[Nikhilb2008]

My car completed a quick trip to Hubli and back this week.



Also got a routine Wheel Alignment and Road Force Balancing done.

I noticed that one wheel, which was my front right wheel, is bent quite badly.

You can see the rim runout for this damaged wheel here:


Readings for another 2 wheels: These are in good shape.



I also noticed that the hub on the vRS is rusting quite badly. I forgot to take pictures of it. This is causing the Aluminium hub centering ring to also rust and the wheels were kinda stuck to the hub and it took a bit of a physical effort from the technicians to get the wheels out.




Fuel Economy continues to vary drastically.

This was in heavy traffic this morning on my way to office.



Another picture of another drive through heavy traffic.



On the highway to Hubli and back. A fast drive. I wouldnt say it was pedal to the metal, but it was quite quick. On the road between Bangalore an Tumkur, I was averaging 13-14kmpl. Tumkur to Chitradurga is my favourite stretch of road and on that stretch, fuel economy dropped drastically!




Just some nice pictures of water beading! Early morning in Hubli thanks to dew.

[Nikhilb2008]

I've now covered 27,500 kms in this car in 10 months.

What I find is that on long drives over good roads, I am far less tired. Even if there is more traffic on the highway, thanks to the automatic transmission, there is less fatigue. With my Civic, there would be a lot more usage of my left leg to downshift and upshift while slowing down and then speeding up to overtake traffic.

With an AT, obviously, that fatigue is taken out of the equation.

However, when there are bad patches of road, I am more tired than in the Civic. The stiff suspension of the vRS can be tiresome. I know that it's a price to pay for having absolutely rock solid and stable handling at higher speeds, but in the real world, it can get tiresome.

During my drive to Hubli and back earlier this week, there were a few bad patches and at the end of it, I just wanted to get out of the car and stretch for a bit. I've rarely felt like that in the Civic.

The interior is a nice place to be in thanks to the seats and the black dashboard. However, I'm already bored. I miss my Civic's interior which still doesnt feel old.

The vRS can be a cruise missile on good roads (like Tumkur to Chitradurga) but I've started to get bored of the power.... I've started to feel like I need more power.

What I've realised it, I dont actually need more power, but I need to feel like I have more power. I need a bit of violence and a bit of drama. The vRS is perfect for the adult in me. However, the child in me needs something more.

People thinking that this is the first step in me remapping my car, hold your thoughts! I am still quite keen on retaining my warranty for 4 years.

I hope my Civic will be up and running soon and that should scratch this itch of mine!

If it does, then my life will be perfect.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

What I've realised it, I dont actually need more power, but I need to feel like I have more power.

Hmmm!! Pedal tune box is the solution

Nikhil, did you consider Revo remap with SPS? You can flash back stock map on your own in few seconds!

https://youtu.be/tKScO1PQdv0

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

I've now covered 27,500 kms in this car in 10 months.

The vRS can be a cruise missile on good roads (like Tumkur to Chitradurga) but I've started to get bored of the power.... I've started to feel like I need more power.

What I've realised it, I dont actually need more power, but I need to feel like I have more power. I need a bit of violence and a bit of drama. The vRS is perfect for the adult in me. However, the child in me needs something more.

People thinking that this is the first step in me remapping my car, hold your thoughts! I am still quite keen on retaining my warranty for 4 years.

What you need to spice things up, is a nice exhaust. something that's muted in the lower revs and opens up as you give it some stick!

The problem with this suggestion though, is that:

1) It's easy to get bored of the new exhaust note too. *Face palm*

2) Warranty may be void.

Is there a cheap and quick back to improve the steering's responsiveness? That should keep you entertained for the rest of your life!

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

Hmmm!! Pedal tune box is the solution

Nikhil, did you consider Revo remap with SPS? You can flash back stock map on your own in few seconds!

Pedaltune ehh? Wouldnt it be cheaper to just buy Snake Oil?

I dont want anything that can be detected. In any case, like I said, everything on a VAG car is expensive. Same money spent on my Civic can give me better results!

Originally Posted by suhaas307

What you need to spice things up, is a nice exhaust. something that's muted in the lower revs and opens up as you give it some stick!

The problem with this suggestion though, is that:

1) It's easy to get bored of the new exhaust note too. *Face palm*

2) Warranty may be void.

