My first car

When I was younger, my father always told me that any teenagers first car should be a "scadonk" . His reasoning was quite simple "you are going to crash it, so rather crash a piece of scrap then a nice new car"

Strangely, my father seems to be in the minority in this opinion. Through my teenage years I watched many friends crash their fancy new BMW's and Mercs, watched their parents buy them a new one, only for them to crash that one shortly after, and every
time I remembered my dad's wise words.

So when eventually I did buy my first car, it was worse then a "scadonk"

I bought a  Fiat Uno that was barely holding together.

It had many problems. Its paint had not been finished, so if you touched or leant on it, you'de come away white, which is why it got the nickname "Chalk", If I turned left my drivers side (right) door would fly open. My boot's hydraulic lifts pulled rather then pushed so every time I had to open the boot, I had to use a plank to hold it open. When I changed gears I first had to search for the gear, and it felt like stirring porridge. It had a top speed of 80 and shook like hell when I reached that, but it got me to where I needed to go and it used the tiniest amount of petrol. It was a perfect first car!

And guess what....... I never crashed it , and (touch wood) none of my cars since,  but if I had it would have been cheap to fix

So to all you parents out there, don't buy your recently licensed teenagers new cars, because chances are they are going to crash them, get them a nice used car. It will get them to where they need to go and will teach them to value their car, so that when you do eventually spoil them with a new car, they will be more careful and more appreciative :-)

low profile tyres vs regular tyres

low profiles

standard wheels

I am so excited, this week I am finally changing the wheels on my Corsa Utility BACK to regular wheels and tyres.



So this week my life has been all about tyres and wheels. I've been looking up different information and the pro's and cons of "profiles"

So what is the big deal about low profiles? Simply....they look cool...well according to some people anyway. I personally am not a fan.







 Pros

Looks good, excellent grip and responsiveness due to stiffer side walls

They generally have a lower rolling resistance

They have superior sidewall stability under braking



Cons

Bumpier ride, sidewall/ rims more prone to bending on rough roads

Correct tyre pressure is more critical

Lower load carrying capacity per tyre

Less progressive breakaway

Much less mileage per set, Wear very quickly

Easier to damage if you hit a pavement or pothole

 I am curious to see/feel how different my Corsa Utility feels and handles and will be sure to update you all on my opinion of the change.

What do you think about low profiles vs regular tyres?

Tribute to a muscle car!

                                                                My ode to the Ford mustang

I have yet to come across a car that can make my heart race like the mustang can. The mustang makes me think of taking a road trip down route 66, of roaring engines, of cubic inches, of V8's and V12's. It is, to me, the ultimate muscle car. The sleek sexy lines, the hardcore evil nose. The Ford mustang was and will always be, the seductress of the muscle cars.
 The black widow, she'll lure you in with good looks but packs a powerful bite behind those smooth lines.









She was the first of the "pony cars" and the only original pony car to remain in uninterrupted production over five decades.

She has appeared in over 500 movies. Starting the James Bond movie "Goldfinger" And in Bullit, with Steve McQueen, they created the 9 minute plus unscripted chase scene through the streets of San Francisco that has long been revered as the best chase ever in a movie.

She has been in both "Gone in 60 seconds" films.Who could ever forget Nicolas Cages' characters 'unicorn', the magnificent "Eleanore" a silver and black 1968 Shelby GT500.

Eleanore

More recent movies include Hollywood Homicide where Harrison Ford and Josh Harnett drove around in a 2003 Saleen S281, War of the Worlds starring Tom Cruise and his 1966 Shelby GT 350, Reno 911 with the police cars being 2006 Mustangs and the latest being I Am Legend starring Will Smith who drives a red 2007 Shelby GT500 during the opening scene through the deserted streets of New York City.

There are four generations of mustangs, I myself do not like the styling of generation 2 and 3 as I feel they do not capture the spirit of this gorgeous muscle car. The 4th generation and latest Mustang though, is exquisite, finally a new mustang worthy of this title, worthy of such ancestors as the Fastback and the Shelby.

So which do you prefer? Old or new?


or is there another muscle that makes your heart race?

Driving in the rain

So its another cold and wet day here in Gauteng, a little late in the season but the rain still falls. I love the rain, unless I have to drive in it.

Sadly it seems the Gauteng drivers still haven't twigged that rain, can be dangerous, because roads,...you guessed it, are slippery when wet.

The idea is that we all slow down, break sooner but more gently,and are just generally more careful on the roads.

So to all the Gautengers out there this weekend, take it easy, your cars aren't racecars or boats.

E-tolls

So there is a lot of talk about the new Gauteng e-Toll system being put in place in South Africa. I am of mixed opinion currently.

