Want more power????

Man’s quest for power ultimately sent Him out of the Garden of Eden, when he sought knowledge what he actually sought was power. The race for power is ever evident in the auto industry as with most manufacturers that have products in same groups tend to out-do each other with almost every model they release. BMW’s M3 and Audi’s RS4 are typically good examples.
The power war between the car giants is worse than what ensued between OBJ and Atiku in the last dispensation. These brilliant car manufacturers have arrived at the pinnacle of this battle by various means; vehicular weight reduction, improved aero dynamics and advances in engine design with stuffs like direct injection. But one common denominator that is ever present in almost every car that chooses to go berserk on its power numbers is that the engine is always charged up.
If you remember clearly the very 1st memories you’d have of a sports car is the Toyota Supra. It was fast right? The Supra employed one of two available means of charging up an engine, it used the Turbocharger. The other alternative more commonly in use is the Supercharger. Both are basically the same thing just differentiated in the means of achieving their aim.
Basically both turbo and Superchargers are compressors that compress air that is fed to the engine. The advantage of compressing the air is that it lets the engine stuff more air into a cylinder. More air means that more fuel can be stuffed in, too, so you get more power from each explosion in each cylinder. A turbo/supercharged engine produces more power overall than the same engine without the charging.¬

Single scroll Turbocharger

Superchager
The key difference is that the Turbocharger uses waste exhaust gases to drive its turbine while the Supercharger uses a regular belt or chain and pulley system like your alternator or water pump. Turbochargers are actually cheaper to fix and for an engine not producing any boost power increases the efficiency of the engine by atomizing all of the fuel (ensuring no fuel leaves the system un-burnt). The downside is that the power band on the turbo chargers tends to be in the higher rev range of the engine. Meaning that if you need instant power from stand-still, you might not get it; a feeling often described as Turbo Lag. Superchargers have a more linear power curve but actually are more expensive and use up a considerable amount of the engines power. The Super charger on the McLaren Mercedes SLR actually uses up to 126Hp!!!! That’s more than a Corolla puts out.
Engine power is increased by either of these chargers. Sadly fuel consumption also increases, but this is more than a welcome sacrifice for the increased power?

I don't get it!!!!!!

Searching for a worthy replacement for Slama has been a very daunting task. 20 years ago in Nigeria if you had to buy 2 similar cars that were only differentiated by their transmission(manual and Auto) the Manuals were always more expensive because no one wanted a Slush box.Today the story is very different.
Every available web site I’ve been to reflected this new trend. No 1 wants a manual anymore. Almost every car model in the market has an option of Automatic on sale and in a few brands like the Camry; the Auto-box is standard, relegating the manual transmission to an option. One of the rarest manuals you can find is the 99-2001 camry that has a manual transmission.
Thus making that old famous economic principle of Demand and Supply affecting price, markedly true; it is so bad that you can almost not find any Toyota product with Automatic transmission for 300k. If you wanted a manual you’d get, (NICELY). I predicted then that we’d all 1 day buy automatics but I didn’t understand that Nigerians are probably the largest collection of people on earth with the band wagon effect. What pains me most is that I thought people were buying Auto’s because they’d come to understand that this was the right choice (in Lagos we live in traffic, for the working man, we spend close to 4 hours every workday on the road. That’s 17% of our active time!!!! What good is a manual transmission here?) But I just realized that 20 years ago everyone was buying a manual so a new car owner would buy 1. Take the pure water example, there was a time in this country every Tom- dick and harry was into the business. You want another, take web design. There was a time this really horrible car was so popular; the Opel Omega. I was in the university at the time and it was so popular in Oyo state that when the state Government of Lam Adesina was doing some kind of Bonanza for its workers, the car of choice was the Opel Omega.
Let’s leave my examples of cars and go to entertainment, do you remember the time that everything you saw on Nigerian Tv was some kind of Reality show or the other? How did it all start? Some very smart guys brought the apprentice show to Nigeria and whooommm every one Jumped on-board the Reality Tv craze. The problem of Piracy of Nigerian artistes started in a similar way. My secondary school was next door neighbors to traders in Alaba Int’l. A few people left the TV/ video sale business because the market had become overcrowded and decided to go into sales of CD’s. They started off with foreign artistes and today we all know the rest. Big Bros Jiggaman is probably lounging somewhere in the Bahamas while the likes of Raskie watch in Hunger( Really no1 pirates Raskies work, who’d buy it?).
You want a hit in this country, start, pioneer or better still rebrand or repackage a new thing!!!!!!!!

