I was originally going to blog about my newly changed car tyres. A pair of Goodyear Ducaro GA tyres. But I ended up blogging about how the newly changed Goodyear screwed me up!
First things first. I changed the front two tyres of my trusty old Iswara. The old Michelin tyres are worn out, so I thought of changing them. I went all the way to Pandan Indah, because that was where I bought the cheap Michelin tyres last time. They were good tyres, and I thought I wanted to go back there to get a good deal. And it was a big mistake going back there, as I shall soon find out.
Goodyear Ducaro
First of all, the tyres were not aligned properly after the change. I had to drive all the way back to Pandan Indah to get the alignment fixed. And it was not a one time job. The guy took like 3-4 trips driving my car to get the hang of where the misalignment is. And in the end, I had to be contended that that was the best that he could do!
The biggest problem was the grip and handling of this thing, or to be precise, the complete lack of it! One fine day I went to Bukit Jalil for my usual swim. I took the route from Puncak Jalil towards Kinrara. I was on the right lane and there was this Toyota Unser on the left lane, with another slower car behind it. All was fine, until the stupid Unser decided to swerve suddenly to the right lane without any signal lights! I was going quite fast (about 60 km/h) when I stepped on the brake. Normally with the Michelin tyres, I would still be in control. But that was the Goodyear! And the tyres were not properly run-in to handle the harsh friction. The road was slippery too after the light shower. The wheel slid, and I couldn’t control the avoid the fucking Unser. Steering to the left will put me in direct collision with the other car. So I swerved right instead. There were road dividers there, but it was the lesser of the two evils. I felt a dull thud as my car hit the divider, flew on top of the dividers and glided on the wet grass! (see picture below)
Incredible acrobatic act!
As you can see, the divider was broad, with lamp posts at intervals. As the time slowed down while rolling along the uneven divider, I watched in horror as one of the lamp posts loomed closer into view! Oh no, the worse is not over yet! Since the brakes will not be that useful at that time, I engaged the 3rd gear and released the clutch. The car regained its grip, and I steered the car slightly to the right, just missing the lamp post!
Bounced off the divider and onto the road!
I was considered blessed, the traffic was clear on the opposite direction. I directed the car to the opposite lane, towards the end of the divider. The car bumped as it meets the asphalt again. As soon as I got proper grip again, I brought back the car to its proper lane and started moving again. The car engine never died, but I stopped the car beside the road anyway to check on any damages. The stupid Unser has long since left the accident scene without a hint of sympathy! I doubt that the car even know that it almost cost me my life! Fuck you, you irresposible driver! I hope your conscience makes you burn in hell and rot to your bones!
Anyway I count my blessings actually. I still could drive all the way to Port Dickson with my wife, my dad and my 15-month-old Yan Yan. 😛