Photo of the Week #29

Jaguar Alive Driving Experience

About one month ago I received an invitation in the mail from Jaguar inviting me to their Jaguar Alive Driving Experience at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA. I signed up for a Saturday afternoon time and drove out. There was a large temporary facility constructed in one of the parking lots of the stadium. Inside were jaguar vehicles on display as well as complimentary beverages and appetizers. After a short marketing presentation we were off on our road drive in a 2013 XF 3.0. A brief couple of mile trip on the road allowed me to get a feel of the comfort the car provided driver and passengers. We returned to the stadium where three temporary tracks had been layed out for driving demonstration. On the first course I drove a 2013 XJ-R awd. This course had sand and mud put down to demonstrate the traction control, stability control and awd systems. The second course was a traditional autocross course. I drove a XF-R on this course. The 510hp supercharged V-8 was very impressive, as were the huge brakes. Both features helped make this big 4 door sedan feel and handle like a smaller car. Three laps around this course was a lot of fun and made me appreciate the power and handling the XJ-R has. The third and final course was a straight line acceleration run. I would guess it was about 900-1000 feet long. For this run Jaguar was providing their top gun, the XK-R S. A 550hp supercharged V-8. 0-60 times are advertised at 4.2 seconds. There is no doubt the car is capable of doing this. On my run I made 78mph before applying the huge brakes. The brakes made more than 1G of stopping power when bringing the car down from 78mph to about 10mph. Overall it was a fun day enjoying the best Jaguar cars has to offer. I hope I get invited back some day.

Photo of The Week #28

I need 4 tires.

My '05 Evolution is due for a new set of tires. Currently I have Falken Azenis RT-615s on the car. They have worn down to the point they won't pass inspection. One of the tires has a plug in it and they have gone out of balance. So, it is time to shop. Right now I have a new set of OEM Yokahama Advan A046 tires on the OEM Enkei wheels on the car. I have a set of  OEM BBS MR wheels that I am shopping for tires for. The Falkens served me well for about 10,000 miles. They worked good for daily summer driving as well as autocross. Advantage is not having to change wheels or tires for an autocross day. The three tires I am considering are Falken RT-615K, Kumho Ecsta XS, and Hankook RS3. Reading some tire tests in Grassroots Motorsports magazine and some conversations with my brother have me leaning towards the Hankooks. I'll will have a decision and an update in about one month time.

Photo of The Week #27

My 8 year old son took this picture at a car show. It is a Studebaker pickup truck.

Road Trip to Maine

Took a trip with the family to Maine this weekend. A couple of the driving highlights were VT route 9 from Bennington to Brattleboro. Always a nice drive over the White Mountains. On the Bennington side is the Hemmings Motor News gas station and small museum. Halfway brings you to the ski town of Wilmington. Then you reach the end in Brattleboro. The other cool drive is US route 1 in Maine. Loaded with old fashioned tourist traps and some glimpses of inland harbors and tidal marshes. made a stop at Moody's diner in Waldaboro, ME. It gives a you peak at what vacationing was like in the 50's.
This neat Russian motorcycle was parked in front of Moody's

Photo of the Week #26