I take pride in my car and those who knows me knows I don't settle for anything less than perfect on my setup. Car modification is an expensive hobby. It started with my 1997 Proton Wira which I first had it modified in year 2000. Full racing exhaust and a racing clutch, I trashed it till the manual gear box needed overhauling. Well, Proton being Proton, there were a host of other problems that came with it even if I hadn't modify a single damn thing on it.
It was then decided I needed a more reliable and economical car. The launch of the Toyota Vios came at the perfect timing. It was a sensible choice then, given that its wasn't a Proton, and considering Honda City came without VTEC yet. Honda only released a VTEC City about a year later.
The moment the car was delivered, in went the first modification the following day. Since then, it has undergone continuous transformation and it's not even completed. Performance became an obsession, and it's not just about the speed. Handling and stopping power was being given fair treatment as well. It was given a tuning session on Deepavali Day.
Since my first tuning in early 2006, which revealed my stock engine produced a mere 76.2 wheel horse power and 104Nm of torque, it is now delivering 93.3 wheel horse power and 126Nm of torque. That's 20% on a 1,498 1NZ-FE engine.
And all that has led till today, my first outing in the Sepang F1 Circuit. Stripped out rear seats, front camber set to negative 2 and a fearless co-pilot, we were set to leave the pits.
"Why are you smiling? Aren't you afraid?"
With a transponder to record my lap times, I was all set to go. Careful not to exceed the pit speed limit, I couldn't wait till the marshall gave me the thumbs up to flag me off. And when he did, I was focused. It was a rainy track session and it really tested the car's suspension setup, tires and driving skills.
I did a total of 19 laps, coming into the pit lanes on 3 other occassions. By the 10th lap, my pathetic Bridgestone Potenza G3 was useless. Overheated, it was gripless in many of the corners and I had to throttle down just to take them. Twice I almost spun 180 degrees but managed to counter steer but the 3rd time was too much already. Spinning 180 degrees, I was lucky there weren't any cars behind me. And I was also lucky not to spin into the sand or gravel patch, otherwise a tow truck would be needed to tow it out.
My moment of pride came when I was trailing a Suzuki Swift Sport 1.6, which pumps out 91.9 whp and 112Nm of torque (assuming he didn't modify). Inching my way closer, he couldn't handle the pressure and under brake at turn 15, causing his front wheel drive to understeer and slid into the gravel. I hope his car isn't damaged in anyway though I saw him on the track again later.. We're just enthusiast and passionate about our driving experience at the end of the day.
Hmpth, to indicate to all the non-first timers, many of us had to don this sticker so that the faster Evos, Silvias, STI's, Type R's would know to stay clear of us.
Well, out of that 19 laps, my best time was on lap 6 which clocked 3 minutes 23 seconds. Considering I had a passenger as added weight, a wet circuit and lousy tires, I'd say I did pretty well, considering I wasn't overtaken by any other Suzuki's or Vios and only by the bigger capacity and faster cars. Now I can't wait for my next track session, hopefully with better tires then and some fair weather.
My heart goes out to my fellow Vios owner from Singapore who crashed at turn 14.
I guess we are in one way or the other putting our cars at risk with this hobby, but one we are willing to make. Afterall, racing on a track is so much safer than on the streets in KL these days. Also, my thanks to Vios Owners Group Singapore which organized this and made it possible to invite a few from Toyota Vios Club Malaysia as their guest. Much obliged.
It was then decided I needed a more reliable and economical car. The launch of the Toyota Vios came at the perfect timing. It was a sensible choice then, given that its wasn't a Proton, and considering Honda City came without VTEC yet. Honda only released a VTEC City about a year later.
The moment the car was delivered, in went the first modification the following day. Since then, it has undergone continuous transformation and it's not even completed. Performance became an obsession, and it's not just about the speed. Handling and stopping power was being given fair treatment as well. It was given a tuning session on Deepavali Day.
Since my first tuning in early 2006, which revealed my stock engine produced a mere 76.2 wheel horse power and 104Nm of torque, it is now delivering 93.3 wheel horse power and 126Nm of torque. That's 20% on a 1,498 1NZ-FE engine.
And all that has led till today, my first outing in the Sepang F1 Circuit. Stripped out rear seats, front camber set to negative 2 and a fearless co-pilot, we were set to leave the pits.
"Why are you smiling? Aren't you afraid?"
With a transponder to record my lap times, I was all set to go. Careful not to exceed the pit speed limit, I couldn't wait till the marshall gave me the thumbs up to flag me off. And when he did, I was focused. It was a rainy track session and it really tested the car's suspension setup, tires and driving skills.
I did a total of 19 laps, coming into the pit lanes on 3 other occassions. By the 10th lap, my pathetic Bridgestone Potenza G3 was useless. Overheated, it was gripless in many of the corners and I had to throttle down just to take them. Twice I almost spun 180 degrees but managed to counter steer but the 3rd time was too much already. Spinning 180 degrees, I was lucky there weren't any cars behind me. And I was also lucky not to spin into the sand or gravel patch, otherwise a tow truck would be needed to tow it out.
My moment of pride came when I was trailing a Suzuki Swift Sport 1.6, which pumps out 91.9 whp and 112Nm of torque (assuming he didn't modify). Inching my way closer, he couldn't handle the pressure and under brake at turn 15, causing his front wheel drive to understeer and slid into the gravel. I hope his car isn't damaged in anyway though I saw him on the track again later.. We're just enthusiast and passionate about our driving experience at the end of the day.
Hmpth, to indicate to all the non-first timers, many of us had to don this sticker so that the faster Evos, Silvias, STI's, Type R's would know to stay clear of us.
Well, out of that 19 laps, my best time was on lap 6 which clocked 3 minutes 23 seconds. Considering I had a passenger as added weight, a wet circuit and lousy tires, I'd say I did pretty well, considering I wasn't overtaken by any other Suzuki's or Vios and only by the bigger capacity and faster cars. Now I can't wait for my next track session, hopefully with better tires then and some fair weather.
My heart goes out to my fellow Vios owner from Singapore who crashed at turn 14.
I guess we are in one way or the other putting our cars at risk with this hobby, but one we are willing to make. Afterall, racing on a track is so much safer than on the streets in KL these days. Also, my thanks to Vios Owners Group Singapore which organized this and made it possible to invite a few from Toyota Vios Club Malaysia as their guest. Much obliged.
