NorCal (Bay Area) DRIVE Chat Thread

[Clipdat]

Yeah, I'm down for that.

Originally Posted by PMok

Skaggs Springs... I have been wanting to do that one for a long time. Yeah it will take some commitment and a whole day to go. I'd say take 101 to get up there, do it both directions, then cruise back. Hwy 1 probably too slow and Pano Hwy will be congested by mid-day on a weekend.

[BigFatFlip]

Originally Posted by Clipdat

@PMok, @finch1750: Skaggs Spring road.

https://goo.gl/maps/d7EZaX9HFkr

Originally Posted by PMok

exactly. I make sure everyone's got their story straight before we set off.

Skaggs Springs... I have been wanting to do that one for a long time. Yeah it will take some commitment and a whole day to go. I'd say take 101 to get up there, do it both directions, then cruise back. Hwy 1 probably too slow and Pano Hwy will be congested by mid-day on a weekend.

Hmmm 2hrs from Sac to Geyserville off 101... If you guys are planning on running east-west and planning on a slightly later start time, I might be able to swing that.

Or I may just do it on a weekday...

[Clipdat]

Scouting run!

Originally Posted by BigFatFlip

Hmmm 2hrs from Sac to Geyserville off 101... If you guys are planning on running east-west and planning on a slightly later start time, I might be able to swing that.

Or I may just do it on a weekday...

[BigFatFlip]

Originally Posted by Clipdat

Scouting run!

I just might sometime next week

[Clipdat]

Mines Rd week five, Sunday July 23rd! This will be a shortened drive for me, no Mt. Ham or Del Puerto, only Mines down and back up.

Once I get to The Junction, I will stop for 5-10 mins and then head back up. Got an event to go to later.

Of course, don't let this discourage you from continuing on your own drive after reaching The Junction!

The meetup spot is Starbucks at 223 S. Vasco Rd, Livermore.

Meetup time is 8:30-9am, will roll out shortly after 9am.

[PMok]

Originally Posted by Clipdat

Mines Rd week five, Sunday July 23rd! This will be a shortened drive for me, no Mt. Ham or Del Puerto, only Mines down and back up.

Once I get to The Junction, I will stop for 5-10 mins and then head back up. Got an event to go to later.

Of course, don't let this discourage you from continuing on your own drive after reaching The Junction!

The meetup spot is Starbucks at 223 S. Vasco Rd, Livermore.

Meetup time is 8:30-9am, will roll out shortly after 9am.

Not going to make this one Drew. Have fun, be safe.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[MyRx]

Ran into some bicyclists yesterday in Castro Valley after a quick run. They warned me of 2 placed cameras on Redwood Road, one each facing opposite direction at the closure. They weren't sure why they were placed so be careful where you stopped and what identifying features you may have on your car.

I have not seen this cameras but I wouldn't drive the FRS up there to check them.

[Clipdat]

Unsure of why you feel this way. Is there is something illegal or unlawful about driving on Redwood in it's current state?

Originally Posted by MyRx

They weren't sure why they were placed so be careful where you stopped and what identifying features you may have on your car.

I have not seen this cameras but I wouldn't drive the FRS up there to check them.

[Clipdat]

Mines Road week five, heavy traffic edition!

As I rolled in to the Starbucks parking lot at 8:50am I was happy and surprised to see my Hot Lava and Ultramarine brethren already waiting for me! I was not expecting anyone else to come out since nobody had replied or thanked my post, so that was a pleasant surprise. Nice to have some "regulars"!

We got started and came upon a decent number of cyclists on the beginning canyon section, and as we progressed, oncoming traffic as well. Fortunately everyone stayed in their lane this time around! I was surprised at the increased amount of random cars out at this hour, since the last 4 weeks didn't have nearly this amount of traffic.

Despite that, I got in some really good driving in the initial canyon section. I tried to practice "momentum driving" where I would carefully watch my throttle inputs so that I could take each corner without using the brakes. I believe this results in a slightly lower overall speed, but it's quite enjoyable once you get it right and get into a groove. I felt like I was doing a great job of reading each corner and applying smooth throttle and steering inputs to not have the yellow TCS light come on, despite some rough mid-corner bumps. This is one of the first times I can remember thinking that all my Mines Rd driving was finally paying off.

Later on in some of the single lane sections I was going at a faster pace, faster than some of the birds apparently! I saw several of them flying out of my way, and then it looked like one collided with my driver's side headlight! Immediately after that, I saw a large puff of feathers hanging in the air through my rear view mirror. Not my first bird on Mines and won't be the last.

Getting into some of the blind hairpin sections, the oncoming traffic again proved to be a hassle and somewhat dangerous/risky. I'm not sure there's any perfect way to navigate those blind single lane sections. It's definitely a reminder that you aren't the only one on the road and that other drivers/riders love this road as well.

