Rut the Nut

Breaking The Blues Brothers Dress Code

2009-06-21T18:11:00.001+01:00

168/365: Breaking The Blues Brothers Dress Code
Originally uploaded by rutthenut

As part of my last-week/last-night 'leaving do' up at Sky, finishing employment with Smart421 after all these years, I went along to the Jake and Elwood Show at Edinburgh Playhouse.

This was a Blues Brothers-based show, with a great band, great music, and some cool characters doing their stuff.

I had come partially prepared, with a pair of shades in case I went to this show, so bought a hat on the evening. Doesn't exactly fit the look though, as I wasn't in black suit, white shirt, think dark tie. But fun all the same.

Auto Italia at Brooklands

2009-05-05T21:25:00.002+01:00

MWP_0154
Originally uploaded by michaelward_autoitalia

Had an enjoyable day at Brooklands, where the place was absolutely crammed with Italian cars and fans.

MWP_0058

Got to do a few runs up the 'Test Hill' too, along with some much more exotic and expensive machinery. This hill has sections going from a 1-in-8 gradient through 1-in-5 and up to 1-in-4 incline before the top - where brakes are needed to avoid a launch into the trees. The crowds lining the hill were a great sight too.

MWP_0254

Testa Rossa, anyone :-o

MWP_0194

Photos here originally uploaded to Flickr by Michael Ward (michaelward_autoitalia)

Not In My Back Yard

2009-03-15T10:29:00.002Z

Accuse me of being a NIMBY if you like, but I sure as hell don't like the idea of having a company start drilling for oil or gas just up the road from my house!

Where I live is on the edge of the Surrey Hills, which are classified as an 'Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty' (AONB). Given that status, you would think that planning rules should take that into account when someone applies to set up an industrial site in this area. Sure they'd throw those arguments at me if I wanted to build something that wasn't in keeping with the area, so why should a company (a bloody Australian company, at that) be permitted to ignore those rules?

I'll post more about this, but thought I'd initially post a link to the local action group that are campaigning against this exploration.

Please see TADPOLE - Tongham Against Development Plans On Local Environment at http://www.tadpoleactiongroup.com/

Early Morning Snow Angel Diptych

2009-02-02T09:30:00.001Z

Early Morning Snow Angel Diptych
Originally uploaded by rutthenut

Monday morning, plenty of snow outside - I had to create a quick snow angel in the front lawn before my 6am taxi arrived to take me to work. Gives Chris and Lauren something to smile about when they get up later, anyway.

Of course, car turned up, we headed on our way, then I got the text from BA to say my flight was cancelled :-)

Considering a TODO List

2009-01-04T09:41:00.003Z

Read a feature in the Daily Mail the other day (no, not about terrorism, scummy government, crime or rapacious idiotic banks) by Mike Gayle, promoting his most recent book: The To Do List http://www.mikegayle.co.uk/to_do.html

As usual, he has a great way with comedic content, even if this is apparently 'for real'. Having read a number of his books (Mr Commitment has to be one of the funniest) I may well get this one too.

Knowing that my own time-and-task management is pretty poor away from the workplace, I think that maybe I should create my own TODO List and aim to complete that in some predefined timeframe. Think I'll procrastinate on that a little bit longer though, got plenty of 'displacement activities' to keep it at bay ;-)

Also spotted comments in a Flickr photo posting about getting things done, with a link to the following blog showing one person's target: http://hundred1inthousand1.tumblr.com/

So, what I should do is to (a) create my list, then (b) publish it, and (c) commit to it.

Unhappy Chappy

2008-10-28T19:17:00.001Z

Unhappy Chappy Badge
Originally uploaded by rutthenut

Used one the 'fd Flickr' toys from BigHugeLabs to create this fake pass. Think it says it all really. Should I print it the right size and laminate it, then use it instead of official company pass cards?

Aaaaagghh

2008-08-23T09:36:00.001+01:00

Aaaaagghh
Originally uploaded by rutthenut

Self portrait I took in hotel room after work recently.
Perhaps you can tell how I felt... was happier after this.

Maybe I should do the Haka?

Top Trumps

2008-08-15T21:36:00.004+01:00

Don't know if you recall the 'Top Trumps' card games, where the fastest, most powerful, or most expensive car would win. Well, these cards are still produced and sold, coming from a German company - see http://www.supertrumpf.com/ - so I guess kids, of all ages, may still play these games.

