follow ft86club on our blog, twitter or facebook.
FT86CLUB
Ft86Club
Speed By Design
Register Garage Members List Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community - FT86CLUB > 1st Gens: Scion FR-S / Toyota 86 / Subaru BRZ > BRZ First-Gen (2012+) -- General Topics

BRZ First-Gen (2012+) -- General Topics All discussions about the first-gen Subaru BRZ coupe


User Tag List

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 06-16-2017, 10:11 PM   #1
perryair
junior mafia
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Drives: ‘20 sti limited
Location: music city, tn
Posts: 243
Thanks: 94
Thanked 221 Times in 91 Posts
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
tail of the dragon: worth it?

im trying to plan a little driving roadtrip for myself - i live in middle TN so the tail of the dragon is about a 3 hour drive or so away. i've always been curious to see it but a few things make me hesitant. if you've made the drive before, id love some input.

1: cops. i read that the speed limit is 30. is it the kind of road thats enjoyable by a slightly modded twin at 30-40 or is it basically that fun speeds = watch your back for tickets the whole drive?

2: crowds: nothing is greater than being on a great driver's road. nothing is worse than being stuck behind a slow car on a great driver's road. every trip that i've made to blue ridge parkway, for example - i find myself stuck following someone for a large portion of the drive. would i be better off finding some random empty country road around that way that has fewer twisties but also less people around?

3: idiots: a short second behind being stuck behind a slowpoke is being stuck in and around a bunch of brain deprived asshat drivers. is this a thing there?

thanks.
__________________
20 sti limited | 17 bmw m240i | 16 scion im |15 brz limited {prokit, 17x8 +35 rpf1, bfg comp 2 a/s, stg 2, jdl uel, voodoo knob} | 05 honda civic | 06 scion tc | 95 mustang gt | 89 chevy s-10 cameo
perryair is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to perryair For This Useful Post:
pfaffendorn (06-17-2017)
Old 06-16-2017, 10:21 PM   #2
winstonscifi
Senior Member
 
winstonscifi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Drives: 2015 Firestorm Red Scion FR-S
Location: Plymouth Minnesota - just west of Minneapolis
Posts: 192
Thanks: 269
Thanked 186 Times in 92 Posts
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
My wife and I went on a Monday at about 10 am. It was not busy at all - watch your speed, though! Oh, and write down the date and time that you were there - professional photographers are set up along the way. They take pictures of all the cars that go by. You just write down the information on the side of their truck, and look up their postings on their website when you get home. You can then search for your car, pay a minimal fee, and download a nice picture of your adventure!
Name:  Steve cars.jpg
Views: 2018
Size:  227.7 KB
winstonscifi is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to winstonscifi For This Useful Post:
Bristecom (06-17-2017), ktulu7 (06-19-2017), Majik (06-26-2017), pfaffendorn (06-17-2017), Vic4uf (06-17-2017)
Old 06-16-2017, 10:50 PM   #3
Tcoat
Senior Member
 
Tcoat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Drives: 2020 Hakone
Location: London, Ont
Posts: 69,845
Thanks: 61,656
Thanked 108,283 Times in 46,456 Posts
Mentioned: 2494 Post(s)
Tagged: 50 Thread(s)
As Win said if you go during the morning or early afternoon on a weekday it isn't bad. I badly abused a rental Corrola when down there on business a couple of years ago. Even in that thing it was a blast. Just stay away in the evenings as there are all sorts of nut cases running it then.
__________________
Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar, because Racecar.
Tcoat is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Tcoat For This Useful Post:
pfaffendorn (06-17-2017)
Old 06-17-2017, 12:02 AM   #4
pfaffendorn
Senior Member
 
pfaffendorn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Drives: 2014 ssm BRZ Limited 6M
Location: Western North Carolina
Posts: 259
Thanks: 239
Thanked 178 Times in 108 Posts
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quote:
Originally Posted by perryair View Post
. . . would i be better off finding some random empty country road around that way that has fewer twisties but also less people around?
Since I live near the Blue Ridge Parkway, I can feel your pain about slowpoke drivers from the flatlands who are terrified of the edge of the road going around curves. Geez, the speed limit is only 45 and even that would be fun on that wonderful road.

There are lots of twisty country roads north of Asheville that are godsends. My latest favorite is US 19W which cuts across the mountains from near Burnsville, NC to near Flag Pond, TN. You can use I-26 W or E to reach it at either end. Glorious, intimate scenery, curves made for our cars, and very little traffic. And no cops.

Have fun wandering around -- gotta say, I prefer deserted roads like US 19W far better than an infamous rollercoaster choked with speed demons, wrecks and cops.
__________________
There are worse things to worry over.

