NorCal GOATs Summer Hooters Cruise

Wake-up on a Saturday and drive… Sounds good.
Drive from a Hooters… to Hooters… to Hooters… What more do I need to say!

Total Distance: 142 miles

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The Dublin Hooters is only down the street from my house, but I couldn’t pass-up a chance to go for a cruise with the NorCal GOATs. I was originally going to meet a few of the guys at the Dublin Hooters and drive down to the Campbell Hooters, but then I was exposed to this…

Patterson Pass Rd. is one of my favorite drives, with great curves and views… but it is also one lane and heavily traveled commute times (often in the opposite direction I’m trying to drive), so I tend to avoid it. But knowing that there was going to be a train of GTOs going through, I had to be on-board!

I made the drive to Sonics in Tracy, taking Altamont Pass Rd rather than I-580E (just to spice things up a little). It was very reminiscent of the early morning train chasing in the RX-7 with my father. The group gathered (along with a cool little green grasshopper) and then headed-out towards Patterson Pass.

It was really great having someone to lead the group that knows the road. As we were approaching various areas we would receive notes over the radio about turns and speeds… it was almost like having a navigator in the passenger’s seat calling out rally directions (3 left, 100, tightens). With the knowledge that the road ahead was clear of on-coming traffic, I was able to let the G8 hang-out a little more than I would otherwise… and it really shined. This was by far the fastest I’ve ever done Patterson Pass, and at no time did I ever feel concern. We stopped at ‘The Top of the World’ for some photos before continuing on to the Dublin hooters.

Pulling into the parking lot at Dublin Hooters we were met by another bunch of GTOs. So far it was a really great showing, especially for a pre-cruise!

T-Shirts and keychains were distributed and people regrouped for the drive to the Campbell Hooters. The drive to Campbell was not very exciting (all freeway stuff), but the radio chatter was great as always. Despite the lack-luster roads, there just isn’t anything like driving with a group of other cars… especially ones with the power to get-up-and-go when there are breaks in traffic (or some slow person decided to sit in the fast lane for miles-on-end). It didn’t take long for the group to reach Campbell.

There was a great showing of cars (at least 16 GTOs and 3 G8s). There was the typical show-and-tell session with people popping their hoods and talking about mods, etc. It is really cool to hang with people who all have a similar interest, and to see how each person does things just a little different. I was able to show-off the dead GPS in my dash and everything!

After lunch we re-grouped for the cruise. While we were waiting for a few more people to show-up some of the Hooters girls were kind enough to come out and pose with the cars. Being ‘the professional’ I was requested to take some photos, and I was happy to oblige.

Once the last few stragglers showed-up for the cruise we headed out towards Calaveras Rd. Having a bunch of cars was great, but it also resulted in several people getting left behind or missing exits on the freeways. We even had to pull-over for a while to regroup… The line of cars was quite impressive though.

Calaveras Rd. had some oncoming traffic, so resulted in a slow drive, but it was a nice chance to look out at the reservoir. I also realized that I don’t like being at the back of the pack… you tend to get all bunched-up and there is little room for ‘spirited’ driving.

The group deviated from the planned route once reaching Sunol, and a few people got lost on the freeway trying to make various exits, but eventually everyone made it to Dublin and to the Hooters. There was not much of a meeting at the last Hooters of the day (people were all Hooters-ed out by that point). I stayed around for a little, but after getting no service from the establishment, I decided to go home.

Like all meets, it was great to see everyone. It was nice to not be the only G8 in the pack… hopefully at the upcoming G8 meet we will rival the GTOs in numbers.

NorCal GOATS go to Tahoe (with a G8)

After spending a few weeks on the East Coast with a stupid little rental car I was really looking forward to driving the G8 GT. This trip has been on the books for a while and I refused to cancel it for work.

Total Distance: 510 miles

The cruise up to Tahoe started with a rally point at the Stoneridge Mall. A few people from the South Bay were to meet up and then head to Fairfield and then towards El Dorado Hills.

Before getting to the mall I needed to fuel-up (see the Update on the 92 Octane? post).

