May. 15, 2003 - "It's alive...it's ALIVE!"

I've got about half a block between me and the nearest traffic light, and an almost clear shot. Check the water temp, needle is already straight up. I'm at about 3k in 2nd, and decide to roll the pedal down towards the floor.

So, I press the pedal towards the floor, quicker than I had planned.

VwaaaaaWOOOOOO! I FEEL the punch as the car climbs into the power band and the VANOS cycles. In almost a blink, the car is at 5k, 6k, 6.5k, time to shift and I'm at 60ish before I back off and get on the brakes, traffic and light ahead.

My God, this thing revs WAY faster than I thought it would, the light flywheel seems to be doing its job.

The brakes are excellent as well, hauling me back down to match traffic in no time.

I manage to get into the left turn lane, and make a U-turn, heading for the onramp of CA 78. No traffic in this direction, so I'm quickly at the ramp, stopping for the light.

No oncoming left turn traffic, ramp is clear. I let out the clutch and roll into 1st with some authority to 4k, then grab second and totally stand on it this time.

Man, I can FEEL the power, ass dyno be damned, my neck dyno feels it too, and the intake noise is sweet music. I blast through 2nd before I'm even at the top of the ramp, and power into 3rd, having a clean shot in the merge lane for about a quarter mile.

Stay in the throttle in 3rd, it doesn't last long either, but I'm doing around 90 when I hit 4th and still pulling and howling, both the car and I making noises like a beast. I'm fast approaching triple digit speed but running out of clear road ahead, so I let off the throttle, coasting back down to 75.

Car appears to be tracking well, and a few flicks of my wrist to check the steering confirms that it feels heavier at speed than the old rack did, and is more responsive. I like it, a lot.

I merge from the 78 into I-15 South, which has two more lanes and less traffic. Work my way over to the far left lane, clear shot to the horizon. From a 3rd gear roll I stand on it, and SQUIRT down the road. Grabbing 4th and staying in the throttle this time, I'm quickly approaching the 120 mark, still pulling strong.

The car doesn't seem to want to run out of steam, but I don't want a ticket, and traffic is getting heavier up ahead, so once again I lift the throttle and coast back down to a sane speed, at the same time working my way over to the right lane to take the next exit. I put it in 5th while I'm doing this, and note that the car pulls better in 5th at low RPM than my old 2.5 auto did in 3rd/sport at high RPM.

I'm listening to the car, no untoward noises, no unusual vibration, my only complaint is that the shifter is still KA-CHUNK notchy going into gear, and there's just a bit of side to side slop on the clutch pedal, which I chalk up to the temporary clip.

And for some reason, my face hurts.

I check myself out in the mirror, and the pain is quickly explained...I'm grinning so hard my ears are reaching for the top of my head.

Long story a bit longer, I drive the wheels off the car that day, trying to break in the clutch and shifter. I'm careful not to do any clutch dumps, though I did bark the tires going into 2nd once. I was a happy man, the car was much faster and more responsive than I expected, and just felt better in every aspect.

I don't even wince when I stop for gas and pay $2.49 a gallon for 91 octane, thinking at that price it's still cheap fun.

That evening I stop by my office to pick up a couple of things (mostly just an excuse to drive some more), and two of my co-workers are there playing Rainbow Six 3. One owns a '99 E46 328i Sport, the other owns a 2001 RSX-S, both manual. Both of them have "played" with me in the past with the 325is, and the results were usually in their favor, though I was never soundly thrashed.

They wanted to check out the car, so I handed Martin (the E46 owner) the keys so he could drive it, while Bill and I waited outside. Martin is a pretty aggressive driver (though his car is bone stock), and I had the pleasure of hearing my car wail up and down the streets surrounding our office for a few minutes.

He comes back, and I get real worried. You know that grin problem I was experiencing? It seemed to have spread to Martin. He's gushing about how FAST the car is, and he's in absolute love with the shifter, pumping me for information on how to get one and how hard it is to get installed.

Bill wants his drive, so he climbs in and takes off, snorting about Martin's shifter fetish. Now keep in mind that Bill is a die-hard VTEC poster child, a trait he inherited from our boss, who owns an NSX and an S-2000, and the RSX is one sweet shifting machine.

He drives off and I once again hear my baby being let loose on the side streets, and Bill is gone about twice as long as Martin.

Climbing out of my car, my worst fears are realized! He, too, has contracted the grinning problem, and Bill doesn't grin about anything. He simply says "VERY nice", hands me the keys, and walks back inside.

-to be continued