Driving advice

zagatoes30

zagatoes30

Member
Messages
21,034
Ok, I pick Matt's old Spyder (still can't get used to that spelling) up from Enblem next week and other than drive it like I stole it what advice do you seasoned professionals have for getting the best out of it both in terms of fun but also in terms of mechanical sympathy?
 
BennyD

BennyD

Sea Urchin Pate
Messages
15,007
Treat it like any other high performance car. It needs a good dose of caution in the wet but in the dry, give her the berries. Once you get used to her and you decide you want a bit more sound give me a bell and I can get the GS boxes you have, re-modified for a little more aural pleasure. I can tell you how to get the valves operational as well so you don't have to p!ss the neighbours off all the time! Keep the roof down as much as you can. Keep her in sport ALL THE TIME and keep your foot in when changing up. Leave the traction control on until you are really used to her as she will swap ends quite readily due to the short wheelbase. The harder you use her the more she will reward you. Have fun and enjoy!
 
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Chrisbassett

Member
Messages
3,909
I know it goes against every fibre in your being but read the manual. There's a lot of legal backside covering, but also some good info in there e.g. it tells you not to lift to change gear when using the CC system. It seems to have parts written by people who enjoy driving.

Sport mode is great, but don't be afraid of using non-sport if you're pottering round town or cruising, it's more comfortable for those times when you're not tearing it up and sport is only a button press away if quick changes are needed. There's lots of talk about it eating clutches, but IMHO that's only if you're pushing it all the time.

Oh, and keep the top down and make some noise!
: )
 
zagatoes30

zagatoes30

Member
Messages
21,034
BennyD said:
I can tell you how to get the valves operational as well so you don't have to p!ss the neighbours off all the time!
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One advantage of where I live is that we don't have neighbours who have problems with automotive noise, when you have been woken up by the scream of an F1 engine or angry hornets nest sound from the Moto GP bikes leaving the grid a bit of Italian V8 is not going to make any difference :)
 
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bigbob

Member
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8,973
I'm sure that you know all you need to know about a car being fully warmed up before going over half revs.

Personally I never lean on summer tyres unless its dry and the temperature is above 8-10c.
 
conaero

conaero

Forum Owner
Messages
34,672
zagatoes30 said:
Ok, I pick Matt's old Spyder (still can't get used to that spelling) up from Enblem next week and other than drive it like I stole it what advice do you seasoned professionals have for getting the best out of it both in terms of fun but also in terms of mechanical sympathy?
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Sell it back to me for half price and let me look after it :)

Seriously though, Benny has pretty much covered it but Ill add a few more.

  • Dont drive up peoples rears as you will chip the bumper up.
  • The CC are all a bit of a pig when cold and labours and cant make up its mind when to engage fully, when warm they are fine, so if you do a lot of manouvering when cold, back and forwards, you will wear the clutch. Leave it in sport and don't use AUTO, belive it or not, being heavy with the 'loud pedal' is actually better for the clutch as the higher the revs, it slams the clutch shut and wears it less.
  • Watch it in the wet
  • Some 3200/4200's flatten their batteries when left standing for over a week, luckily yours does not suffer from this trait.
  • Smile and enjoy
 
Grinzzz

Grinzzz

New Member
Messages
925
zagatoes30 said:
One advantage of where I live is that we don't have neighbours who have problems with automotive noise, when you have been woken up by the scream of an F1 engine or angry hornets nest sound from the Moto GP bikes leaving the grid a bit of Italian V8 is not going to make any difference :)
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No doubt I'll see you around then!
 
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