  We study the four-dimensional SU(3) gauge model with a fundamental and an
adjoint plaquette term in the action. We investigate whether corrections to
scaling can be reduced by using a negative value of the adjoint coupling. To
this end, we have studied the finite temperature phase transition, the static
potential and the mass of the 0^{++} glueball. In order to compute these
quantities we have implemented variance reduced estimators that have been
proposed recently. Corrections to scaling are analysed in dimensionless
combinations such as T_c/\sqrt{\sigma} and m_{0^{++}}/T_c. We find that indeed
the lattice artefacts in e.g. m_{0^{++}}/T_c can be reduced considerably
compared with the pure Wilson (fundamental) gauge action at the same lattice
spacing.
