Contemplating getting a GoPro HD HERO Wide camera

After watching a friend's recent attempt at recording a drive up the twisty roads of Ulu Yam, I've been intrigued with the idea of making a video myself. And so I've been researching on whats the best equipment available out there on the market for the filming of car events. These are the two contenders which are available for purchase in Malaysia:

  
Specification Comparison Chart (courtesy of http://www.helmetcamreview.com)

	ContourGPS HD 1080p	GoPro HD HERO Wide
Suggested Retail Price	RM1280	RM1299
Included mounts	Goggle and flat surface, extra stickem pad	Vented helmet, headband, 2 flat surface, 2 curved surface, adjustable pivot arm, WP housing* with add'l open "audio" back, 2 quick release mounts
Included cables	USB	USB, HDTV and RCA
Software	Online download available	No
Lens/Field Of View (FOV)	110 deg. on 1080p, WVGA 135 deg. on 960p & 720p	127 deg. on 1080p 170 deg. on 960 & 720p
Adjustable camera settings	via software: Time, 4 video quality, audio gain, bit rate, contrast, exposure, sharpness, spot/center/avg. metering	via camera menu: video settings exposure metering
Video settings	1080p@30fps 960p "full frame"@30fps 720p@30 or 60fps WVGA (848x480 @60fps)	1080p@30fps 960p "full frame"@30fps 720p@30 or 60fps
File Type/codec	QuickTime .MOV/H.264	MP4/H.264
Battery / included	rechargeable lithium - yes	rechargeable lithium - yes
Battery run time	3 hrs (as per Mfg.)	2.5 hours (as per Mfg.)
Internal memory	No	No
Memory Storage	MicroSD up to 16GB	SD up to 32GB
Memory included	Yes - 2GB	No
Still photos?	No	Yes - 5 mp, several modes
Digital zoom?	No	No
Remote or LANC	No	No
weight w/battery	4.4oz	6.3oz in wp case*, 3.5oz without
Size L x W x H	3.75" x 1.27" x 2.15"	1.6" x 2.77" x 2.5" (in case)
Weather resistance	"water resistant" Not WP without WP housing - NOT included	Yes, only with WP housing* (included)
Other notes:	GPS tracking, Rotatable lens, dual laser sighting system Online video hosting/posting	*housing must be used for mounting of camera

Judging from the reviews and user feedback from numerous sites on the internet, boths products have their strengths and weaknesses. In my case however, I'm looking for a camera that provides high quality footage and ease of editing (the GoPro camera excels in these two areas). Mounting and ease of use are secondary since the camera will mostly be mounted inside the car (the Countour camera is easy to deploy and is less of a hassle to mount). So whats the verdict? 

Have a look at this video comparison between the two cameras and I'm sure you'll come to the same conclusion that I arrived at:



Oh and check out this awesome GoPro video of a ProSports car race between Porsches and Jaguars as they battle it out at Laguna Seca.

Update (pictures taken after the fire): R35 GT-R catches on fire after colliding with a Volkswagen MK6 Golf GTI

Once again, for the whole story as well as the video of the crash, head on over to to this blog entry. For theories behind the subsequent crash and fire, you would want to read the previous update before this one.

Now onto the pictures! These were taken after the fire had died down, showing the burned hulk of the R35 GT-R and whatever else that survived the inferno.

Update: Series III R33 GT-R Front Bumper Installed

Per my previous entry, where I told the story of how I came across a R33 GT-R Series III bumper and set about restoring it ... well, heres the end result :).

 From this...

 ... to this! 

Loving the Nismo air ducts, the enlarged intercooler opening, the integrated fog light indicators and the bigger lower front air diffusers!

New A3 concept coming to Geneva and powered by a 300kw five-pot engine

This looks and sounds very, very tasty. Can't wait to see the concept car in the flesh.

Geneva 2011: 4dr Audi A3 concept

http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/four-door-audi-a3-concept-revealed-2011-02-21

Audi has released teaser sketches of a four-door concept A3 set to debut at the Geneva motor show.
The four-seater ‘notchback' saloon is said to "offer a glimpse of the future expansion of the A3 family", and comes complete with a five-cylinder turbocharged engine developing 408bhp.