Anyway, I was interested to hear that a set of cards is being planned for 'Kit Cars', and that the HF3000 Stratos replica from Hawk Cars (www.hf3000.com) is being considered for one of the cards. Statistics for this V6-powered car should do well in comparison with many others. How about 0-60 in 5 seconds, top speed 160mph, weight 900kg, power of 190-240bhp, price [when built] between £20K and £30K, depending on spec.

Be interesting to see what else may appear in this future pack of Top Trumps cards. Reckon an Ultima would have to be one of the top spec vehicles. Cobra replicas might win on paper, against the Strat, but I know which one goes best out on the track...

Bullet-Proof Bras?

2008-08-05T09:48:00.004+01:00

Article on the BBC news web site (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7541675.stm) describing how the German police force now have a range of 'bullet-proof' bras for their female officers to wear under their bullet-proof vests.

Only dubbed bullet-proof bras, they have no metal or plastic fittings, which could be forced into/against the wearers body if a bullet is fired at their bullet proof vest. That makes some sort of sense, but I really have to question the validity of the claim

...which could help save the lives of thousands of women police officers here in Germany...

What are the statistics for the number of policer officers in Germany that have been shot and killed? And of those, how many were women? And of those women police officers that had been unfortunate enough to be shot and killed, how many were fatally wounded by the fastenings on their bra, rather than by the actual bullet?

Any at all?

Typical bullshit marketing claims, I am sure.

Photo Credits

2008-07-29T15:38:00.004+01:00

Having put a bunch of my photos on Flickr (http://flickr.com/rutthenut) and allowed a 'creative commons' license for non-commercial use, I'm quite pleased to see that someone thought one of the pictures was worth using.

Took some pics when on a long weekend in the Welsh Borders, and one of the ruins at Tintern Abbey has been picked for inclusion within an online guide to Cardiff and Surrounding Areas.

http://www.schmap.com/cardiff/sights_panorama/#r=none&mapview=Map&tab=Places&p=324244&topleft=52.91221,-3.77106&bottomright=50.2472,-2.22748&i=324244_5.jpg

Don't think it's one of my best photos, but pleased all the same :)

Forza2 Stratos Livery

2008-07-04T12:06:00.005+01:00

I was recently directed to the following forum posting:
http://uk.gamespot.com/pages/unions/forums/show_msgs.php?topic_id=25857171&union_id=13629, which shows how one enterprising soul (Andy Raeside) has used the in-game paint facility of the XBox Forza2 game to put up some liveried cars.

My interest in this is because Andy has modelled the Lancia Stratos using the livery of my own car, which I know to be unique in the real world. I don't know about you, but I think this looks really good - well done, and thanks, Andy...

Full-size copy of his image is available here, if you want to see it in better detail http://ui18.gamespot.com/913/lanciastratosdemontweaks.jpg

btw, there are some photos of my real car on my Flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rutthenut/sets/72157603719929680/

Photoshopped Image

2008-03-04T11:19:00.003Z

From the Stratos Supersite Forum, Nick has put up some neat photoshopped images of the Stratos guys (pictures taken at Abingdon CARnival).

Nick has plenty of pics up at http://s144.photobucket.com/albums/r196/photonicks/Motorsport/

Brands Hatch Track Day - picture links

2008-02-24T10:16:00.008Z

On Friday 22nd February, I was at Brands Hatch for a track day organised by TrackMasters.
Got my invitation through membership of the MLR, as owner of an Evo VIII, but took my HF3000 Stratos replica along since that is just what it is built for. Other clubs invited to the triple bash were SIDC and GTROC.

(MLR: Mitsubishi Lancer Register, SIDC: Subaru Impreza Drivers Club, GTROC: GTR Owners Club)

I plan to do a short write-up about the day, but in the mean time I thought I'd gather together some links to comments and photos taken by attendees on the day.

