I gotta jet home from work now... But I got to thinking that as we're fast approaching WTD '05, it would be well worth the Dragon Veterans taking some time to impart their wisdom/experience to those that are arriving new to The Dragon this year...the Virgins . Personally, I don't desire to have any Virgins served up to The Dragon. So let's go for a relatively whore-free (riiiiiiiiiiight ) attempt at posting advice, stories, etc. for all of us to appreciate.


I'll start with a discussion about the double-yellow line that paints the spine of pretty much the entire Dragon...by quoting my friend (always) and S2000 owner (for the moment...but that's another story), SC Highlander:

[QUOTE=SC_Highlander,Apr 8 2005, 09:51 AM]

This is a PUBLIC ROAD, not a racetrack.

 

Great advice! In my experience a necessity is 2-way radios!! These are useful to find out what is on the road ahead. Gravel, cop, stopped cars, etc. Use them to listen for obstacles and to let others know what you see.

Also the signs for cop ahead ( two fingers in the air, move in a circular motion )

Stopped cars ahead ( hand flat out to the side in an up and down motion )

Other than that remember that there is a cliff on one side of you and a mountain on the other side, respect that.

Have fun, enjoy the scenary, and the friends. Oh and don't piss the bikers off!

Deiger

 

Be respectfull of the bikers at Deal's Gap and the facilities there

Don't cross the double yellow under any circumstance ; if you're doing so you are over driving our car and/or your capabilities.


Have fun


Be safe

 

Don't bunch up. Leave plenty of space between you and the car in front of you when you take off on a run. Never ever stop in a blind curve. It's frightening to come around a tight curve and right up on a stopped car. Get a feel for road with a semi hard run before really hitting it hard. Have fun and don't introduce yourself to any trees.
Don

 

Going from the TN side to the NC side, there are ample places to safely pull over & let other cars behind you pass. Be respectful and thoughtful of other drivers who may want to go a bit faster than you.

However, coming back the other way, there are very few places to safely pull over. Please be courteous of those in front of you who may not be out to 'tame the dragon' (ie: grandpa and grandma who are out leaf-peeping, etc.). Don't try to 'push' those cars in front of you - back off, give them some extra space, and (if need be) just enjoy the scenery.

 

The best piece of advice that anybody can take to the dragon is NEVER CROSS THE LINE. Killboy has started a campaign called Lane Crossing Kills. He is doing a very good job about making people understand. Just drive it slow if you have never driven it before and enjoy it. Drive to your abblity.
Bryan

 

Oh yeah, another lil piece of advice (cuz this just makes me go when I see folks post about it for the next 2 weeks ... )...

Leave the weather forecasts to God, and just plan to have a good time. An event this large is NOT going to be postponed if weather forecasts tend to tilt one way or the other . It may be that *you* won't like a particular weather forecast...but that's up to you to decide whether or not you intend on coming in the event that a forecast were to be "less than optimum." But for the vast majority, who understand that money has already been spent that cannot be undone, and reservations have been made, and days have been requested off from work, and...and...and... Not to mention that the weather in the mountains is frankly damned near impossible to predict. It'd have to be flat out Sahara-like across the west & mid-west during the week prior to our event for us to know with certainty that there will be no "foul" concerns.

So riiiiiiiiiiight now, let me beg, "Please give it a rest from the get-go." Don't get all c-r-a-z-y about any weather predictions you might review on weather.com, etc.

Oh, and we absolutely, p-o-s-i-t-i-v-e-l-y DON'T SAY THE "R-" WORD . We own convertibles for God's sake! Saying that is just a self-fulfilling prophecy waiting to happen .

So...no "R-" words, right? And no jumping up and down about weather forecasts. Clear?

- Dave

 

Back to safety type concerns. Remembering that there are 318 turns on The Dragon... Folks, if your S2000 is new to you, and/or if a rear-wheel drive is new to you, know some things about turns, and braking, and accelerating (oh, and for a public road like The Dragon...there is no such thing as an "apex"!)

So what do you need to know if you have 318 turns to face?

• First, no 2 turns are the same on The Dragon. Many have elevations and counter-cambers that can spin your car in a second if you approach foolishly.
  
• When approaching a turn *that's* the time to begin braking...not once you're already in the turn . If you brake hard while you're in the turn (because you approached/entered the turn "too hot") you can spin your car in a second if you brake foolishly.
  
• When coming out of the turn (roughly 3/4s of the way out), that is the time to apply gradual pressure to the accelerator. If you apply WOT while you are still deeply committed in the turn, you can spin your car in a second if you exit foolishly.
  
• Two hands on the steering wheel! Take your right hand off the wheel to shift gears...and then return to wheel to keep solid control of your car .
  
• Shifting...its real easy during the excitement, as well as inertia in corners, to "yank" the shifter towards you and be in 2nd when shifting. Now frankly, 2nd shouldn't kill you (shouldn't create a mechanical over-rev) on any part of The Dragon...IF you rev-match the accelerator. And most of the time we're in 2nd & 3rd just listening to 8-9K beauteous RPMs . But just remember your tranny has to be with you *after* the event as well. So take care to think while shifting.
  
• For all inputs (acceleration, steering, braking)...apply them s-m-o-o-t-h-l-y.
  
• Rinse & repeat 318 times

What else? Oh yeah, if you have not done so already, *NOW* is the time to inspect your tires for tread life (yes, inspect ALL of the tire tread as our camber and or toe can wear the insides of our tires pretty good), your brakes (rotors, pads & fluid), motor oil, tranny & differential fluids, etc. You have 2 good weeks yet (if you're reading this today) to attend to the mechanical needs of your S2000.

Remember, you have (forget depreciation) a $30,000 investment in your hands. It doesn't deserve to "stretch" tire life on worn ass pie-bald tires just so you can save a couple hundred dollars. And another way of looking at it?...forget the car, your *LIFE* is worth these small maintenance investments . We all want you to have a great time on The Dragon. And we want you here to enjoy it again year after year .

- Dave

 

[QUOTE=w1ngman,Apr 9 2005, 04:18 PM] Oh yeah, if you have not done so already, *NOW* is the time to inspect your tires for tread life (yes, inspect ALL of the tire tread as our camber and or toe can wear the insides of our tires pretty good), your brakes (rotors, pads & fluid), motor oil, tranny & differential fluids, etc.

 

i know a few people have said this, but you will slide a bit on the North Carolina side.. the surface is noticeably different (surface even looks different)