… at least in a 2008 Ford Mustang GT.
1. Leave it in second gear.
2. STAY IN YOUR FRAKKING LANE.
And that is about it.
For the motorbikes and hardcore performance vehicles out there, simply leaving their transmission in second gear is robbing you of a great deal of their engine’s performance and capabilities, but given the horsepower and torque available to the ‘Stang’s V8, along with the not-exactly-butter-smooth stock shifter, you could certainly do worse than simply leaving it there, and fiddling with the clutch pedal as necessary. And it is necessary – a Mustang’s stock brakes are undersized for the vehicle already, and they will only get less grabby the hotter they get, so a lot of your deceleration has to be a combination of both not going too fast for conditions to begin with, and careful clutch management (with the knowledge that your clutch can overheat as well). Even on the longest straightaways, though, you will be hard-pressed to run into the rev limiter, and if you are trying to set a record for conquering the Tail of the Dragon, and you are using a Mustang, UR DOIN’ IT WRONG.
Be advised, however, that Mustangs still tend towards oversteering, and even with their Traction Control System engaged, you can get yourself in a lot of trouble if you have the engine revved up, the clutch dropping in, and the wheel heeled over, and the Dragon does not have a lot of room for error correction (or guiderails to speak of).
Coincidentally, I also found one of the perfect times to run the Dragon – 0930 Friday. There was almost no traffic from the reservoirs to the Fugitive Dam (which they are working on, by the by – be advised of construction delays, equipment in the road, and uneven road surfaces), and I did not have to pull off once (either to let someone past or bide my time for a slowpoke to get farther ahead). Unfortunately, this also meant that most of the photographers had not shown up quite yet (not as though I blame them – pretty much the only traffic besides me and two squids was local), so I have nothing from Killboy, but US129 Photos took this rather decent glory shot which thankfully does not show just how dirty the car was (and still is)…
And in a stroke of good news, it looks like the Tapoco Lodge has new owners, and will be opening again soon.
The standard disclaimers, as always, still apply to running the Dragon – for the love of God, stay in your own lane; pull off if you are getting a stack of people behind you; semi rigs still seem to think it is a good idea to use this road (despite the obvious problems it presents) so look ahead; and do not drive too fast for conditions (by which I mean a combination of weather, road surface, turns, speed, vehicle capabilities, driver skill, etc.).
In short, be safe, have fun, and try to ensure everyone comes home alive… and if you want clear runs, hit the road early Friday morning!
On a bike, gear is less important than the rev-range. Put it in 3rd and play from 9,000rmp to 12,000rmp just using the on-the-cam off-the-cam sweet-spot to lift and lower the angle of the bike.
How far is the Dragon from Knoxville? An hour?
@ DirtCrashr: Yup, cannot say as though I know the slightest thing about them… Fiddling with the clutch on an RWD car of course gives you the pop-acceleration and coasting deceleration, but it also does a nice job kicking the stern out if you really need it.
@ Rustmeister: From exactly downtown to what I consider to be the first few curves, you are looking at just shy of an hour. From Lenoir City (where Lucky Gunner recommends staying for their shoot), it is a bit shorter. And the Devil’s Triangle (which I personally prefer, due to the lighter traffic) is about an hour in the other direction.