MLR Topic
http://www.lancerregister.com/showthread.php?t=178024

MLR 'Raptor8291'
http://www.lancerregister.com/showthread.php?t=190808

MLR 'Whiteside'
http://www.lancerregister.com/showthread.php?t=190773

MLR 'Deenohunt' (Dan)
http://www.lancerregister.com/showthread.php?t=190881

MLR 'Raj_UK'
http://www.lancerregister.com/showthread.php?t=190893
Raj's Gallery
http://www.ifyouask.com/gallery/v/Cars/trackdays/brands08/

MLR 'StormyGuy'
http://www.lancerregister.com/showthread.php?p=1872338
Stormy's Gallery http://www.dreamtime-digital.co.uk/ and
http://web.mac.com/macdreamtime/iWeb/Dreamtime%20Photography/MLR_Trackday1.html

SIDC Topic
http://forums.sidc.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=107117&st=120

SIDC/MLR Hypermonkey video's
http://media.putfile.com/Trackmasters-Triple-Club-day-Brands-hatch-22-02-08-1
http://media.putfile.com/Trackmasters-Brands-Hatch-22-02-08-Mk1-Golf-and-Evo-9-440bhp
http://media.putfile.com/Brands-Hatch-Mk1-and-440bhp-Evo-9
http://media.putfile.com/Brands-Hatch-22-02-08-Scooby-fun

Expect more to come - I'll update as new material comes to light.

Jeep Mishap Saga Continues

2008-02-24T09:46:00.007Z

Hmm, think the Jeep is trying to tell me something.

Having enjoyed a long weekend in the Welsh Borders, driving up and around Herefordshire, Brecon Beacons and Wye Valley, returned on Monday afternoon. Dropped off friends and their luggage, about 5 miles from home. Small amount of smoke from front pad, which is odd as I hadn't been caning the car.

Drove off from their place and the front brakes were dragging, which is not a good thing. Decided to take the slower route home, but it seemed to be getting worse as the pads and discs heated up. Pulled into a side road, tried harsh on/off use of the brakes, in forward and reverse direction. That didn't free them up. Then went into a petrol station (parked in a bay, not by a fuel pump) and had a short break. Even decided to use the car wash - the car was filthy after all, and I thought it couldn't hurt to cool the brakes a bit more directly before going the final couple of miles home.

Came out of there with a cleaner car, no issues with water on the (partially cooled) brakes, but they remained stuck on. Enough for the Jeep to wheelspin the rear tyres when pulling out, before the all-wheel-drive diffs did their stuff. Extra friction was making the car really sluggish and gave the recently rebuild auto box and torque converter a bit more than usual to do in the sub-30mph traffic.

Got home, but of course by then the front brakes were really hot, smoke pouring off the pads once stationery. Unloaded the back of the car, called Namco to arrange remedial work and continued with my evening (preparing for work in Ipswich for the next few days, thrilling eh?).

Car was booked in for treatment and Billy did his usual good stuff. Turned out that the extreme heat had all but melted the seals in the calipers. New calipers required from the Jeep Chrysler dealer then (repair kits not an option), which meant a delay of a few days.

That stuffed up my plans for the end of the week, when I was intending to use the Jeep to tow the Stratos kit to Brands Hatch for a track day on the Friday. For that, I needed to pick up a rented trailer on the Thursday. With the Jeep unavailable until at least Friday afternoon, that meant I wasn't going to be towing the kit this time round, and instead needed to drive the car there (and back). Not much fun driving the Strat on the M25, but my main concern was with the weather. Looked like rain, for which I have a great set of wet weather Michelin racers, but they aren't road legal and you cannot even fit one full-size spare wheel in the Strat. So that meant sticking to the Toyo R888 'track day specials' for road and track. But I guess that's a topic for a further post.

Glad to say, Namco fixed the Jeep and it was collected on Saturday morning. Brakes work fine, and more importantly, they have an off mode as well as an on mode!

Seems that there have been a number of faults with the front brakes on the WJ Grand Cherokee over the years. I had read about some of these at the wjjeeps.com web site, but much of that was about warped discs. No mention of sticking brakes, but these have done over 100,000 miles on the car. Inspection didn't show any obvious cause for them to stick, but the heat had probab;y covered up any evidence. The sliding caliper design can be prone to this, on any car, if the pins are corroded or unlubricated, but they did not seem to be a problem.

Whatever the cause, the new calipers and pads are of an updated design for the Jeep, so they are supposed to be better in some regard. So long as they can do another 100,000 miles without problem, that would be good enough for me.

As for the earlier posts about warning lights, I do get occasional warnings from the ABS lamp, when the steering has been turned a small amount. Assume that is a bad connection or perhaps a partially-broken wire. Not something I will want to pay to be investigated and as it is only intermittent I'm gonna leave it be for now.