This power gets squirreled away to all four wheels via a seven-speed S tronic auto ‘box, and while performance figures haven't been released for the concept, expect a 0-62mph time of around four seconds.
The concept measures 4,440mm long - 300mm shorter than the A4 saloon - and 1,390mm high, and continues Audi's new-found hobby of plugging every available motoring niche. Considering the 'new' Audi RS3 Sportback hasn't even been launched (properly) yet, is it already out-of-date? And which niche will Ingolstadt target next?

Spare Engine Rebuild Update

Please refer to a previous blog entry on my purchase of a spare RB26DETT head and block, if you do not already know the story behind the rebuild.

Due to the limited availability of aftermarket RB26 parts locally, my tuner thought it best that I purchase items that we had reserved at several Sunway shops. 

His fear was that, since these reservations weren't firmly tied down with deposits, the vendors would have no qualms in selling the parts to walk-in customers. And so today we went out and visited the usual haunts of motorheads in and around Sunway. 

So while the block was being re-sleeved at the machine shop, we went to ST Wangan. We were there for the following items:

Jun Oil Collar 

ARP Bolts and Studs

Our next stop was Samurai Racing for the Greddy Oil Sump.

It will take sometime to rebore the block and port the head, so stay tuned till then.

Update (with pictures): R35 GT-R catches on fire after colliding with a Volkswagen MK6 Golf GTI

For the earlier part of the story, as well as the video of the crash, head on over to my previous blog entry.

More pictures can be found at the bottom of this entry

Thanks to information passed from friends of the R35 GT-R owner, there were no casulties nor injuries. The incident did indeed happen on a stretch of road near Kuala Klawang. There is however, differing views on how the two cars came into contact.

Story A
This information is from an R35 owner who knows some of the members of the GT-R convoy. Two groups of cars were traveling on opposite lanes in an area near Kuala Klawang. The Golf GTI was part of a group that was coming back from a drive in Bukit Putus. They were traveling from the direction the video was taken. The two cars met with a collision and the GT-R came to rest in the brush whereupon it caught fire. Fortunately the occupants were able to disembark and save themselves from the proceeding confulgration.

Story B
According to a mechanic friend of the owner of the burnt R35, the car had been on a spirited run a few hours before the accident. Upon being hit in the rear by the Golf GTI, the car came to a full stop at the side of the road. The GT-R's hot exhaust pipes then came into contact with the local foliage (dry leaves) and this started a fire. A puny fire extinguisher that they had at the scene was not sufficient to put out the blaze, which eventually went on to consume the whole car.

Pictures courtesy of Zerotohundred member Convict:

R35 GT-R catches on fire after colliding with a Volkswagen MK6 Golf GTI

Not sure too sure as to what actually happened but judging from the absence of any other damaged vehicles in the video, it is most likely that the Golf GTI collided with the Nissan R35 GT-R and that set off the resulting inferno. 

Speculating
It looks like the GTI could have perhaps gone too fast and understeered onto the next lane, clipped the R35 from the opposite direction, and the GTR spun out and hit the tree and exploded.



The road does bear some resemblance to the locales in and around Bukit Tinggi but a friend says it happened somewhere near Kuala Klawang. Anyway, hope no one was hurt.

Bukit Tinggi (pictures courtesy of Eu Jin)

Kuala Klawang

Mazda 3 MPS to be launched in Malaysia with a sticker price of RM175k

Drove the previous gen MPS while I was living in Australia and it was quite the pocket rocket (same power output as the new model: 190kW, 380Nm). 

That much power was somewhat controllable as the MPS came with a torque-limiting system (coupled with a limited-slip front differential, switchable stability and traction control systems) for the first two gears to manage torque steer, excessive wheelspin and power-on understeer.

The only issues with the old MPS was that the exhaust note was a little restrained and the hydraulic rack steering system was a tad bit light for spirited driving. While it was responsive and well-weighted enough to entertain, it lacked the feedback and razor sharpness of say a Focus or a Golf. Lets hope this new car has rectified some of those issues.

Anyway, Bermaz (Berjaya) is definitely keen on wanting a bigger slice of the local automotive market. The fact that MPSes have always come in manual guise might limit its appeal to the auto / slush box loving Malaysian public.