I left home a little earlier than needed so that I could program the GPS with the various routes for the weekend… unfortunately the GPS was dead! I pulled the side off the radio and tried plugging in the unit directly into another power outlet (rather than through the splitter I use behind the dash), but there was no change. I don’t know if this is an issue with power like my dad experienced or something with the firmware. Regardless, I’m going to have to pull the dash apart to fix this… I think I’ll install a USB cable as well for any future issues! So being without GPS really though a kink in my plans (I’d not even printed out the routes), but I guess it worked out OK as I didn’t have to lead any of the drives!

I was joined by two other GTOs at the Stoneridge Mall and we headed out towards Fairfield. I was in the rear of the line and spent far too much time looking in my mirrors while we were trying to make-up time. It was nice to have some running partners while heading up I-680N. We all had two-way radios so there was a bit of chatter that livened-up the drive as well.

This was the first cruise that I’ve been on since getting the Valentine One radar detector. I mentioned that I had it on when the group first started out, but wondered if it would really be of any use. I didn’t want to be calling out a bunch of false alarms, so kept things to a minimum. The first call over the radio I made was for a weak Ka signal from the front… which was returned by a “what is a Ka?”. I said, “5.0”… which was almost instantly returned by “white CHP ahead entering the freeway”. Given our speed and how the CHP officer was pulling onto the freeway, if I had not had the radar detector it more than likely would have resulted in a ticket (or three). The V1 got several kudos… and more than likely paid for itself!

The three of us reached Fairfield and picked-up another GTO (and a Mustang) and headed for El Dorado Hills to meet up with the rest of the Heard. Traffic was a heavier, resulting in some fun maneuvering to keep the group together. It was fun using blockers and such… one car pulling into a lane and slowing down enough to let the rest of the group pass through.

Just before reaching El Dorado Hills there were two CHP officers at the side of the road… one standing outside his car (perpendicular to traffic) with a LASER gun. The V1 didn’t alert until the patrol cars were visible and it received a Ka radar (more than likely off axis). I was surprised that I wasn’t able to pick-up the officers sooner (and never received a LASER alert), but after talking to another GTO owner who has a V1 it seems like we both had the same response. I guess he got a really nasty look from the CHP officer as he drove by (under the speed limit because of picking-up the Ka signal).

The group gathered in Fairfield and headed out on Hwy-50 towards Lake Tahoe. While the first part of the road was two lanes each way, but it didn’t take long for the group to get held-up by slower traffic. Most of the really slow vehicles (motorhomes, trucks towing stuff, etc.) pulled over at turnouts, but there were still a few cars that just wouldn’t get out of our way…

The best of the ‘slow vehicles’ was a shiny Aston Martin V8 Vanquish. I was farther back in the Heard of GTOs, so missed-out of some of the shenanigans. Well, passing lanes and big V8 let the GTOs shoot past the Aston, but the two-lane twisty section showed the refined side the GTO is lacking… then again, you can buy a few GTOs/G8s for the price of the Aston Martin.

Other than the fun with the Aston, the drive up to Tahoe was quite mundane, but the company (and the radio chatter, was a lot of fun).

The Heard pulled into Tahoe (did someone say traffic?) and headed to Harvey’s Casino and the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. The lunch at the Hard Rock was great… we had two large tables full of people. I had an open face sirloin sandwich that was awesome. All told the tab came to $350… and thankfully someone had a AAA card that saved us 10% (which was placed on a roulette table to help pay for everyone’s gas… without success).

After lunch most of the group headed-out for a drive around the lake. Before starting out there was one GTO with a wheel/brake issue. It was really impressive to see everyone pull together with jacks and lug-wrenches trying to solve the problem. Once everyone was ready we grouped up and headed-out… minus the few who had a date with a craps table.

Total Distance: 71.4 miles

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The road around the lake is all two lane (one each way), so the driving was far from spirited… but the view made-up for it! There really isn’t anything like going up and down over tree covered hills with a gorgeous view of Lake Tahoe! The Heard stopped off at Emerald Bay to admire the view. I wanted to get some photos of the group, but there wasn’t enough room at the pullout to get everyone together. I had to settle for just one GTO with a proper background.

I would have liked to rotate the cars through this spot/shot so everyone could get a quality photo, but everyone (other than me, who was climbing up a wall) wanted to keep going.

