Sure, I can do that. It was a great week, had a lot of fun, and the part that stands out the most is the good times I had spending with our group; Jody, Charley, Shirley, Ken, Paulette, Mark, Keith, and Kevin. I got to meet quite a few people from the Lateral-g community, and I have to say that the people side of the Tour is what makes it so much fun and memorable.
With that said, I'll give you a run down of how my Tour went. I'm extremely happy with the LS7. Incredible power and economy (I gave Jody a ride and ran it to 7k through several gears and he was liking it). I put 2495 miles on, used 112 gallons of gas for an overall average of just over 22mpg. When we were on the interstate, we ran between 75 and 80.
Recaro seats might just be the best seats ever made. lol I never got sore or stiff from all the driving, and that includes the 710 miles that Kevin and I put on in one day while driving straight from my house to Memphis. I'd buy the Recaro Sportline seats again without hesitation.
The suspension setup is fantastic. It has a firm ride, but it's not harsh. It's extremely predictable, it turns in to a corner better than any car I've ever driven, and it stays extremely flat; very little body roll. The part that I'm most impressed with is the forward bite that the Quadra-Link has. I expected that with the 200 lb/in springs in the rear that the car wouldn't weight transfer, but with the Nitto tires, that's not the case. Overall, it has a real sports car feel to it. It's like a big go cart.
The brakes are crazy. They seemed a bit touchy at first, but now that the car as 3500 miles on it and with lowering the pedal so it's the same height as the gas pedal, it's great. The Hydratech assist unit on top of the big brakes makes it necessary to have your harnesses on when doing panic stops.
The Electric-Life power window regulators need more power. They don't like going up that last quarter of an inch.
When it's 98*, it's good to have either tailpipes or turn downs. I had neither and the car vapor locked on me. The tank got pretty warm. Had to top it off with fresh gas and away we went. Stopped at a local parts store and cobbled together some of the coolest turn downs ever and the problem was solved.
Still not sure why I ran it out of gas leaving Heartland Park after only 187 miles from the last fill. I suspect the in-tank pump must have moved and the pickup isn't on the bottom of the tank anymore. I need to drop the tank and take a look at that. I haven't done it yet because it's one of my favorite jobs. lol
Broke a parking brake shoe while driving down the interstate and it was binding up and making some really cool noises when driving less than 20mph. At highway speeds it was fine. We pulled the wheel and caliper at a gas station, but couldn't pop the rotor off with the tools we had, so I put it back together and drove it the rest of the way to Ames. I pulled into the GM Support area, and they said it would be an hour and a half wait before and techs would show up, then it's first come, first serve. So not wanting to wait, I just ran it like that until I got to Rochester and could use my own tools at home.
The free bottle of Mother's Showtime detailer that came in our Long Hauler goody bag is good stuff. That was a good marketing ploy because I liked it so much, I bought some more.
Someone please remind Charley that my car isn't a trash can. lol
We had some pretty good rain on a few of the drives and I'm really glad that I put in the DSE select-a-speed windshield wipers. The delay was a really nice creature comfort. I'm also glad that I put defrost in the car. A couple of those drives would have sucked without it.
I have water between my lenses on my Marquez tail lights. I need to take them apart and fix that.
So after putting 3500 miles on the car in the past 6 weeks, I'm extremely happy with the whole car. It's performed beyond my expectations, starts every single time that I hit the key, and the car has NEVER died on me (as long as there's gas in the tank! lol). As for anything I'd do different... I'd put a drain plug in the gas tank and have the tank clear powder coated. I'd put some sort of coating on the steering wheel to keep it looking fresh. It's pretty scuffed up looking now. Just stuff like that. Mechanically, I wouldn't change a thing.
Brian Hobaugh SCCA National Tour June 2014
First Hemi 'Cuda Convertible Ever Built
Short clips: Goodguys Pleasanton autocross and pit videos
Trip report
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