Last edited by pfaffendorn; 06-17-2017 at 12:13 AM.
pfaffendorn is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to pfaffendorn For This Useful Post:
GeorgeJFrick (06-26-2017), perryair (06-17-2017), soulreapersteve (06-17-2017), Tcoat (06-17-2017), Yardjass (08-07-2017)
Old 06-17-2017, 12:43 AM   #5
Tcoat
Senior Member
 
Tcoat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Drives: 2020 Hakone
Location: London, Ont
Posts: 69,845
Thanks: 61,656
Thanked 108,283 Times in 46,456 Posts
Mentioned: 2494 Post(s)
Tagged: 50 Thread(s)
Quote:
Originally Posted by pfaffendorn View Post
Since I live near the Blue Ridge Parkway, I can feel your pain about slowpoke drivers from the flatlands who are terrified of the edge of the road going around curves. Geez, the speed limit is only 45 and even that would be fun on that wonderful road.

There are lots of twisty country roads north of Asheville that are godsends. My latest favorite is US 19W which cuts across the mountains from near Burnsville, NC to near Flag Pond, TN. You can use I-26 W or E to reach it at either end. Glorious, intimate scenery, curves made for our cars, and very little traffic. And no cops.

Have fun wandering around -- gotta say, I prefer deserted roads like US 19W far better than an infamous rollercoaster choked with speed demons, wrecks and cops.
I should have thought to mention this. My meeting was in Rogersville Tn which was about 2 hours away. The drive to the Tail was probably more fun than the actual end results. Some of those small mountain roads were a blast and I can't wait till I can get down there in the FRS sometime.
Some were scary as hell though. Hill, turn turn turn, hill hill, turn turn turn, SHIT, STOP SIGN!
__________________
Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar, because Racecar.
Tcoat is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Tcoat For This Useful Post:
perryair (06-17-2017), winstonscifi (06-17-2017)
Old 06-17-2017, 07:55 AM   #6
RickyBobby
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Drives: 2013 Firestorm FR-S AT
Location: Smokey Mountains
Posts: 403
Thanks: 54
Thanked 257 Times in 137 Posts
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
I try to do at least 4 or 5 Dragon runs a year since I live only ~25 miles away from it. Best time I have found for the least amount of traffic is in the morning between 8-10 AM and around sunset.

I did the Cherohala Skyway/Dragon loop on the 7th. I didn't get to the Dragon until ~11:30 AM and got stuck behind 2 slow cruisers. Not a good ride that day, but I've had runs where there was no traffic. Is it worth it? Hell yes!!
http://tailofthedragonmaps.com/tail-of-the-dragon-loop/

NC28, aka Moonshiner 28, is also a great driving road. Catch it on the NC side of the Dragon at Deal's Gap, stop at Fontana Dam.
http://tailofthedragon.com/maps/

Yeah, and watch out for the cops. A radar detector is a must.

Last edited by RickyBobby; 06-17-2017 at 09:32 AM.
RickyBobby is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-17-2017, 10:05 AM   #7
g e
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Drives: 2013 BRZ
Location: Somewhere in The States
Posts: 393
Thanks: 337
Thanked 259 Times in 158 Posts
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
I drove it on st Patrick's day last year. About mid morning. Not much traffic and the few slowpokes I encountered pulled over and waved me through. I didn't see any law enforcement officials.

35mph speed limit seems low but there are curves you wouldn't take at that speed even in our cars. Hard to believe the limit was 50 mph a few years ago. There are some turns with rock wall on one side and several hundred feet drop off on the other. 110% focus needed. Second gear is optimal for lots of the drive.

Although I was on a trip to Maryland with a sort of deadline, I turned around and ran it again. I stuck my smartphone between the seat and headrest and amazingly it stayed put the entire time. Great video on the big screen.

At the head of the road there is the "Tree of Shame" that is garnished with the parts of various vehicles that wrecked on the road. Lots of motorcycle pieces.
g e is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-17-2017, 11:08 AM   #8
RickyBobby
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Drives: 2013 Firestorm FR-S AT
Location: Smokey Mountains
Posts: 403
Thanks: 54
Thanked 257 Times in 137 Posts
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Speed limit is 30 mph. http://tailofthedragon.com/details/

Tree of Shame at Deals Gap
Name:  Tree of Shame.JPG
Views: 1914
Size:  426.5 KB

Killboy's Store Dragon at Deals Gap
Name:  Killboys Store Dragon.JPG
Views: 1934
Size:  474.9 KB

Deals Gap
Name:  Deals Gap.JPG
Views: 1886
Size:  384.5 KB
RickyBobby is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to RickyBobby For This Useful Post:
g e (06-18-2017), Tcoat (06-17-2017), winstonscifi (06-17-2017)
Old 06-17-2017, 02:14 PM   #9
thomasmryan
Senior Member
 
thomasmryan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Drives: hyper blue
Location: east tn
Posts: 401
Thanks: 166
Thanked 260 Times in 154 Posts
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 2 Thread(s)
there are many fun mailbox free roads in east tn
thomasmryan is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to thomasmryan For This Useful Post:
Williampreza (06-19-2017)
Old 06-17-2017, 03:13 PM   #10
nocoolname
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Drives: 2013 BRZ
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 66
Thanks: 17
Thanked 45 Times in 29 Posts
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
I've went down there a few times a year for the past 10 years probably. This past spring was the first time I took the BRZ. It was decent but the skyway and surrounding roads was more fun in our cars IMO. Then again I may be tainted as I've been in MR2s with decent suspension and sticky tires for the past 5ish years I've been going.

