Big Cottonwood Canyon Photoshoot and Near Disaster

[FastWoman]

Wonder how a z with stock brakes will do on Pike's peak for example? Is it safe to go as fast as traffic, driving ability, and the road will allow, or is it necessary to use take it slow, use engine braking, or stop every 5 minutes or so for a cool-down? What brake mods would you need to really stand on the gas on the way down? How would a rally driver in a Z take that downhill if their brakes were stock, for the best time?

Strange questions. A stock Z would do fine if driven intelligently. During mountain driving, if done properly, brakes do not get overheated and do not need to cool down. Wind up the engine, and let it do the work. Even feathering the accelerator will accelerate the car pretty dramatically. (No need to "stand on the gas.")

When driving down a grade, just remember that gravity is shoving you forward, so you don't have the same braking potential before you lose traction and slide off the embankment. Unlike on a flat track, mistakes are often fatal.

I actually did some google searches to find out how suicidal people might race cars downhill. I came up with nothing. There are UPHILL races, but not downhill. I'm sure there's a very good reason for that, namely that when racing uphill, you can stop on a dime, but when racing downhill, you can go skidding off the road with even moderate braking and can plummet to your death. So if you want to know how the autocross racers do it, I suspect the answer is that they don't.

It's sort of like asking what techniques track and field athletes use to get the best time when sprinting across an ice rink. Or maybe it's like asking how people race their mules down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

Edited August 23, 2013 by FastWoman

[grannyknot]

How many drops is this for you, Lieutenant?

32, ... simulated.

"How many combat drops?"

2 including this one.

[Captain Obvious]

32, ... simulated.

"How many combat drops?"

2 including this one.

Haha!! Finally!!

That took way longer than it should have!

(It was 38 by the way... :laugh: )

[Stanley]

but when racing downhill, you can go skidding off the road with even moderate braking and can plummet to your death. So if you want to know how the autocross racers do it, I suspect the answer is that they don't.

Good point. Pike's hillclimb has some downhill sections though, along with flat and uphill sections. I've watched a lot of videos of that race. Seems like every year at least one car plummets off the road. Hope to drive it someday, why I was asking. Would like to be there for the race, just to watch. It's a hell of a race.