d motorofficial f motor_mag^27OWNER’S
RideIT’S
MINEthe last six to 12 months, Aaron, feels
like we’re flogging an old horse. We’ll
investigate whether there’s a new story
to be told.
NOT TYRED YET
Thanks for the March issue’s Tyre Test.
I have been reading them for as long as
you have been doing them and despite
occasional methodological criticisms
over the years, I hope that MOTOR and
its stablemates continue to do them.
Of particular importance is the testing
of ‘regional’ tyre types, which won’t
appear in the European tests. The
RE003 is a perfect example.
One suggestion though – play around
with front/rear relative tyre pressures a
bit. My advice is structures vary and lead
to handling profile variations even with
the same tyre pressures.
So, if replacing a given tyre set with
a set of a different type, don’t assume
they will behave the same on, say, the
manufacturer’s placard pressures. When
the tyre has settled a bit, try varying the
front/rear relative pressures to sought
handling behaviour.
In regard to the RE003’s behaviour
on the test’s tighter turns, it would have
been interesting were you to have tried
relatively higher front pressures (raise
the fronts, or drop the rears) to see if
you could get more consistent handling
balance across the range of corners.
Peter Davson-Galle, via email
We start with placard and adjust up and
down as temperatures demand, but our
sense is that only very minor changes to
a road car’s balance will be possible by
experimenting with tyre pressures.
KEEP IT UP
I think your slogan, “POWER,
PERFORMANCE, PASSION”, is very
much demonstrated by the team at
MOTOR. The editor’s column is actually
meaningful (thanks, Dylan, for not
shaming motorcycle enthusiasts like that
other magazine). Personally, as a mad
Porsche enthusiast, I have enjoyed the
past few issues (mind you, the Cayman
and Boxster are not real Porsches); I
enjoy the thoughtful, intuitive layout of
the magazine and the insightful articles
littered with bits of humour.
Speaking of Porsche, I was surprised
when MOTOR magazine didn’t cover the
GT3 R winning (or ramming the other
cars without penalty) the Bathurst 12
Hour. I think many readers would like a
little snippet of the latest racing news.
Speaking of racing, it seems as our
track cars become faster and more
capable, manufacturers have turned
to things like speed limiters; where did
the good old days of blowing out your
engine go? I also think society has gone
too far in blaming cars, not the drivers.
The car enthusiast is a rare breed
nowadays. Perhaps one day we will find
ourselves on display in a zoo. However,
until then, let’s drive (and hop on the sim- I’m not of legal age to drive) like there
is no tomorrow.
Antony Luo, via email
Good on you, Antony, keep the passion
up, mate.
REACH FOR THE SKY
I have three goals I’d like to achieve;
own an HSV, an R33 Nissan Skyline
and travel to America to do everything
car related. Pretty achievable for most
people, but for me a little harder.
I suffer with social anxiety, depression,
ADHD inattentive and autism. I have a
very difficult time finding a job.
I finally saved up to an R33 GTS-T
auto with hail damage, but it had LMGT1WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE? The famous Mitsubishi Galant VR4, or the Evo zero, this is
effectively a generation of that. That was only a four-door sedan and used the 4G63 four-
cylinder engine. In 1996, they released the 2.5-litre V6 and VR4 again, standing for Viscous
Realtime 4WD, apparently. They also released a wagon in Japan called Legnum.
WHY THIS? I’ve always liked having a vehicle, even with motorbikes, that can do a little bit
of everything. I needed a project car, investigated the Legnums, and read: ‘great shopping
trolley’, ‘turbocharged’, ‘you can make them handle’, and the light bulb went off. I went straight
to the Cars For Sale section on the forums and found a VR4 Type S, the one with the AYC diff
and a facelift, for $6K because it wasn’t roadworthy. It only needed an hour’s work.
MODS? It has flowed heads, higher lift cams, custom turbos, a forged bottom-end, full exhaust
system, rebuilt gearbox, new transfer case, Evo 8 MR Super AYC rear diff. An original car is
quoted at 206kW at the flywheel and at the wheels on a chassis dyno is about 130kW. This
car now, on E85, is 281kW at all four wheels. That’s more than double the power. But... I want
more. I want 300kW on the wheels on 98 RON, or 350kW with E85.
AND DRIVING IT? The first mountain run was amazing. It lights the front tyres as you come on
boost. I drive it daily, get the shopping in it, go to the beach with the dog in it. The only thing I
don’t do is commute in the city. It’s a manual and heavy traffic is horrible on your left leg. Oh,
and on E85 it gets 300km to a tank.
PLANS? Plans are a body respray, fixing all the small dents, bigger turbos with 500
horsepower at the wheels. There are people out there with that figure with the work
completed by the same bloke who worked on my car, Transformance Mechanical Engineering.Ed Luck
1994 Mitsubishi Legnum VR4 | 2.5-litre V6TT, 285awkW/520Nm
(modified) | ODO 155,000KM | OWNED FOR 4 YEARS & 8 MONTHSI SPEED AT A TRACK, DOES THIS MEAN
I CAN GET A LICENCE LIKE FIREARMS?
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