Living with a G8 GT

License Plates

I received my license plates today. I guess Hilltop Pontiac will no longer get free advertising in my photos. That does give me an idea though… I should bring a few of my photos along with me on my next service, maybe I can get a discount!

Easter Egg Hunt

I have tomorrow off from work, so figured that Easter Sunday would be a good day to do a longer drive. I was right… in the mornings the roads were almost empty (other cars and bicyclists). This afternoon things got quite busy, but I was also in the heart of California’s traffic areas.

So, first things first… How did the GPS do? Well, THIS is the route that I intended to take. One of the nice things about the Garmin Nuvi 755T is that you can enter ‘Custom Routes’. Another cool thing is you can do it via coordinates, so I don’t have to worry about trying to find specific intersections. Last night before heading-out I entered in all the waypoints to be ready for this morning.

While there were a few things that didn’t go perfectly, having the GPS was wonderful! Not having to deal with a piece of paper full of turns was relaxing. It was even better when I decided to take a detour to the Golden Gate Bridge and then through San Francisco… I would have been totally lost without the GPS. The ‘Lane Assist’ feature of the 7xx series Nuvi is also nice for getting a heads-up before reaching intersections when you need to turn. For the future: 1) Double check the route to make sure they it doesn’t just make an out-and-back to a waypoint. 2) Make sure to have enough waypoints for all the ‘off the path’ roads, as it seems the Garmin likes to stick to the main roads.

Total Distance: 385 miles
Driving Time: 10 hours 59 min

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Given I was looking at nearly 11 hours behind the wheel, I wanted to get on the road early. Unfortunately that required waking-up early (something I hate to do), but it was worth it. I needed to get some money for bridge tolls, so headed off to the bank before hitting the road.

The first part of the drive was not very exciting (I-580E to Vasco Rd.), but the low cloud cover was nice. Once on Vasco Rd. the clouds were just over the tops of the hills and it resulted in some great views of the windmills. It was really cool when the sun peaked through… projecting a rotating shadows on the road/hills. Marsh Creek Rd. was quite nice as well, I didn’t see another car the entire way to Clayton!

The drive towards Napa turned out to be less interesting than I had hoped. The origional route I planned on taking a few more curving roads to get to 38°22’30.48″N 122°12’11.64″W, but the GPS decided to take the ‘direct’ route (resulting in an out-and-back). This resulted in my taking I-780W to I-80E, rather than Suisun Valley Rd. I guess next time I’ll have to make sure to hit that route.

Once in Napa the drive, while not very exciting, was quite enjoyable. The drive on CA-29 past several major wineries (Robert Mondavi, BV, etc.) was very scenic. After a short drive through the Napa Valley I turned to head towards Lake Hennessy and Lake Berryessa. There really was something enjoyable about seeing a road sign that says ‘Narrow Winding Road for the Next 36 Miles’.

Being Easter Sunday I’m sure really helped make this enjoyable. There was almost no one on the road, allowing for some nice ‘spirited’ driving. Part way around Lake Hennessy I stopped to stretch my legs, and took the opportunity to take some photos.

The drive around Lake Berryessa was fun, and I even ran across a deer standing on the side of the road eating breakfast. A little later on the road I found a turkey out for a morning jog (seriously, she was just running down the road). In addition to the wildlife, the scenery was also great… with several very impressive views over the pristine valley.

Once out of the hills the roads became quite mundane, but the scenery was great. Row upon row of vineyards, green fields sprinkled with yellow and purple flowers, and the occasional California Poppy… very scenic. I really should have stopped to take some photos. I had planned on taking a different route (through Calistoga) to the next ‘curvey’ part of the drive, but the GPS thought differently. It was not all bad, as I joined back up with Hwy-101 I passed a Napa Valley sign and took a few photos.

One of the main reasons I decided to go North for a drive, rather than down towards Monterey, was route from Hwy-101 to CA-1… Stewarts Point-Skaggs Springs Rd. (how about that name). I had previously read about this road on LateralG.org (which is a great site for driving road information). They ranked this road with a fun factor of 5 and a difficulty of ‘High’… they were spot on!

