Being someone else's car and also being unfamiliar with it, I didn't push as hard as I would have had I been in the 87. I have an 86 with 2.8 but it's a 5-speed. The Formula is an automatic. There is a definite difference in a 3.4 and a 2.8, whether it be a manual or an automatic.
Sometimes, I had to manually shift it into 2nd going up some of the inclines. It didn't want to do it on it's own. I don't know if it was the elevations having effect on it, since we were often between 3000 and 5000 feet with extended climbs of over a mile.
Handling in curves was very good once I began to get comfortable with the car but again, I went into curves smoothly. With the 87, I don't mind whipping it into a curve. Without the ability to gear down through multiple gears, I sometimes ran in 2nd so I could use the engine braking and also to apply power as I entered turns.
Pat has slotted or cross-drilled rotors and maybe some upgraded pads on the car. Initially, I thought there was a problem with the brakes due to the low frequency grinding or rumbling noise when the brakes were applied. At a stop, we were talking about brakes (Scott had some brake fade) and I asked Pat if he had cross-drilled rotors, to which he said "Yes".
