[Samurai]

Originally Posted by SowmyaHariharan

@Samurai: Checked your garage. Commented on the Jeep. Very well taken pics. I liked the fourth and fifth snap of your Baleno very much. Its like they were speaking to the camera.

Thanks, I shot the 4th and 5th (even 7th) on the same evening near a farm house. However, these two shots received magical post-processing treatment by our forum Gandalf, a la photography/photoshop sorcerer.

[SowmyaHariharan]

Originally Posted by vid6639

lol. No that's Riju's friend's car. Belongs to Malik who isn't on the forum. Rahul's is the same colour as your car.

I think v1p3r has just given you a good idea. You need to take the car on track.

My bad.. While getting ready I was thinking about what I had posted. Then it hit me, first of all, the white Baleno had black mags.

Second, I had a faint recollection of the owner's name Mallik. Rushed to check. Jumped into the chair, logged on and Phoosh, My 20 minutes were up.

Extremely sorry.

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

Sowmya, the white car is Malik's. Mine is a pearl silver Baleno. Check my garage for pics. Infact, it was after I got the grill made for my car that Riju placed an order for the same grill for his car.

@ Viddy: Calm down boy! How about getting your car on track first ? Sheesshhh! All you guys jumping out with suggestions like ECU, suspension, track .

My bad. I realized this as I was getting ready to leave to work. I was recollecting whar I wrote when it hit me. I ran to my computer hoping my 20 minute window was there. But I missed.

Also the white Baleno I wrote about has black mags. There also I goofed up.

[SowmyaHariharan]

Originally Posted by abhijit 2284

congrats on the purchase ,

as you have so aptly said - there is something about a baleno that really pulls you.

what are the modifications that you plan to do on the car and how much has it run till now .

regards,
Abhijeet

The car had run for 38500kms when I picked it from Riju. Now in a month I have added another 500 odd kms.

[condor]

This thread is kinda unique, a win-win situation, and in the end it turns out to be TBHP family affair !

We so often hear stories of a lovingly maintained car going into the hands of some lucky idiot who wouldnt care a hoot about the car but was only looking for a good bargain ( & got one). Or a person who loves his wheels but getting a tin-box, rust-bucket, what-have-you. But here's something different, something beautiful.

SowmyaHariharan : I used to stand near the driver and watch him using the clutch, brake and accelerator and pester them with questions.

Ah ! Brings a smile to my face. Did that long long back, but wasnt able to ask the questions. Was all about observation, and have learnt a lot that way, thanks to all those Ka-SRTC long-distance drivers.

[phamilyman]

Sowmya,

Its been a thorough pleasure to read your auto-history! Very well written and quite engaging. Here's wishing you many miles of smiles with this beast!

PS: Aren't you driving the baleno a little less?

[neti]

Originally Posted by shivshanker

lady.. that is quite a write up.

That is neat and clean car.. congrats on the purchase... Guess what . .I have a 2005 VXI and am enjoying the ride.

FYI LUCAS has fog lamps whcih fit neatly into the front bumper slots

cheers!

Hi I have a 2005 LXi. Would you happen to have the model numbers on the lucas lamps?

Most of the shops I speak to try and sell me Hella lamps.

[neti]

Congratulations on your car! It's a great one!

I have '05 lxi which I've kept stock. Thanks to the photos, my wife has said she'll let me live if I put alloys in.

Now it would be nice if some one posted photos of leather upholstery so that I can slip those in as well!

[crazydiablo]

A few things that came to my mind

Ensure that you continue with the same brand of oil, synthetic and the brand. Ask Riju about oil change intervals. Very important not to leave it at the MASS with normal service instructions. Take care of the K and N Filter.

Next time around when u change tyres stick to one size and probably 195s all around.

Regular service at 5k kms is all you need to give her. Take care of her well and u will have wonderful motoring for years.

[jithudigitised]

oh soo long awaited post.

Its great to know that you are taking good care of the car as rjstyles69 wanted.

Great feeling would be for rjstyles69 to know that the car is in safe hands.Say my hi to your hubby.
Is he bhpian by any chance?

Drive safe.

[rjstyles69]

Originally Posted by crazydiablo

Ensure that you continue with the same brand of oil, synthetic and the brand. Ask Riju about oil change intervals. Very important not to leave it at the MASS with normal service instructions. Take care of the K and N Filter.

All done Sire !! Handed over the service routine(excel file) with the oil grade, to-do list and absolutely everything.K&N cleaning kit also provided.