Toyota's Bug

3 years ago when I was shopping for a car, I was what you could call a Nigerian-German. Let me clarify a few things. I knew that the name Mercedes Benz was coined out of Carl Benz’s name and the daughter of a prominent sponsor of Gotlieb Daimler before I was 7 years old. My Dad was a practicing Auto Mechanic. He had a regular 9-5 Job in an oil company (Conoil), but Serviced and repaired his car himself. We took a great liking to Cars at a very early age. And 1ce it was time to buy mine, it was definitely going to be a German Car. I couldn’t afford a 3 series, so I settled for the next best thing. A Golf!!!! The Golf provides a fair balance of Power, reliability, durability, simplicity and it definitely has a Fun factor to it. For me, Performance comes before anything (well I thought so).
Change they say is the only constant thing in Life, within this time I’ve gotten married and strangely I now realize that reliability in a car seems to be a more important factor than performance. The Golf is a really great car (its Volkswagen’s largest volume seller) and I’ve not for 1 bit regretted buying it, but something happened that has set me on a slippery slope. I discovered early in the day that Slama (my Golf) is scared of water like a Dog is. At the slightest site of it, she passes out. This has been made worse now by the constant rains we’ve been experiencing on the Island. Like a Navigation system I plot my movement, keeping clear of places that tend to have drainage issues. This even affected my choice to settle in Ajah over Gbagada!!!!!!
I’ve slid up to the point that I am considering the route that Jigga took, getting a Toyota to replace Slama. 3 years ago, such a thought I would consider to be sacrilege. But I’ve done a bit of research on Toyota’s in Nigeria and discovered that they hold more than 80% of its value after 3 years. i.e you buy a tiny light Camry for 1 million and after 3 years, if you use it well you can still find someone to buy it for 800,000. That’s insane!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

07/07/2010

On 07/07/2007 i walked from the Redemption camp to Berger Bustop a distance of Over 50Km's. I had 2 reasons to complete that journey 1, Man-Mekus was throwing a Binge-drinking Party and My colleague was walking the Journey with me. Had i turned around and gone home i'd have been the Laughing stock in my office. James(my colleague) was Skinny, i was Big-bonned( a natural bias was already in place). He's Dad was a Police man and you can be sure some of the Drilling he got at home worked for Him, through the 50Km walk James never looked like he was going to break down. I on the other hand stopped countless number of times,Cursing the people responsible for the traffic on a supposed Expressway. The trafic was out of this world. The reason for it, is better left for another day. Three years after that Horrid day i had a terrifying reminder of just what happens when over 15 million people travel solely on the Road, It rained Elephants and Lions on the 07/07/2010 in VI which got me thinking there's got to be an alternative to us all driving?

The Terrafugia Flying Car
What you see in the video is absolutely real!!!! its called the The Terrafugia flying car. Here are the Stats: The two-seater vehicle uses its front-wheel drive on roads at ordinary highway speeds. But once it arrives at an adequate take off spot, it can extend its wings, take off and glide through the sky at 115 mph.The vehicle can go 460 miles and carry 450 pounds, but requires a runway that is at least a third of a mile long. It fits into a standard-sized garage. This Flying car was created by MIT Engineers!!!! Getting around in Lagos in 1 of these things will be a beauty. From Epe, to Badagry in no time. Nigeria, we're almost 50... we gotta sit up?????

