What gear does everyone here use for the corners on the Dragon?

I drove it this past weekend and was in 3rd for most turns, with a downshift to second for the tight hairpins, and an upshift to 4th on the longer straights. I was trying to avoid too much wear on the engine (never went above 4-5k RPM) but wanted to see if anyone else just let their engine hang out in 2nd or 3rd get the whole way through. Did your engine overheat or have you had any issues since then?

thanks for the help!

-Rich

 

It all depends on you own comfort level.
I on the other hand 2nd in the corners, using the gearing to slow down leaving the breaks relatively cool and 3rd (red-line) on the straight'ish bits
My MINI was not even a month old, finished the break-in mile on the way down. I think i hit 4th once that week end
No issues w/MINI 16k miles now. Merlin's looking forward to the week at the Dragon this year 1-8 May

 

I'm with TheWrks. I usually keep her in 2nd gear, upshifting to 3rd on occasion, but I, too, don't do a lot of hard braking. My goal is not to do the Dragon fast, but to do it smoothly. This will be my fourth annual spring trip to the Dragon and Wanda has about 56K miles on her odometer.

Also, most of us stop at the Overlook, pop the bonnets and let our MINIs rest before going back to the Crossroads of Time, where we also pop the bonnets again.

Hope that helps!

 

That's TheWrks to you Clove or Scott will do

 

Oh, pardon me, Scott! I apologize for misspelling your username!

 

It's ok Sweetie your forgiven.
We will have to sit down and have a at the OTJP

 

Oh, cool! I look forward to it!

 

I agree with Clover...I'm not into hammering the Dragon...just completing it in one piece
Pausing in between laps makes sense as well...gotta let stuff cool down.

 

Plus the driver needs to rest. People don't realize, 2 back to back runs on the Dragon wipe you out pretty fast.

Steve

 

You are correct Steve, resting is a very good idea..

 

Absolutely important to take that little break and answer all the questions of the civilians (non-MINIers)!

 

That and so your pictures on Killboys site will be spread out.

I usually run it in 2nd. On the few longs straights I'll put it in 3rd to cruise to the next curve where the fun in 2nd starts all over again.

 

I think I stayed in 2nd and 3rd most of the way. Definately use your gears and save your brakes!!

I kept smelling something burning during my run and was really worried, thinking something was wrong with my car. Apparently some poor schmuck in a Prelude was trying to keep up with me. He pulled in the crossroads not too long after me and it looked like his car was on fire. Smoking brake pads really stink. All the motorcycle guys were laughing at him. It was great!

 

Yeah... the less braking you do, the better off you'll be.. if you happen to get into a spot of trouble with "brake fade", ease up on the e-brake and pull over immediately, gotta let the brake fluid cool down.. brake fade is bad bad bad, but not permanent if you pull over and give 'em a rest...

On a lighter note..

Stephen Hawking likes to drive the Dragon..

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-Hawking-B.jpg

 

[quote=vargasgal]I think I stayed in 2nd and 3rd most of the way. Definately use your gears and save your brakes!!

I'm normally in 2nd in my S. There is only one spot, that I remember, that I go into 3rd The only time that I really had a brake issue was the very first year when Mike (Mike and Donna fame), DaCrema, and I ran the Dragon really hard, early on Sat. morning

Hey vargasgal, Do you want to take a run with me??
Stephanie did last year and had a Blast

MidSouthMINIac Sam

 

we should take up a "pool" on how many cars fade their brakes out this year.. ( I would say how many fender benders this year, but I don't need THAT kind of Karma hanging over my head..LOL!)

 

Derek, the thing about the Dragon is that there are very few places to pull over! Therefore, easy on the brakes is definitely the way I like to run it!

 

I usually use third for most of the corners except the really tight ones. You can carry a lot of speed through the corners if you brake short and hard and get back on the power before turn-in. If you have DSC or traction control... by all means, diasable it!
We're talking dry road here. If it rains, it's just no fun.

It's very important to not cross the centerline. There is usually somebody coming the other way. They don't need the surprise & neither do you!!!

Be safe and don't drive over your head!

 

I hear you on the rain part...and it's also a "bit" touchy in the fog, too!

The thing that newbies need to be prepared for is the crotch rocket riders who regularly make insane passes on the Dragon. They take incredible chances!

 

...or the riders whose helmets are "head and sholders" over the double yellow line...

They would surely bust one of our headlights!

