We few, we proud happy few
 

All my friends are 1/4mile freaks. They could care less about overall performance. They troll the local streets to drag with the local clubs. Like most people all they care about is what car is faster than some other car, etc. To them they live and die by the 10ths of a second on their time slips. I used to be like that, until I got my first taste of the roads that were designed for driving, not commuting. Not the endless straights of the cities, not the meandering maze of the suburban wastelands. If you enjoy straights and the occasional lazy turn, you're probably also a big fan of NASCAR and 1/4 drag strips. Not that theres anything wrong with that. 1/4 mile is a great indicator of what a car is capable of, but by far it is the end-all be-all of automotive performance most people make it out to be. I dont care how fast you can run the 1/4 mile, it doesn't mean squat when you hit that curve; you're going to have to slow down, just the same as anyone else.
Unfortunately, my friends have been blinded by this notion of the 1/4mile run ever since HS, when we first modded civics and integras. To them, the ultimate in driving was the unrealistic idea that all roads will be straight, and run 1/4mile long. .....that was until D1 last weekend.

We're no noobs when it comes to cars, and we've known about drifting for years. One of my friends is an old fart who remembers when they used to call it power sliding. But after attending D1 this year, they were all of a sudden hyped up about running some curvy roads. As if their cars could handle such runs with their rims and body kits.... Dropped cars and blinging rims with sicklooking kits and engine mods up the ying-yang are great if your just a city cruiser, its quite another matter when you're running the canyons. So with no car being suitable for the run, and the few cars that we have that can do it having no experienced drivers, I graciously offered to take them in my rx8.

BTW, my car is bone stock, although I wish I could put on a kit and some rims, its really not a good idea with the kind of driving that I do. As for engine mods, whether you have 230hp or 120hp, it matters very little in anything else other than 1/4mile. I'll probably upgrade the suspension and brakes eventually.

I took them out to a local canyon run I frequent in the northern reaches of LA county. My 8, filled to the brim with 3 passengers and a trunk full of emergency gear. The car is ultimately too heavy this way to do a proper run, but I just wanted them to get a taste of what I do on nites and weekends. For those of you who keep complaining that the 8 lacks power, that its acceleration is only mediocre, that is just "feels" slow, just try to keep up with my 8 in the backstretches of Southern California and tell me again if you think my car is slow.
The road that I choose is practically deserted at night. And because of my familiarity of the road (after many many dry runs under the speed limit) I know every blind turn, every pot hole, and every wet spot. I took my friends for the ride of their lives, heeltoeing through the tight 2-3rd gear turns and sometimes hitting the triple digits on the straightaways (what few there were). In all the ride lasted a short ~25miles (short for a canyon run, thats 100 1/4mile runs to you dragsters), took around 20mins to complete, and I let the backend slide out for good measure on a few turns. During the run all I heard from my passengers were screams, and after the run all they had on their faces were smiles. One look on their giddy faces and I knew there was no going back for them, they're hook on canyon runs now until they can't drive, at which point I expect them to be drifting their wheelchairs through corridors.

For me, this is why I bought the 8, because I couldn't care less about how fast a car can go from one stop light to another, its all about hearing that rotary engine scream through the tranquil hills and canyons, taking that turn at breakneck speeds a mere few feet from a 150ft drop. The linear acceleration of the smooth reving rotary and the exceptional handling of this perfectly balanced car. The way it sings with joy as I keep it around 6k rpm and redline.
I dont care much about the horsepower, I can pass porsches and ferrari's in the hills, and I've personally been passed by beater civics and 180's not to mention an ancient 4door datson that blew by me like I was going in reverse. Raw power is nothing without proper driving skills. The hills are the great equilizers of horsepower. There are other skills to learn, other than launching and powershifting. Skills you can only get from running roads with twists and turns, drops and climbs.

So when you get sick and tired of people berating our car, those people who think the missing 20hp is the end of the world, those who look down on us because we aren't rx7s, those who boast that they run halfsec faster on the 1/4. Remind them that there are drivers out there who truely appreciate the art and joy of driving. That there are twisty roads out there just beyond the city where cars like the 8 yearn to stretch their legs, breath in the fresh air, scream to its hearts content.

-RX8Bliss-

Amen to that!!!

Very nice

WOW... somebody give this guy an award!

Amen...

I completely agree. I could also care less how fast my car is down the 1/4 mile. Sure, there are cars that are likely better on the curvy roads, and have extreme straightline speed like the WRX and EVO, and I respect them for that. They're great machines. I certainly don't want my car to be a dog in a straight line, but I don't see the '8 that way. While many of today's newer sports cars have it beat in a drag race, the '8 is still no slouch in the grand scheme of things. Twisty roads are definitely where it's at. The car's just too happy when it's being pushed through a turn (like a nice drive up to Palomar Mtn).

Some kid pulled up next to me in a Civic the other day at a stoplight. Revved his engine, looked over, grinned... He took off like a bat out of hell, I just drove as casual as I normally do on a straight city street. If we had been on a curvy road, I'd have been all over him like a fly on crap.

At the same time, I understand the 1/4 mile craze. It's a more finite race... quick (or so you hope), and simple. Not to say achieving a good quarter mile time is simple, just that finding a 1/4 straight piece of asphault that's clear of traffic is easier than a mountain road with the same traits.

Anyhow... Loved the read.

Dittos to that!

preach on AMEN

There's a run my buddie took me on called the "whirlwind"
I "ran" it about 6 time easy to get the hang of it then
it was all about hanging it out afterwards.
The best part my buddy who I was following has a 2003 m3

We took turn's driving each other cars.He could pull me on the long stips but id always catch him in the turns and switch backs.

muhahaha my hearts pound's thinking of that day funny part is I didnt care I went through a tank of gas .
:)

A very well written piece, RX8Bliss. You expressed the point of this car better than anyone on this forum could. Kudos.

Testify!

This is exactly why, when asked about what "events" I'd want at a Texas-wide meet, I said, "To drive, drive, and drive."

Not interested in Dyno or AutoX. I just want to drive. A 6 hour jaunt through the hill country is just what my 8 wants.

nicely written, that is exactly what I am getting this car for, well that and autocrossing ocasionally, well both of those and it is damn sexy. I have a road I used to drive in my dads vette where the turns drop and are really sharp where you have to guess if you didnt know since you cant see the road for about a second or two. Pretty scarry shit.

Well done, RX8Bliss. Very well expressed.

Amen.........and women too!:D

RX8Bliss; that was f*****g poetry!

RX8Bliss,

Did you prepare for this post 3 months in advance? Your post brought chills to my spine. So right on and percise. This car is special, and after reading your post, and acknowledging that I, and many others feel the same way was cool. You communicated it in a way that was exactly the way(for me personally) I feel when driving the 8.

Looking good doing whatever in my car.....soo muchhh..funnnn...

post of the year

I second that notion!

You took the words right out of my mouth

Let the church say Amen!

AMEN!!!!

Good job. Perfectly written.

Couldnt have said it better myself. no really i couldnt have :>