Tail of the dragon trip

[sdskinner73]

I did the Dragon about 2 yrs back, we stayed at the Tapoco Lodge and it was really nice. They have cabins and a lodge. Super convenient as the bottom of the Dragon, food and lodging. I went in early spring and did a Thursday and Friday. No photographers on Thursday but Friday they did and bought some nice ones. About other traffic yes and yes, when I was at the hub (middle stop) there were police cars escorting a big truck coming around there, very very slowly.
For folks who don't know there is also a "Back of the Dragon" in Virginia near a sleepy town called Tazwell (most restaurants close by 8PM there).

I seek to always see those who think their driving skill is superior in a wreck. Especially now that I’m planning it, it’s my entire feed at times. Thankfully, not really going for speed myself. Just want to get away and see something besides a cornfield or highway.

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[barron64]

Been riding/driving this road for many years. TOD does not suffer fools...be humble in your driving skills. Drive it slow and cautious a couple of times, stay in your lane and pull over if some one comes up behind you. There is basically no run off area anywhere and you have to keep an eye out for people who drift into your lane around blind corners. Good tires are a must if you want to enjoy this road.

 

[sdskinner73]

Been riding/driving this road for many years. TOD does not suffer fools...be humble in your driving skills. Drive it slow and cautious a couple of times, stay in your lane and pull over if some one comes up behind you. There is basically no run off area anywhere and you have to keep an eye out for people who drift into your lane around blind corners. Good tires are a must if you want to enjoy this road.

Fresh contact extreme 02s currently. So shouldn’t be an issue there! Appreciate the insight everyone.

 

[MidwayJ]

For folks who don't know there is also a "Back of the Dragon" in Virginia near a sleepy town called Tazwell (most restaurants close by 8PM there).

Yes, it's not very close to the TotD, though. On one of our trips we stayed out near Shady Valley for two nights and drove The Snake (US 421) and the Back of the Dragon. Then we traveled back toward Robbinsville, partially on the very scenic Blue Ridge Parkway. We hit Diamondback (North Carolina 226A) on the way and stopped in the cool little town of Little Switzerland, NC. You can definitely spend a few days in those areas.

 

[barron64]

The Cherohala Skyway is also a must drive near the TOD. Runs from Robbinsville to Tellico Plains TN. More wide open, sweeping turns with incredible views, a fantastic drive. No services for maybe 50mi so be prepared.

 

[MidwayJ]

Could smell the brakes and transmission,

I experienced brake fade on my 19 GT the second year I went on the trip. I guess I had become a little more confident and drove faster than the first year. It was the base GT brakes, so before the next trip I upgraded to the Brembos. I also upgraded to the performance pack control arms with the air deflectors. Didn't have any issues after that.

 

[agmattocks]

If you drive like you have sense and let the trans do it's job (as it is designed to do) you shouldn't have any problems. I've been to TOD many times and have never had a problem in any of my mustangs.

 

[MACHtobers Very Own]

I was supposed to go last. year but the ashville hurricane and valdosta stuff threw a wrench into it. I want to do a

back of the dragon to tail of the dragon trip. But not take HWY between each.

 

[sdskinner73]

If you drive like you have sense and let the trans do it's job (as it is designed to do) you shouldn't have any problems. I've been to TOD many times and have never had a problem in any of my mustangs.

Maybe the question warrants asking then, I never really considered this. I typically sit on sport plus once the car is warm (I have an a10). I assume that should be fine? Not using track to remove TC and end up in a meme somewhere lol.

 

[agmattocks]

you should be fine in whatever mode your comfortable in. With my Mach I just keep it in the base mode and push it with all the nannys on and I still get over 1 g's in the curves.

 

[sdskinner73]

you should be fine in whatever mode your comfortable in. With my Mach I just keep it in the base mode and push it with all the nannys on and I still get over 1 g's in the curves.

That’s what I wanted to hear! I’ll likely be upgrading my brakes at some point this year. At the very least, new pads. Just got new tires. Long tubes on order, hoping to have installed in a few weeks. Possibly a lowering kit of some sort eventually. Sounds like I’m fairly well setup to not have to worry about the small things.

 

[ORRadtech]

Maybe the question warrants asking then, I never really considered this. I typically sit on sport plus once the car is warm (I have an a10). I assume that should be fine? Not using track to remove TC and end up in a meme somewhere lol.

Ecoboost Premium convertible here with the A10. We've been about 3 times. I usually use the paddles in sport +. I'm never the fastest (I don't trust my driving skills to push the car that hard) but I'm far from the slowest either. I found that 3rd or 4th gear was the most responsive, and fun, for me and kept it in boost.

 

[Ohio_Pilot1980]

Just throwing this out there, you might want to check out late March. There’s a big Mustang event in Sevierville, TN called Ponies in the Smokies. It has all kinds of activities, and several groups run drives ToD throughout the week.


We attended with a group called Red Mirror (they organize several other fun drive events as well — check out their site: Events – Red Mirror Events). There were around 70–80 Mustangs from all generations, and it was a fantastic experience for our first time joining a group run. They only ask for a small $30 donation that goes directly to a children’s hospital. Everyone was super friendly, some bad ass cars and we even made some new friends. It was a blast!

 

[sdskinner73]

Just throwing this out there, you might want to check out late March. There’s a big Mustang event in Sevierville, TN called Ponies in the Smokies. It has all kinds of activities, and several groups run drives ToD throughout the week.


We attended with a group called Red Mirror (they organize several other fun drive events as well — check out their site: Events – Red Mirror Events). There were around 70–80 Mustangs from all generations, and it was a fantastic experience for our first time joining a group run. They only ask for a small $30 donation that goes directly to a children’s hospital. Everyone was super friendly, some bad ass cars and we even made some new friends. It was a blast!

March may not be too bad. Cooler weather but likely out of the really cold days at that point. I’ve never been to PitS either.

 

[Ohio_Pilot1980]

March may not be too bad. Cooler weather but likely out of the really cold days at that point. I’ve never been to PitS either.

It's honestly not that bad, we've gone the last two years. We live in Northern Ohio, so usually the only iffy part is our weather. We drive and the last two years the weather has been great in TN. 50s in the AM 60s-80s in the day. It's a nice break from Ohio during that time of the year. Such a great event, lots to do each day and night. poniesinthesmokies.com

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