I was going to add this to kismetcapitan's post on the Tail of the Dragon/Cherohala Skyway post but it turned out to be too long so I started a new topic. I don't post very often but this trip deserves one.
We just got back from our tour of southwestern NC & Tennessee which started under the guise of a college evaluation mission for my youngest son. We went to Asheville from Knoxville via 40 East, which is a curvy stretch of Interstate going over the Smoky Mountains that was a treat at midnight with some snow on the ground at elevation. After our college meeting we traveled west on Hwy74 until we got to Hwy 28 (Moonshiner 28) which was a very curvy stretch that runs by Fontana Resort, where we stayed Fri. & Sat. nights. There were mainly tight sweepers that could be taken pretty quickly even though some were marked 10 mph. We got to the room a little earlier than we thought we would & had time to drive to Cheoah Dam (where the dam scene in the Fugitive movie was shot) on 28 which goes by start of the Dragon & around 129 down to the dam- that was a scary stretch going down the mountain with several hundred foot drop-offs a couple of feet off the road. We had time to hike to Slickrock Creek & fish some before dark (it ended up being about 4.5 mi each way so I was dead after the hike). After driving on 28 I was wondering how much harder the Dragon could be.
There was some rain Fri. night, so when we went back to do the Dragon Sat. morning there were some wet areas on the first run going from Deal's Gap, so I was more careful going into the curves. It had dried out a little more on the return run so I could go a little harder. It was great- the turns were a lot tighter & more frequent than 28. The car did great, it did plow some on curve entry but you could accelerate thru it & there didn't feel like there was a lot of body roll except on the tightest turns (looks like more in the photos than I felt) but of course I'm not a great driver & haven't had much to compare it to. You could hammer it out of the curves then get back on the brakes. The outward route was easier than the route back in since most of the death curves were on the outside this way. Carson didn't throw up but he was kind of pale looking with a big smile.
We did this & then Carson drove back on Hwy 129 toward Robbinsville & then around Lake Santeetlah on the small roads around the lake, it seemed like it took us forever & with out cell coverage for mapping we didn't know where we were. We finally hit the last few miles of the Cherohala Skyway back to Robbinsville & drove pretty hard back to the Tail of the Dragon. I wanted to go one more time & Carson was tired from the 50 or so miles that he had just done so he "let" me drive.
There were a couple of cars that were just starting, a Mustang GT & an older Prelude that looked plain but obviously had some suspension, brake, & motor mods (nitrous?)- I saw this kid sitting in front of the store several times waiting to embarrass unsuspecting Mustangs, Vettes, etc. We went at a moderate clip for a couple of miles with the Mustang holding us up. He let us by in one of the pull-off areas & the Prelude & I ran about as hard (WOT acceleration until catching back up with the Prelude after it would slightly pull ahead in the sharper turns) as I wanted to run with one of my children in the car risking death or serious bodily harm (wife would be pissed too) for about 6 miles before the brake peddle felt mushy all of a sudden. Luckily we hit some slower traffic & I pulled off at the overlook at mile 8.8 & let the brakes cool down some- they did smell like something cooking (not sure if it was new HPS pads or fresh Motul 660 brake fluid- both 2 weeks old). The Prelude stopped there too and wanted to see what 4 door pig was pushing him so hard- he said he thought it had to be a RS6. Up until this point the car had performed flawlessly- brakes grabbed as hard as I wanted w/ no fade or squeal & car was running well. The brake peddle still felt slightly mushy (it still does after getting home) so I didn't run as hard on the way back in. I did go fast enough to almost lose it going thru the Hump (AKA Gravity Cavity) into the Mini Hump & Chicanes (i think that's where it was because I was trying to keep my attention on the road & not kill us & Carson was hanging on too tightly to hold the map & keep up with the turns like I wanted him to). This wasn't a bad area from the other direction, but this way the hump threw you up going into the turn and you couldn't correct & the second hump destabilized you for the Chicanes. Luckily there wasn't a black Corvette coming at us like there had been in another turn & I was able to collect it & make it all the way back in. I ran in Sport mode & there were no bobbles on shifting in turns or anything to upset the car & it would hold gears for engine braking into turns.
It was the best driving experience I have had so far- even with the occasional pickup truck with boat trailer, Harley, minivan, VW Love Bug, & even some stupid bicyclists with a death wish (death seems to come up pretty often in talking about the Dragon doesn't it?) but most them pulled over pretty quickly when they saw a maniac in a silver RS6 running them down. To be able to run pretty much flat out for a run of 11 miles & 318 turns with huge drop-offs on one side of you, rock walls on the other, dips & humps, trees, & moving obstacles around each corner in a car like the RS6 with my son was pretty much priceless (except maybe the cost of new pads & brake fluid- now with the fluid leak, who knows?).
Sunday was predicted to be rainy all day but we got up early & the rain was stopping. It was cloudy & foggy but we went hiking & fishing for a couple of hours with only a light drizzle. We left on the Cherohala Skyway & the visibility was decent but the road was very wet, so combined with the questionable braking situation, I didn't push it hard on the return trip. We went thru areas of rain, clouds, & fog so thick that you almost had to stop. After going to Bald River Falls in Tennessee & watching a kayaker go over about a 30 foot high fall, the clouds lifted & we had a nice ride along the Tellico River back into Tellico Plains. I wish things had been good for the Skyway because it would have been beautiful scenery & an enjoyable high-speed run for ~ 50 miles. We made it back in uneventfully.
I'll have to get the brakes checked out- they're still slightly softer than before & don't grab quite as well- either boiled brake fluid or glazed pads. The tires are definitely toast now, but everything else seems to have held up fine under pretty severe driving conditions. It wasn't even breathing hard when I got back in- just that annoying brake smell.
It was a great trip- I would recommend it to everyone , roads, scenery, hiking , fishing, waterfalls, etc. Thus ends my Dragon (first hopefully) saga- OOPS except for a small pinkish-red fluid leak that I just noticed on the garage floor, either ATF or coolant (I just had the TC done & my mechanic is going to check the leak, the motor mount code, & the brakes out tomorrow- hopefully its nothing!!)