August Travel 2009 Volume 8 Issue 5. Vette Chatter 1 VETTE CHATTER

Transcription

1 August Travel 2009 Volume 8 Issue 5 Vette Chatter 1 VETTE CHATTER In a move to shore up public confidence, General Motors announced on August 12, 2009, its unveiling of the 2 year product plan for the four core brands: Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GM. Included in this core is the C7 Corvette that will be produced starting in 2012 for the 2013 model year. It was noted that GM will continue to maintain the front engine layout that has defined the sports car for the past 57 years. This is great news as earlier estimates had pushed back the C7 through This also means that the Corvette Team will have the resources and the corporate edict to move full speed ahead on a new design that could see changes to America s sports car that included a smaller, lighter body, greater use of an advanced weight-saving materials like carbon fiber, aluminum and magnesium and perhaps a smaller engine but one that will provide the power to weight ratio that Corvette owners have become accustomed to. Superchargers for everyone? Corvette Chief Engineer, Tadge Jeuchter reassured that the creative team is always thinking advanced for the next generation Corvette and how to make it better. As for the actual design, many believe the C7 will be a transition of the C6 Corvette body style. However, many Corvette enthusiasts were immediately smitten with the Transformer s Corvette Stingray Concept introduced earlier this year at the Chicago Auto Show. Perhaps the design team will see that owners would accept more of a radical departure from the looks of the C5/C6.

2 Vette Chatter 2 Linda said, Promise me you will not drive fast or act crazy on this trip! I said don t worry about that baby. The wives will be along and wouldn t allow anything like that. Besides the police would be all over us if we tried anything like that. JP s group left out Tuesday afternoon. Chuck, Terry and I left Wednesday morning. The first order of business upon entering Oklahoma was to get rid of those nasty front tags. By Wednesday evening we all caught up at Grand Island, Nebraska. The first of several Mexican dinners were underway. Thursday, we made our way up the famous Sand Hill Trail across Nebraska. Jim and Vickie met up with an old friend. That guy was a real clown. Then it was on to Alliance for lunch, gas, lotto tickets. Next we had to stop off and see a big rock head. Crazy Horse is going to be one humongous statue. I m afraid that none of us on this trip will live long enough to see this art piece completed. A short drive up the road led us into Hill City, SD. After settling into our motel, having a little refreshment to knock the dust out of our throats, it was down the street to that World Famous Steak House. The name escapes me at the moment but they had really good food at really great prices. One of many high lights was about to begin. If you haven t seen Mount Rushmore for their evening program, you must put it on your list. Understanding the historical significance, the reason for it, and how it was made is fascinating. Three of our very owned were recognized for their service to our country. We owe a lot to the men and women of our armed services. Thank you Jim Spearman, John Paul, and Johnny and Tommy Eaves for the freedom that we enjoy. Friday, July 16, 2009 was another large day for TOGCC. For some, shopping was to be the word for the day. Others had a road trip in mind. Since I usually lean towards road trips, the following observations lean towards the experiences of that day. Jerry, Paula, Chuck, Terry, yours truly struck out for some more of the Black Hills unique scenery. First was Deadwood, then on to Sturgis. The town of Sturgis was making ready for the worlds largest motorcycle blowout. In about two weeks this town would be transformed into the wildest party on earth. We made requisite stops at a couple of the most famous landmarks, Full Throttle Saloon, & Buffalo Chip Camp Ground. Next it was a short drive up I-90 to Spearfish where the Black Hills Corvette Classic was already in progress. The corvettes from near and far were cleaned, shined ready to stage for the big show. We were surprised to see a couple of cars we recognized, Owen Whatley and Dan Gal both of the Red River Corvette Club. Callaway Cars had four Corvettes and there was a beautiful ZR1 as well. Then we headed back to Hill City for some adult beverages.