Despite these faults, I have to say I still love driving the Jeep. It is a great soother in traffic jams, with great visibility and that easy auto box. It can also be fun on bendy sections, at much slower speeds than in a performance car. It easily copes with hills and heavy loads. And then there is still the great V8 exhaust note, which can always put a smile on my face.

You just have to forgive it when it needs work from time to time, and even then it has to be cheaper than buying a newer car to replacement. My car has had all the depreciation hit over time and now just gives more and more value. If I were to even replace it, the only real contender for me would probably be a later version of the same car. Oh, with the HO 'High Output' engine too. Then I'd have to change the exhaust and put on the stiffer springs to make it more like the current one. So why bother. I like the one I've got already, thank you very much.

Warning Light Hell #2`

2008-01-24T13:45:00.000Z

As a brief follow-up to the previous blog (http://rutthenut.blogspot.com/2008/01/warning-light-hell.html) I thought I'd best provide the promised-for update.

First, the Jeep is due back soon with it's rebuilt gearbox. That will then need an 'adaptive learning' process so the transmission ECU will get to learn the shift points and characteristics of the reassembled internals (servos, bands, whatever else you have in an auto box). Will just be pleased to have the car back on the road.

Second, regarding the Evo warning light, I used the Tactrix OBD-II cable and some software on my laptop to query the fault codes. That came up with a list of errors, including knock sensor, speed sensor, o2 sensor and others.

To determine if there is a real problem underlying this, I used the 'clear error codes' option and then queried again to see what remained. This came up with a different set of errors, although the knock sensor was again included in the list. Repeating the query gave further sets of error codes.

On that basis, I feel that maybe the actual sensors were fine, but that there may have been some poor connection or maybe even interference (not really expecting that to be the problem). Not being able to get to the dealer at the time, I thought I would wait to see if the error code(s) decided on a repeatable set over the next couple of days.

Also found that it is possible to get error codes reported by shorting a couple of connectors (pins one and four) on the OBD port, which should flash the warning lamp to show tens and units for any errors reported by the system. You would still need to find the list of Mitsubishi error codes for this to be any use, but at least it is easier for most than getting suitable PC, cable and software.

After all of this, the electrical glitch(es) now appeared to have gone. The warning light is no longer showing on the dash, no problems apparent with the car. So, a transient problem. Still find this fairly odd, as I haven't been messing with any of the loom or related parts, so why had it decided to throw a wobbler?

Makes me wish back to the vague behaviour of Italian electrics ;-)
That is one of the reasons I went over to the Japanese marque, expecting reliability.

Maybe I should get myself another Integrale - it used to be quite entertaining trying to guess which of the many gauges was going to do nothing when the engine was turned on. Still love those cars. Much more than the Mitsi. But don't fancy the rust problems, the even-more-expensive running costs, or the limited space.

Warning Light Hell

2008-01-16T20:42:00.000Z

Not a good start to the year, for both of the 'road cars' in our household.

On New Year's Eve, the Jeep auto gearbox threw a little clonk. It followed this up with a a warning light and a vary lazy approach to changing up a gear. With help from pages at www.wjjeeps.com I found how to get the error codes from the system:

Turn ignition key on, off, on, off and on again.
The odometer then displays any engine management error codes.

Unfortunately, looking up that error code on the web only told me that further diagnosis is required with an OBD-III gadget that can interrogate the Gearbox ECU in the car. First option then was to use my local Chrysler Jeep dealer - estimate half-an-hour to an hour of their time, at 90-odd pounds per hour, plus VAT. Ouch.

Didn't like that prospect, so used my preferred American Car specialists, who do my routine servicing for this car. North American Motor Co http://www.northamericanmotorco.com/ (NAMCO). These guys are always helpful and agreed to do the check with their [non-factory] gadget, although no promises from them they could read the European ECU on this particular car. No worries, they found a series of error codes and then contacted a gearbox specialist to find out what those codes meant.

Ok, the bad news is that the gearbox is now in for a recon/rebuild to fix the problem, but I do look forward to getting it back (not looking forward to the bill, though).