This road is really up there on my favorites I’ve ever driven on… I just wish it wasn’t so far way. The first part is very well maintained with wide shoulders, but a 30mph speed limit. The beginning area around the reservoir has a few cars on the road (in my case a truck towing a boat), so nothing too fun… but it gave me a chance to admire the view.

After the reservoir this road really wakes-up. There are some very nice elevation changes and lots of flowing curves. if you are willing to push it a little (they do a great job reminding you the speed limit is 30mph) you can have a really great time. There were even a few times I had the anit-lock brakes kicking in on into the corners. The few cars that I did come across were all great at pulling over to let me by. Just like the LateralG website said, after the bridge the road conditions became a little more sketchy, but it wasn’t ever too bad. The other nice thing about the less maintained part of the road… there is no posted speed limit (the GPS had it as 55mph). There are some uneven parts of pavement, but most of the one-lane sections of the road were marked. The twisties are really, really, fun… did I mention it was fun? Yes, it was a total blast!

Once I reached the coast I realized that I had driven through several of California’s very different and beautiful geographic regions… all I’d need would be snow and a desert and I’d have the complete set. The coast was great today, with no fog and lots of visibility. The traffic was about what I expected, with several slow tourists admiring the views, but nothing too bad (other than the 14 mile stretch into Bodega Bay stuck behind three of the slowest moving cars I’d ever seen). It did give me a chance to look for a place to pull over and take some photos of the G8 on the coast.

CA-1 is very cool when there is no one in your way, the 55mph speed limit is more than enough for most areas to be fun, but be prepared to get stuck behind someone slow. In those situations I suggest that you just take a moment away from driving and enjoy the scenery.

After heading down the coast I was really feeling like heading home, but the weather by the coast was just too perfect to pass-up. I made the drive down to the Golden Gate Bridge. I’ve wanted to go to the Marin Headlands to photograph the Golden Gate for quite a while now. The ability to pull-up a map and hit ‘Go’ on the GPS made this detour painless. There were a ton of tourists (like me I guess) on the roads, but I was able to find a few places to pull over and get some photos.

After shooting the bridge from the Marin Headlands, I wanted to try and find my way to the other side of the bridge to see if I can get a shot that I had seen before. While the light wasn’t right (would have been better in the morning), but it still made for some cool photos.

After photographing around the Golden Gate Bridge I was really feeling like getting home. I took the GPS suggested route, minus a few missed turns, through San Fransisco. Driving by the entrance to China Town was kinda cool. Once on the Bay Bridge the drive was just a quest to get home.

So in the end, I had a total blast. Next time I think I’ll cut the drive short before it hits 11 hours! I think that I have a new favorite road… Stewarts Point-Skaggs Springs Rd… and not just because I can’t say the name five-times-fast. Anyone who has the chance should seriously drive this road!

-Todd…

All finished!

The interior mods are finally complete! It was a fun process [Day 1] [Day 2]… even when I needed to take a drill to the trunk. Today I spend most of my time putting things back together. I’m really happy with the final product.

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.

Well on the way…

After a few days of tinkering on the G8 GT, I’m starting to put things back together. The GPS is installed and so is the front smoker’s kit. I am really happy with the way things are turning out… it looks so clean compared to the alternatives (dash mount, etc.)

What have I done!?!

I started my In-Dash GPS install today. In the end, I got the GPS installed. I still have to install the “smoker’s kit” that was delivered today. I’ll have a full write-up on this once is finished. While the process is quite invasive, it’s really not too bad (once you find all the screws).

Civilian EVOC

I’ve been wanting to see how a RWD car (like the G8) handles when the rear end gets loose for quite a while. I have never owned a RWD car before the G8 (especially one with 361HP), so didn’t really know what to expect once the rear-end traction was reduced (by acceleration or driving conditions). I’ve done a few ‘spirited’ accelerations and had a taste for what it feels like, but was far from comfortable knowing with the whole thing.

