Automobile Dismantled

Monsoon Driving Tips

Monsoon make way for long drives to see the nature, trekking etc. but to reach there you have to dirve, with almost nil visibility. Here are some driving tips which would help you to drive along the monsoons.

• Keep your feet dry along with your footwear when hopping on to the driving seat as wet footwear may tend to slip on the pedals thus making driving an unpleasant one.
• It's advisable to follow (draft a car or slipstrseam) a car by keeping three times the normal distance. What it means is the car ahead of you will make for a relatively drier path after it has gone through the wet roads.
• Monsoon brings up deep waters, even on the roads like Saki Naka, Andheri etc etc. When you come across a situation like this put your car into the first gear and at half clutch accelerate thus giving your car its highest torque, and if the water is too deep that is if your exhaust is drowned as well then its better to switch the engine off and leave the car else do the above if its exteremely essential because if water enter your exhaust it may go into the car's engine cylinders and damage the engine.

• Heavy showers get along with greenery thus blocking the bridges with moving water through the rivers. This is a case in most of the villages, One such example is in my native Surya River, Maswan, Palghar, Maharashtra, India. This moving water is extremely dangerous as the intensity of the water is more than the weight of your car and if you take your vehicle through these the flow of water will take your car into the river. Thus its a strict no-no to taking your car through a bridge flooded with moving water.
• Dark gloomy conditions are often observed with clouds hanging over the skies and the days seems like late evenings. Switching on to low beam lights along with your fog lamps will enhance your visibility thus making the other car see you.
• Night driving coupled with heavy showers is a good weather but not so good for the person who has been driving. As the oncoming traffic lights are enhanced, reflected thus leading to a temporary loss of vision. So drive slow and be safe.
• Keep your windscreen clean . If you have glasses make sure they are also clean and you are wearing them.
• Last one, in monsoon's visibility is the main factor make sure you are visible. Also the other person who is ahead or behind you is facing the same conditions as you are so dont complain or irritate the person with honking care about one another.  

Remember monsoon drive is the most adventurous one so enjoy driving as well as be safe. 

Happy Monsoons :) :)

Yamaha - R15 v1 Midlife Review, Post 50k kms

R15.version1

Date of acquiring: 1st Feb 2009

Odometer reading (current) : 62350 kms

Overall fuel efficiency : 38kmpl

Type of terrain covered - All kinds - from good six lane highways to jungle trails to mountain ranges in Leh- Ladakh.


It's been 3 years since I first laid hands on this machine. I have travelled to numerous places, covering almost entire India, including the ride to Leh-Ladakh -- known as the graduation ride in the biking/touring world. Right from the beginning, people have been criticizing the tyres but I have said this before and I stand by it as firmly as I did the first time - the tyres are wonderfully awesome when it comes to griping the road irrespective of the terrain. The grip is exceptional, everytime you enter a corner, it feels as though the bike is glued to the tar. It was a time when Apache was the new sensation and Zma the ultimate tourer. Both of them very good bikes ,no doubt they were. But this machine entered the segment and increased the benchmark of Indian biking. It had in it, as Yamaha claims, the racing DNA.

Currently the bike has clocked 62,350 kms on odo. It has been a very good ownership experience.

Pros:
- Handling, even today every new bike coming in, has its handling ability compared to the benchmark - the R15
- Good fuel effeciency, the bike has consistently returned a fuel economy of around 38kmpl with the highest being +/- 45kmpl and lowest +/- 32kmpl
- Reliable - never once has the bike thrown any tantrums or unexpected issues
- Tyres - very good even on wet roads
- Light weight - light weight of the bike, makes it easy to control and handle the bike on terrains like leh- ladakh, where you might trip a number of times, ahve to lift the bike up and the weight comes into play.
- decent amount of luggage can be tied up on the backseat with bungee ropes and its stays quiet intact if done properly, leaving good space for the rider to sit comfortably
- the bike was once rammed between a car and a tree in the society parking lot, exhaust, body, rims, brakes damaged, once they were replaced I expected the bike to start giving nimble issues now and then, however, there was not even a single issue coming up after the repairs, the bike continued to be as reliable as before, good durability 

Cons:
- Tyres, though they are excellent in grip, the compound used in the tyre is softer than usually seen on India bikes. Softer the compound, better the grip but the tyre life is reduced. The way I use bike for extensive touring, rear tyre for me lasted around 8-10k kms before its started showing hints of loosing grip. Tyres are prone to punctures a lot when they are nearing the 8k mark - however V2 has some changes to the tyres done by MRF. One important point - tyres are always in shortage and its quite a task getting new stock tyres unless you know where exactly to look for them.
- Steering one - I personally think the wear and tear of the steering cone is too frequent, and replacement costs a bomb. It will definitely leave a big hole in your pocket. Though it depends on service centres how much labour to charge, on average a complete steering cone replacement costs with labour around 4k.
-Rims, in my opinion are weak. Considering it is a track tool, the wheels are supposed to be light weight, however for road use (read Indian roads), you hit a pothole at a considerable speed the the rim will either bend or have a crack! Bad! However, good news is, V2 has new rims, so hopefully the problem should have been addressed to.
- Maintenance is on the upper side compared to other Indian bikes, but so is the quality, reliability and performance, so I wouldn't really count it as a negative point.