Then today I had a warning lamp appear on the dash of my Evo :-(
That didn't clear after power off; oil level fine; engine appears to be running normally enough.
Called the local Mitsubishi/Ralliart specialist on this one. Suggestion is that a sensor has probably failed, as this is the ECU warning light. I won't be back that way till the weekend, but they can check it for me then. Assured that this shouldn't be a problem to drive if the engine behaves and sounds normal in the mean time.

I do have the Evo OBD-II cable to connect my laptop to the Mitsu ECU, but have to find out if any of the various logging packages I have access to will tell me the error code(s) from the engine management system. It would be nice to at least know what it suggests is failing before taking it to the main dealer for confirmation. Always the option of using an Evo specialist otherwise, but to be honest, the dealer is less than a mile from my home and has been reasonable so far (if you can call the factory 4500-mile service interval reasonable).

Will post an update if/when I get to the root of this problem.

Cheers
John

Looking back at 2007

2007-12-31T17:49:00.000Z

From a motorsport perspective, this year was a non-event for me.

My Stratos kit was damaged in a race at Donington in 2006 and I hadn't put in the effort to get it fixed, so also did not want to take the car out with it looking a bit sorry in that area.

Thanks to an arsehole in Leeds (going by the name of Tony Dewing) who drove into the rear bumper of my Jeep, I got the local 'Chips Away' guy to fix the Jeep and then to do some of the bodywork damage on the Stratos. Louie Wan did a really great job on both of those cars and is highly recommended if you need paintwork fixed in the Hants/Surrey area.

Another job I had put off on the Strat was to get the gearbox checked over (it doesn't always go into 3rd or 4th as smoothly as it used to) and to fit a Limited Slip Diff. Got a Gripper Diff from Tom Seal (See http://www.coventryautomotive.co.uk/diffs.htm) to fit the Alfa 164 transaxle.

With that a pair of new, larger, rear tyres, a replacement windscreen and a fresh MOT, I then took the car back out to Belgium for the AutoHappening show. This is a car show held each year at Zolder race circuit and I am one of a crowd that is regularly invited by Eric and Sabine of Oracle Cars (http://www.oracle-kitcars.be/) to bring the car along for some track action. The Strat is ideally suited to most parts of this track, which has chicanes of different sizes and some gradient changes. In the past, I've also proven the 'rally car heritage' of the Stratos by using the grass to get past a dangerously obstructive Yank Tank of some sort (Corvette, I think, or maybe the Viper).

As usual, that was a great weekend of taking punters/passengers around the track at some pretty serious speeds. Hospitality from Eric, Sabine and the 'GTM Crowd', amongst others, was great too. Unfortunately, my digital video camera didn't want to work in my car, so I didn't end up with any footage of the on-track experience. There are some photos around somewhere though, so I'll try to find links to them.

I did get to take the Evo for display with the MLR (Mitsubishi Lancer Register - http://www.lancerregister.com/) at the Sunseeker Rally at the start of the year, at a local motor show (http://www.elvethamheathcarshow.co.uk/) then at Brands Hatch for the Time Attack event, where a huge convoy of Evo's took to the track at lunchtime. That made an impressive sight - albeit this might have been the first and last time some of the owners of those cars ever get onto a race circuit, they enjoyed the experience all the same.

Went spectating at the Abingdon Carnival Sprint in the summer, to catch up with some of the Stratos Enthusiast Club members http://www.stratclub.com/ although I wasn't competing this year.

At the end of the season I also went to do some marshalling on the Tempest Rally, which is a good way to put something back into sport whilst also enjoying the spectacle. Unfortunately, the location I was posted on was just above a rather dangerous section, with cars frequently going off the road. Mostly into a mud-filled ditch, some jumping into the air on a bank out of the ditch, others getting stuck and needing lots of people-power to extricate them. Some got stuck completely and had to await a tow vehicle to get them out. A Land Rover Wolf 110 managed to do a nose-stand against the bank, which much have winded the crew, although they did continue. Worst luck was for one of the Evo's, which managed to roll into the muddy ditch.
Got the crew out of the one door that could be partly opened, then pushed the car back onto its wheels, but it was to play no further part in that rally.

Other than that, I can think back to very little motorsport enjoyment. I went to the NEC for the Autosport International show, as usual, which was ok but not outstanding. Mind you, some of the lycra-clad show girls make up for it at times :-)

My plans are to get out competing again properly next year and to get more enjoyment from motorsport overall. I can't let work (and apathy) get the upper hand on my free time again...

