With my family onboard, we took a leisurely drive from Hua Hin down to Krabi and Penang before landing back in Singapore. It was a leisurely drive for most parts of the journey since I had passengers onboard. The car was also experiencing some vibration around 2300 rpm or around the 110 km/h mark. So, I either had to travel at 100 km/h or above 120 km/h. Well, the choice was obvious. Got stopped on the way down by a Thai patrol officer who could not speak English. It was obvious what he wanted so I gave it to him. I hate doing that but that's the way things goes in the Land of Smiles. Got onto the legendary Route 44 which cuts across from Surat Thani to Krabi. It is a beautiful road with great scenery, nicely paved and occasionally, a car or two. It is the straightest road you will ever find. Overall, it was a very nice drive especially with the family onboard. We drove around Penang to see some of the sights and of course, we ate and ate and ate. It is a drive that I can do over and over again.
Here are some pictures of the ravages done to the front end of the car. The left fog light is cracked and this is in spite of a clear bra pasted on it. There are probably a million stone chip marks all over the bonnet, windscreen, side mirrors, air dam, etc. Such is the price to pay when you have a Porsche with new tyres ahead of you.
Nothing is more important than safety on a long drive. Remember that you are going to be a long way from home. Its not the same when something goes wrong while you are in your own country or for that matter, when you know help is just a phone call away. A safety kit is an assembly of important items you should carry on a long drive. The kit is meant to keep you going so that you can reach your destination safely and seek professional help. Most importantly, make sure your car is in a road worthy state before embarking on a long drive. This safety kit is in addition to a daily safety kit that I keep in my boot all the time.
Tyre Repair Kit. Never leave the border without these items in your boot. The kit consists of an Airman Tyre Repair/Inflator. The Airman injects latex into the tyre as it inflates it. However, if you use the latex to repair the puncture, speed is restricted to 80 km/h and chances are the tyres may be damaged and need to be replaced. If the hole of the puncture is manageable, I use the standard hole repair kit used by the shops. With the repair done using this kit, speed is not restricted as the tyre is essentially as 'good-as-new'. I carry a spare jack (made for Porsche) in case I need to use two jacks at a time. Wheel chocks are a must when you jack up your car. I got these from Australia; they are collapsible and made of steel.
Fold able bucket and water bags. The bucket can be used for many purposes from washing car or as a container for washing up. The two water bags can carry either 3.9L or 5L of water in case more water is needed. These bags are collapsible so they don't take up space and weight until you need it.
Spare oil for transmission & power steering, brake and clutch fluid, brake fluid and radiator coolant. In addition, carry at least 1 litre of engine oil. The need for these spare oils and coolant is obvious. The Super Cleaner is used to clean throttle bodies or places where dirt and gunk can accumulate. The grease spray is for lubricating areas where there are squeaks or even for a simple job like lubricating a nut before removing it.
Rags, gloves, spare clips, spare belt, rubber hose, cable ties, funnel with hose and plastic pump. Always work with gloves to prevent injury to the hands. It also helps to keep the hands clean as water for washing up may not be available. Cable ties are essential to tie cables or hoses together in case they come loose. Since the belt on my car is not standard BMW, I carry a spare belt in case the overseas workshop does not have one. The funnel and hose is used to pour octane booster into the fuel tank. Not all manufacturers of fuel additives are smart enough to build in a funnel in their octane boosters. Imagine having a bottle of octane booster but not being to use it because you cannot pour it in. The rubber hose is used to extract fuel or engine oil in conjunction with the rubber pump. In case you do a dumb thing like pump diesel into your regular fuel tank because you cannot read the label on the pump at the gas station, you can use this to siphon out the wrong fuel or oil.
Battery charger. In case you suspect the battery is not charging properly, this charger will make sure you have enough juice to start up the car. If you are lucky enough to find a place where you can plug it in, that would be best. If not, then the next best thing is to take the battery out of the car and charge it in the room. Of course, if you have company, you can always use a jump start cable but nothing beats being self-sufficient. I also have an emergency battery starter (not pictured) that is in the boot all the time.
Tool Kit. This is the basic tool kit you must carry. Its enough to tackle most small jobs.
Towing gear. If all else fails, a tow cable may be the answer. The securing strap can also be used if you make a few passes between the the two cars.
You may think that this safety kit is not necessary and add weight to the car. Perhaps, you might also be thinking that wherever you are going, there will service stations along the way that can sort out whatever problems you have. Think again. Firstly, you need to get to the service station first in order for the mechanics to work on your car. Next, you might not be able to speak their language to explain what it wrong. Then, you realise they do not have the spare part or the oils/liquids they use is not compatible with your car. Most importantly, this safety kit is not for you alone. If someone in the convoy has a breakdown, it is important that you help him out because if you do not, he will slow everybody down. During an emergency, there is no time to lay blame or accusations that the person is not prepared for the drive. Sort out the problem first and decide what you want to do with the 'idiot' later.
