DogWhistle
Supporting VIP
- 1,172
- 754
- Sep 13, 2012
-
St. Paul,
Minnesota
The trip came up suddenly. The car we kept in Florida was drowned in Hurricane Ian, so instead of storing the Spyder for the winter in MN as we usually do, my wife and I decided to bring it to Florida, where it will stay until we decide what to do about a replacement car. The hurry part was getting some maintenance done on it and driving it, or shipping it, out of MN before the snow and salt started flying. Shipping was the same cost as driving if you throw in a few hotel stays, so we decided to take a long overdue road trip.
We’ve been working toward making our Spyder GS into a Grand Touring car, and after prepping for a long road trip, we were about to find out if we were successful.
It’s remarkable that the DSM platform can be built into the class of car you want with some planning, the right parts, and a large amount of dedication. We have members who have DSM track racers, drag cars, autocross sprinters, show cars, daily drivers and more. However, most DSM owners are not going to drive their car 2,000 miles in one trip, except perhaps some of the owners going to the Shootout.
The equipment choices we made to result in a GT concept include: The torque of a 4G64, the tall gearing of the F4A32 transmission, ForcedFour shift controller, GSX brake upgrade, adjustable Koni Yellows, new taller Continental Extreme Contact 225/55 tires, sound insulation, window tinting, as well as working cruise control and air conditioning.
You look at car preparedness differently if it is a local daily driver vs driving for hours on end, across vast stretches of road where the weather, gas stations and repair facilities are an unknown. Sure, we carried some extra fluids and tools, but the goal was no unplanned stops or repairs.
The weather was already getting cold in early November in MN and without a garage available, the new AC compressor and condenser, along with coolant temp sensors and all fluid changes were done by me. However, the front hubs and axles, new harmonic balancer, along with an upgraded exhaust mount was handled by a trusted friend with access to a shop and lift. We were ready to hit the road with a fair amount of confidence, and just a little fear.
It was below freezing on the morning we packed, so the car had a layer of frost on it. We made good use of about every square inch available, including in the convertible boot since we knew we weren’t going to lower the top in cold weather. I put the top switch in Manual mode, just for insurance.
We planned a ½ day drive for the first day as a shakedown test, going 4 hours to Davenport IA. Unfortunately, the wind was coming directly out of the south at 37mph as we went against it at 70mph. The wind noise from the air stream hitting the header of the windshield was haunting, and eventually beyond irritating. Noise cancelling earphones to the rescue. The car ran great, but only got 24.5mpg.
The weather never really warmed up the second day as we made our way to St. Louis. The wind was calmer and quieter, but still a factor. I listened for any strange mechanical noises or weird mechanical responses, but there were none. By the end of the day, and for the rest of the trip, I put the question of reliability out of my mind. Gas mileage slightly improved to 25.4mpg.
We headed down to the Arch the next morning and were caught in a maze of cobblestone streets. Not just colored bricks – authentic old cobblestones. They didn’t even need speed limit signs because 10mph was top speed if you didn’t want to shake your car apart. We found a parking spot and walked through the beautiful park surrounding the Arch. I couldn’t resist taking a picture of the Spyder underneath it.
The next stop was Bowling Green KY to see the Corvette Museum. We spent most of our time talking to the knowledgeable docents in the entry hall where at any time, 8 new Corvettes were lined up, being delivered to their new owners who had elected the museum as their pickup point. This option for Corvette buyers includes a factory tour, a museum tour, and one hour with a Corvette specialist while you learn about and sit in your new car. We also saw the shop in back with a dozen more Corvettes waiting for their appointed delivery time.
We actually had more fun across the road at Art’s Corvette Auto Mart. Art himself greets you as you walk in and he has 140 cars of all domestic brands on the floor with the keys in them. Art owns 90 of the cars and they are all for sale. I get the impression Art was there long before the Corvette museum. He causally works on the cars while you stroll through his time machine of a shop. He drives them all periodically so that they are all in running order.
The next morning, our car got a much needed bath at a local car wash. On the stretch to Bowling Green KY, I had noticed that the engine seemed a little freer running over 3krpms, so I kept it over that during the freeway drive and it helped improve the mileage to 26.6mpg.
The next stop was Nashville, TN. Although it was still cold, the plan was to visit the entertainment part of the city, renown for its colorful entertainment and people. The side roads leading into this area were narrow, and lined with brownstone buildings which housed shops, bars and museums. We tucked the car into an underground ramp. To get into the musical history of Nashville, we went to the Glen Campbell and Johnny Cash museums, watched a few of the pub trolleys pedal by, took in the people and visited some stores. We wrapped up the afternoon with a visit to the rooftop of Jason Aldean’s bar which had a great view of downtown buildings.