Mileage

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about a possible replacement for Slama and as such I’ve had to go through quite a number of web sites that sell cars in Nigeria and 1 thing I’ve taken away is that Nigerians place emphasis on just how much accessorized the car is; i.e how much its “pimped up” tends to affect the way they negotiate pricing over the actual under the bonnet condition of the car.
Abroad where most used cars come from, Mileage plays a key role in pricing. Mileage in this case is simply the distance which the car has covered in its life span in Miles. The more the Mileage, the lower the price (irrespective of how many DVD screens it has). Out here it seems not to matter?
Very few cars are known to keep all of their components going beyond 250,000 miles (250K miles). A lot of cars sold in this country especially the ones originating from the American continent that are closer to being 10years and above are already over the 100k mileage. Most lie in the 150k mile range. Analysis shows that 3-5% of cars under their 1st 10 years have their mileage adjusted. Most people buy used cars in Nigeria with pricing around the 1 million naira mark (mostly from salary advances). That will get you a car of around 10 years. At an average of 10k miles per annum you’re going to get a car around a 100k miles (most, already have their mileage adjusted and it’s easy to see why. There’s so much self help tool on the internet that teaches you how to adjust your mileage yourself).

A 76,000+ mile car
So if in effect you buy a car with around 150k miles, take a loan of 1 million to pay over 4 years, drive an average of 10k miles a year, you should after 4yrs have pushed your car to the 200k mile mark? So after paying for four years, the vehicle is now in a not very reliable condition. Thanks especially to the not too good roads in Lagos.
So what’s the Sense in all of it, after paying back the Banks loan, you now have a car that’s no good? It’s simple. If you must buy a Toks, buy one that will be good to you after the bank has taken its pound of flesh from you. My advice, buy a damn brand NEW CAR!!!!!!!

Direct injection

Fuel injected engines received a similar kind of discrimination that automatic transmission cars got back in the days. Buying a car equipped with a carburetor was the way to go. My perception of fuel injected cars changed when I, my brother and my Dad worked on getting “Lord Lugard’s” carburetor engine replaced with a fuel injected engine. (Lord Lugard was what we called my Dad’s 5 series). Yeah, it was an un-popular move and other than the fact that my family is not known to go with the flow, we were well aware of the benefits of petrol injection over the use of a carburetor. Instantly noticeable was an improvement in fuel economy. Early morning start ups were now easier than ever.
A petrol engine burns a mixture of petrol and air, this mixture is via a carburetor or an injector. The basic difference between a carburetor and fuel injection is that fuel injection atomizes the fuel by forcibly pumping it through a small nozzle under high pressure, while carburation relies on low pressure created by intake air rushing through it to add the fuel through the intake manifolds.

Fuel injection
Fuel and air mixture rush in to the engine through the inlet valves(blue)
Direct injection takes the advantages of fuel injection further. It injects fuel directly into the combustion chamber of each cylinder as against having the fuel and air mixture rush into the chamber through the intake manifolds. What this simply does is that it takes fuel efficiency and power up while lowering emissions. Power delivery is more linear and the engine runs smoother.

Direct Injection
Injector squirts fuel directly into the engine as air rushes in
While you order your next car, do try to get 1 with direct injection. It works for both sides: the petrol heads get more power and the green people can sleep better at night because they know they’ve done their bit to save the planet.

Whiplash

I was 10 at the time when I told my BFF that one day all Cars will come in Automatic transmission. It seemed crazy at the time. Three years after that my Dad bought his 1st automatic transmission. It was a Mercedes Benz 200 (4 cylinder, 3 speed auto box. The list of options that weren’t included were ABS, A/C, power windows, Central Lock, Power steering was however standard). This was a 1976 model car and current lineup of Japanese cars still can’t match the kind of feedback you get from the Merc. Colored in Banana like yellow it had the ride height of a Rav 4. It basically swam through water.
Most memorable was the transmission shift gate PRNDSL. No fancy Manu-matic shift option that you can find in almost all modern Auto boxes. Shift through Reverse, Neutral unto drive from a standstill, Dump the accelerator pedal to the floor, watch the Speedo rise all the way to 40Km/H and brace yourself for the worst kind of Whiplash( you can feel a minor kind in a manual when you shift through gears hard). It’s that forward and backward motion that throws your head and neck backwards and forwards.
Whiplash gets more pronounced in an autobox as the car gets older. On my Dad’s Benz, it got so bad you could feel it even when the car downshifts to 1st gear. Prevention: make sure you service your gearbox at regular intervals (oil and filter change). On a happy note Whiplash is much reduced in modern Autoboxes. On a sad note, Slama (my Car) has begun showing signs of Whiplash. I guess its time to start saying Bye-bye.

20 Year Cycle

On Tuesday on my way to work in lekki traffic, on the other lane I was passed twice by 2 Brilliance Bs4 cars. That in itself is not such an event, but just further down the Road was a ‘Tear Rubber’ Honda CRV which had broken down by the Side of the Road. Only then did I actually start thinking.

Brilliance BS4
As kids, I remember that when my Dad was short of Cash and wanted to change his Car at the time, the only viable option (as far as we were concerned) was a Peugeot GL, getting a Mercedes Benz 200 was the target or a BMW 5 series would’ve been just fine, but a Japanese Car was totally out of it, it was dimmed “Cheap”. Such was the discrimination for Japanese Cars 20 years ago, they were reliable, but people just didn’t like them. They were the Whipping boys of the Major Car manufacturers. Considering a Korean Car was nothing short of heresy at the time, i remeber a friend saying that the Daewoo Racer was not safe because it was made of plastic.
Today we know that Toyota, (a Japanese Car) is the number 1 car manufacturer in the World. And 20years down the line, the Koreans have done better at gearing up their image than the Japanese did. It’s a dream come true if you can afford to buy a Korean “Brand New” car today!!!!! Hyundai has the Genesis which Targets the likes of the 5 Series and the E class (imagine that!!!!!).
The sighting of the Brilliance Bs4 car, made me recognize the 20 year cycle. Now let me ask, how many Brilliance Bs4 cars have you seen on the Road? Quite a few I assume your response will be. Now, how many have you seen broken down by the side of the road? None I’m sure you’ll say. The reason you haven’t seen any broken down isn’t because they’re so few, it’s because of the quality engineering that goes into it. Let me add here, that the Bs4 is actually Chinese!!!!!! Brilliance Auto partners with the Bavarian Boys, BMW to make the BS4. At its launch a few years back, the BS4 actually failed the Euro NCAP crash test. At the time I ranted and abused the Chinese for trying to make cars instead of sticking to making noodles that they’re known for until I found out recently that the Ford F150( the Fastest Selling Vehicle in the World) is not mandated to undergo crash tests because it’s a truck!!!!

Ford F150
So what if the BS4 fails the Euro NCAP tests? To heck with the crash ratings, even more outstanding is the fact that India now makes cars. If you remember 20 years ago, what was the name on the Okada your neighbor had? It was likely going to be Honda. Today, we don’t have Honda bikes in this country. What you’ll find as you board the next Okada will likely be a Lifan, Jincheng or the new one Bajaj plastered so proudly on the tank. These are all Chinese and Indian.
Its pretty much the same thing in the Generator scene, you cannot find an original Honda anymore, it’s all Jin Ling (as the case with mine and my brothers) or some Xing Xang Xu Name.
The 1 question I ask is if it has taken about 20 years for “this revolution” when will Nigeria start with hers???