So, in a hope to get a better understanding of the mechanics behind the G8 GT I decided to take the Civilian EVOC (Emergency Vehicle Operator Course) that is offered by the Alameda County Sheriff. I figured I would learn a bunch and get a chance to drive on the skid pad… besides, the $200 course fee is less than a ticket for doing donuts in a parking lot!

Classroom:

Accident Avoidance:

The first time through we went 25mph, then upped it to 27mph, and finally 30mph. All three times I had the right lane turn green, so I wish I’d have had at least one in the left lane, but it’s quite interesting how much of a difference 5mph makes. The 25mph run was cake… but at 30mph the tires were squealing and steering input was much more dramatic. It was really fun to thrown around a 4000lbs police cruiser, at speed, in a controlled environment!

Lanes:

The first trip through going forward I went too fast and also turned in too soon… so much so that I even hit a cone! The key is to stay wide and turn in when the delineation cone (the tall ones marking the corners) is at your shoulder (I was turning when it was at the mirror). This allows for enough room to account for Rear End Cheat:

So, as you can see… just because your front wheel makes it around the cone (blue trace), doesn’t mean your rear wheel (and the side of your car) will (green/black trace). This explains why every morning I (barely) drop the right rear tire off the curb when I exit my place… I’m just not taking into consideration the Rear End Cheat.

Backing-up required me to take into consideration Front End Swing. Just visualize driving reversing in the previous diagram. So, when you are turning around an obstical on the passenger’s side of the car… when you clear the rear wheel (blue/black trace) the driver’s side front wheel (red trace) swings out wider than the rear wheel did (as does the front bumper). The key here is to stay close to the inside of the turn (giving the front end more move to swing), and once the delineation cone is at the rear axle (the pivot point when turning while reversing) you crank the wheel and point the rear towards the next apex (so to stay as close as you can for the next set of turns).

The backing-up turned out to be the weak point for most of the people in the course… there was always along line of people waiting to go. I had no problems in this part. I guess I have to thank my Father for throwing me the keys to the Suburban when I got my permit… and then forcing me to drive around backwards in a parking lot for an hour.

J-Turn (w/ABS):

Now this was fun! I just wish they didn’t have us ‘panic breaking’ to a stop… even at 35mph I didn’t really need them all that much to make the corner. The instructor reprimanded me for not ‘stomping’ on the brakes (10 of 10: what this drill was to allow us to experience), but then complimented me on the threshold breaking technique (7, 8, 9).

One thing that I did learn during this exercise is that I cross-over my hands/arms when making turns… rather than shuffle steering. The first run at 25mph it wasn’t an issue, but at 35mph I was at the maximum of what I could turn (with no room to add more steering input). The second run at 30mph I really concentrated on the shuffle steering and it when much better. I will need to practice this one over time.

T-Box & Parallel Parking:

The T-Box fairly straightforward drill, you drive into the box towards the left side… then back-up… and drive out of the box. This drill again worked with Rear End Cheat and Front End Swing. Same concepts as the other drills, just keep to the outside when going forward and the inside when backing-up.

Parallel Parking is just what it sounds like. I was really surprised how well I did with this given my complete lack of experience with parallel parking. The first run I did back into the cone (car) at the rear of the space, but once I learned where the trunk of the car was I did fine. By the second run I was feeling quite confident. Now, don’t ask me to parallel park in San Francisco, on a hill, on the wrong side of the street!

Two-Driveways:

Slalom Course (Forward & Reverse):

Going forwards was a no-brainer (for me), even did it without needing to touch the brakes (I kept going back for more throttle). Backing-up was quite a bit harder (and like before there was a huge line). I found that while I was able to make the turns towards the passenger’s side, it was seeing the driver’s side cones that rough. A real pain in the neck, literally. The idea for backing-up is to start your turn when the cone was blocked by the C-Pillar (winshield = A, door = B, rear window = C), which puts it right by the rear axle. You also want to turn the wheel quickly and make zig-zags, rather than wider archs. The first run I did OK, but had a tough time picking-up the last few cones… but I didn’t hit anything. The second and third runs went much smoother (didn’t even need to touch the brakes).