3 Vette Chatter 3 Saturday July 17, 2009 we resumed our forward movement to the next one of natures many wonders. When Chuck said to make sure and see the Devils Tower Wyoming, I thought yeah one more big rock. Well lets just say when you are in the neighborhood, this is a must see. This formation, volcanic in nature, pushed up through the earths crust to form this amazing landmark. There were climbers on the rock that looked like ants on the side of a mountain. Some in our group were satisfied to sit back and just gaze in wonder. Others, the more hearty members, struck out on the 1.3 mile trail around the tower. Paula might advise walking shoes to those who follow. From here we proceeded towards Sheridan, Wyoming. This stretch of highway had some really wide open miles that could be conducive for making time. My traveling partner, Terry Hawkins, was behind the wheel. I commented that on previous trips we often would reach triple digits. Now every one I have ever known, knows how to go for triple digits, press right foot to floor and hang on. This is because until now I had never known an engineer; Terry started pressing buttons on the instrument panel. He checked water temperature, oil pressure, and air pressure on all four tires, checked the rear view mirror and looked up the road and then assessed that conditions were favorable for above mentioned speed run. Terry Hawkins is now a certified member of the triple digit club. I shared this information with other members of our group via micro talk two way radios. Immediately several members set out to, unnecessarily, reestablish their membership. At Sheridan we settled back with an adult beverage then headed into town to that world famous restaurant. At the moment I don t remember the name. There was to be a short wait so we eased down to the local Chevrolet dealer. Low and behold if they didn t have an Atomic Orange ZO6 in the show room. Larry Horn was heard to have said, That s my car, that s what I wanted, and I guess he doesn t draw enough attention with his metallic cyber grey hot rod. Sunday July 18, 2009, after a little rerouting we headed up over Powder River Pass, and stopped for photo opportunity. When making these elevated mountain passes please note that potato chip bags will look like flotation devices. Then we were off down through a magnificent canyon. From there we proceeded into Cody, Wyoming where we met up with Dale and Judy Wallace. Being that it was early in the day, some went to The Buffalo Bill Historical Center, the miniature train exhibit and who knows what else. This night it was Pizza Party in the Motel Lobby. Wash the cars, have some adult refreshments and bed. Monday July 19, 2009, If you like driving mountain passes, and seeing spectacular scenery, this is a trip for you. After leaving Cody we proceeded up into Montana only a short ways and then back down into Shoshone National Forest up over Bear Tooth Pass. I m most impressed with these mountains when driving through them. I know of no camera that can truly capture the splendor that this creation affords. After coming down off the mountain we continued into Cooke City, Montana for lunch. We were going to eat at the World Famous Restaurant, I don t remember the name, but it was closed anyway. We went next door to the not so famous Bistro. There was no running water in Cooke City, rest rooms and porta-pottys were locked. We used a lot of hand sanitizer. Return back to Cody for a cold beer. Then it was time to go to this other World Famous Restaurant. Right now I can t remember the name. (Guess I should take better notes.)