The owners Corner

A local name used to describe the diagonally located backseat occupant in relation to the driver’s seat in a car in Nigeria. Imperials, Royalties and affluent people from time have always ridden in the back seat as they were being chauffeured around; be it in a Horse drawn Carriage or a Ford Model T.
This transcended to the Auto Era and as with the time when the Horse Carts had just 1 Hp, the back seat of Luxury cars were actually the most comfortable place to seat these cars as no expense was spared to keep these high profile occupants happy and comfortable to their next destination (which might have been to witness a Firing squad ( Idi- Amin had a Mercedes Benz 600). Today, these luxury cars come equipped with everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The connecting Dot here is Luxury and Car. So in summary for it to qualify to be an ‘owner’s corner’ it must be a luxury car. For the singular reason that in every other car model, the back seat occupants are not considered to be Semi- god’s and their comfort is not really paramount when designing the car.
For several years I have had to watch and see Nigerians abuse this hallowed position. I have seen people claim owner’s corner in Toyota Hiace Buses. When I was in Primary school we had a neighbor who rode constantly in the owner’s corner of His Molue!!!!!!!!!!! All of this was bearable until I saw a marketer in 1 nonsense microfinance bank claiming owners Corner in a Kia Picanto!!!!!!!
I was Livid to say the least, and even without technical knowledge of cars, anyone could see that the back seat of a Picanto is CRAMPPED!!!!!!!!!!!! Afterwards just like the eyes of a newly deflowered teenager I began seeing even more violators of this sacred position. I saw 1 lady push all the way to the limit the front passenger seat just so she could be comfortable in the “owner’s corner” of a 2005 Toyota Corolla. Her P/A’s frontal’s was right all up squashing the Dashboard (I won’t even tell you the sex of her P/A), but I can tell you if the Human rights people saw it they’d make a case for her (P/A).
Why on earth would you risk the life of another for a freaking status symbol????? If you own anything less than a Luxury car: and by definition that is a Mercedes S class, its equivalent and above and have a driver don’t even get in the “owners corner” because its half as comfortable as the front passengers seat.
Please, please this covers all you Camry, Accord owners. Yes even if it was yesterday’s model, these cars are classified as Mid size cars. So do us all a favor and get back in front. Pleaseeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!

Dilution!!!

There a few things that as an individual you know as a fact. As a Nigerian, you’re almost sure that once your leaders ascend a political post, they’re almost gonna be unacccessible. I know for sure that on my way home to Lekki, everyday I’ll drive through traffic; you know that PHCN will interrupt Power supply everyday as well as you know you’ll get Hungry if you do not have a meal on time: so I also thought that the proud heritage of BMW not meddling in the business of Front wheel driven cars will continue forever!!!! (Front wheel driven cars; FWD are a compromise of driving dynamics over perceived efficiency)You see with the Front engine RWD, the Weight of the Car is spread along the lenght of the car; i.e the Engine is in front, the transmission is in the middle and the Axle is right in the Rear. With the Front Engine FWD layout, you have the Engine, transmission and axle are in the front. Its like having your eyes, Hands, stomach and legs all in your Head!!! No way on earth you'd be comfortable?
Bmw Claims that if you could mount the 3 Sereis right in its middle on a Pin( that could carry the weight)it won't fall off because it has a 50:50% weight distribution over its its Front and Rear axles. Small wonder it has such Phenomenal Handling!!!
Every other Car manufacturer has fiddled with the Front Engine, Front wheel drive Layout, even Mercedes Benz. BMW was the only Manufacturer that kept the Front Engine RWD layout which was largely responsible for the heavenly driving response achieved on its line up. All of that is set to change now with the introduction of the new 1series with FWD or AWD layout.

2012 BMW 1 series

I cannot begin to come up with excuses on why BMW has chosen to go the way of the others and dilute the BMW driving experience? But a close answer comes in the knowledge that for the 1st time in its History, Land Rover will have a FWD model in its much anticipated LRX.

Land Rover LRX Concept
The closest I can come to telling you why is that Both BMW and Land Rover are trying to adjust to the times. Porsche, Ferrari both have Hybrid models in the works. This was un-thinkable just a few years back.
Please make no mistake, there are Advantages in the Front engine FWD layout: improved Fuel consumption being the chief one, but I thought the reason we bought a BMW was that you wanted a car that you could go round a corner at any speed? And the whole Logic behind a Land Rover was that it could go where Nature you’d rather you stop and go back Home? What use is a Front wheel driven(only) Land Rover?
It’s a Sad time for us pure motor enthusiasts!!!!!