Skid Pad:

I was one of the first two people to take the course (two at a time). We also had a passenger (for the first time of the day), making things quite a bit more ‘stressful’. So, first trip around the turn and what do I do? Totally loop it… almost a 360… with no control what-so-ever. I felt really bad for my passenger, but she did well. After a few laps I started to get a much better feel for the car and what is needed to get around the corners smoothly. Like the instructor said, “Dance with the car”. I did make the mistake to not look where I wanted to go, and not just out the windshield (with no regard to where the car was going). I had several runs where I did the entire turn in a smooth ‘drift’.

Half way though our 10 minutes on the skid pad we reversed direction on the course (from clockwise to counter-clockwise). This worked much better for me, as I could pass the inside cones very close to the driver’s side door without the risk of hitting them. Sadly, my time behind the wheel was up quickly (despite being given an extra 5 minutes).

Now, I’m a terrible passenger when driving on the roads… and now I had to be a passenger inside a car on a skid pad! Turns out it wasn’t too bad. Maybe it was because I was helping guide/instruct… rather than stomp on an imaginary brake peddle! The person I was with had a hard time keeping up speed going into the corners, so wasn’t getting totally though them… but it got much better towards the end of her time.

So I was done driving, but one of the other students (who was having some difficulties throughout the day) needed a passenger. I guess I made a good impression on the instructor because he asked me to ride with her and give her some instructions/tips as we went around. Unfortunately the driver wasn’t being aggressive enough with the throttle, so was entering the corners too slow and not giving enough throttle to induce oversteer (despite me shouting “GAS, GAS, GAS!”). The one time she looped the rear I congratulated her and encouraged her to do it again. The instructor took over in-car, but it didn’t seem to make much difference.

Wrap-up:

Laundry Day

I was not planning on taking a drive this weekend, so far as to tell people at work that I was just going to stay home, but I found myself drawn to the G8 GT. I knew I was going to head to my parent’s house for laundry/dinner, so I figured I’d take the long way.

Total Distance: 112 miles
Driving Time: 4 hours 26 min

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I figured that I would stick to the local curvy roads today and not do anything too extreme. As I was starting out I noticed a few nice BMW and Mercs leaving Hooters, but no one was headed my way. At this point it started to sprinkle. I hadn’t even thought to check the weather, but who cares… I’m not a witch!

In general, nothing too crazy. I had to deal with some traffic on Foothill Rd, so decided to just enjoy the drive. I wish I could have had some more fun towards the Sunol end of the road, but there is always next time. I really think in the summer this road would be a great place to think about some car-to-car photos… there are lots of trees that hang over the road.

I was going to Livermore to do laundry, but rather than take Hwy-84 (which is no longer an exciting drive), I headed north to Highland Rd. While driving through Pleasanton wasn’t too thrilling, Highland Rd. is a fun stretch that I am driving more and more.

So I stopped at the Parent’s place and threw in my laundry. While I waited for the wash cycle to finish I took the time to eat some lunch (potatoes with chili). It was a nice little pit-stop.

Once the clothes were in the dryer, I headed out towards the hills East of Livermore. Once I turned onto Cross Rd. I found myself stuck behind a STUDENT DRIVER! Ok, I understand you are a student driver… but the speed limit was 45mph and you were taking corners at less than 30mph! I guess this was as good a place as any to learn to drive… something other than a straight shot with little other traffic… but come on, just pull over and let me go. I’m sure I was making him nervous, but maybe that’s what the instructor wanted… the student driver to deal with ‘distractions’ behind them.

