I took a trip down both the Cherohola Skyway and the Tail of the Dragon yesterday, commonly known as Deal's Gap to those of you not on the east coast, a road consisting of 318 turns in 11 miles. I'm a long time biker so I have been on the road before and knew what to expect. My xA has the Enkei 18's w/Pirelli's and I was loaded down with 4 people and a days worth of clothes/food/supplies from a rafting trip we took. Coming from a WRX, let me say that there is no way I could have taken the WRX down the Dragon's Tail faster than the xA. For those of you who are wondering how the handling is on this car, I would put my money on a well driven xA with 18's over a well-driven WRX ANYDAY. We pulled over on the bridge by the dam (the south end of 129), got out and the brakes were SMOKING. The tires were almost too hot to touch. AWESOME. This car has exceeded my expecations by a large margin. Next up : Suches, GA. with a new set of TRD springs. :twisted:

 

WHY? Whats in Suches, GA :?:

 

nice.

 

Wow good to hear that coming from a subaru owner. I really like the Impreza, but could not even think about affording one. I am constantly impressed with the xA's handling. I think you are gonna love having those springs. :D

 

wow.. cool story! Fully loaded eh?!

 

WRXs aren't really known for their handling, they are good handlers but mostly because they produce so much grip from the AWD. xA is a lot lighter than a WRX so with the right suspension setup I'm sure it could thrash them in corners, just hope there are no straightaways.

 

Deals Gap is a killer ride. It's best on a motorcycle. I had a Kawasaki ZXR400RR from Japan that I took up there. It took about 45 minutes to drive down it in the dually with a trailer. It took 15 min on the bikes. Its something like 312 curves in 11 miles. I was tired about 1/4 the way in on the bike.

And this was my 400, Mine was green , blue and white.

 

Suches is a long series of long sweepers and a nice set of tight curves in the GA. mountains near Helen. I frequented the place on my bike until I crashed in Helen and broke my shoulder 3 years ago. I've been back, but not in a car and I have only been back two times. I like it more than Deals on a bike because of the enormous steam you can build up on a bike. The law enforcement are also cool as they are only there to make sure that when you fly up that hill at 80, you don't make a stupid pass on anyone. They will wave at you while you fly by at 100, no joke. Suches is a worthwhile visit for anyone. I plan to take the xA up there in the next 3 weeks.

 

The WRX handled well, but my Spec V that I had before it and my 944 would embarass it on any set of tight twisties. It's the crazy torque (not the movie!) and HP that kept that car going everywhere. With the right wheels,tires and stuts, the car would do well. As much as I loved the xA at Deals, I would love to see how my '83 944 would take it. The 944 is by far the best handling car I have ever owned. I think stock for stock, the xA would hand the WRX it's ___ at Deals'..that is, with the right driver. :D