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Epic weather and conditions for an impromptu 290 mile drive down to Temecula, up to Palomar, through Julian, Ramona, and God-knows where else.
Two Spyders . . . .
. . . . with a dose of Turbo thrown in for good measure.
I was really surprised by the nimbleness of the Turbo in the tight twisties since it gave up several hundred pounds and rear-weight bias to the Spyders. To see the Turbo put the power down and slingshot itself out of the super slow speed corners was a sight to behold. Well done, Chris!
And thumbs up on those killer HRE's
During the drive there were several sections of successive quick left-right-left-right-left-right transitions and I’m always blown away by how well the Spyder handles weight transfer. Having all the weight on one side of the car getting shifted quickly and repeatedly to the other side of the car does nothing to upset the balance or unsettle the car and and this is where light weight (and X73) undoubtedly comes into play. Less mass being thrown side to side yields less body roll and better balance. Weight transfer in the Spyder is simply insanely good.
As I pulled in the driveway upon my return home, my neighbor came over and commented on the lack of brake dust for such a long and spirited drive. My wheels looked almost spotless and maybe it's attributable to staying off the brakes as much as possible. I'm not a NASCAR guy, but I saved this quote from an article describing Kyle Busch's driving style:
Busch says that if his style is different from anyone else's, it is in the way he brakes. Or rather, doesn't brake. "Maybe I roll out of the throttle a little bit sooner getting into the corner," he said. "I start the slowing down process a little bit sooner. Brakes with these things tend to heat up the front tires too much, so the cars don't like that." Busch said that while starting out on the bull rings around Las Vegas he found that feathering the throttle was more effective than hammering the brakes and throwing the car into a corner. The latter style has won Jeff Gordon many races and four Cup championships. "Anytime that I would get out of the gas early and not use any brake whatsoever, I always turned faster lap times," Busch said. "There was times when my dad was my spotter and I was maybe a quarter or half straightaway ahead. He'd tell me to slow down a little bit and I'd pick up time not using any brakes." Jimmie Johnson, who had Busch as a teammate from 2005-07, says he was shocked when he learned just how little brake Busch actually was using. He says that at a test one time, he walked over and examined the brake trace data from Busch's telemetry. Not seeing any indication of braking, he thought the brake channel was broken until he flipped to the end and saw the braking data for when Busch pulled into the pits. "When he says he uses no brake, he really uses no brake," Johnson said. "I think he's taking advantage of the grip of the tire and how it positions the car in corner entry without using the brake. He's not overworking the tire, so the tire lasts longer and has more grip. I've been trying to adjust to that, but it's tough." Busch says the misconception is he is carrying more speed into the corner. "This thing is all about being slower," Busch said. "Slower is faster. You drive this thing any harder and it just pushes worse and does all of the things that race cars shouldn't do, or even worse."
This technique was first introduced to me back in 2000 during one of BMW's 3-day driving schools at the 'Ring and after experimenting with it there and once I got back home, I found I experienced better tire wear and certainly less brake wear while overall being (or at least feeling) a little quicker. YMMV but worth trying if your style leans more toward accelerating hard up to the turn, braking heavily, and then chucking your car into the corner.
Awesome pictures Nick! Spyders are truly exceptional sports cars and far beyond the sum of their parts. The way they transition and feed your senses with each nuance of the road can not be properly conveyed with words. You need to experience these cars in their natural habitat to really understand how good they are.
Crazy good shots guys. Here's another in from the wilds of Vancouver, BC on a great late October evening (yeah, yeah - it's rain up here ALL the time. We just say that to keep people away!).
As I pulled in the driveway upon my return home, my neighbor came over and commented on the lack of brake dust for such a long and spirited drive. My wheels looked almost spotless and maybe it's attributable to staying off the brakes as much as possible. I'm not a NASCAR guy, but I saved this quote from an article describing Kyle Busch's driving style:
[I]Busch says that if his style is different from anyone else's, it is in the way he brakes. Or rather, doesn't brake. [B]"Maybe I roll out of the throttle a little bit sooner getting into the corner," he said.
Been preaching this for years, particularly for street riding/driving ever since I discovered Keith Code's Superbike school 25ish years ago. The less I use the brakes, the smoother and faster I am. When I'm out for a spirited drive, I try to use my brakes as little as possible. Always turned the fastest lap times on my motos when I limited my braking to the absolute minimum required.
Been preaching this for years, particularly for street riding/driving ever since I discovered Keith Code's Superbike school 25ish years ago. The less I use the brakes, the smoother and faster I am. When I'm out for a spirited drive, I try to use my brakes as little as possible. Always turned the fastest lap times on my motos when I limited my braking to the absolute minimum required.
Yes - and on this note it was someone like Mario Andretti that commented "I have no idea - I never used them" when someone asked him how the brakes were.
Yep as much as I want to treat her as a garage queen to hold or even see the value go up (if the 2019 718 Spyder doesn't have NA) I really really enjoy driving it!