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#1
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Nice day for a drive / T1R thoughts
Sunny, mid 50s, light wind, and the roads have been washed clean of sand
and salt--a perfect afternoon for the year's first serious top-down jaunt into the Ozarks. We headed south for the Two-hour Loop, about 100 miles that include three of our favorite twisty backroads. The centerpiece, a 10-mile blacktop section through the national forest with no traffic, no intersections, and only two straights, was in surprisingly good condition, with no potholes or loose gravel. The CG-Lock got a good workout, and we hit the limiter in 4th on The Big Downhill. SWMBO was still grinning when we got back home--she claims the G loads work the kinks out of her neck. I learned that the T1R (195/50-15 @ 28psi on 6.5" wheels) responds even better to subtle throttle input than its predecessor, the T1-S. My Miata is set up to understeer very slightly at low speed, becoming neutral in the 60-mph range. This means I can back off the throttle a very small amount to plant the front tires for turn in and rotation, then get back on the gas and the car will stay rotated nicely rather than running wide to the exit. After turn in, I can adjust my line if necessary using only my right foot, and not need to upset the contact patch with steering input. You don't need to be anywhere near the limit of adhesion to enjoy throttle steering, which makes for a lot of fun while maintaining a substantial safety margin for emergencies. If you have T1Rs and think their turn in is slow on real roads, try this technique--you don't need to lift enough to lose speed, just enough to transfer a little weight forward for half a second. If it doesn't work...well, you must prefer more understeer than I do. The T1-S had the same general behavior, but did not respond as precisely, nor to such small inputs, as the T1R. I presume the extra rubber on the tread shoulders is responsible. Whatever, these are great tires for carving backroads, and they enhance the Miata's tossability while adding a safety net of security over rough and broken pavement, along with predictable, progressive, and very high grip limits. The smooth, quiet ride is just a bonus. -- Lanny Chambers '94C, St. Louis http://www.hummingbirds.net/alignment.html |
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#2
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Nice day for a drive / T1R thoughts
Lanny Chambers wrote:"... The > CG-Lock got a good workout... Hi, Lanny! Thanks for the comment about the CG-Lock! Where did you learn about the CG-Lock? How would YOU describe the CG-Lock to someone who never heard of it? Happy driving! Bruce Mather |
#3
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Nice day for a drive / T1R thoughts
In article .com>,
"CG-Lock Man" > wrote: > Where did you learn about the CG-Lock? The miata.net forum. I bought mine from Flyin' Miata. > How would YOU describe the > CG-Lock to someone who never heard of it? What every sporting driver with leather seats has been looking for. -- Lanny Chambers '94C, St. Louis http://www.hummingbirds.net/alignment.html |
#4
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Nice day for a drive / T1R thoughts
In article >,
Lanny Chambers > wrote: > In article .com>, > "CG-Lock Man" > wrote: > > > Where did you learn about the CG-Lock? > > The miata.net forum. I bought mine from Flyin' Miata. > > > How would YOU describe the > > CG-Lock to someone who never heard of it? > > What every sporting driver with leather seats has been looking for. You realize you can achieve almost as much with just the regular belts, right? 1. Move your seat back one or two notches from your regular driving position. 2. Pull the slack out of the belt then brake hard enough to engage the belt locks. 3. Brake again while hold the seat base lever up, allowing the seat to move forward to your original position and release the lever while still braking. Now you'll be locked in like you can't believe. <g> -- Alan Baker Vancouver, British Columbia "If you raise the ceiling 4 feet, move the fireplace from that wall to that wall, you'll still only get the full stereophonic effect if you sit in the bottom of that cupboard." |
#5
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Nice day for a drive / T1R thoughts
In article >,
Alan Baker > wrote: > You realize you can achieve almost as much with just the regular belts, > right? > > [various forms of torture snipped] > > Now you'll be locked in like you can't believe. <g> Agreed...the reason I can't believe it is because it doesn't stay locked unless too tight to drive or breathe. BTDT, tried all the tricks, all are bogus. Spend the $40 on the CG-Lock and be both secure AND comfy. -- Lanny Chambers '94C, St. Louis http://www.hummingbirds.net/alignment.html |
#6
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Nice day for a drive / T1R thoughts
In article >,