As we approached The Junction, I pushed harder. Braking later, and attempting to carry more speed through the corners, much to the dismay of my protesting TCS light. I tried to really work my OEM brake pads to see what they were capable of. I feel like they do what they are asked of them, but I'm still not a fan of their lack of initial bite. I will be happy to move to a more aggressive pad in the future.

We arrived at our stopping point and started chatting. About 5-10 mins later, the hills were suddenly alive with the sound of FA20 as we heard the distinct sound of UELs approaching. Turns out it was a DGM BRZ that had wanted to join the drive but arrived late to the meetup point! Nice to meet another fellow owner that I've not seen before at any drives. Great looking car!

Took a few photos and then the group split up with two going Del Puerto and @driggity and I heading back up Mines. Unfortunately traffic seemed to be the theme on the return trip as well, with plenty of oncoming cars and trucks. Then a little later, we got stuck behind the dirtiest and slowest Porsche Carrera 4 I've ever seen. This thing was seriously crawling.

At first I was excited and thinking "Oh wow, another enthusiast out enjoying the road!" but then I watched how they were driving and quickly realized they had no idea what they were doing. They were riding the brakes through the corners, going over the center line, and most frustratingly, would not let us pass.

Eventually what felt like 10+ minutes later they finally did pull off and let us go past. Not sure why he waited so long to do so though. I think some chemical reaction happens once a slow car finally gets out of your way. I immediately downshifted into 2nd gear and brought the car up to 6,800rpm through the next several corners. I learned at this time that my exhaust sounds great when you let off the accelerator at ~7krpm. Very exotic! I went hard and ended up leaving @driggity in my dust at this point. Sorry about that!

So anyway, this drive definitely had it's highs and lows. Maybe I will have to consider an earlier start time in the future if this level of traffic keeps up. We'll have to wait and see how it goes next week!

[driggity]

Originally Posted by Clipdat

Eventually what felt like 10+ minutes later they finally did pull off and let us go past. Not sure why he waited so long to do so though. I think some chemical reaction happens once a slow car finally gets out of your way. I immediately downshifted into 2nd gear and brought the car up to 6,800rpm through the next several corners. I learned at this time that my exhaust sounds great when you let off the accelerator at ~7krpm. Very exotic! I went hard and ended up leaving @driggity in my dust at this point. Sorry about that!

No problem man, I was having plenty of fun absolutely abusing my tires trying to keep up until I backed off a bit. I was probably overdriving them but I'm just going to blame them instead of accepting responsibility for my slowness.

[PMok]

Originally Posted by driggity

No problem man, I was having plenty of fun absolutely abusing my tires trying to keep up until I backed off a bit. I was probably overdriving them but I'm just going to blame them instead of accepting responsibility for my slowness.

first rule of drive club... you always have plenty of excuses for why you were slow.

Blame, in this order:
1. other cars/bicycles/traffic
2. road conditions
3. crappy tires
4. suspension setup
5. suspension components
6. heat/weather
7. dirty windshield
8. mechanical/engine/transmission
9. passenger made you slow down
10. extra stuff in the car was flying around in corners
11. wrong song/playlist/left initial D soundtrack at home
12. not enough sleep/coffee
13. hurt your foot/arm/leg
14. "just taking it easy today"
15. "thought I saw a cop out there"

if and only if none of the above apply, then you can admit you are slow.

[MyRx]

Originally Posted by PMok

first rule of drive club... you always have plenty of excuses for why you were slow.

Blame, in this order:
1. other cars/bicycles/traffic
2. road conditions
3. crappy tires
4. suspension setup
5. suspension components
6. heat/weather
7. dirty windshield
8. mechanical/engine/transmission
9. passenger made you slow down
10. extra stuff in the car was flying around in corners
11. wrong song/playlist/left initial D soundtrack at home
12. not enough sleep/coffee
13. hurt your foot/arm/leg
14. "just taking it easy today"
15. "thought I saw a cop out there"

if and only if none of the above apply, then you can admit you are slow.

I use all of the above except for #9 (kids don't ride with me anymore) and #11 (radio turned down or off, windows down)

[Clipdat]

Mines Rd week six, Sunday July 30th! Thinking about Del Puerto again this time after Mines so I can attempt to begin to learn some of this road's corners. After that, double back for lunch.

The meetup spot is Starbucks at 223 S. Vasco Rd, Livermore.

Meetup time is 8:30-9am, will roll out shortly after 9am.

@strat61caster wanna join this time?

[Blue Bird]

Originally Posted by Clipdat

Mines Road week five, heavy traffic edition!

What camera are you using?