A Drive on the Foothills Parkway in the Miata

Just a few photos I took yesterday from a drive out in the mountains. With everything we've had going on all spring this was the first time I've gotten this car out for a real drive since I finished the suspension work and got the new wheels and tires, which was already most of a year ago. It sat in storage for six months. I know that's a crime, and I won't let it happen again. The car felt great! The new Flyin' Miata VMAXX suspension works perfectly on these mountain roads, and the Conti tires on the Enkei RPF-1 wheels give prodigious grip.

I did have to sort of get used to this car again. Most of my driving in the last 18 months has been in our 2019 CX-5 Signature, which, while an SUV, has a TON more horsepower and torque than the Miata, and in a real testament to where Mazda is today, refinement you'd expect in a Porsche or Mercedes. When I wasn't driving the CX-5 I was driving my Cayman, which is also incredibly faster than the Miata, and bolted together like a German tank. So, at first the Miata felt slow. And loud. And unrefined. And, well... kinda dopey. Once I hit those mountain roads, though, and retrained myself to keep the engine in the power band, and the car got a few miles under its belt, it started to come alive and open up to me. I started to feel that magic again. I haven't felt it in this car in several years, but the work I put into it last year has really paid off. The magic is still there. Those old familiar sensations were still there. This car has been a part of me for almost 25 years.

On this particular drive the odometer flipped over 180,000 miles. It had been in the 179,000 range for at least the last four years! Here's to putting some more miles on this chassis, now that I have some time and inclination again. Please enjoy the photos.

Cayman S on Cherohala Skyway and Tail of the Dragon

The Cherohala Skyway snakes through the southern end of the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina. It links the towns of Tellico Plains and Robbinsville, with not much in between except sweeping vistas and sinewy roads. Bear country.

The Porsche Cayman S is in its element in this environment. It is perfectly adapted to this road. Its razor-sharp handling and prodigious power make for a very entertaining drive. With an almost telepathic responsiveness, the driver's confidence rises, speeds increase, and one has to make a conscious effort to slow down in order to avoid "consequences".

But the Cayman delivers almost as much pleasure when sitting still as it does carving curves. Its lines are so clean, so perfect. It's a car without too many extras. Not too much to distract from its purpose. There is no infotainment system. There are modern conveniences but they don't coddle you. The feel is somewhat raw without being punishing. Playful but a little serious. Not like a Miata, but not quite an M3 either. Just right.

After the drive is over the sounds of the flat six still resonate in your head. The feel of the wheel in your hands persists. You wash off the road dust and prepare for the next time. The next time you can head back to bear country with your Porsche.

Photo by Killboy.com

Photo by Killboy.com

Miata in East Tennessee

Today I went for a drive down the Foothills Parkway, across the Tail of the Dragon, and back again. This is the most I've driven the car since the engine rebuild and it performed flawlessly.

M3 at the Tail of the Dragon

Just a little eye candy from a recent drive through Deal's Gap. I purchased a few photos from the photographers that make their living snapping pics of people having a blast on the Dragon.

Warming up your engine and your oil

Recently the subject of warming up a car came up. Most modern cars warm up very quickly and the water temp gauge reads "normal" within a couple minutes of starting the engine. Based on cars I've owned that have oil temperature gauges, I have observed that the oil takes significantly longer to reach full operating temperature than the coolant does. Something like 10 minutes at highway speed in the Corvette, and a similar time in the M3. The Miata has a much smaller oil capacity than either of those cars, though, so the oil should get to full temperature a bit sooner.
It's important to get your oil up to full operating temperature fairly often so that condensation and unburned fuel that finds its way past the rings can volatilize out of the oil. So, if your daily commute to work is less than say, 5 miles, go for a longer drive every few days so that the oil can get nice and hot (~200-220+ F) for a while. Your engine will thank you.