When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Haven't posted about it, but I drove up to that neck of the woods a couple of weeks ago. Drove the "Tail of the Dragon", aka US 129 that goes from a wide spot in the road about 20 miles south of Marysville TN to Deals Gap NC. 321 turns in 11 miles, as it as famously billed.
Its a road you can't build a lot of speed on, because there are virtually no straight sections of road. What I was surprised by was how well maintained the road was, it was smooth, banked turns, no ruts, no pot holes, no rough surfaces, no gravel in the apex of the turns. Of course with this being such a popular motorcycle route, I'm glad this road is maintained to a T. Still its narrow, extremely winding, 30mph speed limit(nobody does 30mph btw) and no guard rails, if you go off the edge, well you dead. Going from TN to NC, you go up the hill, going from NC to TN, its a challenge on your brakes. Still I have driven steeper mountain roads, but none that had as many tight, technical, often banked turns. This road was also rather narrow with NO guard rails.
I felt my 1992 SC300(5 speed manual) was a willing partner, with its wide 18" low profile performance tires and fresh brakes(first brake job the car ever had right before I went on the trip at 98,000 miles I think). I did not dare push the car to its limits, but there were a few moments where I could feel the front end wash out a bit(understeer). You mostly left the car in 2nd(there were a few straight sections where I shifted to 3rd, but then I was HARD on the brakes since I was doing over 60mph at that point). But then that magnified my most serious gripe about this car, 2nd gear is way too long, the revs drop off significantly when you shift from 1st to 2nd, 1st is only good to 30mph, but 2nd is good to a shade over 60, but its too tall. Exiting a lot of these corners at 20 to 30mph, it is sluggish and you are kind of out of the engine's powerband(above 3500rpm) but yet shifting to first would just abuse the hell out of the syncros, possibly over-rev the motor, so you just flat foot it out of the corner and say hurry up hurry up hurry up until the engine gets on boil.
Maybe I need to be a better driver, learn the road, carry more speed through the corners, as exiting at 35mph in 2nd is a hell of a lot faster than exiting at 25-30mph in 2nd. Still though, I ran the Dragon twice, and went to Fontana Dam as well(you turn left after the gas station/pit stop in Deals Gap onto rt 28). Just beautiful country all the way through. I did get passed by a semi-professional race driver in a 911 convertible like I was standing still. Caught aand passed a guy in a Toyota FR-S going up, he was moving along pretty well, passed a guy in an Acura RSX going down the hill, he was moving along pretty swift as well. Funny thing was the native with a NC plate driving a mid 90's Z71 Chevy 4x4 truck with big mud tires. Caught him going the way down, he let me by, but about 2-3 minutes late I notice he is straight on my ***, and I'm "hauling ***" at 30-50mph through the turns. I let dude in the stock 4x4 Chevy truck on by, but I keep hauling *** as I'm following him down the mountain. I'm not fast enough to pass him but I don't lose him either. Eventually, after I smell some nasty brake smell, he lets me on by, figured he used up his brakes. Still that was some impressive driving, as I could hear the tires squealing through the turns in that big truck.
Oh and there are guys who take your photos on the side of the road as well. Pretty cool digital prints IMO.
I went last summer and abused my car up and down that mountain pass. For a public road there is really nothing like it that I know of. I was there for 2 days and ran well over 30 times. Exotics, bikes and my little Acura. Heading down at night is a crazy experience.
04-24-17, 10:54 PM
Has anybody driven "The tail of the dragon"
)