 Overall the bike is in very good shape. Give it a wash and a polish and it shines as good as a new one(sparing the minor scratches on the tank due to my magnetic tank bag). Plastics and body part are firmly in place. No vibrations or noises. Fuel economy is still upto the mark. Reliability is totally intact. I know where to exactly find a new set of stock tyres so that hasn't been an issue at all. You cross the 7k mark on the RPM meter and you still see other vehicles vanishing in the rear view mirror. All the problems/complaints by Indian bikers have been taken into account and Yamaha has tried to make the changes in V2. It has a comparatively wider rear tyre than V1, Yamaha has cut down prices on some parts including brake pads, oil filters, etc. V2 has new tyres from MRF as well. So my opinion is V2 will definitely be better equipped than V1 and you can definitely rely on it.

Posting some pictures of the bike from the numerous rides

 At Srinagar, Kashmir

 Zozila Pass

 On the way to Leh- Ladakh

 Srinagar

Magnetic Hill

Thrilling European GP Win For Alonso.

Fernando Alonso described his victory in the European Grand Prix as "probably the best victory I've ever felt in terms of emotions".
Having only managed to qualify in 11th place on the grid on Saturday, Alonso's chances of a win looked very slim ahead of the race. However, a thrilling grand prix developed with a safety car period bunching up the pack and Sebastian Vettel retiring when Alonso was lying second before his closest challenger Romain Grosjean also dropped out. Having taken his second victory of the season, Alonso admitting he was overcome with the emotion of winning in front of his home fans.
"It's difficult to express in words what the feeling is at the moment," Alonso said. "Winning a home grand prix is something unique, a very special feeling. I had the opportunity in Barcelona 2006 with Renault, and I still remember that day perfectly. Now did the same thing here in Valencia but now with this special team - Ferrari, with all the grandstands full of red colour, full of the Spanish flags, and here now with the Euro football championships also there's a lot of Spanish atmosphere inside all of us. I'm feeling very proud to be a Spanish sportsman at the moment and winning this race in Spain is probably the best victory I've ever felt in terms of emotions - nothing ever compares to this one."
Alonso added that he had not allowed the team to be too downbeat after qualifying because of the open nature of the 2012 season.
"It's unpredictable results, but it's still a sport. Sport is about that, sport is about up and downs; yesterday we had a tough moment, we were sad about not being in Q3 but you can never give up because anything can happen in sport in general. Maybe more in Formula One, which is something that has many factors inside. There are the cars, there are the brakes, engines, anything can have a failure in the race."

http://www.formula1.com/results/driver/2012/

Decoding Tyre Sidewall

KERS- A drivers dream and a financers nightmare!!

A kinetic energy recovery system (often known simply as KERS) is an automotive system for recovering a moving vehicle's kinetic energy under braking. The recovered energy is stored in a reservoir (for example a flywheel or a battery) for later use under acceleration.

Jon Hilton of Flybrid, Adrian Moore of Xtrac and Dick Elsy of Torotrak are the trio behind the flywheel and the CVT for the KERS.

The trio explained how the system works:

“The mechanical KERS system utilises flywheel technology developed by Flybrid Systems to recover and store a moving vehicle’s kinetic energy which is otherwise wasted when the vehicle is decelerated. The energy is received from the driveline through the Torotrak CVT, engineered and supplied by Xtrac, as the vehicle decelerates, and is subsequently released back into the driveline, again through the CVT, as the vehicle accelerates. The FIA has defined the amount of energy recovery for the 2009 season as 400kJ per lap giving the driver an extra 80hp over a period of 6.67 seconds.

FIA Regulations for the use of KERS:

Currently the regulations permit the systems to convey a maximum of 60kw (approximately 80bhp), while the storage capacity is limited to 400 kilojoules. This means that the 80bhp is available for anything up to 6.67s per laps, which can be released either all in one go, or at different points around the circuit. Lap time benefits range from approximately 0.1 to 0.4s.

Hamilton Looking For Back-To-Back Wins

The Formula One season heads to Valencia this week with Hamilton currently leading the Championship standings by two points over the second-placed Fernando Alonso of Ferrari.

It has been an unpredictable season so far, with seven different winners from seven races which has made Hamilton firmly focused on securing the first back-to-back win of the campaign come race day on Sunday.