After the photos, the group continued around the lake. It was quite nice to have a knowledgeable tour guide leading the drive. There was a constant supply of landmarks being called-out over the radios (the house from Godfather II got quite the attention). The Heard pulled-off at a house so the ‘old people’ could use the restrooms (again). During the stop a paintball gun was unleashed on a tree ( a neighboring house was a collateral damage). I tried to take some photos, but stupid (and blind) me had the lens in manual focus.

Again (for the last time) we continued on around the lake. The view was again spectacular… this time close to the water. The sun was also starting to get a little lower in the sky giving everything a golden glow. The last section of the route around the lake had two lanes for some more spirited driving. To the Heard’s surprise this little Miata (with a goober in a big straw hat) did a great job of keeping-up (and even working through) the line of GTOs.

Once the group made it back to South Tahoe it broke-up and headed our own ways. Some wanted to spend the night in the Casino, but I’ve never been too into that (I’d rather spend my money than loose it). I had reserved a room in Reno for the night, so headed in that direction. While I had wanted to take the Kingsbury Grade, I ended-up following another GTO down Hwy-50. It was not as twisty as the Kingsbury Grade, but the 2450′ decent (nearly a half-mile) over 12 miles (averaging a 7% decent) was great fun. After reaching Carson City I decided that the drive to Reno was a little more than I wanted to do, so changed my reservations.

While driving through Carson City I started to wonder what sort of people lived there… there were several groups sitting out on the street in lawn chairs! As I drove around a little more I came across several class car gatherings… I can only imagine people were there to watch them cruise down the main-drag. I was quite tired from the driving so headed to bed rather early… but it would have been nice to look around a little more.

Sunday morning I checked out of my hotel and headed across the street for some breakfast. I didn’t know what anyone else was planing on doing (and the anti-social part of me didn’t get other people’s phone numbers). After breakfast I headed out on NV88 towards California.

Total Distance: 148 miles

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As I was driving through the Carson Valley, the Sierra Mountains towering to the West, I just had to stop and take some photos. I found a nice little backroad where I could get views with the valley and with the mountains.

After taking a few photos (please excuse the bugs all over the windshield) I headed back onto the road. The roads were mostly two lanes and in fairly decent shape. Things never became too narrow and for the most part things kept moving with reasonable speed limits.

From time to time I found myself behind a slower moving vehicle, but the road has all sorts of passing opportunities. I must say that the G8 is great with passing lanes… just drop it into third gear and away you go! Just watch-out for oncoming CHP officers! The V1 picked him up, but by that point I was out in the passing lane… he put on his brakes as I went by, but didn’t turn around to come after me (thankfully).

Before exiting the Sierras I stopped at an overlook to take a few more photos. It happened to be in an avalanche area (no stopping, no peds, etc.), but I didn’t think it would be too big of a deal. The photos were worth the risk of being buried under a wall of snow (all six inches of it).

Most of the drive on CA88 was really pleasurable. I didn’t have much company on the road, but that allowed me to relax and not sweat passing people. I turned off onto CA26 to get some extra curves in before getting back into the boring multi-lane freeways. It was a really nice section of roads with lots of curves and elevation changes.

It was at this point that I learned something interesting about the G8… it knows when you are going downhill and shifts accordingly. Most of the time I do my driving in ‘Sport Mode’, but more and more I find myself switching-over to ‘Manual Mode’ when going through the hills. I was going down hill and noticed the transmission was ‘bogging down’ the car, so put it manually into 6th gear to minimize the resistance. Well, this drastically changed the cars stopping characteristics (no nearly as much slowing you down) while going downhill. It only took a few squealing corners to teach me to keep the car in a lower gear, even if it is ‘bogging down’ (aka. doing it’s job slowing me down).

The remainder of the drive home was typical California highway driving… nothing too special. One thing of note however was the crazy high temperatures in the valley. When I stopped in Lodi for something to drink it was 109°… when I went through Manteca it was 111°! I’m really glad that I was able to spend the weekend in the low-80’s and not in the triple digits!

All-in-all it was a really great weekend of driving. The GTO folks were very welcoming and made the drive much more enjoyable. Unfortunately I will not be able to attend their Tilden Park Cruise & BBQ in July, but I think quite a few will be joining the G8 cruise to Half-Moon Bay in August.

NorCal GOATs Sonic Drive-In

Some of the NorCal GTOs gathered tonight in Stockton for a drive-in at Sonics. There was talk of having many non-Pontiacs (LSx meet type of thing), but for the most part it was the GTOs. I decided to take a longer drive, taking back roads rather than the freeway, and it was enjoyable. I washed the G8 last night, but after driving through the countryside there were many bugs stuck to the front-end… oh well!

