HC01

I took my turn as Z3 Power (Nathan)'s passenger and was amazed by everything.
The sound of his SuperTrapp BABY as it snorted up to the curve, brakes applied exactly enough before the turn, and taking every turn with precision.
Every so often he would speak very calmly and explain something- right turns are blind- left turns you can better see what is coming- keep both hands on the wheel, I am soaking in as much as I can. Don't take chances on the Dragon, you have to study it, know every curve.
I was wondering if it was possible for me to actually put my foot through the floor of Nathan's passenger footwell. It wasn't that I was stamping on the passenger brake, I was just trying not to tumble into Nathan like Madonna in the BMW film- Star.
When we got to the top, Z3 Power (Nathan) and Zeegar (David) discussed the value and cost of heat on their brakes, as we smelled them burning and waited for them to cool down.
I had noticed Z3 Power (Nathan)'s seating - he had so much more room between the wheel and his legs for his hands to turn the wheel.
I asked if he would drive Emmy and his first comment was that he would not be able to get properly seated with the sheeps and beads. Zeegar pointed out that I should be sitting close up to the wheel.
(Nathan describes all this much better on his site.)
This explained a lot. I saw how this intense driving asked for the left foot to be planted on the dead pedal, the body held against the seat by the restraint. This explains many broken dead pedals- check yours out. Z3 Power (Nathan) never leaned forward to see around a curve. The beads and sheeps had to GO!
Back at Deal's Gap we collected Esmerelda, took her to the Tapoco Lodge where the NC boys were staying,

ripped off Emmy's sheeps and beads

and threw them in a box provided by the nice folks at the Tapoco Lodge.
Nathan writes on Z3Power.net:
"This started when she was driving the Dragon and wanted to know, how come she seem not to be able to drive faster and in control of Emmy. I first checked her tire pressures, they were low (HOT). Plus, her tire pressures were higher in the rear than the fronts. So after a while of allowing her car to cool down, I pumped up her front tires to 37 psi and her rear to 35 psi.
I explained to Rachel that the higher air pressure is required on sprited driving. During HARD cornering, your tire could in fact roll on her sidewalls - NOT GOOD, the handling will feel like your car is pushing (ie, if you turn and your car is still going straight).. The higher pressure will prevent that. Note, that Emmy's tires did not experiencing this during her runs through the Dragon, but Rachel was not driving hard either. Of course, if you have too high of a tire pressure, you will also start to lose contact/feel of the road. You will have a smaller contact surface between the tires and the road surface. NOT GOOD. So it is a balancing act on air pressures.
On the way back to the C.O.T. she said that she could feel a difference on how Emmy drove and she liked it. She then asked if I could give her a ride in my Z3. So off we went. As I was driving, I explained what to do and why to do it. She was impressed. I then asked her about how she feels when she is seating and driving, does it feel like she is sliding in her seat? Rachel said "yes".
I told her that then the "shag" and the "beads" must go. These items are great for long distance driving or even everyday driving.
BUT, if you plan to do spirited driving, you must be able to NOT have your body moving around. This will prevent you from feeling how Emmy reacts during driving the Dragon or autocrossing.
So back at Topaco Resort, Rachel and I started to pull out the "shag" and her "beads". I told her that the back support can stay in, only if it does not move during driving Emmy. Rachel opted to remove them for now. Rachel told me that she will be shipping 1/2 her "shag" and "bead" back home to NY. Rachel then asked me if I wanted to drive the FAMOUS "Emmy", I said "hell yea!" So off we went, what can I say, but, Emmy can drive. She handles nicely. The Porterfiled Brake pads work great, BETTER than my EBC, guess I know what I will get next. I mentioned to Rachel that Emmy handles & brakes great and not to change much more to her. The stock springs and her aftermarket Eibach sway bars and Koni struts and shocks work great together.
I mentioned to Rachel that the only thing I would think of adding to Emmy to be a better driving car is a clutch stop, either Ron's or UUC."
Anyone want a nice set of used sheepskins- cheap?

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