Dream Racing in a C8 Corvette

 

I went to Dream Racing at the Las Vegas Motorplex to try out the new C8 Corvette.  I have been interested in the C8 since they announced it would finally be a proper mid-engine car.  I drive a Porsche Cayman S which is also mid-engine and it is the best layout for a sports car in my opinion.  I like the looks of the C8 Corvette as well.  

The experience starts with a short video to set expectations and orient you to the track and performance driving.  That is followed by a ride around the track in an SUV. One thing unique about Dream Racing versus Exotics Racing or Speed Vegas was you don't wear helmets in the street cars.  Helmets are only required in their race cars.

Seated in the car I adjusted the seat and wheel to my liking.  I am not a big fan of the large center console but it did not bother me as much while driving either. I could get used to it. The feel behind the wheel was centered and good.  As we pulled onto the track and gave it full throttle and the traction control kicked in for a bit.  The traction control intervenes a bit more than I would like but still better than many other sports cars.  It's hard to beat Porsche traction control on the track.  I only bought 7 laps and that is not even enough to really get consistent with the line as you can see in the video, I am a bit sloppy and inconsistent.  The engine makes 200HP more than my Cayman S and that was very nice.  It also has a wide powerband but drops off earlier than what I am used to in the Cayman S.  It took a bit to learn to shift earlier.  The sound is very different than the Porsche but it is a good sound.  That comes through pretty well on the video.  The transmission was also very good.  The handling is also good and pretty neutral.  I did not understeer like the Ferrari 488 did.  

My biggest complaints with this car is the brakes.  Dream Racing even upgraded to some slotted rotors but they were a bit warped when I started, and very warped by the end of my session.  The chassis could easily handle a serious brake upgrade and if I was going to track one of these, a brake upgrade would be a must.  I suspect the Z06 will have solved this issue.  

The car is clearly heavier than my Cayman S, by about 650lbs.  You can really feel it too.  The center of gravity is also noticeably higher.  The chassis gets more upset when switching directions than the Cayman S.  The car feels like it is sitting higher, based on the handling.  I felt like I could not push it as hard in the corners.  Dream Racing uses Pirelli P Zero tires and maybe they are not as good as the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires I have on the Cayman S.  The feedback was good and with some more seat time on the track I could work around this.  It was certainly a fun drive.  

The C8 Corvette is a great car and Chevy has done a great thing here delivering a car like this at the price point they are asking.  Most owners will likely never track this car hard and they will be very happy with their purchase.  Those who do want to track it should consider a brake upgrade first, or consider the Z06.  If Dream Racing or Speed Vegas get a Z06 I may just have to try that.   

So far the cars I have tried at these track venues are the Ferrari 488, the Porsche GT3 RS, and this Chevy Corvette.  The GT3 RS was the best track car. The next car I want to try at the track is the Porsche GT2 RS.  

I have now driven 3 different venues as well.  Speed Vegas has been purchased by Exotics Racing so now that is at the Speed Vegas facility south of town.  I drove Exotics Racing back when it was at the west edge of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway area north of town. Dream Racing is in the center of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway oval track. 

SunPower Solar System online

 

We had a SunPower solar system installed on our house.  It consists of 20, 400W panels, 14 on the East roof and 6 on the South.  The total system generating capacity is 8kW.  Since the panels are on different roof angles, it is unlikely to get that 8kW since they will reach peak output at different times.  

We still have net metering here so we did not install a battery system yet.  Net metering allows us to sell our excess power back to the energy company and accumulate a positive balance with the utility.  During the times of year with higher solar generation than consumption we build up a credit which can be used during the summer months to pay for the usage that exceeds our generating.  Basically, you somewhat use the grid as a enormous long-term battery.  I believe as more solar powers the grid, these net meting plans will go away so I wanted to get in while they were still available.  The 30% tax credit was also a huge incentive.  Our system went online in April, the same month the utility raised the rates over 6% making the value prop that much stronger.   

Utility power meter for solar showing energy sold back to the grid (arrow left)

Here is what the dashboard shows for a full day.

The system requires changing your power plan and your house power meter with the utility.  The new meter shows which direction power is flowing.  You can also see the daily summary on the utility website.

The grey shows the amount of energy the solar generated and the house used.  The green shows the net power we sold back to the grid.  The black shows the amount beyond what we generated in solar that we had to buy from the grid.  April 12 was a cloudy day and April 13 was sunny.  Even on that cloudy day we generated most of what we used.  

Our system is sized to deliver 100% of our annual electric energy needs based on prior power consumption. It does not generate 100% of our peak power needs.  The system also does not supply power if the grid goes down.  We would need a battery system for that.  At some point it will make sense to add a battery system but right now with net metering and a very stable grid here it does not seem cost effective.  I do expect the cost of home energy storage to drop and the systems improve going forward.

Garmin InReach Messenger Review

 

I like to ride my mountain bike up in the mountains.  Sometimes I am in canyons between mountains where there is no cellular reception.  I decided I needed a satellite messenger so I could always communicate, and for safety.  I already have a Garmin fenix 6X Pro Solar watch, and a Virb Ultra 30 camera so I decided to stick with Garmin for this as well.  As I was looking, they just introduced this InReach Messenger device so I bought one.  

This device integrates with the Garmin ecosystem so the watch can trigger tracking and well as SOS and other features.  This device also pairs with my smartphone so I can use the smartphone UI to create, send, read messages and other functions.  Using the smartphone is very handy as it has a nice big screen and I am very used to interacting with it versus learning a new UI that is far smaller.  The device uses a Messenger app to connect and interact with the device.  The device can be used stand-alone though which is great.  If for some reason I did not have my phone I could still communicate.  

I had read some reviews about this device as it was just coming out.  One of the pro's was great battery life.  I have found the battery life to be stellar actually.  I am writing this article in April and I have not charged it since last year.  It is still over 70%.  I use the device about 3 hours a weekend most weekends, year round.

Messaging is pretty simple and it can automatically switch between WiFi, Cellular, and Satellite as needed to minimize satellite charges.  I have never used all my messages in a month.  It also sends my location every 10 minutes so my family can see where I am regardless of cellular connection.  This is great for safety.  

Overall I would highly recommend this device for people who like to go places where there is no cellular.