Where are you?

2007-12-31T17:47:00.000Z

Ok. hardly any visitors at the moment, but I've now added a neat map display from http://clustrmaps.com/index.htm that provides a record of where blog visitors have connected from. Just an interesting diversion really, but I quite like it.

Technorati

2007-12-27T09:36:00.000Z

Just adding a reference to my
Technorati Profile
so that it may index links and usage relating to this blog.

Fun in a Grand Cherokee

2007-12-24T10:01:00.000Z

Did you know that it is possible to Donut a Grand Cherokee?

Certainly possible with mine. Recall a time in a secure car park at Zolder, I decided to try this out for fun. Put the car in first gear, apply some steering lock, then heavy on the right pedal.
Sure enough, the tyres lit up and the car did a neat piroutte, the muscle-car exhaust making the V8 sound great.
Just after that little exhibition, one of the site security cars turned up, as he had apparently 'told off' a TVR owner for similar childish behaviour. However, when he looked around the area, he couldn't see any vehicles that matched his expected pattern of a V8 sports car. It can't have entered his mind that the Jeep in front of him could have been the culprit :-)

It's also possible to do some low-speed 'drifting', of sorts.

On one of my regular journeys, I come to a roundabout that forms a T-junction from my direction, where I have to turn right. This happens to be quite a wide piece of tarmac, so when faced with a route around 3/4 of a roundabout, with a fair bit of space, it always seems a shame not to make the most of it.
So when there is no traffic to worry about, it is fun to go from a standing start, swing around the first part of the roundabout, taking a wide line, then tighten the line and squeeze the throttle that bit harded than is strictly necessary. Result being, if momentum is right, power oversteer that can be carried to the exit point of the roundabout, with opposite lock and throttle control leading to a nice flick off the roundabout.
This can be done in wet and dry conditions, with the security of four-wheel-drive there to allow composure to be easily regained through a bit less throttle and steering, and also helping to limit over-exuberance that could lead to loss of control or a spin in a lesser car.

It's moments like these that break up the tedium and annoyance of general driving on our crowded roads. Get some tarmac that you don't have to share with other cars, and there is fun to be had - albeit in small doses, but enough to put a grin on your face from time to time.

Hey, I know I'm a Geek

2007-12-20T17:24:00.001Z

Since I have been working on computing and I.T. since leaving school, I think it's fair to be classed as a geek - even though I am also a 'consultant' (an experienced geek with an idea or two about how business should use technology).

Only wanted to include this posting to cross-link to my other blog at http://john-rutter.blogspot.com in case you wanted to know anything about the other side of my life.

There are some overlaps between my motoring and technical interests, with an interest in developing some a microprocessor display module to show boost, mixture, timing and other junk on my Evo. But work and procrastination seem to put that project onto the back shelf most of the time. Maybe it'll come together in 2008. Who knows?

Driving Enjoyment

2007-12-19T20:34:00.000Z

Although it should go without saying that you and I enjoy driving our cars in motorsport, how about all those other miles of driving?

The vast majority of my mileage is on main roads and motorways, but I still want to get some enjoyment out of it. I don't want to be one of those people who say that 'Driving is just a means of getting from A to B'. If that's what they think, they should get off the roads and use public transport!

So, is it possible to have some fun on Britain's busy roads, without driving aggressively or dangerously? I'd like to think so. First thing to help will be a car that allows you to have fun.

In my case, I've got a fast road car (an Evo VIII) but most of my road mileage is in my old Heep - a Grand Cherokee V8. Not the most exciting car for most, admittedly, but when feeling like taking it easy, the auto box, torquey engine, comfy seats and cruise control really help. But one small tweak which makes the car much for fun for me is the addition of a replacement exhaust system. Fitted with a 3" high-flow cat and exhaust, I can now hear that good old V8 noise. Previously, it was so well-muted that you would hardly know what engine was in the car.

So, starting the engine, blipping the throttle, roaring away from the lights all now much more fun. And, would you believe, the fuel economy and mileage range has increased by a noticeable amount. From a usual range of 250 miles, with 300 possible on a good day, I now regularly get 300 to 350 miles per tankful and have stretched this to 400 on a long motorway trip. Point being that I can have some fun with the lovely exhaust note at lower speed, and saved some money into the process. I guess the car may also be a bit quicker too - but that is so hard to say as it sounds so much quicker, it could all be in the mind.