4 Vette Chatter 4 Tuesday July 20, 2009, finally we are headed into Yellowstone National Forest. All us old timers got in for free on our old people pass. The youngsters that were with us had to pay $25 a car. We entered the East Entrance up over Sylvan Pass to beautiful Yellowstone Lake. Photo Op here, then stopped for 20 minutes to see a bear. We never did see the bear. Then on around to Old Faithful, she did not let us down. After about a 20 minute wait she blew her top. Into the cafeteria for lunch and a walk of the grounds, she did it again. We still needed to see the Grand Teton Nation Park so back on the road again. The Grand Tetons are spectacular no doubt. To me what makes them stand out is the surrounding area is relatively flat with the mountain wall all along the side of the plateau. What happens next will probably stand out as one of the outstanding events of this year s trip. Upon leaving the wayside park we each returned to the high way. Four or five cars entered the highway with the remaining cars had to wait for an approaching vehicle. After the coming vehicle passed the remaining cars entered the high way. As our custom is we try to return to all cars together in a group. This necessitated two or three cars having to pass the slower vehicle. Upon doing so one of the passing cars reported that two of the cars had once again reestablished their place in the triple digit club. Now we were only minutes from Jackson Hole where we were going to spend the night. We noticed that there were a couple of police cars ahead with their disco lights flashing. We assumed that this was related to the little fender bender that was on the side of the road. We slowed down to be motioned by but instead they blocked the road and motioned us to the side. What s this all about? As we were sitting there more and more patrol cars showed up. There were cars in front, cars in back, and officers walking up and down beside our cars. All I could think about is Bad Boys, Bad Boys, whatch gonna do now? It seems that we had ruffled some feathers of one of the drivers on the road. After about 20 minutes they gave us our driver s licenses back and told us to walk the straight and narrow that they would be watching us. Even no License Larry was getting off free. We only had about a mile left to go when Johnny Eaves decided to test the police again. Johnny pulled into a right turn only lane beside a police vehicle and then went straight ahead. Where about he then immediately got pulled over again. I guess he didn t make any comments about things being slow at the donut shop because he walked away from this infraction as well. Needless to say we tried to maintain a low profile for the rest of our stay at Jackson Hole. Our next notable event was our stay at Amarillo on July 23, We made our annual the Big Texan Stake House scene. This year the only member in our group that toyed with eating the free 72 oz steak was Big Daddy Jim. Fortunately he came to his senses early on and passed. Steaks, fudge, big chair, bears, photos, gift shop it was all good. Friday July 24, we all returned to Longview with many good memories, pictures, and enhanced friendships that will last a life time. We still will be seeing the videos from Vernon and Nelda, and Florida friends Walter and Red. Enjoyed our time with Nell Horn, who s never ending job it is trying to keep no license Larry out of trouble. Larry and Cindy Speaks bubbling personality is always a joy to be around. And lastly a special thanks to John Paul and Weezie for planning, coordinating, and keeping us all together. This was a major undertaking, and executed very well. Life is Good Dennis

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6 Vette Chatter 6 Who can hardly believe that we are already in August. Where did the months go to? We have been on quite a few cruises nights, tech days, dinner cruises, car shows...and just completed our annual Big Trip Yellowstone/ Black Hills. We are Rolling Forward, it is important that we continue the momentum and keep the suggestions and ideas for upcoming activities flowing. Please contact (Team Rada) Larry & Deb with your great suggestions. Can t wait to see you on the Road. Collette Stec On Second Tuesday the Monthly Club Meeting will be at the Jalapeno Tree in Longview, Texas. Restaurant is at the intersection of 259 and Highway 80. Meeting starts at 6:30 pm. Come early to enjoy dinner and great company. We have extended our dinner reservations with Jalapeno Tree. Starting in 2010 we will be having meeting on the First Tuesday. See you at the meeting. Weekly notice: If you are not receiving your weekly activities list please larryrada@sbcglobal.net and we can update our address. Interested in advertising your business. Please contact Linda Spicer.

7 Vette Chatter 7 The National Corvette Museum will be celebrating its 15th anniversary in early September and of the high points of the 4 day celebration is the raffling of this one of a kind NCM 2010 Corvette Grand Sport Coupe. The Corvette to be raffled is a collector s dream. The Arctic White 2010 Corvette Grand Sport features a unique black hood treatment featuring Corvette s Racing s Jake mascot ghost painted in the center bulge, much like those found on the 2009 GT1 Championship Editions. A red strip outlines the hood graphics and compliments the Grand Sport s red hash mark on the fenders. The National Corvette Museum logo on the B0pillat adds the finishing touch on this special edition. Options on this Corvette is a 6 speed manual transmission, chrome wheels, dual mode exhaust, black headlights and a ZR1 rear spoiler. Inside you will find a red two-tone leather seats and audio system with a touch screen navigation. Only 2009 tickets will be sold at a cost of $ each making the odds of winning very good. The Corvette will be raffled on the final day of the 15th anniversary celebration on Sunday, September 6, 2009 at 10:00 am central standard time. Cash prizes are also part of the raffle with a 2nd place winner receiving $10,000 and 3rd place taking home a $5000 cash prize. The Museum s 15th anniversary celebration begins on Thursday, September 3, 2009 when over 5000 Corvettes will convene in Bowling Green, caravanning from all 48 states. During the 4 day celebration, enthusiast can participate in events which include seminars, road tours, special displays, parades, auctions, a live concert and he main event which is the official grand opening of the newly expanded National Corvette Museums. Go to the National Corvette Museum website for more details.

