it actually shares some rear end features from some of GMC's 1 ton trucks as well. The Its a Tahoe thing is for the ignorant. Easily said. I think even saying it has Tahoe heritage is a bit of a stretch. The H2 surely has some GMC heavy duty truck heritage.

Here is a good read on the truck's substructure.

Here is a picture of my bone stock H2, except for the tires, navigating an obstacle behind a bunch of H1s. I was the only one to make it down touching only rubber. Three obstacles that day H1s bailed out on that we drove through. That said, the H2 is NOT as capable a vehicle as the H1, but to say it is not a capable offroader just shows ignorance on the speaker's part.

waterfall-2-kyle-0305-thc.jpg


Na, we weren't in anything deep this day.

DSC07619.JPG


And bling is not a H2-only thing.

spinner_jeep.jpg


And keep this in mind. I have been an extremely active Hummer owner and part of the community over the years. If I had doubts in the truck, I would not still own it. Just that simple. The truck has left me stranded one time, and that situation was 100% driver error and nothing else. But hey, when you get about 8000 pounds of truck bouncing on a 40 degree incline in middle of the woods, something is bound to give, right? ;) Even the transfer case. Which was covered under warranty.

ha0108.jpg
 
I have to agree with Kyle. After seeing the shortcomings of other alleged offroad vehicles compared to the Hummer, I'd have to say when it comes to off-roading, it's quite difficult to beat. Yes, you can also find plenty of 'proof' that Hummers are capable of being outdone. My only retort to that is that it comes down to the driver. There is a certain point where it is the vehicle's physical characteristics that limit it, and then after that, its the driver's ability to actually drive the vehicle. The Hummer was designed with the nearly impossible in mind. If it wasn't, it wouldn't be employed in our military if it was just a glammed-up Tahoe or Yukon.

No it is not the four-wheeled tank that people think it to be, unless it's armored to hell and has a gun mounted on it. What it is is a vehicle meant to overcome terrain that your everyday SUV simply cannot do, due to the design of the thing. There's plenty of videos showing where other SUVs simply cannot physically overcome what the Hummer does with relative ease, or accomplishes with a simple understanding of how the vehicle works.

Do I feel it is wasted by these suburban soccer moms and businessmen who can't even navigate out of their own neighborhood without a GPS? Yes. Do I feel they don't need it? Yes. Do I feel that there are people out there who can justify the usage of a Hummer? Yes. Kyle can back up how his gets worked over. People like him use it for exactly what it was intended to do and in turn they get their money's worth out of it. Whether its out of necessity or just because he likes to is irrelevant. He's using it for its intended purpose.

That said, I'd love to drive one, but I know where I live and I know what's around me. If a Hummer was a person, it'd be bored stupid out here. I drive a Grand Marquis. I use it for its intended purpose. I drive my family around, its got all the trunkspace and backseat area necessary to get groceries for a five person household, and it fits everyone comfortably without overlapping elbows and shoulders. Those tasks are impossible for most compact/fuel economic cars and if it isn't, it sure as hell looks like it from the outside of many of them.

I don't have a problem with people who drive Hummers. I have a problem with people who don't know how to drive them or use them as status symbols. Ironically they tend to be one and the same. for cars in general, I have a problem more with the people who can't drive them than what they use them for. If you sleep better at night knowing you paid more for your daily driver than the people around you, more power to you. But if you're not using it for what it was intended to do, then congradulations, you've just pissed away your money to make yourself feel better and nothing more. You've wasted money to soothe your easily bruised ego and hang out with people you don't like in the first place. Is that really what you wanted to spend your hard earned money on? Think about that before you buy yourself a status symbol, whether its a Hummer, a Bentley, or a $10k desk. (Oh yes. I went there.)
 
gibber said:
Hey, I'd like to drive a tank, that'd be fun too, doesn't mean I would really do it.
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^
That is how I have always thought about it, why pay for way more than you would every need?

I swear 50-75% of the population would be alright with bikes alone and barely notice a difference...
Why in the hell would you drive to something within 5 miles of you?
 
phas3d said:
Hummer drivers are generally viewed as douche bag male chauvinistic wanna bees. It's ok to accept this. Its what everyone else thinks of people who own Hummers. I have no problem accepting that BMW owners are stuck up yuppie pricks. It goes with the territory.
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Thanks for your support.
 
cops profile hummer drivers more because they are haters. Scions are #2 because much younger people drive them, and statistically break more laws...

That's my opinion of course...
 
For offroading purposes...
Military grade Hummer > Civilian grade Hummer

Every time.


Just based on the observations of people I know that own Hummers, every single one of them has one or more of the following characteristics:
Makes more money than they can actually spend, small stature, insecurity, or just compensating for themselves.

Every. Single. One.

I realize there's exceptions to every rule, but when the majority of owners are like that, the perception is reality.


Also my opinion of a 2008 H2... Designed to intimidate and feel big, with very little real world use.
From the instrumentations to the cabin, just designed to intimidate. When many car manufacturers go for the simple look (condense features/buttons into one dial/lever/system), the Hummer has a separate button for everything.
Performance absolutely sucks in these things too (as far as road usage).

I really don't have a huge beef with the MPG... I only get 14MPG in my vehicle and was 11MPG on the H2.

I guess to sum it up:
1) If you want something bigger to tote around town, much more cost-effective alternatives with the same great features and better security for less money.
2) If you want something to go offroading, get a "real" Hummer.

I think the general populous is starting to realize it after the Hummer sales took a huge hit the past year compared to all other lines. They're even dropping the H3, IIRC.