Steve

 

Ron Johnson from tailofthedragon.com, wrote this article and reprised it for MINIS. I make Dragon booklets for our AtlantaMINIS members and this article is always in there for our new members that haven't driven the dragon before:

HOW TO DRIVE THE DRAGON:

Drive the Dragon at your skill level - don't try to push it or keep up with faster vehicles.

STAY IN YOUR LANE, There are videos available for sale that show vehicles cutting the corners and taking chances that might appear "fun" while sitting in your easy chair. BEWARE ! This style of driving on the Dragon can cost you dearly. The challenge of the Dragon is to take the many curves in the best line possible and both lanes IS NOT "the line". Drive Florida if you like to straighten out the curves.

Do NOT sightsee. The Dragon is to drive, not to watch the sights. On many runs I don't even see what is on the side of the road. I'm watching the roadway way ahead.

Look far ahead at the road, curves, bushes, other vehicles, etc. If you haven't seen the hazards right in front of you, you are going to hit them anyway, so you might as well pay attention to what you have time to avoid.

We have seen deer, bear, turkeys, and wild boar on the roadway. Be ready to brake and slow. When we say brake we DO NOT mean slamming on the brakes. That will get you turned around in a hurry and it’s no fun looking at where you’ve been at any speed.

Maintain a "safe zone". Keep a safe distance between you and the vehicle ahead of you. Watch your rear view mirrors for faster vehicles. If you see a faster rider/driver coming up behind you, pull over to the right of your lane, slow down just a little, and wave them around. It is much safer to let a faster vehicle around you than to try to outrun them. NEVER stay left trying to keep someone from passing you. NEVER pull off the road onto the shoulder unless it is at one of the pull-off parking areas. It may be illegal to pass on the Dragon, but I'll let a faster vehicle get around me to protect my safe zone.

There will always be faster drivers than you. Don't try to be the King of the Dragon.

Drive the Dragon many times before trying to challenge it. Then you still need to respect it at all times.

DO NOT STAND ON THE BRAKES if you see danger ahead. You are much better off to tap the brakes and maintain control. Some 90% of the accidents on the Dragon are due to speed and then over-braking. If you see another vehicle coming at you in your lane, hug the white line in your lane. In all likelihood you can avoid trucks and trailers if you stay alert and watch ahead.

DO NOT be spooked by other vehicles. DO NOT make sudden avoidance moves. You might have to adjust your line to avoid a car, truck, or bike, but DO NOT lay on the brakes or turn off the roadway suddenly unless that is the only out you have. Motorcycles might dent your car, but that is better than going off the bank and hitting a tree sideways. If a cycle is in your lane that is their mistake and problem … don’t let them force you into a worse situation for yourself.

Trucks are usually traveling at a very slow speed and you should have time to stop and back-up if you see one coming at you and taking the whole corner. Watch for signals from drivers/riders coming at you. Many times they will escort a big truck over the Dragon and wave a warning to you to pull over. DO NOT ignore these warnings.

Avoid driving hard on the Dragon in heavy traffic times. Weekends from 11 am to 5 pm are the busiest. These are the times to lay back and enjoy watching the "show" go by.

The early mornings (before 11 am) and the late afternoons (after 5 pm) have the least traffic.

ALWAYS stay 100% alert. You do not have the advantage of relaxing on the Dragon.

Make sure your vehicle is mechanically sound and that your tires are good.

Plan to make several runs, the first is always a nervous one .... then you can have fun on the second and third.

DO NOT over-use your brakes. Use your gears and DOWNSHIFT. A good Dragon driver WILL NOT use a lot of brakes.

Focus - do not daydream. Watch the road, your mirrors, and pay attention to other bikes/cars/trucks.

99% of the accidents on the Dragon come from the following:
Too much brakes
Inattentiveness
Driving above your abilities

 

Thanks for posting this, Minimom! Everyone should print that off and memorize it.

 

Minimom, outstanding post! Excellent 'rules of the road'!

As for gearing, even in my lowly MC (w/ CVT, no less) I keep off of the brakes as much as possible, and use the engine to slow me down. This doesn't really equate to 'true' manual gears*, but I usually keep it in 2nd or 3rd. My engine for the 11.6 miles rarely dips below 4K RPMs. FYI, I'm up to 66K+ miles, and still no engine trouble!


-Paul!

*The CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) doesn't have 'real' gears, as it continuously varies the gear ratio. When the transmission is put into 'manual' mode though, it uses 6 software selected 'gear' ratios, and locks it in, taking out the variable element of the transmission. This way, I can use engine braking, have decent control over the RPMs, etc...

 

Paul, I have a CVT too! She's driven the Dragon many times!

 

2nd, 3rd and 4th, but I'm never in 4th for long.