8 Vette Chatter 8 Owning a high powered sports car like the Corvette can be an expensive hobby. This is especially the case if you use a mechanic; so knowing some information about your car and what it needs can save you money to use on go fast parts instead of on labor. Or if you re just a Corvette enthusiast and want to find production information, you've come to the right place. How to Read Tire Dimension Reading the side of a tire can be intimidating and at times, may seem like a complex algebraic equation. These numbers and letters each serve a distinct purpose on the fitment and usage of the tire. Using one tire as a primary example, let's learn what each set of letters and numbers stands for and then this process can be applied to any other tire. The Nitto 555 (275/40-ZR18 103W), is a great performance tire for your Corvette, but what exactly do these numbers mean? First, the 555 represents the tire model, which will vary from brand to brand and also model to model. Something to keep in mind when reading a tire is that manufacturers generally make the model name and number larger then the dimensions, because it s the name that sells the tire and not the size. Besides being in different size text on the side wall, they are also found in a number of different locations. The brand name and model are centered on the side wall, while the dimensions are closer towards the mounting lip of the tire. Once the dimensions are located on the tire comes the fun part. This is the (275/40 ZR18 103W) of the tire we are practicing on. There are 4 different sections of the tire to understand and we will go through in the order that they appear on the tire. So first up is the 275. The first dimension listed on the tire is the width, in this case 275.(See Picture Below) This and most other dimensions are listed in millimeters. So this Nitto tire is 275mm wide, which when converted into the English unit from metric would be 10.8 inches. When selecting the proper tire for your Corvette remember that it has to fit onto the rims you have so if the width is too wide or too narrow it will not fit properly and will create safety issues. The second dimension listed is for the side wall height, and is based on an aspect ratio of the tire width. In this case it is 40% of the width, denoted by the 40, which is determined by a simple equation: Tire Width x Aspect Ratio = Actual Sidewall Height 275mm x.40 = 110mm Remember that the overall height of your tire must stay relatively the same, otherwise your speedometer and odometer will not read properly. If you are going from a 17" rim to a 18" rim you will want a smaller side wall on your tire to keep the same overall height of your rim and tire combination. This picture shows the listing of the tires dimensions on a Nitto Tire, other brands may vary slightly in their locations. The picture graphic is 275/40/ZR18103W

9 Vette Chatter 9 The next set of dimensions is ZR18, this is both a dimension and a tire rating. The ZR is the speed rating where the Z signifies the speed the tire is capable of handling, this will be described in greater detail below. The 18 is the dimension for the height of the rim, obviously you would want to directly match this to your rim size, where the other tire dimensions can be slightly fidgeted to get the performance capabilities you desire. 103W, our last set is not dimensions but ratings for the tire. The numbers indicate the load rating of the tire, this is the amount of vertical pressure the tire can support when properly inflated, while the letter is the speed rating, again. Now you might be asking yourself, Why are there two speed ratings? The reason for this is due to an enhancement of automobiles over the past couple of decades. Where before automobiles were not capable of the high speeds they are today, so when tire manufacturers made up the rating system they figured a Z rating for tires that could withstand speeds over 149mph that would be OK. But then drivers like yourself with your Corvette are left asking how far over 149mph are these tires safe. Tire manufacturers then added a W and Y rating to specify how fast over the Z rating they could go. A chart is provided below with the complete range of speed ratings. The Nitto tire we are deciphering would have a Z speed rating of W then, and it would be capable of handling speeds of up to 168mph. Speed Rating MPH KMH M N P Q R S T U H V W Y (Y) Back to the load rating for this Nitto tire, it is rated at an index of 103, indicating that this tire when inflated can withstand about 1929 Lbs of vertical pressure. This is more then ample for your Corvette, considering that this is for one of your four tires on the car. Also Corvettes weigh in at about the 3,000 to 3,500lbs mark, so each tire withstanding less then 25% of their load index limit. Again a table is provided below for referencing the range of load indexes. Many times when buying new tires they are just a direct replacement of the old tire retaining the same sizes and ratings and sometimes brand as well. Knowing how to read a tire can be some handy information to have, especially when picking out a set of new rims and you want to select the correct tires to match. Or if you are keeping your old rims and just want to widen up the contact patch of your tire you now have the information to do so.

