Well, let's see here. Yesturday's shake down was surface streets (stop and go traffic) and freeway (long straight high speed) driving. The drive on those were non-eventful not counting pre-existing vehicular conditions. The B got up to about 80 or maybe 85 MPH without any drama. She had more legs to go faster, but I figured 4500 - 5000RPMs was plenty fast. So, all is well for daily driving stuff.
I got a bit restless today, though. I took the B out for a drive on a route that I'd laid out a while back but never got up the gumption to do. So, today's shake-down started in La Cañada, CA on the Angeles Crest Highway (US 2). I took a left onto the Angeles Forest Highway, another left onto Big Tujunga Canyon Road, past Tujunga Reservoir, and back into town. (
Click here to see the route on Yahoo! Maps Beta )
I must say, the shake down went _very_ well. I still have a huge honkin' grin on me face /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif I think that has to have been the most fun on 4 wheels I've had to date. It was some of the curviest, turniest, and twistiest road I've driven so far. I only dropped into 2nd gear twice, and both times was to make the left turns onto the joining "Highway". There was a section of about 100yrds of Big Tujunga Canyon Road that was really bad and it felt like I'd gone off-roading in the B. Other than that, the rest of the road surface was well maintained and provided the B with a surface to maximize traction on. Up hill passing was a bit of a chore though, thanks to the asthmatic breathing of my B. However, I was fortunate enough to have been stuck behind slow moving traffic only twice. I saw plenty of 'sport bikes' riding the route, but they were all heading the other direction. So, I didn't have to worry about getting in their way or them being in my way. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
I think I pushed the car pretty hard (average speed was around 50 - 60MPH). I think the B has limits a bit higher than what I pushed at, but I didn't care to try and find them today. I did manage to make the tires talk to me in a couple of turns, but I think that was because I just touched the dividing line paint. I never lost traction in any of the turns, but I did hit a wet spot in the road that sent me towards the outside of the turn a foot or two before the tires regained traction and put me back on the line. That was a bit of an eye opener /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif I recall a couple of 3rd gear hair-pins that had me shouting with glee as I rounded them /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I can't wait til drive on Monday now... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif