Advan RZ + Kumho Ecsta XS = WIN!

I truly love and admire the legendary Enkei RPF1. Had no issues with the wheels on Black Mamba except for some comments saying it look more like 16s on the DC5. It didn't bug me, well, it did, a little but coudln't think of what to change as most Japan 17 inches wheels with 8 inches width will burn a big hole in my account. And to get the super rare RPF1 with 17 x 8 inches and +45 offset in Malaysia is as good as finding a 1991 CR-X halfcut with 10,000km mileage. Since Adlan has not yet sold his K24 EP3, I offered him to swap wheels with his Advan RZ plus some cash. He agreed, and we set a date to meet in Sunway for the swap. :)

Black Mamba's final moment with the RPF1. Adlan smiling at the back.

I also had no intention of changing the tires as I believe my RS Sport can still serve me for another month or so. But I was proved wrong when I found out two of the tires have only 10-20% thread left! Considering the fact that tires are the foundation of maximizing a car's fun factor and due to safety, I felt it's high time for me to change. So we walked around Sunway and checked out couple of places for Eagle RS Sport, in which the price has ridiculously gone up from RM450 to RM630-650 a piece. Although I'm frustrated with the new price, I still had the gut to ask for the new Yokohama Advan Neova AD08. It would be uber-cool to have both Advans in the form of tires and wheels on Black Mamba..but that dream was once again shattered when the price for 205/45/17 is already at RM750 a piece. You can do the math for 225/45/17. The last on my list was the Federal 595RS-R which the preferred size was also unavailable in Sunway.

Not wanting to wait any further, I gave the green light to the workers at Kin Alignment to wrap the Advan RZ with brand new Kumho Ecsta XS KU36 tires. With a higher rating than the AD08 and a price cheaper than RS Sport, it's the best choice for me at RM500 a piece. Although the thread pattern allow only front-back rotation, the design has already won it's place in my heart.

Took me a while to feel the new tires on the wider Advan RZ. Drove around Sunway and Subang for 30mins and as soon as I hit LDP, the rain came. Perfect time to test the tires on the wet. The Ecsta has already proved it's worthiness as I drove through Penchala Link and took the long S-corner entering Duke. Level of grip in wet seems better than the RS Sport and at 80kmh it keeps on biting till the end of the long corner. I also noticed that the thread grooves are much deeper, which assisted the higher level of wet grip. The next day I drove back to East Coast through Karak and all I can say the tires brought endless smile on my face. I couldn't push the car much harder due to the fact that my right side hydro mount has broken for the 3rd time in 13 months! *&!@#^*!. Nevertheless the ride was smooth and much silent than the RS Sport. The harder sidewalls on Ecsta also helped reducing the understeer and it didn't show any sign of tiredness on any type of corners. Play with your throttle and you'll be slicing the corners like a hot knife on a butter. I will write another review once I hit the track soon..In the meantime to those who seeks tire replacement, I highly recommend you to try this. It may take a while to accustom oneself with the non-Japanese brand, but I can assure you the Ecstas are worth swiping your card with. Hahaha..

Adlan's EP3 with the RPF1. Nampak kecik la Lan...hahaha.

Gangsterer than before hehe.

Newly painted ass!

The Dent

The worse part about caring your car so much is that one day, a silly mistake could happen and it can break your heart (and wallet!) much worse than being dumped by your dream girl. So this happened to me recently on a fine weekend. It was a sunny day so I decided to give Black Mamba some TLC. Washed the car inside out and gave it a final touch with Meguiars tire shine. When the cleaning session was done, I reversed my car to re-park under the porch. Everything was normal during reversing until I heard ...cracking sound. Shitznel! I've hit my housemate's car parked at the entrance! I jumped out of my car with a mountain high hope that the cracking sound didn't come from the rear lights...and thank god it was only the plate number. But the damage was there on the bumper and a slight ding on the bonnet. Although not severe, it totally killed my good weekend mood that day.

And to make me feel shittier than ever is that....I was the one who moved my housemate's car to the entrance to make way for Black Mamba. *Puts a gun on my head*

Being restless about this, I made up my mind not to wait so I send the car to a nearby workshop for the fix. Painter need to torch the dented part and spray the entire bumper and bonnet. Gonna costs me at least RM300-400.....Wasted...... Oh well, shit happened aite? At least the workshop's signboard below made me chuckle. "Vtec & Turbo only" Hahahaha! I hope the unconvincing-looking bee will not interfere with the repair work....

Photo was taken an hour ago, bumper has already been taken out and sanded. Check out the thick rear beam that sets the Type-R at a higher level than the other DC5. But then again...The incident is one of the downside of having so called 'road legal track car' as your daily beater. No conventional amenities such as the reverse sensors, interior passanger grip handle etc were present....

OG

This matte DC5 from Max Racing Japan is the most GANGSTER DC5 I've ever seen on the web. The color matches perfectly with the staggered SSR Type F wheels together with Max Racing's aggressive front bumper, vented hood and side steps. Totally awesome masterpiece by the Japanese!

Gong Xi Fa Cai

I would like to take this opportunity to wish my Chinese friends and readers a very happy and prosperous new year. Enjoy the holiday with your loved ones and drive safe on the road.

K-Series Intake Manifold Battle!

Ahhh... Yes.. Finally! The write up that K-series owners have been waiting for! Seven different K-series intake manifold were tested by the Super Street crew with verdicts that might leave you in amazement. Take your time to read the article below and by the end of the day you'll have the idea on what you should be getting for your IM upgrade. Be it power-wise, torque-wise or both. Oh yeah by the way, the price for RRC IM is about RM1,000 and the Skunk2 Pro Series should be slightly lesser than RM2,000. You make the choice! :D

P/S: This article was published in the February 2010 issue of Super Street. Sorry about the watermark tho! It was extracted from PDF.

iPhone Car Mount

Boredom almost killed me yesterday so I went for a drive around the neighborhood and tried recording video from my iPhone which was clamped on a car stand and mounted to the driver side window. Very amateurish stuff here but it actually works!

The car mount has the agility to be twisted and turned 360 degrees so you can actually focus your iPhone camera lens anywhere you wish to, be it the dashboard view or your face. And with its powerful suction cup, it'll stick on the glass forever. After a few recordings, you just need to do a little bit of adjustment to get a perfect view of what's infront and the screws need to be tightened so it wont vibrate and move during recording.

So for those who wish not to put any tripod in the car, you can try this cheap method. As long as your phone records clear and crisp video, the end product should satisfy you. Thanks to Prasath for the stand..he doesn't need it anymore since he already bought a HD digicam to record his racing action.