The next day involved going around Atlanta, rather than through it, on our way to Marietta, GA as a midway point to our first stop in Florida. It was a Friday afternoon when we got to Atlanta and traffic was in full bloom. Even going using the far west beltway, traffic was heavy and stop and go. Some of the stops were for no apparent reason from 70mph to 0 in with very little notice. I noticed later that my front rotors had warped from the heat. They were Powerstop discs and with a few thousand miles on them, but I was so focused on the traffic, I forgot to release the brake pedal while standing still so the scorching brake pads would let the disc cool down. Lesson learned.
Strange things can happen if you’re not paying attention to your exits. I thought we were headed due south for a very long time, when we saw a large sign that said ‘Welcome to Alabama’! Whoops. There’s a little piece of Alabama that juts out into Georgia and we found it. After just dealing with Atlanta traffic, I was not looking forward to whatever road we would have to take to get back on track. Turns out, we found a great road that was probably the most fun of the entire trip! It was a smooth four lane divided highway that had close interval hills and valleys. The kind that, if you could drive fast, might make you feel as if you were catching air. Because of the extra miles, we arrived after dark, but the detour made the day end on a good note.
The next days’ drive to Tampa was a lot shorter than the marathon session the day before, at only a half day. We stopped for some much needed sunshine and beverages at a marina bar & grill.
Resting up for a few days at a relative’s home gave me time to wash the car in a self service car wash to fully suds and blast off all of the road grime accumulation and out of the wheel wells, body seams and underbody. I checked all fluids and they were fine, so I cleaned the interior and waxed the paint.
Soon we were on our way to see friends in north Fort Myers. We weren’t sure what we would find after all the coverage we’d seen following the hurricane. Although they live near the coast, their flooding and damage was minimal, if you don’t count the large boats stacked on top of each other in the marinas. We finished our day with a trip through North Fort Myers Beach, on our way to final destination in Naples.
Nothing we had seen or heard from the news or locals prepared us for what we experienced next. There are no words. We sat in stunned silenced as we slowly crept down the small path through the abandoned, sand coved street. Dark, two-story mountains of stacked debris from the clearing process hung ominously over our heads on both sides. Most buildings were simply……gone! When there was a clearing, the setting sun outlined the few remaining concrete hotels, or condos, but they were dark and vacant. No one can live in them as all the windows were blown out and there is no electricity or water or sewer. Then only sound you hear is the occasional generator running to power a few lights in construction equipment lots. Small restaurants, bars and stores – all gone. The fury that this storm unleashed must have been off-the-charts frightening. The damage, and the mountains of debris, goes on for miles. Further south, a few more damaged empty buildings and homes structurally “survived”, however, all of the sand that used to be on the beach is filling the ditch on the far side of the road, level with the pavement. The infrastructure construction and building process will take years before this area begins to look anything like a destination again. The camera couldn’t begin to cover all of the devastation, and it felt disrespectful to take multiple pictures.
Somberly, we drove into our destination garage in Naples, the engine purring smoothly, and shut off the car in silence.
We’ve been working toward making our Spyder GS into a Grand Touring car, and after prepping for a long road trip, we were about to find out if we were successful.
It’s remarkable that the DSM platform can be built into the class of car you want with some planning, the right parts, and a large amount of dedication. We have members who have DSM track racers, drag cars, autocross sprinters, show cars, daily drivers and more. However, most DSM owners are not going to drive their car 2,000 miles in one trip, except perhaps some of the owners going to the Shootout.
The equipment choices we made to result in a GT concept include: The torque of a 4G64, the tall gearing of the F4A32 transmission, ForcedFour shift controller, GSX brake upgrade, adjustable Koni Yellows, new taller Continental Extreme Contact 225/55 tires, sound insulation, window tinting, as well as working cruise control and air conditioning.
You look at car preparedness differently if it is a local daily driver vs driving for hours on end, across vast stretches of road where the weather, gas stations and repair facilities are an unknown. Sure, we carried some extra fluids and tools, but the goal was no unplanned stops or repairs.
The weather was already getting cold in early November in MN and without a garage available, the new AC compressor and condenser, along with coolant temp sensors and all fluid changes were done by me. However, the front hubs and axles, new harmonic balancer, along with an upgraded exhaust mount was handled by a trusted friend with access to a shop and lift. We were ready to hit the road with a fair amount of confidence, and just a little fear.
It was below freezing on the morning we packed, so the car had a layer of frost on it. We made good use of about every square inch available, including in the convertible boot since we knew we weren’t going to lower the top in cold weather. I put the top switch in Manual mode, just for insurance.
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We planned a ½ day drive for the first day as a shakedown test, going 4 hours to Davenport IA. Unfortunately, the wind was coming directly out of the south at 37mph as we went against it at 70mph. The wind noise from the air stream hitting the header of the windshield was haunting, and eventually beyond irritating. Noise cancelling earphones to the rescue. The car ran great, but only got 24.5mpg.
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The weather never really warmed up the second day as we made our way to St. Louis. The wind was calmer and quieter, but still a factor. I listened for any strange mechanical noises or weird mechanical responses, but there were none. By the end of the day, and for the rest of the trip, I put the question of reliability out of my mind. Gas mileage slightly improved to 25.4mpg.