10 Vette Chatter 10 Chevrolet builds 1,500,000th Corvette and pricing is also announced for the 2010 Corvette Grand Sport. DETROIT - At the June meeting of the Greater Atlanta Automotive Media Association, Karen Rafferty, Chevrolet Product Marketing Director, today announced the recent production of the 1,500,000th Corvette at GM Bowling Green Assembly. "The 1.5 millionth Corvette is a great example of how Chevy is America's Brand," Rafferty said. "For nearly 60 years we have built America's Sports Car and this milestone is a solid proof point." The 1.5 millionth Corvette, built on May 28, is a white convertible 3LT with red interior and black top (similar to the first, 500,000th and 1 millionth Corvettes built in 1953, 1977 and 1992 respectively). The first Corvette rolled off the assembly line on June 30, Rafferty also announced pricing of the all-new 2010 Corvette Grand Sport. Pricing for the Grand Sport coupe is $55,720 and GS convertible is $59,530. Both prices include a $950 destination freight charge. "The Corvette Grand Sport achieves a 0-60 time in less than four seconds, pulls 1.0g on the skid pad and still boasts an impressive 26 highway mpg," Rafferty said. "These numbers are unmatched by any of Corvette's competitors."

11 Vette Chatter 11 August 15, Saturday. Board Walk in Shreveport along with dinner. August 22, Saturday /Dinner, Tyler Car Show August 29, Saturday. Tech Day at the Busted Knuckle. Immediately after Breakfast. Evening Dinner Cruise to Orleans's Bistro in Shreveport. September 7, Monday. Labor Day. Enjoy the day. September 8, Tuesday Corvette Club Meeting at the Jalapeno Tree in Longview, Texas. Meeting starts at 6:30 pm. Come early and have dinner and drinks. September 11-13, River Cities Corvette Revue. Car Show is on Saturday. September 19, 2009 Saturday. Open for Suggestions. Contact Deb or Larry. September 26, Saturday. Lou Viney Winery Sulphur Springs, Texas. Review weekly for details. October 3, Saturday. The 17th Annual Lone Star Nationals. October 4, Sunday. Tradition s Cruise Night. Tyler, Texas October 10, 2009 Saturday. Granbury Vettes on the Square sponsored by the Brazos River Corvette Club. Information about rooms and events are posted on the TOGCC message board. If you need more assistance contact Team Rada Larry and Deb. October 13, Tuesday. Corvette Club Meeting at the Jalapeno Tree in Longview, Texas. Meeting starts at 6:30 pm. Come early and have dinner and drinks. October 17, Crossroads Car Show Lindale, Texas. (Lets show up in big numbers) November 7, Road Trip. Queen Wilhelmina Lodge and Mena, Arkansas.

12 Vette Chatter 12 V E T T E C H AT T E R Monthly Newsletter of the Touch of Glass Corvette Club Website: The deadline for all newsletter articles will be the 22nd of each month. Send stories to junkfncs@classicnet.net 2009 Officers/Other Positions of TOGCC Collette Stec... President Russ Shepard. Vice President Paula Schroeder...Secretary Linda Spicer...Treasurer Chuck McGregor..NCM Ambassador Collette Stec...Newsletter Editor Russ Shepard.Website Administrator Larry Rada....Activities Dir./Public Relations Deb Rada... Courtesy Card Coordinator Contributing Guest Editors for August: Russ and Dennis Touch of Glass Corvette Club P. O. Box 4581 Longview, Texas Sponsored by: GLADEWATER, Texas