Lanny Chambers > wrote: > In article >, > Alan Baker > wrote: > > > You realize you can achieve almost as much with just the regular belts, > > right? > > > > [various forms of torture snipped] > > > > Now you'll be locked in like you can't believe. <g> > > Agreed...the reason I can't believe it is because it doesn't stay locked > unless too tight to drive or breathe. BTDT, tried all the tricks, all > are bogus. Spend the $40 on the CG-Lock and be both secure AND comfy. Sorry, but it works great for me. -- Alan Baker Vancouver, British Columbia "If you raise the ceiling 4 feet, move the fireplace from that wall to that wall, you'll still only get the full stereophonic effect if you sit in the bottom of that cupboard." |
#7
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Nice day for a drive / T1R thoughts
Alan,
I'd argue that it even works great for you but, follow me here for a minute. First of all what you have to do to get your set up right is a big PIA, don't argue that point, we've all done it, I did it all the time at the autocross but it's a PIA. But, beyond that, if I'm understanding you correctly, both your lap belt and your shoulder harness will be locked, correct? That feels good and works well on an autocross where you never have to check your blind spot but on the road, in the real world, to keep a decent level of safety, you sometimes need to lean forward to check the mirrors at an angle to verify that blind spot is empty. You can't do that with your set up. Pat (PWS) has mentioned that rat racing around with a 5 point harness is fun but not really safe as you again, can't check your blind spot. This is no commercial for the CG Lock but the bolsters in my 99 (cloth seats) are so soft, they cannot supply decent support in hard driving, I was holding myself in place with knees and elbows (not good, not fun) so when someone (may have been Lanny) here mentioned this device I decided to give it a whirl. While $40 seems a bit pricey when you look at the device, it all makes sense when you can now easily lock your butt into the seat while still having normal movement of your upper body. When you think of the relatively low volume of potential users, the price seems reasonable too. It's a quality piece of equipment also. my 2 pennies, Chris 99BBB "Alan Baker" > wrote in message ... > In article >, > Lanny Chambers > wrote: > >> In article >, >> Alan Baker > wrote: >> >> > You realize you can achieve almost as much with just the regular belts, >> > right? >> > >> > [various forms of torture snipped] >> > >> > Now you'll be locked in like you can't believe. <g> >> >> Agreed...the reason I can't believe it is because it doesn't stay locked >> unless too tight to drive or breathe. BTDT, tried all the tricks, all >> are bogus. Spend the $40 on the CG-Lock and be both secure AND comfy. > > Sorry, but it works great for me. > > -- > Alan Baker > Vancouver, British Columbia > "If you raise the ceiling 4 feet, move the fireplace from that wall > to that wall, you'll still only get the full stereophonic effect > if you sit in the bottom of that cupboard." |
#8
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Nice day for a drive / T1R thoughts
In article >,
"Chris D'Agnolo" > wrote: > Alan, > > I'd argue that it even works great for you but, follow me here for a minute. > First of all what you have to do to get your set up right is a big PIA I forgot to mention: didn't Alan scoot his seat forward after locking his belt, to get it tight? Uh, that doesn't work if you're tall enough to NEED to drive with the seat all the way back and crunched into the cockpit brace. Even then, the driving position is just barely acceptable; I could use another two inches of seat travel, but not quite badly enough to butcher my seat foam. For me, the CG-Lock is worth double its weight in knee bruises. -- Lanny Chambers '94C, St. Louis http://www.hummingbirds.net/alignment.html |
#9
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Nice day for a drive / T1R thoughts
Alan Baker > wrote:
>In article >, > Lanny Chambers > wrote: > >> In article .com>, >> "CG-Lock Man" > wrote: >> >> > Where did you learn about the CG-Lock? >> >> The miata.net forum. I bought mine from Flyin' Miata. >> >> > How would YOU describe the >> > CG-Lock to someone who never heard of it? >> >> What every sporting driver with leather seats has been looking for. > >You realize you can achieve almost as much with just the regular belts, >right? > >1. Move your seat back one or two notches from your regular driving >position. > >2. Pull the slack out of the belt then brake hard enough to engage the >belt locks. > >3. Brake again while hold the seat base lever up, allowing the seat to >move forward to your original position and release the lever while still >braking. > >Now you'll be locked in like you can't believe. <g> Actually, I like to have my seat back all the way back against the bulk head. Also, I like to be able to move aside if I roll my car. Leon -- Leon van Dommelen Bozo, the White 96 Sebring Miata .) http://www.dommelen.net/miata EXIT THE INTERSTATES (Jamie Jensen) |
#10
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Nice day for a drive / T1R thoughts
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