[josh.machine]

Ben, I too had the tickets to the match however had to leave late due to work commitments. As i was about to leave I thought of seeing the score and as you mentioned the famous batting collapse put me off and that was it, didn't goto the Gabba :(

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by josh.machine

Ben, I too had the tickets to the match however had to leave late due to work commitments. As i was about to leave I thought of seeing the score and as you mentioned the famous batting collapse put me off and that was it, didn't goto the Gabba :(

I actually took a half-day off work to make it to the match. Turned out to be a perfect waste of time. However, if i had already bought the tickets, i would still have gone.. purely for the experience at the Gabba.

Since you mentioned you had tickets too, it turns out there were quite a few people including colleagues from work who were in/supposed to be at the stadium for that match!

[benbsb29]

Some pics from a recent trip to Redcliffe beach, this time with a better camera.















Sunset hues

[benbsb29]

Team-BHPian kiku007 and myself met up over the weekend at the Redcliffe Peninsula. It was a relaxed meet which involved a round of coffee, and with kiku007 letting me drive his new WRX premium edition as we went around the promenade. Loved it! Thanks kiku! Let's do a faster, longer drive sometime.

Pics from the meet:

[kiku007]

So nice to meet a fellow bhpian half way across the globe! Thanks for setting up the meet, benbsb.

We should definitely plan for a long drive.

[benbsb29]

Been a while since i posted on this thread.

Anyway, Redcliffe continues to be a destination i visit whenever i feel like a drive.. more for a quick n lazy getaway, or even just to be beside the sea. I got to experience a beautiful sunset the last time i was here.

[benbsb29]

A couple of Team-BHPians and I decided to have a quick drive out to explore the Brisbane surroundings. Till pretty much the last moment it was just kiku007 and myself, but then anup.bronco confirmed his availability taking time out from his busy weekend schedule.

The plan was to head out to Somerset country, while climbing the twisties on the way to Mt Glorious. In the process we kicked off the highest ever recorded attendance for a Team-BHP meet/drive in Brisbane.



Being a Sunday afternoon, most traffic was in the opposite direction, returning from the hills, while we proceeded in the opposite direction. The Pajeros made light work of the climbs on the twisties with their diesel grunt, while as for the WRX, this was just another walk in the park, and no sweat at all!



Bikers and families in 4x4s made their way back to Brisbane, while we continued our meandering climb up the hills. Leading the way in my Pajero, it was one of those moments where you boast about leaving behind a WRX in a burst of smoke. LOL!

We descended down to the plains, and stopped for a breather, as anup.bronco in his white Pajero was nowhere to be seen. This gave us time for a little photo op, and for Kiku007 to pretend he was a hitchhiker.

Lost?




The look of evil!


Several hours later (exaggeration!), the white Pajero made its appearance, and we hit the roads once again. This time, what lay before us was some lovely roads through the plains, cutting through some of the most beautiful vistas on either sides.

Finally anup.bronco turns up






As we reached the Somerset region, we continued towards the Spit, which happens to be one of my favorite spots.



Outdoors, Aussie style




I did a bit of a reccee to pick a spot of choice, and found one to our liking.





No TBHP meet goes by without checking out the cars, especially when we had a WRX in our midst.

The Boxer engine being the centre of attention


The cars






Group pic


As the sun began to set, it gave way to some beautiful colors at dusk.



A bit later, we decided to hit the roads to head back home, keeping in mind the distance to cover, as well as the reality of having to head back to work the next day.



Till the next one!

[V.Narayan]

Beautiful pictures. Powerful cars. Thank you for sharing.

[kiku007]

@benbsb29. Thanks for organising the drive and documenting the nice photo blog. Great pictures.

I was very surprised to see how well the Pajero handled, considering it's size. Impressed. I assumed that the Pajero was built on a ladder-frame and how wrong I was.

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by kiku007

@benbsb29. Thanks for organising the drive and documenting the nice photo blog. Great pictures.

No worries. Am glad all could make it.

Originally Posted by kiku007

I was very surprised to see how well the Pajero handled, considering it's size. Impressed. I assumed that the Pajero was built on a ladder-frame and how wrong I was.

Thanks for that. It does move pretty well, considering its bulk as well as size.
The Pajero employs what is termed as a unitary construction, as per this article.