At N. Flynn Rd. I was able to get some free road, and it was very fun. At the 90deg left from South to North Flynn Rd. I decided to try out the Manual Shift mode. I’m constantly surprised when I look at the gear indicator (in sports mode) and see that I’m running in 5th or 6th gear when going 30-50mph… I’d really figure I should be in 3rd or 4th gear. The nice thing about the G8’s power is that acceleration is quick even while in a high gear, but I digress. So I decided to manually downshift into the corner. I figured that the corner would be taken nicely in 2nd gear, and I was right! Coming out of the corner I rolled into the throttle a little too quickly and the rear end started to slide side-to-side under power. It was really fun, and the G8 GT was quite stable/controllable… even when getting squirrely.

After going up the Altamont Pass I headed out into the central valley. The weather was raining on-and-off, but I was having fun and didn’t need to be home for a few hours. I went down to to Corral Hollow and returned to Livermore. There was a VW behind me most of the way, and I’m sure both of us were having some fun. Once to Carnegie Park we got stuck behind some slow moving cars/trucks. There is a really nice (steep) climb and decent, but I’ve not yet been able to get through this area with clear road ahead. Maybe next time…

I still had some time to drive, so decided to head towards Wente Winery. The road was clear, but doesn’t really go anywhere… just an out-and-back. After swinging by Sycamore Grove I headed home to get my laundry and have some dinner. I was really surprised to see how dirty my car was after the drive, but at least it’s raining.

Pi Day (3.14) Drive

With the talk of an April Greater SF Bay Area Meet on G8Board.com, I wanted to get out and try the route that I threw-out. It’s basically the South to North drive up Redwood Rd. from the Playing Hookie drive. I was quite interested to see what the bicyclist traffic would be like on a Saturday, as well as a few of the roads in the area… potentially resulting in a nice loop.

Total Distance: 114 miles
Driving Time: 4 hours 6 min

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Last night I had not decided if I would go for a drive today, so did not set an alarm to wake-up. I figured that I would let myself sleep in a bit, and hit the road closer to the time a cruise would be. I didn’t get out of the house until Noon, so there were quite a few cars on the road… including a Magnetic Grey Metallic G8 Sedan!

I wanted to get onto Redwood Rd quickly, so took I-580W rather than some back-roads. Once on Redwood Rd. I realized that the last time I drove this road I didn’t pay much attention to the speed limit. Much of the road is 25-35mph, but during a ‘spirited’ drive I was doing about 45mph… not too bad. Several areas would be fun at 35mph, but they are a blast just a little faster. I also found that I like downhill stretches of road much more than the uphill ones. When traveling uphill you really have to keep your eyes open for bicyclists (as they are going really slow)… compared to downhills where they are often going faster than you are! Oh yeah, on a Saturday there are easily 10x more bicyclists on the roads… they are also in pairs/groups that make passing a real pain.

Thinking of a car cruise, Pinehurst Rd. is really too tight for a string of cars when you have to think about bicycles. Also, there are several sections where… most noticeably going North (granted just at the end)… you find yourself on the inside of curves having to watch-out for the walls of rocks, bicycles, hikers, and all sorts of other things that may want to be in your way on the road. More than likely, I wouldn’t suggest this stretch of road for a cruise… I’m sure there is another way to loop around missing the really tight stuff.

After Pinehurst Rd, I did the now somewhat familiar route of Skyline Blvd and Grizzly Peak Rd (I still love that name). There was no one at ‘The Wall’ today, but the view was still quite stunning.

After leaving Tilden Park on Wildcar Canyon Rd. I had a wonderful experience with a guy on a motorcycle. I saw him come up behind me, so I pulled over to let him by. Once he made the pass I was quickly chasing after him. The downhill stretch to San Pablo Dam Rd. is nice and curvy and I was having a blast keeping up! I think this is the hardest I’ve pushed the G8 GT (I couldn’t tell you what speed I was going… my eyes were on the road) but the rear end started to get a little ‘light’ in a few corners (about half-way through I contemplated what the road would be like with a Pedders Track II Package).