Oh and I prefer the previous MPS' looks compared to this new 'smiley' faced one.

http://paultan.org/2011/02/18/mazda3-mps-to-be-launched-in-early-march-rm175k/

Mazda3 MPS to be launched in early March – RM175k

Yes, it’s definitely cheery news for the performance hatch brigade, especially those into stick shifters – the Mazda3 MPS is set to be launched on March 2, and you can catch the car in the metal at the Mazda Motor Show at 1 Utama from then to March 6.

The five-door hatch, which was spotted in January at JPJ Putrajaya doing type approval, will roll into the market at RM175,000, which is definitely competitive for what it is.

The Mazda Performance Series gem is powered by a turbocharged MZR 2.3 litre DISI block offering 256 hp at 5,500rpm and 380Nm of torque at 3,000rpm, working with a six-speed manual tranny and a torque-sensing limited-slip differential.

The Mazda Motor Show will also see the introduction of the locally-assembled Mazda3 in both sedan and hatch form. The car began rolling out of the production line in January at the Inokom assembly plant in Kedah, and production is expected to be around 3,000 units a year.

No pricing has been announced yet, but going the CKD route should bring the price to a very competitive level – we’ll just have to wait for March 2 to find out what it is. Four colours will be available for the locally-assembled version.

Aside from that, the Mazda Motor Show – which will be located on the ground floor of the new wing of 1 Utama – will feature pretty much the entire range of Mazda vehicles brought in by Prima Merdu and distributed by Bermaz, these being the Mazda2, Mazda5, Mazda6, Mazda8, CX-7, CX-9, RX-8 and MX-5, so if you’re into your Mazdas, the roadshow is where you’ll find the full deck of cards at one go.

Found a Series III R33 GT-R Front Bumper

Now as I had disclosed in an earlier blog entry, my R33 GT-R is actually a Series II BCNR33. Hence, the bumper looks like this:

Its a very clean look and I like it, but I thought I should try getting a hold of a Series III bumper. The reason being that I had upgraded my Series II headlights to the xenons from the last model of the BCNR33 series. The Series III looks like this and yes, I just bought it today thanks to a tip off from some fellow Skyline owners (Jahax, Temujin and geber - thanks again boys!):

Just a bit of background on the car that this bumper came from. According to the rear bonnet section, the car was a late model V-Spec edition BCNR33. The tell tale paint chips of the front bumper indicate that the car was originally Awesome Blue or Aqua Blue and not Midnight Purple. However, it could just be that the previous owner had swapped in a new bumper that was originally painted blue (heck, it could have been painted in R34 Bayside Blue even). Whatever the case, one can't help but wonder what the car was like before its demise.

Notice the Nismo air ducts right in the middle? Another major difference between the Series II and Series III bumpers is that the intercooler airduct has a slightly larger opening.

First thing I did after purchasing the said item was to rush over to my painter and have him start work on restoring the bumper. It needs some minor restoration in the bottom skirt section as well as the sides. Once he has done doing that, the bumper will be colour coded to suit my car and we'll pop it on. Can't wait! Quite pleased with the purchase as the bumper came with the indicator lights, as you can see below.

For Sale: Used Volkswagen MK5 Golf GTI Brembo Front Kit

I've got up for sale a set of genuine Brembo 4 pot front calipers (with 50% used pads) including mounting brackets, brake lines plus 330 x 28 mm perforated rotors. These parts are in excellent condition and the rotors have never been skimmed. The brake kit has been in use for less than 6 months.

The reason behind the sale is that the brakes work too well. The owner's wife finds them too difficult to modulate in stop and go traffic, to the point where she finds the Golf GTI near impossible to drive.

Price: RM3,900

Location: Sunway

If you are interested, please leave your contact details in the comment section of this entry.
 

What a typical Ulu Yam drive is like

I'm sure people sometimes wonder what actually happens during a Ulu Yam run.

Normally it begins with a bunch of folks conversing via an online forum (refer to the above for an example) before eventually deciding to hold a drive. This then leads to a a brainstorming session where a drive destination, a meet up point and a date is agreed upon. The next step is the hardest because it involves waiting for the actual day to arrive. On the very last night before the event, those who are committed, set their alarms and jump into bed early.... although, this is not always the case. You see, Ulu Yam drives tend to take place on Sunday mornings and since theres always something to do on a Saturday night (football, movies, dinners, clubbing etc) .... well.... you get the idea.