Edit: Go on a weekday unless it's fall or spring. Also during the fall, don't go when the leaves are changing, there's a bunch of scenic lookers that clog the roads.
__________________
2001 MR-S - long, slow, rebuild
2000 MR-S - 2zz swapped daily
2013 BRZ limited - new toy
nocoolname is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-17-2017, 04:13 PM   #11
Kimsey47
Senior Member
 
Kimsey47's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Drives: 2016 STI DGM
Location: Chattanooga, TN
Posts: 1,875
Thanks: 1,189
Thanked 1,460 Times in 662 Posts
Mentioned: 9 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quote:
Originally Posted by nocoolname View Post
Edit: Go on a weekday unless it's fall or spring. Also during the fall, don't go when the leaves are changing, there's a bunch of scenic lookers that clog the roads.
Agree 10000% with the above statement... I went when it was threatening snow the last time I was out and it was GREAT until leaving. I got stuck behind a car from Alaska that was out sight seeing. I tried pulling over multiple times to let him get up the road and would always catch up! Did he ever pull over to let me around? Nope.
__________________
Subaru STI :
Kimsey47 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2017, 10:52 PM   #12
nocoolname
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Drives: 2013 BRZ
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 66
Thanks: 17
Thanked 45 Times in 29 Posts
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Does anyone organize an 86 dragon meet?
__________________
2001 MR-S - long, slow, rebuild
2000 MR-S - 2zz swapped daily
2013 BRZ limited - new toy
nocoolname is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-19-2017, 09:30 AM   #13
goldenfri
Senior Member
 
goldenfri's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Drives: 2017 BRZ Limited PP
Location: Maryland
Posts: 208
Thanks: 72
Thanked 130 Times in 60 Posts
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Send a message via AIM to goldenfri
It's worth it, you should go. Plus you live close, so it's not even that far. I travel there from MD every year, I love it down there. Not just the dragon, there are tons of roads around there that are amazing to drive.

There are lots of pull offs, slow drivers will sometimes use them, or you can use them to add some space. As others have said weekdays and evenings are usually low traffic. Saturdays are a s-show, I would avoid the weekends.
goldenfri is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to goldenfri For This Useful Post:
Tcoat (06-19-2017)
Old 06-19-2017, 10:04 AM   #14
pinski
Stole my avy from zGrinch
 
pinski's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Drives: 2015 Audi S3
Location: Greensboro, NC
Posts: 472
Thanks: 330
Thanked 348 Times in 193 Posts
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quote:
Originally Posted by perryair View Post
im trying to plan a little driving roadtrip for myself - i live in middle TN so the tail of the dragon is about a 3 hour drive or so away. i've always been curious to see it but a few things make me hesitant. if you've made the drive before, id love some input.
For as close as you are, it's absolutely worth it. As long as you don't drive like an idiot, you won't have to worry about the police and if you don't go on a weekend, traffic won't be too bad either. You may want to Google the day (or days) you're thinking about going + Tail of the Dragon to see if any big groups are planning an event, so you can avoid them.

If you get stuck behind a slower driver, there are various places to pull off, so you can wait, or just turn around and go back through it again.

Make sure to keep your car in your lane - don't cross the double yellow.
__________________

2015 Audi /S3 | Panther Black | DSG
Gone...2014 BRZ, 2010 Lexus IS F-Sport, 2006 Mazda MX5, 1997 Mustang GT
pinski is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to pinski For This Useful Post:
DriveDriftDogfight86 (07-14-2017), Tcoat (06-19-2017)
 
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Tail of the Dragon Texaz Boy Southeast 2 05-07-2015 09:13 PM
Tail of The Dragon............. White64Goat Off-Topic Lounge [WARNING: NO POLITICS] 0 12-06-2014 01:22 PM
Tail of the Dragon Run L3P47 Southeast 209 08-07-2013 11:27 AM
Tail of the Dragon Run Mar 22-24 jstans84 New England 4 02-08-2013 09:08 AM
Tail of the Dragon Run Mar 22-24 jstans84 NY / NJ / CT / PA 3 02-08-2013 12:34 AM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 12:03 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging v3.3.0 (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.

Garage vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.