These civilian ones are just a waste IMO. Whoever has them and likes it, more power to them.
 
I wouldn't be caught dead pulled over in a Hummer. Most definitely it'd be a Ferrari. :D I don't care what kind of egotistical ass that would make me. I love em. Beautiful cars. Offroad=NO, but that's what a Jeep is for.

I remember going offroad in my old ass 72 Datsun pickup. Busted it up nice and good. I was only out $400 when it went to shit. I couldn't justify the bustin up cost of a Hummer.
 
You need to find new friends.

You stating that you perceive the majority to be a certain way based on your own limited exposure to Hummer drivers then applying this to all (or nearly all) as reality only serves to show your small mindedness.

I do not fit your stereotypes.

H3 is in full production, they sell a lot of them. $30k and 20MPG. Compare SUV's in its class.

H2 production "temporarily halted" (workforce laid off...).

H1 (civilian variant) production has been halted for some time now, you can find used, but they are still much more expensive generally.
 
canislupy said:
H3 is in full production, they sell a lot of them. $30k and 20MPG. Compare SUV's in its class.
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I'm not an ecomental but if you're stating specs, your numbers aren't accurate. EPA is quoted between 14-16mpg, I know a couple people who own them and their combined is usually around 15.
 
skyline889 said:
I'm not an ecomental but if you're stating specs, your numbers aren't accurate. EPA is quoted between 14-16mpg, I know a couple people who own them and their combined is usually around 15.
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My sister-in-law's new sub gets over 20mpg (not hybrid). Of course Hummer's aren't made for mpg, so the point is mute.

A good argument would possibly be about puting a diesel engine in them to try getting better mpg, but that is unlikely to happen and pretty off topic.
 
drew630 said:
Ok, so if Hummer drivers are "a**holes" because of the way they drive shouldn't we include, at least, Scion drivers also in that train of thought? All of Scion's vehicles are in the top 10 of the traffic ticket list with #2 and #3 being the tC and xB.

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-10151380-48.html
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I'm a tC owner, and it's too bad it's so highly ticketed, I'm without any tickets, 3 years into owning my car, and I do mod it pretty heavily, but I'm not an idiot, like most of it's owners are... unfortunately it attracts the wrong kind of driver.

The xB though? That surprised me a lot, things only got like 80whp... It's a mileage whore though, thing gets like 40mpg without even trying... I'd love that...

Syndicated_Death said:
that's funny.. I've always regarded the tC as a "bitch ride". They are rather popular amongst girls and some what amongst older folks. at least from what I've seen. despite the bitch ride status I feel it has, I drive one.
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I drive one too, and while I see a lot of girls driving stock ones, or at least stock-height ones, I only know 2 girls who actually are apart of the local Scion clubs. I didn't used to know or see any girls driving tC's in 06 and 07, but since 08 it really picked up, and despite that, I still don't think it's a girl car... it's a popular 'tuner' car, which many idiot people confuse it for a sport-coupe, when in fact it's an econo-coupe.

Oh well, I'm ready to dump mine anyway, I've gotten really bored of it lately, and haven't been going to the club meets or doing anything with it, I just want something more practical, 4 doors, AWD, more power for protection on the road when needed. I just have different needs from a car now, the new 2009 WRX looks awesome, and the STI's are selling way under invoice right now, I really need to get a job, I could afford one of those with ease. My dad's 335i is about to go under the knife with a piggy-back ECU upgrade for another 100hp, I'd love to have a chipable car, need a turbo for that though, tC definitely isn't getting one anytime soon, that's for sure, not unless it grows 2 more doors and a front and rear dif...
 
Optional87 said:
I it's a popular 'tuner' car, which many idiot people confuse it for a sport-coupe, when in fact it's an econo-coupe.
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That's the problem in HI too. It's a nice enough car, well equipped, handles relatively well, reasonably "quick" but it's not a spots car. With the Prelude, the Integra, and the RSX discontinued, everyone who can't afford a G35/37 or a 328i/35i is flocking to the tC. The tC has become the new flagship for town ricers. I have nothing against tC owners but when they cut their springs, stick a five inch coffee pot onto their car, and zoom around cutting everyone off, it pisses me off. Sorry about the rant...back to your scheduled programming.
 
nice pics Kyle, especially of that transfer case, :D

some crazy attitudes in this thread though....

sure the Hummer is unneccesary for day to day activities, and some never stretch out its muscles, the same can be said with some users on this site, spending thousands of dollars for a few more FPS, but they arnt gaming 24/7 are they?
 
Anyone who owns a luxury car really has no place in ranting about character deficiencies of someone who owns a Hummer. A Hummer is a luxury automobile just like a BMW or Mercedes. So, I take back what ive said.
 
Not that different than most Range Rovers, they generally never see any offroad so now they are little more than large town vehicles with crap milage.
 
FLECOM said:
becuase 90% of those things are being driven by tiny women that cant even see over the damn dash lol
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This.

Besides, the Hummers they're talking about in the article are just knock offs. There hasn't been a real Hummer since the original.
 
Just purchase a jeep, then you can have more stock offroad capability and not be driving a boat
 
Every car on this list gets more violations because of the type of drivers it attracts. This is not cops picking on Hummers. I have no idea what type of buyer that is in the case of Hummer, but Scions it is almost certainly the young buyer. A lot of the cars on the low violation list are bought by old people (Buicks) or work trucks.

There might also be some factor of it simply being easier to spot speeding hummers, and easier to get a radar lock on them.
 
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