Other opportunities for fun, in either of these vehicles, can include the occasional exercise of balancing grip against throttle on clear roundabouts. With the higher centre of gravity of the Jeep, it is actually quite easy to slide the back out on a slightly greasy surface. Not that I'd do anything like that on purpose. And doing it in an Evo brings in the actions of the electronically controlled rear diff, which is designed to include an amount of oversteer.

Hmm, best not to say how much fun that can be, since I've only had one chance so far to play with the Evo on private land, so obviously I cannot have challenged the limits of grip with this car on the public road. Then again, I have had the car out in snowy conditions - another chance of fun, but that fun wears thin when encountering many other drivers who can and cannot cope with the conditions.

Thinking of driving fun in the Jeep brings to mind the benefits of all-wheel-drive, a big engine and an auto gearbox. It can certainly surprise some other numpty drivers when pulling away from the lights. Even known to leave behind some cars whilst towing a trailer with my Strat on board. Some other people just don't know how to drive, even in a straight line. Admittedly, that does the consumption figure from 20-25mpg down to the low teens, but I think it's worth it.

On a more sedate note, it can even be fun to hone judgement when driving on motorways, using cruise control and the fine adjustment up/down/pause/resume buttons to avoid using any of the pedals for as long as possible, whilst still maintaining a reasonable distance to other cars and making good progress. After all, if you use your brakes on the motorway, it is either because your judgement and awareness is lacking, or someone else has done something really stupid in front of you.

TTFN

Motor Clubs and memberships

2007-12-16T10:25:00.001Z

It's now that time of year when many renewals come through for club and association memberships. Admittedly, lots of these are no longer fixed to a Jan/Dec timeframe, but at least in my case I seem to have many joining dates in these months.

Receiving the renewal invitations makes me briefly wonder how many clubs I have been a member of, and how many clubs other people tend to join.

I have done a bit of trimming over the years, not automatically renewing unless a can make a reason for continued membership. After all, it's my money I am parting with for the membership fee, but that isn't all there is to it.

Being a member of a motor club should be a bit more meaningful than paying an annual cheque to the club and receiving a newsletter or magazine in return every month, quarter, or whatever. Clubs depend on input from their members to actually run the organisation, to put on events, to round up volunteers and to define the future of the club. In almost all [motor] clubs, these roles are generally covered by a relatively small number of members.

Paying a membership fee to the club doesn't do full justification to the efforts put in by these people. As a member, you really should be more involved than that; turning up for club nights and meetings, sending photos and articles in the the club newsletter, posting comments and advice on forums - all these activities mean that a club will thrive.

So instead of just thinking 'Do I want to pay x pounds for this club newsletter for the year', the decision-making process should be more along the lines of 'What do I get from this club, and what can I put into this club as a values member'.

There are of course some motorsport organisations that you just have to be a member of so that you can compete at regional or national level (thinking of BRSCC, BRDC and the like here). In my view, they operate much less as a motor club and instead as a business with a form of monopoly. But maybe that's just me.

Back to the opening statements in this blog, I can recall being members of the following motor clubs:

Craven Motor Club
AWDC: All Wheel Drive Club (or the All Wet and Dirty Club)
AROC: Alfa Romeo Owners Club
Lancia Motor Club
Hart Motor Club
Stratos Enthusiasts Club (previously the Stratos Replica Club)
BRSCC: British Racing and Sports Car Club
BARC: British Automobile Racing Club
750MC: 750 Motor Club (for the SRGTC: Sports Racing & GT Challenge)
MLR: Mitsubishi Lancer Register

Looking at this list, I've probably been a member of between 3 and 6 clubs at a time over the past 15 years or more. The current list is down to 2 at the moment, although I am looking to join a different local motor club in the new year, which will bring my expected tally up to 3 again.

Do you think that is excessive - too many, too few, too expensive, pointless?

Gmail

2006-12-22T08:17:00.001Z

Why, oh why, does GoogleMail get so much asian-text spam?

I do like the use of gmail, but wondered how come I get sent regular spam messages from before I even published my gmail address anywhere on the web.

But at least the spam filtering works well on that email account and the junk does get filed in the correct place...