Originally Posted by crazydiablo

Next time around when u change tyres stick to one size and probably 195s all around.

Any specific reasons Mohit ? I have seen BMW's running with different sizes in the front and rear. From what reading I have done, I see that its ok to run different sizes in terms of the section width and aspect ratio of tyres.I could be wrong too, however please post your thoughts.

[crazydiablo]

Thats cool, I just put down what came to my mind. But then I should have thought, if you handed over your photos you would have taken care of the rest also. Pretty thorough I must admit.

Regarding the tyres, I would have to agree that there is nothing wrong with your selection since both are acceptable sizes. But I have a feeling that those Beemers were either street/track cars which see some sort of racing action.

Few things that come to my mind:
The car has a nose down profile seen from the side. Same tyres will balance it out. From a handling perspective what is currently there is desirable though.
205s might be overkill for the her requirements now.
Most importantly, with the current setup car will oversteer pushed to the limits/panicked. Same tyres will bring this back to neutral/understeer as stock cars are setup to do. Oversteer might be a little daunting for the lady, would prefer understeer as its easier to correct.

[mclaren1885]

Riju, most beemers are RWD cars and hence you see bigger tires at the rear. However, this is not necessary for our puny FWD cars. I would agree with Mohit and stick to just 195's.

[SowmyaHariharan]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Sowmya,
PS: Aren't you driving the baleno a little less?

I drive 20 kms a day, 5 days a week ie 400 kms a month if I get to drive it myself. When I have to wrestle with my hubby and he wins just because I let him - he takes the car and drives 50 kms a day.

Originally Posted by crazydiablo

A few things that came to my mind

Ensure that you continue with the same brand of oil, synthetic and the brand. Ask Riju about oil change intervals. Very important not to leave it at the MASS with normal service instructions. Take care of the K and N Filter.

Next time around when u change tyres stick to one size and probably 195s all around.

Regular service at 5k kms is all you need to give her. Take care of her well and u will have wonderful motoring for years.

Riju gave me a car maintenance document. He was very thorough. And he is always a call away.

I asked him when I needed to service the car next, he has asked me to wait.

Coming to tyres, Why cant I have 205s all around as I usually travel alone in the car and I wont be carrying much weight behind?

Originally Posted by jithudigitised

oh soo long awaited post.
Is he bhpian by any chance?
Drive safe.

Hi.. I am my hubby's material researcher/ writer and he is my GPS / fund guy. I got a great deal I know. He is not much of a writer but I will narrate his experiences too on his behalf in a play format. Will drive safe. Always have seat belts though they restrict me like crazy.

Originally Posted by crazydiablo

205s might be overkill for her requirements now.
Most importantly, with the current setup car will oversteer pushed to the limits/panicked. Same tyres will bring this back to neutral/understeer as stock cars are setup to do. Oversteer might be a little daunting for the lady, would prefer understeer as its easier to correct.

Nooooo.. I would love to have all 205S. Please tell me how it will affect my rear tyres if I decide to go ahead. You should see me drive. Oversteering no daunting task for me. If one drives using "Opposite Lock" technique, one can counter that though I have not tried it. Just know the theory and seen it on "Fifth Gear".

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

Riju, most beemers are RWD cars and hence you see bigger tires at the rear. However, this is not necessary for our puny FWD cars. I would agree with Mohit and stick to just 195's.

Hi soumya,

Nice to read this. Written very well infact !

By the way NICE TITLE TOO !

BYE

[mclaren1885]

Originally Posted by SowmyaHariharan

Coming to tyres, Why cant I have 205s all around as I usually travel alone in the car and I wont be carrying much weight behind?

You can Sowmya. But 205's will have a greater surface contact area with the road and will only slow you down. Specially if you are running on close to a stock motor. Your lateral grip and speeds into a corner will be amazing but your acceleration times will come down. Honestly, I think 195's are more than enough for our cars, specially if you have a good compound tire like the PP2's or AD-07's. I have driven close to 200kmph (speedo) and haven't once had the chance to lock up my brakes or loose control of my car on my 195/50/15 AD-07's. Yet, somehow I know those tires are slowing me down a lot in a straight line but are making up for the loss in braking and cornering.

You should see me drive. Oversteering no daunting task for me. If one drives using "Opposite Lock" technique, one can counter that though I have not tried it. Just know the theory and seen it on "Fifth Gear".

After reading this post, I somehow get a feeling that Riju's (ex) car will soon visit the track for the first time .