build diary

January 17, 2005: The Seven and I had a fun weekend, breaking in the new tires under beautiful skies and weather in the mid-40's (about 6C).
There's still too much grit on the roads to see their effect on cornering but there's no question they're stickier. Where it used to be easier to slip the tires than the clutch when leaving a stop (seriously!), the tires will now hook up if I ask for full power in first gear. They're also more responsive in the steering. For the first time, I started wondering about a faster rack. It's funny, driving this car you don't really notice that everything else seems to be in slow motion until you get into traffic. Looking at the car, it looks shorter and more purposeful now. Odd. Part of that might be the increased ground clearance. I did raise the car by 1/2" recently and the new tires are 1/2" larger in diameter, giving me a total of 3/4" extra clearance under the sump.

The head is coming off tonight now that I've had my fun. Of course the forecast is for continued beautiful weather but I want to get this oil useage sorted. It'll be interesting taking a peek at my pistons, I've been pretty hard on them in the past.

I was driving a supercharged Miata this weekend when I wasn't in the Seven. I'll bet most people don't think of the Miata as a heavy, powerful car but that's how it felt in comparison. The Seven rides better as well due to a bad suspension setup on the Miata. Go figure.

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