Banbury IOM Newsletter January 2011

Febr

uary

2011

IN THIS ISSUE

Editors Drivel - P1

Margaret’s Pics - P2

Thoughts on tyres - P3

Why fit winter tyres? - P 4 & 5

Drunk in charge? - P6 Gatso’s are back - P6

Test pass - P7 In for Test & welcome - P7

New car safety laws - P8 What does this switch do? - P8

Events Calendar - back cover

Contact’s - inside front cover

Where we meet - inside back cover

All members & friends are welcome

Banbury Advanced Motorist Group 2126

Affiliated to The Institute of Advanced Motorists Registered Charity No 1088338

The Group Magazine A.G.M. 15th April

St Hugh’s Church Ruskin Road

Banbury

2010 / 2011 Officers, Committee and Observers Group President - Mike Horn Committee Chairman Bernard Moore 01869 241106 Vice Chairman John Riches [email protected] 01295 250067 IAM Group Contact “ “ 61 Bloxham Rd Banbury, Newsletter Editor “ “ OX16 9JS Group Secretary Peta Simmons 01608 643377 [email protected] Events Coordinator Gary Fairclough 01869 337925 [email protected] Mobile - 07917 195928 Treasurer Karen Liddle 01295 711685 [email protected] Membership Secretary Jean White 01608 684397 Chief Observer Chris Milner 01327 876342 Deputy Chief Observer Kromer Rogers 01295 720804 Publicity Officer “ “ Associates Officer George Findlay 01295 811682 Committee member Bill Smith 01295 257028 Committee member John Thomas 01327 260776 Group Observers Chief Observer Chris Milner - Daventry 01327 876342 [email protected] 07714 205402 19 St. Anthony’s Close, Daventry, NN11 4UF Deputy Chief Observer Kromer Rogers - Bloxham 01295 720804 [email protected] Senior Observers John Britton - S. Newington 01295 720519 Steve Bushill - Daventry 01327 704678 Mike Clifton - Banbury 01295 262147 John Thomas - Woodford Halse 01327 260766 Qualified Observers: Michael Bishop - Brackley 07854 837477 Aaron Lilley - Banbury 07780 110420 Malcolm Dibb - Kings Sutton 01295 810143 John Riches - Banbury 01295 250067 Jane Holmes - Banbury 01295 251621 John Roberts - Brackley 01280 850378 Bill Smith - Banbury 01295 257028 In Training Liam Sebag-Montefiore - Southam 01926 642534

Happy New Year to all of you. Carrying on from the December Highway we have even more information on tyres - You know those rubbery things touching the road in each corner of your car. After reading Kromer’s article I thought it’s time that I got out the depth gauge and gave them a thorough check . I had thought that visually the front ones were getting near changing time but the rear tyres looked ok. I searched the garage and the car but my tyre maintenance kit was nowhere to be found. Eventually I gave up and decided that I ask my mechanic to look in 2 weeks when its M.O.T. was due. The report said that both the nearside tyres had about 2000 miles of wear left on them but the offside tyres were ok (no figures on the groove depth). I have never run my tyres to the legal limit so at least two tyres were required for sure.

But, what about this more wear on the nearside tyres than the offside; in my experience the drive wheels (front in my case) wear at a quicker rate than the others. I found this disturbing. I decided to put my faith in the tyre salesman (me trusting a salesman? It must be time for the funny farm). I phoned a dozen garages to check out prices for replacing like for like Dunlop tyres. I received quotes from £130.30 to £80. My requirement was for H rated tyres suited for speeds up to 130 mph the £80 offer was for W rating of 170 mph which are of course usually more expensive. I reluctantly accepted this offer. The tyre man agreed with the mechanic and estimated that the offside “do not need replacing, They have 2 to 2.5mm of tread. I had 4 new tyres fitted and of course I will not be buying any more pressure indicators (see last mag). The New Year is of course the time for special offers so why should we be different? Chris Milner has managed to negotiate a special deal with Chris Gilbert for his new double DVD (Ultimate Driving Craft 2). The normal cost of this is £27.95. If we order 20 or more he will let us have them for £20 each. There will be a lecture by Chris Gilbert on April 20th where it is anticipated that there will be at least 20 ordered between the three groups attending. More information on the back cover

Most of the committee have a copy and without exception we are very impressed as we were with his first DVD. This one is even better. More information on page 2

Stratford are organising another Skid control course. They have managed to obtain a very reasonable rate for the day and organise car sharing for the trip to Donnington. Their advert is on the back page. If you have not been on a skid pan (or have not for some time) I encourage you to join them. It could save you some embarrassment or even a life.

Letters to the Editor John Riches, 61 Bloxham Rd; Banbury, Oxon OX16 9JS.

or Email to - [email protected] All Copy must be in by 20th of the month please. Address above If possible please send copy in ‘Word’ or similar as an attachment to an Email

I could not figure it out and had to look at the answer. See if you can figure out what these words have in common. 1 Banana; 2 Dresser; 3 Grammar; 4 Potato; 5 Revive; 6 Uneven; 7 Assess. Are you peeking or have you already given up? Give it another try Look at each word carefully. (You'll kick yourself when you discover the answer.) Answer: No, it is not that they all have at least 2 double letters, nor is it about the vowel arrangements, tempting though they were at first glance.. The answer is on page 7

Remember, patience is a thing you admire in the driver behind you and scorn in the

one ahead. Thanks for this one to the Guilford group’s newsletter ED

Margaret ‘s Pics

An alarming sign from the Somerset Levels

Animal rights - where are you ....... ?