I arrived at the meet a little early (the drive over didn’t take as long as Google suggested it would), but it allowed me to get gas. Cars started to arrive and we lined-up and started talking shop.

There was one other G8 GT, which was awesome! It had a Corsa exhaust, giving it a mean sound… something that could be interesting in the future. I learned a bunch about the mods done, just in case I want to get more invasive with the G8.

Like always the conversation was really great. There was lots of talk about suspension upgrades (and the trade-offs they may cause), power-adders (superchargers, intakes, headers, etc.). It’s really dangerous hanging out with these guys (and gals) as it makes me more and more interested in moding my G8!

NorCal GOATs Santa Cruz Cruise

I am really spending a bunch of time on the road lately. This weekend I went out with the NorCal GTO boys again, and had a blast.

This meet has been on the calender for a while, but the weather decided not to cooperate this weekend. The forecast called for rain and it scared a few people away (they missed-out though). Dublin was rain free, but I checked the radar before leaving home and there was some moisture heading into Santa Cruz. I guess we’ll have to keep things a little slower…

On the way to the meet I had to stop at FedEx to pick-up my Valentine One (Radar Detector). I didn’t want to mount/use it yet, as I figured it would be best to read the manual first. Also, I wanted to enjoy the drive and focus on the road.

We started to meet up at the Santana Row Back Parking Lot. It was raining, but we were able to talk about cars for a little while. We were hoping for a bigger turn-out, but the rain killed that. There was a total of 5 of us… 4 GTOs and my G8. After waiting around to catch any stranglers, we headed out on the cruise.

Total Distance: 124 miles
Driving Time: 4 hours 1 min

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We started out down CA-17 towards and then took CA-9 to Saratoga. Nothing too exciting, but it’s really nice to be on the road with a group of people rather than just by myself. It’s also cool to see a trail of GTOs in the rear view mirror!

The rain was falling, not too hard, but it made the roads wet. We kept the pace on the slower side, which made for a more scenic drive… although the fog did steal most of the views. Then again, it was cool to see the fog rolling in-between the trees and up the hills.

CA-9 was great, a very nice two-lane road that winds around/through the redwood trees. I kept enough space between me and the lead car to allow for some more spirited corners, without encroaching too much. For sure this was a lot of fun.

For the most part the first half of the drive was not interrupted with many slow vehicles on the road. Unfortunately, this was not the case for the whole day… but more on that later.

When you are trailing someone who ‘tests the waters’ for you, it’s much more relaxing going around blind corners. There were a few sections of the route that narrowed down to one-lane. Not that they were bad roads, actually the opposite, but I probably would cut those out if I do this drive on my own.

I spent quite some time playing with the Manual Shift mode this trip. One of my criticisms of the auto in G8 is that it likes to go high gears way too soon (like 45mph in 6th gear). Sports Mode helps this a little (keeps things in 5th), but there are many times when going through hills that a lower gear is desired. I found that when going up hills 3rd gear was perfect, but the car will not stay in 3rd when cruising at 40mph. Going downhill the car was riding on the transmission a little more than I desired (not bad for slowing down into corners), so I’d bump it up to 4th.

I do have to remember that I am in Manual Mode though… the car is smart enough to shift to 2nd when I come to a stop… but being use to an Automatic can be a little embarrassing when the car doesn’t up-shift when you expect it to.

Oh yeah… and a note on the Manual Shifting… who’s idea was it to push forward to up-shift? I’ve always thought you pulled-back to up-shift… Oh well, I’m learning (fast) not to go the wrong way!

We reached Santa Cruz and parked for lunch at 99 Bottles. Lunch was good and the talk was great… lots of talk about mods, track days, crazy street action, etc. I learned quite a few things about preparing for a track day (what to bring, what type of work needs to be done at the track, etc.). I’m sure it would be something I’d really enjoy (Grand Turismo meets real life!), but putting that much wear-and-tear (brakes, tires, etc.) on my daily driver is really a worry for me.

After lunch we headed up the coast on CA-1. The weather was better (little rain), but the view was spoiled by fog. The road was also spoiled by many slow cars. Being in a group of people who want to move quickly… having a handful of cars going slowly makes things tricky.

