Two 350Z's on The Tail of the Dragon (Raw)

[singletrackrob]

Very nice video. I drove the tail a few times in a rented Crown Vic this summer while on vacation...great road but wrong car...lol!

[planbskater565]

I live in lincolnton north carolina im planning to go up this weekend in my uncles zr1 gonna be pretty sick i hope haha

[WeAreLowBrass]

What was your average speed?

[Z1NONLY]

@WeAreLowBrass I don't want to get specific, but this run's overall average speed (at least using time between a 4.6 mile stretch I could identify with landmarks) was somewhere under 51mph.

[wsouth1988]

1:28 ... You officially made my butt hole pucker back there. LMAO

But on another note... those Nissans are BEAST!

[MegadethGaGaHendrix]

damn dude you got balls.. i cant wait to drive this thing with my z

[Z1NONLY]

@MegadethGaGaHendrix Thanks. Do you live near the Dragon and/or plan on going to ZdayZ?

[MegadethGaGaHendrix]

@Z1NONLY currently im not in the states.. in japan for now.. but im military my next base will be somewhere in the states (hopefully east coast) but i have an 03 Z turbo among other upgrades waiting for me when i get home.

[TheJdmman2]

the cops pretty much just wanna make sure no one crashes

[MrGiovanidossantos17]

Isnt this in north carolina?

[Z1NONLY]

@MrGiovanidossantos17 We cross into NC at the very end of the video. This road is at the TN/NC line. Most of this video is on the TN side.

[Dakoder]

So are you pretty much aloud to go fast on this road..do cops both you?

[Z1NONLY]

@Dakoder No. There's a speed limit and people do get tickets. Enforcement varies though.

[faYte0607]

One of the better vids on here, awesome driving! What handling mods do you have? And what tires?

[Z1NONLY]

@faYte0607 Thanks. Suspension mods = RS*R Ti2000 springs, Hotchkis sways, Koni Sport shocks, SSR comp H wheels, (17X8.5 and 17X9.5) Quaife LSD, and Kumho XS tires. (In this vid, 275/40 17 and 285/40 17)

[fares856]

Good video. Nice place to take a drive. Where is that at?

[Z1NONLY]

@fares856 Thanks. It's near where hwy 129 meets hwy 28. That intersection is just on the NC side of the TN/NC boarder and the fun stuff starts as you cross into TN on 129. (although hwy 28 in NC is nice too.) The 13 mile section of 129 from the state line and down into TN is "The Tail of the Dragon."

[ShinigamiRota]

I love the whole fun fact of the immoral sense of the individuals hens leaving behind facts over all opinions damning those who race on open roads, as to their whole point of feeling morally verified knocking the racers for the road being faulted as the deathtrap that it is. To them I say Two choices, 1 Fall off the mountain or be eaten alive by my front end. Now which one sounds preferable? Watching a news report of some that died. they were there and they chose that way. To that note I say I.

[ShinigamiRota]

Hmm too bad you wr not up there around the end of April. I went roaring through. Just because i drive a 99 Black Vr4 dosent mean that i'm a deamon? hense what the local pol. are calling the whole event. Just because I left them all behind me all through the gap. they be just bad drivers maybe too afraid to push it a little sideways. You guys do seem to be coasting pretty well enough. The only sad part was I chewed up my tires. Nitto NT 850. BAD CHOICE! BTW carbon brakes wont get ya killed.

[frank252]

Good drivin but I don't see y ppl like the 350z its heavy and not very fast and on roads like tht its nothin special. I would merk both of those cars on tht road in my stock miata. Easily.

[Z1NONLY]

@frank252 The Z is "good" at almost everything and "great" at almost nothing. It's heavy for a sports car, but it has a healthy torque curve and "dances" pretty well.

As for your stock Miata; What kind of seat time are you working with, and what tires are you running?

[95gsx]

@frank252 I would talk shit, but you said it yourself...you drive a stock miata. Thats a straight up buttplugging car.

[Loserkidlots1]

Excellent driving

[SortaSerious]

Stay in your lane, never tailgate, amd push urself, awesome run...

[SortaSerious]

I run thru the mountains with my Z crew all the time, this guy is on point....

[Kirkster131]

Nice run. Nice lane control...

ZdayZ is coming up!!!

