It's all mental buddy. You crave more power.

I thought the car really started to drive after I broke 10k, turns out I just became a better and smoother driver.

1. I haven't noticed the surge in power. I usually let my car warm up for a few minutes anyways and take it easy for a while until my oil temps are up. Possibly a precautionary thing by Toyota?

2. Yes me too, my dead pedal wiggles a lot. It feels like a seesaw I think, just a tiny bit of movement... just enough to notice. Maybe the screws are loose or something but I haven't bothered to check.

3. I think I know what you're talking about and it sounds like traction control is doing it's job. I think it's the combination of the nannies and the LSD we have working together. I'd suggest a heavier foot will solve your problem. And another possibility is that we're (as humans) quite bad at sensing 'turning' speed so it might possibly be actually turning pretty fast... so maybe try to take a peek at the speedo when you're turning?