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Silhouette cut outs:
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We headed down to the Arch the next morning and were caught in a maze of cobblestone streets. Not just colored bricks – authentic old cobblestones. They didn’t even need speed limit signs because 10mph was top speed if you didn’t want to shake your car apart. We found a parking spot and walked through the beautiful park surrounding the Arch. I couldn’t resist taking a picture of the Spyder underneath it.
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The next stop was Bowling Green KY to see the Corvette Museum. We spent most of our time talking to the knowledgeable docents in the entry hall where at any time, 8 new Corvettes were lined up, being delivered to their new owners who had elected the museum as their pickup point. This option for Corvette buyers includes a factory tour, a museum tour, and one hour with a Corvette specialist while you learn about and sit in your new car. We also saw the shop in back with a dozen more Corvettes waiting for their appointed delivery time.
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We actually had more fun across the road at Art’s Corvette Auto Mart. Art himself greets you as you walk in and he has 140 cars of all domestic brands on the floor with the keys in them. Art owns 90 of the cars and they are all for sale. I get the impression Art was there long before the Corvette museum. He causally works on the cars while you stroll through his time machine of a shop. He drives them all periodically so that they are all in running order.
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The next morning, our car got a much needed bath at a local car wash. On the stretch to Bowling Green KY, I had noticed that the engine seemed a little freer running over 3krpms, so I kept it over that during the freeway drive and it helped improve the mileage to 26.6mpg.
The next stop was Nashville, TN. Although it was still cold, the plan was to visit the entertainment part of the city, renown for its colorful entertainment and people. The side roads leading into this area were narrow, and lined with brownstone buildings which housed shops, bars and museums. We tucked the car into an underground ramp. To get into the musical history of Nashville, we went to the Glen Campbell and Johnny Cash museums, watched a few of the pub trolleys pedal by, took in the people and visited some stores. We wrapped up the afternoon with a visit to the rooftop of Jason Aldean’s bar which had a great view of downtown buildings.
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The next day involved going around Atlanta, rather than through it, on our way to Marietta, GA as a midway point to our first stop in Florida. It was a Friday afternoon when we got to Atlanta and traffic was in full bloom. Even going using the far west beltway, traffic was heavy and stop and go. Some of the stops were for no apparent reason from 70mph to 0 in with very little notice. I noticed later that my front rotors had warped from the heat. They were Powerstop discs and with a few thousand miles on them, but I was so focused on the traffic, I forgot to release the brake pedal while standing still so the scorching brake pads would let the disc cool down. Lesson learned.
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Strange things can happen if you’re not paying attention to your exits. I thought we were headed due south for a very long time, when we saw a large sign that said ‘Welcome to Alabama’! Whoops. There’s a little piece of Alabama that juts out into Georgia and we found it. After just dealing with Atlanta traffic, I was not looking forward to whatever road we would have to take to get back on track. Turns out, we found a great road that was probably the most fun of the entire trip! It was a smooth four lane divided highway that had close interval hills and valleys. The kind that, if you could drive fast, might make you feel as if you were catching air. Because of the extra miles, we arrived after dark, but the detour made the day end on a good note.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
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The next days’ drive to Tampa was a lot shorter than the marathon session the day before, at only a half day. We stopped for some much needed sunshine and beverages at a marina bar & grill.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
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Resting up for a few days at a relative’s home gave me time to wash the car in a self service car wash to fully suds and blast off all of the road grime accumulation and out of the wheel wells, body seams and underbody. I checked all fluids and they were fine, so I cleaned the interior and waxed the paint.
Soon we were on our way to see friends in north Fort Myers. We weren’t sure what we would find after all the coverage we’d seen following the hurricane. Although they live near the coast, their flooding and damage was minimal, if you don’t count the large boats stacked on top of each other in the marinas. We finished our day with a trip through North Fort Myers Beach, on our way to final destination in Naples.
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Nothing we had seen or heard from the news or locals prepared us for what we experienced next. There are no words. We sat in stunned silenced as we slowly crept down the small path through the abandoned, sand coved street. Dark, two-story mountains of stacked debris from the clearing process hung ominously over our heads on both sides. Most buildings were simply……gone! When there was a clearing, the setting sun outlined the few remaining concrete hotels, or condos, but they were dark and vacant. No one can live in them as all the windows were blown out and there is no electricity or water or sewer. Then only sound you hear is the occasional generator running to power a few lights in construction equipment lots. Small restaurants, bars and stores – all gone. The fury that this storm unleashed must have been off-the-charts frightening. The damage, and the mountains of debris, goes on for miles. Further south, a few more damaged empty buildings and homes structurally “survived”, however, all of the sand that used to be on the beach is filling the ditch on the far side of the road, level with the pavement. The infrastructure construction and building process will take years before this area begins to look anything like a destination again. The camera couldn’t begin to cover all of the devastation, and it felt disrespectful to take multiple pictures.
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Somberly, we drove into our destination garage in Naples, the engine purring smoothly, and shut off the car in silence.
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