Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Idiot driver
#1 Don't know why the person who posted this tagged it with "Type R". That's definitely not a Type R. The dashboard suggests a Subaru. Based on the low speed, probably a 1.6L TS.
#2 Journey starts from former Mowbray Camp at Ulu Pandan Road heading towards town, making an off-camber left turn into Sixth Avenue. Hilarity ensues.
#1 Don't know why the person who posted this tagged it with "Type R". That's definitely not a Type R. The dashboard suggests a Subaru. Based on the low speed, probably a 1.6L TS.
#2 Journey starts from former Mowbray Camp at Ulu Pandan Road heading towards town, making an off-camber left turn into Sixth Avenue. Hilarity ensues.
Crackdown on illegal racing
So the Malaysian police finally cracked down on illegal drag races in Gelang Patah. Malaysia's New Straits Times concentrated on reporting the facts while the tabloid New Paper focused on the innocent bystanders who were caught in the dragnet.
New Straits Times article
New Paper article
I learned about Gelang Patah some time back in 2003 from a friend. Back then it was just a place to have some impromptu fun away from the public. It was also where I made some friends like BK, Kelvin etc.
Over time, word spread about this sleepy little town near the Malaysia-Singapore border playing host to night-time friendlies. And it reached the usual bunch of losers who started using GP as another platform for demonstrating their lack of self-esteem and self-worth.
Soon all the car clubs knew about GP and that's when I knew it was time to stop going there as it would invariably lead to the usual one-upmanship bullshit.
It's one thing to have an occasional "friendly" in a remote area that's unlikely to pose a danger to others; it's quite another to go to the same hotspot night after night, on the same mods, against the same driver! If anything, the competing cars are just going to get slower due to higher wear and tear on the parts.
Drag races were going on every night now. It had become an purely ego-boosting platform. Or maybe it was the "promise of sexual favors" LOL.
These regulars never learned their lesson, despite having their cars damaged while trying to outrun the police. They know that no matter what, they could treat the police with impunity since the only variable was the size of the bribe. Police chases only added to the "thrill".
So it's no surprise that the big stick finally came down hard on all the people gathered there. Hell if I'm a resident of GP, I'd get pissed off too. For those who were truly innocent, my sympathies. If there's anyone to blame, it's the usual bunch of idiots who give all performance car owners a bad name.
Pasir Gudang holds legal races and all in it's less than 100RM (inclusive of fuel!), yet these people choose to race illegally and prefer to pay off police to the tune of hundreds of ringgit. If you fail to understand the logic of it all, you are not alone.
New Straits Times article
New Paper article
I learned about Gelang Patah some time back in 2003 from a friend. Back then it was just a place to have some impromptu fun away from the public. It was also where I made some friends like BK, Kelvin etc.
Over time, word spread about this sleepy little town near the Malaysia-Singapore border playing host to night-time friendlies. And it reached the usual bunch of losers who started using GP as another platform for demonstrating their lack of self-esteem and self-worth.
Soon all the car clubs knew about GP and that's when I knew it was time to stop going there as it would invariably lead to the usual one-upmanship bullshit.
It's one thing to have an occasional "friendly" in a remote area that's unlikely to pose a danger to others; it's quite another to go to the same hotspot night after night, on the same mods, against the same driver! If anything, the competing cars are just going to get slower due to higher wear and tear on the parts.
Drag races were going on every night now. It had become an purely ego-boosting platform. Or maybe it was the "promise of sexual favors" LOL.
These regulars never learned their lesson, despite having their cars damaged while trying to outrun the police. They know that no matter what, they could treat the police with impunity since the only variable was the size of the bribe. Police chases only added to the "thrill".
So it's no surprise that the big stick finally came down hard on all the people gathered there. Hell if I'm a resident of GP, I'd get pissed off too. For those who were truly innocent, my sympathies. If there's anyone to blame, it's the usual bunch of idiots who give all performance car owners a bad name.
Pasir Gudang holds legal races and all in it's less than 100RM (inclusive of fuel!), yet these people choose to race illegally and prefer to pay off police to the tune of hundreds of ringgit. If you fail to understand the logic of it all, you are not alone.
Friday, July 07, 2006
Subaru fanboys
SUBARU overated? As long as its handles much more better than an overated EVO. I dont think so its quite common at the moment. Its all about enthusiasm, knowledge skills and most important is the driver. -- SabeltOriginal post on ZTH forums.
Let me start off by saying that I have nothing against Subaru cars. They are decent cars for the price. Some of the fanboys simply have no clue about the competition though.
The vast majority of drivers (this includes professional drivers, press and motoring public at large) have always given the handling edge to the Evo in head-to-head comparisons with a similar STI of the same model year. Just last month Best Motoring (a popular Japanese automotive show) conducted various comparison tests among some 4WD cars.
One segment had the cars travel on a course with a banked corner followed by a straight with cones forming a slalom. The idea is to test the top speed and slalom clearance timing. Weather was clear. Here are the results.
| Vehicle | Mode | Top speed | Slalom time |
| 997 Porsche Carrera 4 | 227.21 km/h | 6.5 sec | |
| 997 Porsche Carrera | 228.84 km/h | 6.675 sec | |
| 2006 Lamborghini Gallardo | 236.55 km/h | 6.469 sec | |
| 2006 JDM Subaru Impreza STI (2L) | DCCD locked | 214.36 km/h | 7.108 sec |
| DCCD open | 6.684 sec | ||
| DCCD auto | 6.623 sec | ||
| 2005 JDM Mitsubishi Evo 9 GSR | ACD Tarmac | 216.13 km/h | 6.518 sec |
| ACD Snow | 6.247 sec | ||
| 2006 Audi S4 | 211.76 km/h | 6.433 sec | |
| 2006 Honda Legend 3.5L V6 | 174.96 km/h | 7.025 sec |
Even in its "worst" mode, the Evo 9 GSR clears the slalom faster than the JDM STI in its "best" mode. The Honda Legend puts out 300PS @ 6200 and 36 kg/m @ 5000, is a 5 speed automatic and weighs 1780kg. And yet it clears the slalom faster than the STI in DCCD locked mode. Ouch~!
A subjective test had Keiichi Tsuchiya drive the cars around Tsukuba Circuit and rate them on their drift ability. For the Carrera 4, he gave 95. Gallardo, an 80. The Evo 9 he gave a 68 and the STI dead last at 65.
I shall refrain from posting the track timing results as the STI had to retire from the race.
Evo overrated? Guess the results speak for themselves while fanboys can continue blowing smoke.
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