So what “monocoque” 4x4s actually have is a chassis that is reinforced for stiffness and strength in some aspects by the body, so the body and chassis are one unit. This is known as unitary construction, a much less sexy term than monocoque which is why it probably hasn’t caught on. Maybe ‘body frame integral’ or ‘unibody’ will enter common parlance as these are also terms of unitary construction. The main advantages over separate-chassis are extra rigidity and overall lighter weight.

https://practicalmotoring.com.au/car...e-4x4s-afraid/

https://www.drive.com.au/motor-news/...20100823-13gs6

EDIT : A bit off-topic, but this is what we were discussing during the meet:

ANSWER:
Can you explain why you presume a ladder frame chassis would better for towing? It’s certainly not always better for rigidity. Unitary construction (like Pajero) is excellent. Purists don't like it, but they are generally uneducated wombats who don't like change (even change that happened 20 years ago and is now mundane.) I’ve got a degree in mechanical engineering and I’m just not seeing it your way on the ladder-frame front - unitary construction has the potential to deliver the same (or better) rigidity with less mass (and the Pajero certainly is lighter than the Prado, spec-for-spec).

Basically it depends upon the execution in either case - good ladder frame and good unitary construction will both deliver adequate structural performance, and good unitary construction will deliver it with less weight. It’s impossible to make credible blanket observations like that. There’s no evidence whatsoever to support that 'blanket' conclusion that 'ladder frame tows better'.

https://autoexpert.com.au/posts/shou...r-toyota-prado

[anup.bronco]

@benbsb29, thanks for organizing the drive, and the fabulous pictures mate, and for the info. on our beasts, really interesting to know more about our rides.
This was my first Team-bhp meet/drive ever.

@kiku007, your WRX just zooms past as I tried to keep up with it, it's a pleasure to see those quads emit steam as the car just glided away and out of sight especially at couple of traffic stops after we started from Carseldine, And that boxer engine was a gem and sight to behold, though I don't know much about the high performance Subaru cars but really was impressed with what I saw, and this certainly makes me curious to know more about the Subaru's that are so full of character. Kudos to your choice.

Thanks both of you'll for the lovely company, I couldn't sit at ease when I heard you guys have already started, just took the keys of my Pajero and off I came asap, let's continue our meets/drives to vistas as beautiful as these. Cheers

[DieselFan]

Folks,

I have relocated to Brisbane and took up an apartment in Bowen hills. I have also bought a used Subaru Forester. Planning to spend some fruitful time here in Brisbane, Australia. I have seen some forum members having Subaru cars. It would be nice if you can point me to a trusty Subaru mechanic for my car. Mine is a 10 year old car and I do not want to take it to dealers for any maintenance or repairs.
I would also be interested in any weekend trips planned by TeamBHPians here in Brisbane.

Best regards,
DF

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by DieselFan

Folks,

I have relocated to Brisbane and took up an apartment in Bowen hills. I have also bought a used Subaru Forester. Planning to spend some fruitful time here in Brisbane, Australia. I have seen some forum members having Subaru cars. It would be nice if you can point me to a trusty Subaru mechanic for my car. Mine is a 10 year old car and I do not want to take it to dealers for any maintenance or repairs.
I would also be interested in any weekend trips planned by TeamBHPians here in Brisbane.

Best regards,
DF

Welcome to Brisbane, DF.
Good choice with the Forrestor, which model is it?

The other local TBHPian with a Subaru is kiku007 with his WRX, but he gets it servicec at the dealership, as the car is still under warranty.

Originally Posted by kiku007

@benbsb29.

Tagging kiku to get his attention.

As for upcoming drives, nothing's planned at the moment, but will let you know. Are you around during the Xmas break?

[kiku007]

Hello DF,

Welcome to Brisbane

My WRX goes to City Subaru, Newstead for service. The work is good but they usually work hard to find something (unnecessary) to be replaced.

I don't know about any non OEM service centres. Try searching for WRX Club of Queensland. It's a club for WRX owners but then the forum has pointers on good service centres for Subaru.

Bowen Hills is surrounded by car dealerships. Happy window shopping.

[DieselFan]

Thanks Ben/Kiku for a quick response.

I have 2008 Subaru forester X MY09 which has done just 80000 kms and drives fine except I find that the brakes are heating a bit too much (No warning or any errors displayed on the console ).

Ben - Yes I would be here during Xmas break.

regards,
DF