"My win in Montreal was obviously an extremely satisfying moment for me - but actually, it does very little to alter things in the world championship," Hamilton said in The Sun.

"I'm only two points ahead of Fernando - which is nothing, particularly when there are a handful of really strong drivers all separated by a couple of points.

"Secondly, the intensity of this year's championship means there's so little breathing space.

"We may have won in Canada, but there's an enormous amount of pressure to keep racking up good results at every grand prix.

"I think that consistency, rather than individual strong results, will be the key to winning this world championship, so we need to back it up in Valencia with another strong result.

"I'll be heading to Valencia feeling super-motivated to get another result and maintain my momentum."

The 27-year-old Hamilton is the 2008 Formula One World Champion.

The standings table For 2012:

http://www.espnstar.com/motorsport/f1/standings/

Ertiga, A New Segment Dawns

LUV or Life Utility Vehicle as per maruti is dawned with the launch of the Eriga. The Intension of Maruti Suzuki to capture the MPV market ruled by the Toyota Innova for the past 9years has resulted in a product known as Ertiga and a new Segment is dawned. 

With its 1.4litre K-series Petrol Engine and a 1.3 litre DDiS Diesel Engine. Will Maruti shake the segment and have yet another winner in its hands? Well, Lets find out!!!

Exterior

The A-pillars reminding us of the Swift.

Front Grille similar to that of Ritz

Spare wheel at the rear under the body

Styling is typical Maruti. The A-pillars reminds us of the Swift whereas the front grille hints us of the Ritz. Tail styling is ordinary like all other MPVs. Spare wheel is mounted under the body at the rear and comes down via a winding mechanism. The fuel tank is placed underneath the middle row.

Long, wide headlamps are
well integrated with the wheelarch:

With such a large bumper,

the plastic surround for the

fog lamps is placed vertically. 

Small fog lamps offer average

illumination and look out of place:

ORVM with integrated blinkers.

All variants get 15"
wheels with 185/65 tyres.
The top end models come
equipped with alloy wheels:

Rear door is Large! Watch out for 

cyclists & traffic before opening:

Rear quarter-glass makes things airy
for 3rd row passengers.
Also offers good visibility to the driver,
when reversing the vehicle:

Tail-gate goes a long way up.
You'll have to be careful in basements
with a low ceiling height:

Tail lamps resemble that of the Honda Jazz: 

Smart Looking Rear Wiper available only
on the top variants.

Ribbed roof provides better Rigidity

Interior

Front Seats and Dashboard

Maruti has done a pretty good job with the interiors which makes the Ertiga a spacious and huge car from the inside for its exterior dimensions. The lengthy wheelbase, the cab-forward design and the positioning of the wheels at the extremities add up to yield one very spacious cabin. The front shield offers a very good view for the driver as welll as the passenger. Maruti has offered a great driving position in this MPV which makes it car like experience. May it has something to do with low ride height. The dashboard is pretty much standard with Biege and standard Maruti like offering manual A/c control. The front and rear door comes with the holders wherein the front doors can hold up to 1 litre bottles while the rear can 500ml bottles. Also a centre console cup holder is provided which can hold a can and since its just below the A/C its nice to get a your own cold drink which would still be chilled. What it offers is 6 bottle holders however not there are no holders near the handbrake. It has a built in audio system with 4+2 speakers with an LCD screen which adjusts its sound depending on the speeds. The top end variant comes with steering audio controls. The meter cluster is stylish what appealed to me was the silver lining of it which gives it a sporty look. The glove box is standard and offers some space however just above the glove box is the dashboard rack wherein you can keep your mobile phone or goggles or Ipod any kind of gadget or some small item. The front seats offer immense driving pleasure and comfort throughout the journey.

 

However the Ertiga's real test is at the back wherein most of the people would so time to hit the middle row.

Middle Row

The middle row is 60:40 split. It has ample of room for 3 adults its a little bit heightened due to the fuel tank underneath it which actually offers a good thigh support. It also offers you a great amount of legroom and has a centre armrest. The middle row can be slid back to a whopping 240mm which gives you ample of space for the legroom if u think this is at the cost of the legroom on the 3rd row well you are wrong it still pleases us with the legroom at the 3rd row. The middle row also gets a roof A/C vents with three easy settings which keeps the Ertiga's spacious cabin cool all the time. The middle row seats are reclining which makes the long ride a comfortable one.

3rd row seats

It offers good amount of space for two people.Ample of legroom thanks to the inward curve of the middle row seats.  For short drives it's comfortable however for long drives that's where the children should be for a comfortable ride. Getting out and getiing in at the 3rd has never been so easy. Beacause of the large rear door and the middle row seat folding and sliding forward it amazes you at how comfortable it is to get in and out of an MPV. Armrest and thigh support is good. These seats are provided with a single-fold operation to get them flat.