CA-1 does a great job providing passing lanes and marking the roads with passing zones (not just a double-yellow ling for miles on end). If the traffic on the road would pay attention to the “Slower Traffic Keep Right” signs, it would have been simple.

I have to be honest, I don’t like passing slower drivers when it requires speeding, but when you are trying to keep-up with the front runners (and there are people behind you waiting as well) it becomes a necessity. The G8 GT handled every passing situation very well. The auto transmission (even in Sports Mode) still has some lag when downshifting to make a pass, but I started getting ‘smart’ and going into manual (4th gear) before making a pass. I must admit, the G8 GT handles great at higher speeds… seriously, if I didn’t have a speedometer I wouldn’t have been able to tell how fast I was going.

A note to (poor?) drivers in California (maybe they were a tourist?)… when someone is heading towards you on a two lane road… making a pass… there is no reason to honk your horn and pull-off the road… a 1/4-mile before the car reaches you! It did make for a funny story though…

Speaking of funny things… while driving on CA-1 we passed a line of maybe a dozen PT Cruisers. Many of them were all tricked-out with extra (plastic) bodywork. While it’s great that there were other people out enjoying the roads, it was kinda funny to see.

The group stopped in Pescadero (to pick-up some fresh baked bread) and then headed back out on the road. At this point I found myself farther back in the line of cars (#4 of 5 rather than #2) which made it a little more difficult keeping up with the front runners. I was also following someone who was driving a little slower (which is fine). The drive was very enjoyable… another great choice of roads winding through the redwood trees.

Before leaving Pescadero the group discussed their plans for break-off. I decided that I would just keep on CA-84 all the way home. The rest of the group broke-off at I-280 N. The rest of my drive was less than exciting… lots of city driving and traffic. The trip over the Dumbarton Bridge was nice. Niles Canyon was full of traffic (although I did pass one slow car to get some clear road). I debated if I should take Palomares Rd., but I thought I would just head home.

The day was a great one. If the rain had cleared-up it would have been a little nicer, but no reason not to attend the meet. It was nice to have a small group, but a few more cars would have been great too. I’d have liked to stop for a few photographs (even if the views weren’t spectacular), but I didn’t make a point of it (next time I will).

I think this cruise is going to be done again when the weather is a little better… hopefully soon!

A day with the NorCal GOATs

Last night I was reading about a GTO dyno day on April 25th (the same day as the Bay Area G8 meet). I checked-out the North Western section on LS1GTO.com and saw the NOR-CAL GTOS were having a meet and cruise leaving from Pleasanton! After getting permission, as I’d hate to crash a party, I signed-up for the drive.

Total Distance: 41.2 miles
Driving Time: 1 hours 37 min

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We started off meeting at the Stoneridge Mall at 10am. There were a crazy number of Cyclone Grey Metalic GTOs, like 5 of them! It seemed like everyone had something done to their car… from the mild to the wild. The G8 was receiving quite a bit of attention (probably because it was the only G8 there). I was able to show-off the progress of the mods, but I really wish everything was buttoned up.

After everyone showed-up, we headed out driving west on Dublin Canyon Rd. to Palomares Rd. I tried driving on Palomares a while ago, but didn’t get too far. I’m really glad we got a chance to drive on it, as it’s a great road. There was a large bicycle ride today, which didn’t help with ‘spirited’ driving… but at least the slower cars on the road pulled over to let the train of GTOs by.

After Palomares Rd we headed over to Calaveras Rd, another road I’ve been wanting to drive on. This is a really windy stretch of road with several one-lane sections. I found that the G8 was again spending too much time in higher gears, so put it manually into 3rd. There was more than enough power to come out of corners and no delay when getting back onto the gas. Like much of the day, there were quite a few bicyclists on the road… making for an interesting drive. So often I just wish that we could get a ‘one way for a day’ type of event.

The cruise ended at Dave & Busters. After some photos people headed in to get food and pay some games. Given the G8 was still in pieces, I felt my time was best spent getting work done. I headed to Livermore and kept going on the mods (all my electrical work is now done).

A special thanks goes out to the NOR-CAL GTOS for allowing me to come along on their cruise. It was great to meet everyone, and I’m sure I will be attending more of these sorts of events in the future.