Yes, it is going to cost some of us an awful lot of money each month, yes its going to pay for fixing up roads that should have been maintained by our government, yes we as South Africans already pay an exorbitant amount on our petrol.....but, on the other hand....wouldn't it be great driving on beautifully maintained huge 5 lane highways, especially if this tolling brings down the amount of vehicles on the road?

I am also wondering how they can even consider starting tolling when the highway renovation is far from complete? The N12 is still a complete shambles and a nightmare for those who have to use it daily. How can you start charging a toll when you have not completed the upgrade this toll is meant to pay for? And how can one highway (the N3) be completed so beautifully, including the fly over at Gillooleys without disrupting traffic, and yet the renovation of the N12 is a complete joke.

There is talk that this type of tolling system was attempted in Germany and failed, if this is true, then how will it ever work in South Africa?
And yet it is already running in Australia

What do you think? Will it work? Will you be buying an e-tag? or will you be part of the boycott? Have you attended the strikes?

How much will you be paying?

I have been reading up on the toll and there are definite pro's and con's. They have now changed the tariff to 30c/km with a cap of R550, but how long will this last? Will they just wait till we relent and purchase our e-tags and then increase the toll and loose the cap?


Here are some other articles on the e-tolling

http://www.iol.co.za/the-star/why-electronic-tolling-system-will-fall-on-its-face-1.1204519

http://www.cars.co.za/motoring_news/The_Gauteng_e-Tolls/634/

http://www.sanral.co.za/e-toll/

F400 karting- 4 stroke racing

                                                     Great fun for the whole family!!!!!!!

This sunday we spent the day at the Vereeniging Kart track watching Round 2 of the F400 Karting challenge. What a blast! If you love to race, love the thrill of speed and adrenalin then you have to consider this as an amazing new family sport.

F400 Starting line up at VKC

Training up the next Balwin

Balwin Family Team

4 stroke karting is a fast growing sport in SA, the great things about it are that firstly its fun, Secondly the whole family can get involved and most importantly it's affordable.




4 stroke racing is unique in that, the racing is run with only 4 stroke motors that are cheap and controlled to prevent cheque book racing and allow for fair competition. The classes are focused primarily at the F400 and F200 groups.  The classes are as follows ( thanks to Gary Balwin)

 

Classes 

F400  (Age group 15years to 55 plus)

This class runs the Honda 13hp motor. Designed for 1 or 2 hour sprint racing. The motor has certain controlled modifications bringing the power to 22HP at 5200rpm and the torque to 40Nm. Weight category is 175kg.

F200 Juniors (Age group from 7 to 14 years)

This class runs with a Hoffmann 212cc motor pushing out 12 hp and 19Nm torque. Designed for sprint racing of round 15 to 30 minutes. Weight category is 130kg. Sealed motors are issued with specific changes to the motors to improve performance but keeping consistency. Class is designed to allow for the children to start in this sport as a filler.

In the F400 races, teams consist of 2 to 3 drivers, which take turns to race their kart. In the F200, one driver will race their kart.

Balwin Family Team

 Each class has to compete in about 3 heats at each race day.
Many families compete in these races with the adults in the F400 class and the kids in the F200 class. It is a wonderful way to spend time together and to motivate each other.

Part of Team Mutti

 And best of all there are teams of all ages racing, even over 50's. It takes passion and commitment to get to the top though, as each team is in charge of its own karts maintenance during and after races.
Generally there is 1 race every month, at alternating Kart Circuits including, Kyalami, Vereeniging, Swartkops and Bloemfontein

Team Allstar

At  each race prizes are given  including trophies and medals and for the adults sometimes a shooter or 2. These prizes are not just for positions but also for team of the day amongst other more silly achievments.
The prize giving is always a laugh, with all the teams getting on well. I love going to these races and seeing these wonderful people having such a great time even after competing against each other all day.
At the end of each year, the results from all the races are tallied up and each team is given a new number, which they will race under as their kart number for the next year.

F200's going out to race

The Stig ( I think he's about 7 or 8 yrs old)

Tripod pushing their kart to the pits

Andrea crossing the finish line!

This sunday was an eventful day for many teams including one of my favorites Tripod Racing. It seemed that everything that could go wrong for them, went wrong that day, from engine troubles to loosing a wheel.

Tripod pushing their kart to the pits.......Again

 Tripod Consists of Andrea, Gregor and Murray

Tripod! No matter what, they'll cross the finish line.....even if they have to push!

sneaking the Kart through the pedestrian gate

with the help of the C.O.C

Murray! Exhausted after such a hectic day!