Is there a cheap and quick back to improve the steering's responsiveness? That should keep you entertained for the rest of your life!

Hehe.... If I was ready to give up my warranty, I would go to Harmonixx and get an APR Stage 1/Stage 2 Map with a DSG tune straight away.

I am not a fan of exhausts. They may improve throttle response slightly, give marginally more power but they usually become boring very quickly.

[Nikhilb2008]

My car is having a good month. After an 850-km round trip to Hubli and back, it has brought me safely to Pune via Kolhapur.

My drive to Kolhapur yesterday was absolutely fantastic. Heavy rains from Dharwad onwards but I could easily maintain a reasonable cruising speed.

One important note here is that I felt absolute confidence in the MRF Perfinzas. Do note that they have covered almost 20k kms (will cross that 20k mark sometime tomorrow). In spite of their wear, they were confidence inspiring and gave me tremendous confidence to keep driving at a good speed.

Even on Concrete roads which were soaking wet, the MRFs rarely lost grip. When they hit a large patch of standing water, they aquaplaned of course but nothing very scary. I felt completely in control of the car at all times.

There were a couple of instances when I had to brake hard (not an emergency braking situation, but a hard braking situation nonetheless) and the MRFs just stopped firmly without any drama.

Now, in all fairness, I'm confident a Michelin P3ST or a Continental MC5 would be as good if not better but I am very pleased to see that MRF's premium offering is as good as their marketing claims!

At 20k kms, the tyres dont seem to have any issues.

This was taken at Kolhapur yesterday when I finally stopped for the night. Included a lot of driving in and around Kolhapur after I reached Kolhapur at 11:00 am.



Below pictures show a well used car. Taken today at Pune.

Certainly not a garage queen/king. I love pampering my car, getting it detailed, washing it and I do obsess over the smallest scratch. However, at the end of the day, a car is meant to be driven. And driven hard. In all conditions.

[krish3]

That's a sexy looking car Nikhil. Good to see that you are still burning the roads.

How come you haven't upgraded the tyres yet!!! Expected AD-07 or some similar grippier tires on your car.

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by krish3

That's a sexy looking car Nikhil. Good to see that you are still burning the roads.

How come you haven't upgraded the tyres yet!!! Expected AD-07 or some similar grippier tires on your car.

Thanks Krish.

There's no need to upgrade tyres. I was fine with the Hankooks for my kinda driving but tried the MRFs as they wanted me to try it.

And as of now, they re doing fine. Will change to Conti CSC5s if the company is feeling generous. Otherwise, will try the Michelin PS4.

[Nikhilb2008]

Introducing....

India's first and only DUAL TONE OCTAVIA vRS!

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Introducing....

India's first and only DUAL TONE OCTAVIA vRS!

Honestly Nikhil, I sort of prefer the glorious 'RACE BLUE' over this Maruti-ish dual tone!!

So now I am one of those many eagerly waiting for another wash & restoration video.

[Reesnat]

Hi Nikhil, just wanted to say thank you for sharing your detailed experiences with your car. I've enjoyed following this thread and it has now led me to book a Blue VRS of my own!

I look forward to some more advise from you on the do's and don'ts with the car!

BTW - I am thinking about getting the 3M Paint Protection Body Film applied on the first day as a protector for the original paint. Would you recommend it?

[deepfreak15]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Honestly Nikhil, I sort of prefer the glorious 'RACE BLUE' over this Maruti-ish dual tone!!

Sorry but could not resist, this is my attempt at a dual shade.

[krish3]

The natural dual tone is far better than the ones from any company

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

One important note here is that I felt absolute confidence in the MRF Perfinzas.

Now, in all fairness, I'm confident a Michelin P3ST or a Continental MC5 would be as good if not better but I am very pleased to see that MRF's premium offering is as good as their marketing claims!

Nikhil, you are tantalizingly close to recommending a Indian brand over the big daddy European ones .

Considering the 205/55/16s are at ~7k (Perfinza), ~8k (Conti MC5) and ~8.7k (Michelin P3ST), which will you recommend?

[roby_dk]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Introducing....

India's first and only DUAL TONE OCTAVIA vRS!

Hi Nik,
I remember you used to carry water-less wash and microfiber cloth with you in your trips and after reaching you couldn't resist to move without cleaning your car. How did you managed to leave the beauty like this, anyways it is looking cool.