Bear Creek Rd. is a wonderful piece of road… 50mhp speed limit and wide shoulders for the bicyclists. Make sure to watch your speed on the downhills, but on the way up the hill you will need some throttle to keep up to speed. While not too curvy, this piece of road is worth the drive… just nice and relaxing. It also connects to Alhambra Valley Rd, which loops around (West) to San Pablo Dam Rd., but can also go (East) heading towards Marsh Creek Rd. The loop around Briones and San Pablo Reservoirs is well worth it… all nice driving roads.

Unfortunately, once you get past Wildcat Canyon Rd… San Pablo Dam Rd. turns into something boring. Maybe it’s because I was stuck behind a street sweeper, but in general it’s just too populated. I wanted to drive Acalanes Rd. because of a nice uphill hairpin, and while it was fun, it was not worth the trips on Hwy24.

Now, for a great little downhill stretch that I will work into many drives in this location… Claremont Ave. Watch out for bicyclists, and I don’t think I’d drive UP this road, but it’s a fun little downhill.

I wanted to drive down Skyline Blvd a bit more to see how it is past the Pinehurst Rd. turn-off. The trip from Claremont to Skyline was less than interesting, but brought me back to the summers spent at the LBNL Advanced Light Source. Snake Rd/Shepherd Canyon Rd. has a cool little hairpin turn at the top, but probably not worth connecting into a loop.

Skyline Blvd. is a nice curvy road and goes quite a ways past where I wanted to turn-off… Yes, I missed the turn because I was watching the BMW M3 in my rear view mirror. There is a relaxing stretch of divided 4-lane road where you can easily drive from lane-to-lane apexing curves… but it doesn’t go anywhere interesting (other than a golf course if you need to use the restroom). After I realized I missed the turn I wanted (I can’t wait for my GPS!) I headed back up Skyline to Redwood Rd.

The connection road from Skyline to Redwood, a stretch I missed in the past because of driving on Pinehurst, is very nice. Just another reason why Redwood Rd. is my new favorite in the East Bay for driving. The name fits it well… driving through the redwood trees is a nice change (especially in the summer).

A caution for driving on Redwood Rd., there was a motorcycle cop at the entrance of Anthony Chabot Regional Park. The speed limit was 25mph and I was going about 35mph… and had no problems… but never know what is going land you a speeding ticket.

The rest of the drive was rather mundane, other than seeing a Hot White G8 GT (that needed to be washed) pulling in to get gas at a Chevron station in Castro Valley. I would have pulled in to fill-up (even though I still had a half-tank), but I wasn’t in the right lane.

I will make a few changes to this route to avoid many of the ‘poor’ areas and see if I can put together a nice loop for a cruise.

Upgrades on the Way

It didn’t take too long… less than one month… and I’ve ordered my first upgrade for the G8 GT. One of the first things I read about the G8 was the ability to integrate audio/video into the in-dash stereo/monitor. In the process, I learned about the ability to have a back-up camera that activates when you put the car in reverse. Given that the G8 GT lives in a parking garage that is a bit tight for maneuvering, this would be something I’d use every day. Well, today I pulled the trigger and purchased the required parts (Video in Motion/Back-up Camera Kit) from JHP Vehicle Enhancements. In addition to the back-up camera, this will allow me (with a few more adapters) to plug my iPod into the car’s stereo/monitor.

I had originally planned on waiting for my trial XM subscription to expire before getting the VIM/Back-up Camera, as I have found a few stations that get me by without my hardwired iPod, but I couldn’t wait after seeing JHP’s new (so new it’s not even out) In-Dash GPS Kit:

This totally factory kit allows for the mounting of a 4.3″ GPS (like many of the Garmin Nuvi units) in the dash. I had read about a GPS install lower on the center console (next to the cig. lighter) in front of the shifter… but it’s not very functional. Also, given I have a 2009 G8 GT… without the ‘Atari Gauges’… it removes the (stupid) little shelf over the center air vents that has no real function. This kit will require pulling the dash apart, but it will be great fun!

I’m for sure going to be taking some before, during, and after photos… and writing up a report on the installs once all the parts arrive. I can hardly wait!