It's been months since I did a really long drive. Due to some recent unforeseen circumstances, I was unable to join the JSG gang for their drives to Krabi and Kuantan. I heard the roads to Kuantan are lovely. Daisy has been idling around for too long and not getting a good work out. With all the recent work done on the intake and the acquisition of the M3 rims, I was eager to see how she will fare on a long drive. Unfortunately, she developed some minor transmission problems before we left. It seems that there is some slippage but it was rather minor. I was hoping it wouldn't fail along the way but it did got worse. Not surprising since we were going flat out to set a record for the fastest time to get to Phuket from Singapore. The drive was beautiful, as always. The most painful part of the drive was from Krabi to Hua Hin. The roads were full of trucks hogging the right lane and traffic was really bad. The rain made things worse and at one stage, I had to stop to clean the headlights because they were covered with mud and I couldn't really see the road for more than 10 metres. These are the perils one has to bear with when doing a drive like that. It took me almost 7 hours to reach Hua Hin from Krabi when it would normally take about 4 to 5. Daisy was filthy when we got to Hua Hin. On top of that, she had chip marks all over the bonnet, side mirrors and side panelling. I am deciding whether I should re-spray the whole car to Le Mans blue when I get back to Singapore. But, the thought that the new paint job would go bad again after a long drive prompted me to think otherwise. I will probably touch up the damaged areas. The transmission needs to be replaced completely. That is going to cost a bomb but the car will be like new again after the change. We had little time to stop and take pictures along the way. So, these are the only pictures.
Surprisingly, it did not take long for BMW to unveil the F10 M Sport kit. I must say that it looks stunning and gives the car a whole new outlook. Going along the M Sport line, I am sure the F10 M5 will be an amazing car with great looks and power to match. I cannot help but notice that the F10 M Sport kit is somewhat spun from the E39 M Tech sport kit. Here are the pictures to prove my opinion.
My love affair with the 5 series have been rekindled with the launch of the F10. It died when the E60 was introduced. Everybody makes mistakes. To pretend it never happened is not the right thing to do. Rather than erase the memory of a bad model in a long line of outstanding cars, it is perhaps better to blur it out because it will serve as a reminder never to do it again. Here's my interpretation.
Bravo Zulu (well done in naval lingo) BMW, you have done well. Again.
Here is proof that it is best to stay with the stock bodykit.
Sport Auto Magazine shows the results of the wind tunnel testing of the BMW M3 and 335i. If we look at the results, the M3's aerodynamic improvements are quite impressive:
Front Lift @ 124 mph:
335: 42 kg (93 lb)
M3: 10 kg (22 lb)
Rear Lift @ 124 mph:
335: 28 kg (62 lb)
M3: 23 kg (51 lb)
Note: these cars do not have the aerodynamic devices to actually create down force.
The M3's lower body work and front bumper contributes to lowering the front lift by 71 lbs. The rear bumper also produces such effect. As compared to the results of the Porsche 911 S and GT3 RS which needs wings, splitters, diffusers, and a whole lot more down force, the BMW is very much ahead. But BMW is cautious in giving their cars more down force because the lower it is, the more fuel efficiency is affected. If you are using your car for racing, then the fuel efficiency will not be an issue. But if you are like most BMW owners who use their cars for street driving, fuel efficiency means so much.
While the tests may be done on the 335 and M3, you can be sure that BMW does the same thing for the other models. It is always tempting to dress up the car to make it look unique and make a statement. That is well and good but if you are serious about your driving, you might want to re-consider adding that front lip or rear diffuser or some other aerodynamic parts. Except for established after-market brands like Hamann who would have done some testing, adding some 'aerodynamic' part could be suicidal. Never forget that it took a whole lot of engineers who has done all the necessary R&D to come up with the design of the car. If you think some $159.99 splitter is going to give you more downforce, think again.
Had some time today and decided to head down to the local BMW dealership to test drive the new 5. Started off with the 523i Highline. Essentially, a 2.5L engine mated to an 8-speed gear box with 205 bhp. Not too bad actually. Nice interior and comfy overall. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give it an 8. It would have scored a 10 if it had that little more power that I was looking for. It was also a bit on the soft side but not as bad as the E60. Best of all, active steering does not come standard.
Did a quick hop from the 523i to the 535i. A press on the Start Engine switch and the engine came to life and what a sound it made. The engine note was raw and when an engine sounds like this, you know its going to be good especially if it comes from BMW. The 3L engine comes with a single turbo and twin scroll and its suppose to be more fuel efficient. It also comes with Sports transmission complete with paddle shifters and 3 settings for the dampers and steering. Hand brake release with a pull of the switch and we are off. The car is amazing. I love it. I felt like I was driving Daisy except she was wearing new clothes with a new engine. There is nothing I dislike about the car (except the price, of course) because BMW has finally come through with the new 5 series. It drives the way a 5 series is supposed to be, full of spirit and zest when pushed, yet comfortable, quiet and smooth when driven easy. Its a car that will suit my purpose for long distance drives yet fun enough for Sunday drives.
However, I am not jumping on the wagon yet. History has shown that BMW will unveil a M sports package somewhere down the road. If the new F10 M5 is what its like in the pictures I have seen so far, the kit will filter down to the 535i. Thats the time to get one. For now, driving Miss Daisy is still nice and only the 535i would be a worthy replacement.
