Fast Cars

4X4

How and why – change your car’s badge colour

8 September 2021 Robert Pepper

The little things count. Sometimes a car is changed, you look at it and think “that’s better” but you can’t pin down exactly what changed or how. In that case it’s probably tiny little changes that you don’t notice invidually, but do change the overall look. An example is badges – you can delete them, […]

4X4

One technique you need as you teach learners to drive manual cars

30 August 2021 Robert Pepper

Driving is a massively complex task, especially a manual. Even to get into a car and pull away requires a lot of knowledge and skill; how to sit correctly in the car, insert a key (or press a button) to start the engine, select a gear, release the parkbrake, coordinate clutch and accelerator, even knowing […]

Blog

Lotus Emira – your last chance for a new driver’s car?

7 July 2021 Robert Pepper

More than any other marque, Lotus focuses on, and is associated with pure driving pleasure. Lotus has never been about lap records, top speed or 0-100km/h times. The ethos of Lotus is the driver, the joy of the human-machine partnership. In 2021 we are nearing the end of an era. The internal combustion engine is […]

4X4

This is a really good point about special editions

4 July 2021 Robert Pepper

Another day, another special edition something-or-other. Usually it’s a ute, sticker-engineered with decals to become a Black Edition, because black is cool, right? Oh, but there will be the odd chrome (or black) panel, maybe new wheels, throw a lightbar at the front, maybe a tonneau cover at the back, then write it up as […]

4X4

Proposed changes to Victoria’s Club Permit Scheme

17 June 2021 Robert Pepper

For many years Victoria has offered a Club Permit Scheme (CPS) for vehicles older than 25 years which allows the owners benefits such as lower registration fees and no stamp duty on vehicle transfer. There are restrictions on the amount of days the vehicle can be used – 45 or 90, and each vehicle must […]

4X4

Why “power out” is wrong for skid recovery

7 June 2021 Robert Pepper

So let’s say you’re driving along a dirt road, hook into a corner a bit fast and the back end steps out. Or, you’re on a fast, sweeping corner at a fairly constant speed and same thing, back end starts to overtake the front. Maybe you’re just driving straight and hit a bit of an […]

4X4

Are you a low-vision driver?

5 June 2021 Belinda O Connor

Bioptic driving – are you, or do you know someone who is losing their eyesight or born with low vision, and wants to continue to drive? In this interview Robert Pepper talks to me, Belinda O’Connor, founder and director of Bioptic Drivers Australia. At the time I had only been driving for three years and […]

4X4

Which type of vehicle forum is the worst for misinformation and butthurt?

2 June 2021 Robert Pepper

We’ve all seen stunningly wrong advice and fights online, but which type of forum is the worst? I decided to ask my readers that question, and here’s the results: Yes, a clear win to the caravan forums. For once I agree with my readers..there’s really no contest. Right now my eyes are seared by someone […]

4X4

Hey men. About women and 4X4s…

8 May 2021 Robert Pepper

Blokes, we need to fix this. Women are around 50% of the population, but a small fraction of the 4X4 world. Now why is this? Nature, or nurture? We don’t need to aim for 50%, but we do need to ensure that all who want to have a go, can have a go. So I […]

4X4

Don’t wreck your car through understeer and oversteer

6 May 2021 Robert Pepper

Motorsport is a safe, risk-averse sport, right? There’s hundreds of pages of safety compliance regulations; everything from your valvecap design to how old your fire extinguisher should be. This is all wonderful, but also terrible. Because I am yet to see an accident caused by the wrong kind of valvecap. But I have seen many, […]

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