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Thread: Tail of the Dragon & Cherohala Skyway

  1. #1
    Registered User jtmdmd1's Avatar
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    Tail of the Dragon & Cherohala Skyway

    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!!)

    Click image for larger version. 

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    2003 RS6 - Avus Silver Pearl - Ebony Interior - Warm Weather Package - Carbon Fiber - ACE TC - SE Exhaust

  2. #2
    Registered User lswing's Avatar
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    Nice writeup and drive. First pic leaning into the corner is great. I'd be interested to hear the result of the brakes as I've run those pads for years, never as hard as your drive it sounds like. I know the coolant is pinkish red for sure, not sure on the ATF. What suspension are you running? The DRC did well for me in corners, was way too bouncy though, and the Koni sports have really stabilized the ride even without added bars.
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    Registered User jtmdmd1's Avatar
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    I've still got the stock DRC, it was redone in 2009 & the rear end is too high. It handled better than I thought it would in the curves- in the pics the body is level but the road is leaning I ran about as hard as I would want to with all the penalties that are around. I'll let you know about the pads after my mechanic looks at it- he said he would probably flush the brake fluid again & may be able to remove some of the glazing if that's whats happened- hopefully nothing major with that or the leak (but nothing is ever minor with this car).
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  4. #4
    Registered User ben916's Avatar
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    Sounds like a great time!
    I think my kids would have been sick or at least yelling to go faster!

    In photo #3, it looks like the suspension is completely compressed, I have never seen a DRC compressed so hard as to where the tires is inside the fender with no finger gap and maybe 1.5" of sidewall showing!!!

    Pink = coolant, I bet it is the oil cooler (bufkin upgrade).
    Brakes - did you get a chance to mod for the Phaeton brake duct cooling?
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    Registered User jtmdmd1's Avatar
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    Here's another frame later showing the inner side on the turn with decompression- running hard & trying to avoid the big drop. I don't have the brake duct cooling mod yet- if I do this or track days more often, I will.Click image for larger version. 

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    2003 RS6 - Avus Silver Pearl - Ebony Interior - Warm Weather Package - Carbon Fiber - ACE TC - SE Exhaust

  6. #6
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    Are you heading back over during Quattro de Mayo? I'll be there with one of my sons. After seeing you pictures I think I will get H-sports installed before departing.
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    Registered User jtmdmd1's Avatar
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    I hadn't heard anything about the Quattro de Mayo but it sounds like it would be fun. I'll have to check my schedule.
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    03 RS6 :: 01 allroad

  9. #9
    Registered User jtmdmd1's Avatar
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    Thanks- that does sound interesting- its on my anniversary.
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  10. #10
    Registered User 1sadavant's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jtmdmd1 View Post
    Here's another frame later showing the inner side on the turn with decompression- running hard & trying to avoid the big drop. I don't have the brake duct cooling mod yet- if I do this or track days more often, I will.Click image for larger version. 

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    Bikers love when you do this...

  11. #11
    Registered User jtmdmd1's Avatar
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    Fortunately there weren't many bikes that day since it had rained earlier that morning- I looked on the Killboy photography site & there were only 2 sport bikes on the Dragon the whole day. I tried to keep it completely in my lane the whole time but this area had a good forward line of site & there wasn't a rock wall close to the inner part of the curve- you could see far enough ahead to safely do this, which really doesn't show on the photo angle & crop, so I cut the last part of the turn off as I could see that nothing was coming. On some of the curves the view was obstructed by the rock wall and this would not have been an advisable tactic & I did stay on my side- on this one it was safe. I have been driving for 41 years & have never had an accident involving another vehicle- (I have run myself off the road several times & spun into ditches,etc) so I do drive carefully, even if this was a little more spirited than usual.

    Good news with the leak & the brakes!! The leak turned out to be some oil seeping around some screws- can't remember exactly where, but Paul drained the oil & reseated the screws with sealer. It hasn't dripped any since then. He said the brakes were OK- probably glazed the pads just a little & that I probably needed to get some stainless steel brake fluid lines- they probably just expanded with the heated brake fluid but nothing looked bad. They feel a little better than when I got back in. Paul even had the car detailed after looking at it- it had really gotten nasty from the trip & I was planning on cleaning it up tomorrow.

    Next up- Indy/Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park next weekend.
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  12. #12
    Registered User Jimmy Joe's Avatar
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    Congratulations ! You do know what are this cars made for ! An RS6, the Tail of the Dragon. prudent, pulse quickening speed, breathtaking views, & sharing al that with your teenage son, Priceless !

  13. #13
    Registered User jtmdmd1's Avatar
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    It was a great weekend! I couldn't sleep that night- I don't know if it was from the excitement of the drive & reliving it or from the caffeine I got by drinking 2 large iced teas at a late dinner. I felt like I was still going back & forth from the turns like you do when you've been on a boat all day. Carson said he felt the same way.

    lswing- As far as the HPS pads- they did great the first 2 3/4 runs & the rest of the trip up until that point, there were some other pretty demanding conditions before the Tail of the Dragon. They stopped strong & quiet until the pedal went soft which seems to be more from brake fluid overheating & brake line expansion than pad failure- the braking now has gotten back to almost the same as before the trip & better than it was with the OEM pads that I had replaced a couple of weeks ago. I am very pleased with them so far & these were much more extreme conditions than I will be driving them in normally.
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  14. #14
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    the Dragon is exhausting. I'm planning to go back there with my BMW (motorcycle) in a month or too, and honestly I think I'm going to have to take some breaks on the pulloffs if I'm pushing it at all.

    Semis are the true killers on the Dragon; when I did it in my RS6 I did cross the median several times, but in corners where you can REALLY see far down the opposite lane and know it's clear. As an avid and very serious motorcyclist, such things are foremost in my mind.

    It's apparently hard to get good weather on the Skyway, but it couldn't possibly have been worse when I did it - zero visibility! The east end of it is very tricky, but quite fun in a sports car. On a bike you've really got to have your A game on; a friend of mine went down there. She was fine but it was definitely a reminder that these roads in the Smoky Mountains should be treated as most difficult to drive, whatever vehicle you're in.
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  15. #15
    Registered User jtmdmd1's Avatar
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    Yeah, it was pretty exhausting. Even the first 2 runs when I wasn't pushing quite as hard as when i was chasing the other car were tiring, I pretty much had to let Carson drive after those. I thought I would be able to sleep that night but i still felt like I was driving all night. I can't believe Tennessee hasn't banned the big trucks on the Dragon- there isn't enough room for them to make some of the hairpin turns. Like you said, some of the areas you can see far enough ahead of you & on the switchbacks to know what's coming- a lot of them the inner part was solid rock & you couldn't. There were 2 photographers there that day & in the other location you had to stay on your side.

    I wish it had been clear on the Skyway- overall it wasn't as bad as it sounded when you went. There were some areas that there was pretty much no visibility & I almost pulled off, you would go thru layers of fog & clouds at different elevations. It looks like Carson is going to go to school in that area so I'll be making some frequent trips to visit him!!
    2003 RS6 - Avus Silver Pearl - Ebony Interior - Warm Weather Package - Carbon Fiber - ACE TC - SE Exhaust

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