kristopher_d |
04-17-2007 10:43 AM |
Clear on ramp!
It's the North Bound entrance to 405 from 85th in Kirkland. Right-hander off 85th, immediate Left-hander, and another Right-hander get's you onto the freeway.
I always start out at the speed limit and usually brake to about 20~25 for the first right hander, then start feeding in throttle as I feed out steering input. That would put me right on the ragged edge and enterint the highway at 114, and immediately getting on the brakes.
Well, no need to slow for the initial turn in, and traction to spare. I used to grab 3rd exiting the left-hander. This morning I was grabbing 3rd before the apex. I didn't push it beyond that as I've been getting lit up there more frequently.
Initial impressions with the alignment dialed in ($99 at speedware for a "Street Performance" setup) are great. Body roll is noticeably reduced, but as I said before, sway bars in my future. High speed stability is drastically improved. Absolutely no sensation of floating as I cross into trips. And the best part is the near elimination of nose dive and squat. When you really dive deep into the corners with the stock suspension the 8 feels like it's ready to nose over. With the RB springs and Koni shocks that sensation is gone. I can now threshold brake right up to turn-in and trail off more gradually. Heck, I even had occasion to haul down from speed in the middle of a corner last night and she felt rock solid.
Acceleration is more crisp to. The rear doesn't want to drag the asphalt when you romp on it, and tire hop is reduced considerably. She's more balanced and more predictable. The ride's a bit more harsh, but not uncomfortable. You just feel the contours of the road more, which I like. It's a very good cross between the sophistication of the RX-8 suspension and the raw mechanics of the FC RX-7 suspension.
The ride height change (drop of 1/2 inch) is barely perceptible. In fact, I'm not sure if I really notice it at all, or if I know it's supposed to be there, so I'm fooling myself into noticing something. I can still open the doors at the gas station without worrying about the curb (man was I nervous this morning ;) ).
Overall I'm pleased so far (with an hour of restricted play and a 15 minute commute under my belt). Now, if someone would just release a reliable Forced Induction setup. I guess I can wait a while longer though. I still have some suspension and night-driving visibility mods to do (plus that exhaust).
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