Boot Space

With all seats up the Ertiga offers a boot space of 135 litres. It can take in two soft bags. also there is a concealed luggage box where you can keep small items as your blankets or bedsheets while going for picnic. Fold the third row and get a shocking boot space of 735 litres.

Drive-ability

The handling of the Ertiga is one of the best things in the MPV which makes you feel like you are in a car. Cornering is superb. The body roll is well contained even in hard corners. Maneuverability is one of the USPs of this MPV especially in India where there are gullies(narrow roads) to go through. The steering Feedback is excellent and it feels light when driving in a City. Handling is very much predictable and the body roll is well contained.

Ride Quality

The ride quality is smooth. Sharp Bumps are tackled very well as well as potholes are handled pretty good. Ertiga has stunned us with its cruising ability the most comfortable when cruising. The 3rd row is comfortable even for adults in short drives whereas for long drives children can be comfortable.

Performance

Ertiga has an comes in with two options in terms of engine one a 1.3 litre DDiS Diesel engine which is fitted in SX4 and the other a 1.4 litre K-series VVT Petrol Engine.

1.3 Litre DDiS Diesel:

This engine produces a maximum power of 88.8bhp@4000rpm and a maximum torque of 20.39 kgm@1750 rpm. This comes with a light clutch which is relieving and also a bonus with it is a short gear ratio to have great pick ups. However there's still a turbo lag as seen with most multi-jet engines. With the diesel its a good cruiser on the highway. If you don't want to change to a lower gear  don't worry the Ertiga picks up gradually.
Engine is little bit noisy rev it harder and it starts bugging. Maruti has installed the Hydraulic Engine mounts to keep the engine vibrations in check. It also possesses extensive layering of sound deadening material at the engine bay because of its cab-forward design the passenger compartment is sitting closer to the engine bay and hence the noise. The isn't too noisy but it ain't as silent too.

1.4 Litre Petrol:

The petrol engine is the same as that of the SX4 which produces 93.7bhp@6000rpm and a maximum torque of 13.26kgm@4000 rpm. It is slightly sluggish when power builds up. Mid range is where the problem starts happening which is as usual in small engines. And as you rev it harder it starts getting vocal. Drive-ability of the K- series is good on both cities and highways.

Variants

Maruti offer the Eriga in 7 variants 4 petrol and 3 with diesel.

Petrol Variants:

1. LXi: This is the base petrol model of the series.It come with a 1.4 litre K-series engine. Since it is the range opener, it is not stuffed with too many features but power steering, body color bumpers, manually folding OVRMs (outside rear view mirrors), multi trip meters, AC with heater, etc. come as standard.
2. VXi:  This is the mid range model of the new Maruti MPV also powered by the same K14B petrol engine with VVT. Ertiga VXI comes with features like central locking, electrically folding OVRMs, keyless entry, adjustable headrests, body colored OVRMs, door handles and many more.
3. ZXi:  The Maruti Ertiga ZXI is the range topper in petrol models. It is stuffed with a number of premium features which are not offered in the starting and medium range model. These features include Airbags, alloy wheels, outside temperature gauge on information display integrated into meter cluster, front seat belt with pretensioners and force limiter for driver and co driver, steering wheels mounted audio controls, etc. 
4. VXi ABS : If one chooses to have ABS (Anti Lock Braking system) with EBD and brake assist on his Maruti Ertiga VXI, he should go for this variant as it comes optional on VXi.                                                          

Diesel Variants:

1. LDi:  This variant carries exactly same features as Maruti Ertiga LXI, except the different engine system 
2. VDi: It has the same features as that of the VXi.
3. ZDi:  It is the top model of the Ertiga and carries the same features as that of the ZXi.

Economy and Price

Maruti stunned us in terms of mileage after they claimed that the Ertiga Petrol gives a mileage of 16.77kmpl whereas the diesel gives 20kmpl. And the confirmation from the ARAI makes it the most fuel efficient MPV on Indian roads.

The Base price of the Ertiga is: Petrol 6.23 lac's and the diesel at 7.71 lac's (ex- Showroom Mumbai). 

Conclusion:

Likes: 

Handling, Maneuverability, Fuel Efficiency, Entry and exit for 3rd row passengers, Broad Front Windshield, Cruising Ability, Seating Comfort.

Dislikes:

Diesel's Turbo lag, Noisy Engine, Interiors Standard Maruti and no option of climate control even in the top ends. 

Car-A-Maze Verdict:

Mission Accomplished - Maruti's goal was to make the Ertiga car like and they succeeded. Looks like the Ertiga would do justice to the MPV segment and Maruti yet again has made an Ideal family car. A winner in itself.