@CJS: I have to agree on the Sub-Phantom thing. It's quite a pleasing speed
to cruise 'n chill.
As long as you can do BRs in a safe way it's kinda of a crime to have 100%
vital energy. xD I usually level it down on tracks where one can do BRs, and
later on level it up to go without BRs from there on. Having 100% at certain
stages is a good indicator for how long your run may last. For example, on
Anulpha Pass it's quite pleasing to have about 100% on zone 115. But anyways,
that's not the key. The key is whether you can profit from doing a perfect lap
when it becomes really difficult. Why? Well, on very high zones, depending on
the track, one cannot any longer judge whether he did a perfect zone or not,
because 'looking' at the HUD can mess up the entire run. But there is one
thing that really helps, it's the voice saying; perfect lap. Once you hear
that voice you know that if you now run without any scratch around the track
for a couple of seconds your vital energy fills up rather quickly. Within
these seconds one has to be rather strong to not touch the walls. It may allow
you to go 5 or even 10 zones farther in the end. One perfect lap with a few
perfect zones thereafter can make up for a huge difference. It's a pure
psychological thing....