And so in the wee hours of Sunday morning, a bunch of grown men (some of whom drag their poor wives or girlfriends along) crawl out of bed and prepare for the long morning ahead. This involves a quick shower, maybe some breakfast on the go, a brief inspection of their car and a short drive in pitch darkness. Most go easy on their cars, letting the engine warm up for the arduous journey ahead. Others rush to half-way spots in order to meet up with other participants and convoy to the flag off point. As you pull up to the agreed meeting place, this is what you're likely to see...

  

 

While their girlfriends or wives stay put in the car (who can blame them), the men would congregate and start chit chatting about the day ahead. The still morning air begins to ooze with male bravado and testosterone as modifications stories are swapped and a debate ensues on whose car should lead the drive up to Gohtong Jaya. When nearly everyone has arrived and the men have had enough carbon monoxide in their lungs, the organisers will indicate that its time to hit the road.

One enters into a deep, almost trance like state between the period of leaving the Batu Caves Petronas and reaching the intersection of Jalan Manggis / Jalan Sungai Tua. The reason being that the route is filled with nasty potholes and unsuspecting speed bumps, forcing oneself to concentrate like Luke Skywalker and weave in and around such obstacles. Once that section of road has been surmounted, the real fun begins right at the moment you pass the reservoir lake ...

Before you know it, you've reached Ulu Yam town proper. More often than not, you can't help but feel guilty for disturbing the peace and tranquility of small town life. The convoy slowly snakes it way past built up residential and commerical areas, dodging the villagers and their motorcycles. This feeling of guilt quickly passes as you hit a series of tight uphill corners in second leg of the route...

This picture is courtesy of Woay Chee Lim

The air starts to get colder and your ears begin to pop as you make the ascend to Genting Highlands. Sometimes the weather stays crisp and sunny but at other times, it gets nasty and wet. In this recent run up to Awana Skyway mamak, the latter came true (unfortunately).

Despite the dismal weather and having to run in the rain, such discomforts are quickly forgotten as one revels in the camaraderie of like minded fellows and the ample food thats available inside.

As you tuck in into a hot roti telur sardin, you can't help but feel that it was all worth it - worth it in the sense that you woke up bloody early on a Sunday morning and sacrificed a few hours of hard earned sleep. The conversation around the table is pleasant and interesting, normally involving cars and the like. Slowly as the morning wears on and people start to take their leave, you finish off that lukewarm milo and make preparations to head back down the mountain. Sometimes its in a small convoy of friends, at other times its just by yourself, which is fine. Whats important is the drive and how much you enjoyed doing it.

Purchased a second RB26DETT engine for my rebuild project

It has always been my intention to purchase a second RB26DETT. The aim was to rebuild the engine and when it was ready, pop the new powerplant into the R33 GTR. That way, I wouldn't experience any downtime and the car would not be stuck at the workshop for weeks on end. It'll also mean that I will be able to install the performance engine parts that I've been stockpiling since last year (please refer to this earlier blog entry).

Lo and behold, I was able to fulfil this goal recently. A friend of mine was looking to sell his R32 GTR's bottom block along with a R33 GTR head. He has recently embarked on a RB30DETT project and as such, will not be able to utilise the bottom block. Whats interesting about this block is that it has been rebored to fit HKS 88mm drag spec forged pistons.

One of the HKS 88mm forged pistons

The actual bottom block

After carrying out the necessary machine shop tests to check the health of the pistons as well as the bottom block and the head, I decided to purchase the lot. The pistons are in excellent condition (near new in fact), the head needed only one minor weld and skim work, while the block itself passed the water leak test. Whats especially pleasing was that the crank was not bent.

The R33 GTR head

Stock RB26 oil and water pump, which will be replaced with Tomei Oversize Oil Pump and a N1 Water Pump

Work on this second engine will start after Chinese New Year holidays and I can't wait to source all the necessary parts like Nismo bearings :).

 All of that came from this particular R32 GTR engine