So, coming out of a tollbooth this morning, I'd finally had it with the two buggers in front of me who were driving like the end-times were upon us, so I punched it out of the booth and passed them on the right, only to be presented with another pair of slow-moving cars headed towards the other of the two lanes -- and a VW Golf that was pulled over in the right-hand shoulder with its flashers on, right where the tollbooth outlets squeeze back into two lanes again. So what did I do? I stayed in 3rd gear and shot past the other two cars, squeaking between them and the VW parked by the side of the road.

I honestly don't know how close I came to the VW; I got the most amazing case of tunnel-vision while I was aiming for the spot I wanted that I didn't even hear the shift warning until several seconds after I was done being a dumbass. When I realized what that noise was, I remembered I was in 3rd gear and looked down at the cluster. Speed? Somewhere around 85mph. RPMs? Somewhere north of redline. I decided to upshift at that point.

I think that may be the single most dangerous overtake maneuver I've done since I started driving in 1998. If I'd missed the spot I was aiming for, I and the guy in the VW both would've been rolling away on stretchers. Dunno what the hell I was thinking, but I sure am glad the car is as capable as it is.

:bottom:

+1...

"Driving like the end of times were upon us"

How does that relate to driving slow. If the world was going to end I would be driving fast and wrecklessly.

Speed? Somewhere around 85mph. RPMs? Somewhere north of redline

Try redlining in 3rd a couple more times and you'll realize the flaw in that statement.

Try redlining in 3rd a couple more times and you'll realize the flaw in that statement.

yeah, i was thinking the same thing.

you should be around 91-95mph at redline of 3rd gear in a N/A 8.

you should be around 91-95mph at redline of 3rd gear in a N/A 8.I didn't spend a lot of time staring at the cluster, and I'd already let off the gas because of the shift buzzer by the time I actually saw what my speed was. It's entirely likely I was going above 90 when I threaded the needle.

I dunno why "...like the end times were upon us" equates to driving slow. I guess I just picked it up from hearing my dad saying stuff like "this guy's driving like the world is ending" when he'd get stuck behind slowpokes. No logical reason for it.

Anyway, it was stupid yet strangely satisfying at the same time. I think I'll have no trouble driving like a sane person for the next few weeks, now.

Oh, and it's time to get the gear oil changed. Is 75w90 full-synthetic suitable for the gearbox and diff?

id use 80w-90

Is that what's in there now? Or is the OEM oil straight-90?

I think OEM trans oil is straight-90 I'm not too positive. All i know is that after 5k miles of using OEM trans oil the shifter starts feeling clunky and not very smooth. I suggest just going with Redline MT-90 oil, seems to be the forum favorite.

Straight-90 sounds right, because when it's cold outside, the thing shifts like a dog and engine RPMs drop noticeably when it idles with the clutch closed. That's the main reason I wanted to go with 75w90, to reduce the cold-weather viscosity as much as possible.

I've heard Redline is good stuff, but I've had great results with AMSoil thus far, and I get a discount on them, so I'm going to give their stuff a shot.

http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kxyj8uGeLW1qa91pfo1_500.jpg

^ i lol'd.

Yeah, I actually wasn't bragging. :sad: I'm not gonna say it wasn't fun, but I still feel more bad than good about it. I almost never take risks at other people's expense like that.