[69BlueL88]

FINALLY! Someone who stays in the right lane! so many friends of mine have gotten careless on twisty roads and found themselves in head-on collisions. Besides, having only one lane available makes it a little more challenging. Thanks for the good driving.

[madskater5]

also, the Z you are following that you said is stripped and purpose built...is that by any chance the one by momentum and nation speed?

[Z1NONLY]

@madskater5 It's the same car, but I don't think Momentum had done much, if any, work to the car when this was filmed.

[madskater5]

honest question...when you are doing your heel-toe, you are slow coming off the clutch. why? its oblivious cause when you jab the gas it revs up, then it comes back down, then the revs come back when you let off the clutch? kinda defeating the purpose there...or maybe i am missing something?

and please dont take that as a stab at your driving, thats good stuff you are doing.

[Z1NONLY]

@madskater5 I usually overshoot the revs a bit so that I have a sec to engage the clutch without upsetting the car. (Because I seldom get a perfect match between road speed and engine revs.) There's also a lot of straight rev-match engine braking, before I even go for the brakes. Brake heat is my primary concern up there, so coasting into a throttle-blip-downshift scrubs a little speed. Then my brakes have a little less work. (Slower than flat out though.)

[madskater5]

@Z1NONLY AH ok that all makes sense. Especially the part where it helps you slow down. Duhr on my part I guess lol

[ambientflier]

The wing on the black one blows

[Z1NONLY]

@ambientflier It's functional. That Z was a trailerd-in, all-out, track car. No interior at all. Just two race seats, insturment cluster, steering wheel and metal. Lots of metal. It's about 300lbs lighter than a stock Z. And that's with the addition of the roll cage.

[Z1NONLY]

@jerseystyle1

Yes, that's him.

[jerseystyle1]

@Z1NONLY I thought I recognized his car. ZDAYZ can't come quick enough this year!

[fatchick1o9]

Nice vid.

[banner788]

How fast are you going? Are you changing between 2nd and 3rd? Was up there yesterday lots of salt & sand. Can't wait for spring.

[Z1NONLY]

Yes, 2nd and 3rd. I might have been able to use 4th in one or two spots, but my brakes were already getting enough work.

[06109633]

Awesome vid dude! love it..

btw how exactly u mounted ur camera?

[Z1NONLY]

Thanks. My camera is mounted on a headrest mount from cruisecam.

[hotdogevox]

My knowledge of 350Z is limited to "Nissan and RWD", but what mods do you have thus far? I'm going to fathom a guess and say it's not a stock exhaust, at the least :p

[Z1NONLY]

My exhaust is stock but I stayed deep in the tach most of the time, and the Z sounds nice when the revs are high.

My mods are;

Quaife LSD, SSR Comp-H wheels, RS*R Ti2000 springs, Hotchkis V2 sway bars, Koni "Yellow" adjustable shocks, JWT clutch/flywheel.

[hotdogevox]

Must just be too used to the damn 4 cylinder scream, it sounds awesome man, period. So many ToD videos are boring, I enjoyed the running commentary.

[Z1NONLY]

Thanks. I just realized I included the JWT clutch/flywheel in the mods list. Those were not on the car when this video was shot.

[FliiiAfghani]

wtf is with this road?? never heard of it...

[Z1NONLY]

"The tail of the Dragon"

"Deals Gap"

"HWY 129"

All the same road, 318 turns in 11 miles.

It starts at the TN / NC line and goes down into TN from there.

[rileybrigden]

Nice drive. Where exactly is the tail or the dragon.

[Z1NONLY]

It's hwy 129, at the point where it crosses the NC/TN border.

[rileybrigden]

That's North Carolina and Tennessee correct, wow that 4,900km from my house. Maybe I won't be driving there from British Columbia, Canada.

[atruhondagrl]

Hopefully I'll be able to make Zdays next year. I did the Dragon in my SI. Watching this really makes me want to take the Z out there. Thanks!

[JDM600RR]

Sweet video! I think you criticized yourself a little much, phenomenal driving, even if you shoulda been in 3rd that one time. haha

[Z1NONLY]

Thanks.

[Dpearrow]

Zdayz! woo!

[msa0709]

That looks like a lot of fun. Wish I had roads like that near by me.

[Z1NONLY]

Me too! I have to drive over 700 miles, one way, to drive that road.