Ultimate Driving Craft 2 Day & Night

There are two DVD disc’s with a total running time of 160 minutes. Cornering is covered in depth. Three chapters on commentary driving. Cornering and drivers signals. Gear lever grip and overtaking. Night driving. Advice to women driving alone at night. These DVD’s come highly recommended. Order yours from Chris Milner (a £20 cheque with order please) Contact numbers inside front cover. These DVD’s were produced by Chris Gilbert. More information about Chris on the back cover

The article in the last Highway on tyres from Kromer has resulted in a flurry of E-mails within the group. We thought that they should have a wider audience.

From Bernard Moore:-

Interested to receive your laudable comments/report on the benefits of the "Winter Tyres", Kromer. One other aspect is of course the move to lower profile and hence wider tyres these days. One is forced to wonder whether the real benefits of these are ever realised on our roads and driving within the speed limit(s).

I have always felt that alloys and low-profile tyres have been as much about image as any-thing else, or is that too simplistic?! After all, we are now told that the wider tyres should be changed (thrown away?) when they are down to 3mm of tread, because less than that does not get rid of the water adequately. So we have this:- Wider tyres are: - 1. more expensive in the first place, so are the wheels, 2. give a less comfortable ride, 3. have to be changed earlier, 4. probably do not function as well in snow, Do you want me to go on?

The reply from Chris Milner

As for the tyre situation, I believe you are correct on point1, expense, in your email. However the latest low profile tyres are well developed for high performance cars and certainly in my case do not spoil the ride. These tyres are fitted to suit the potential of the vehicle, in my case at least 155mph. The law says that the tyres MUST suit the vehicle speed potential at produc-tion (construction and use regulations)Theoretically this could mean a maximum of 70 mph here in the UK. However what hap-pens if I take the car to Germany? Once the vehicle is purchased you can do what you like within reason. If it is deemed safe and ‘reasonably quiet’, add your spoilers and

low profiles as you wish. I used to drive my racing Capri to meetings and there was NOTHING standard about that car!!!!!!!!

In the 60's we had a car that would do 90mph and had tyres to suit from new. In the winter we changed to a softer tread and more open pattern for the poorer weather and driving conditions. So what is new now???? My current production tyres are "W" spec to cope with a potential minimum of 155 mph. The latest "winter" tyres are quieter than the older types, and have more grip because of the LOWER speed rating with softer rubber construction. However they have a speed rating of say "H", max 130 mph. We could even use "S" rated tyres in snow as we would not exceed 90mph, would we!! I agree that low profile tyres are not so good in snow etc as they are designed not to flex so much, and therefore normally give sharper steering response. My current car is on 45 profile tyres and has very good response; my old BMW was on a higher profile due to the lower potential top speed. This car was sluggish in steering response for someone like me, but fine for the average driver. Nothing has changed about when it is best to buy replacement tyres!!! The law remains at min 1.6 mm of tread depth. but the police recommendation has always been to replace tyres at 3mm, especially as winter comes on, so that the new tyres, with possibly 8mm of tread, would clear water better and be less likely to aquaplane. With that much tread, the steering response IN THE DRY is poorer compared with say 3mm. I hope this helps you with your thoughts and comments.

Reading the aforementioned article brought me up to date on winter tyres or, as they are more accurately described, cold weather tyres. It certainly corrected the picture I had in my mind of tyres with studs in the tread etc. Winter tyres have been around since the 1950s but their development has speeded up in the last 5 years resulting in them adopting the cold weather nomenclature. At temp’s of 7oC or below the rubber of summer tyres hardens resulting in the loss of pliability and of its ability to wrap around surfaces and provide grip. To overcome this silica is combined with a high level of natural rubber in the composition of the tread of cold weather tyres. The tread pattern has also been revised to include a greater number of sipes (slits), wider grooves and more tread blocks (see illustrations of mine). The result is a tyre that behaves far better in conditions of snow, slush, ice and rain when temperatures are at 7oC or below. Met Office figures for autumn and winter show that in the average year in this country 40% of the time the weather is dry, 45% wet and 15% snow. Also as a personal observation, having an external temperature monitor in my car has shown how frequently this year the temperature has been below 7oC. The following tests on stopping distances conclusively demonstrate the benefits and hence the advantages of cold weather tyres in coping with autumn and winter conditions in this country from October until March. I was quite impressed with the article and decided to make enquiries. Shopping around on the internet I found a good bargain of four premium Continental tyres for £364 fitted and balanced with new valves. I went ahead locally on 26th November. The summer tyres were bagged and are stored above my garage. I have not invested in a spare set of wheels and so will need to swap them round in March/April. This is necessary, as can be seen from the table at the end of this article, because cold weather tyres do not perform as

WINTER TYRES As advanced drivers we are well aware of the importance of tyres in ensuring that our cars respond in a way that is safe, predictable and appropriate to the requirements of the individual vehicle and the conditions. Unfortunately it seems that the average driver tends to view tyres as a distress pur-chase. We all I am sure realise that it is those four small areas of rubber in contact with the road that makes everything else possible and for this reason their characteristics are abso-lutely critical. Talk to any motorcyclist and they will wax lyrical about their black cir-cles. Within our vehicle, as a driver, we also each have four points of actual physical con-tact that ensure proper control. We should have two hands applying an appropriate hold on the steering wheel for the maximum amount of time while driving and have two feet, appropriately shod, operating the pedals in a sensitive manner. At this time of year when getting into our vehicles off ground that may be wet, snow covered or muddy we should remember that excellent BAM tip of wiping the soles of our footwear on the car mats before placing them on the pedals. If we develop the theme of tyre characteristics then we must consider the wintry weather of 2009 and 2010. This has stimulated an interest in the type of tyres that we use on our cars at this time of year. Back in November I was scanning the newsagent’s shelves for any items of motoring interest, when I spotted an article on winter tyres in the December issue of “Total BMW”. This was of particular interest as I drive a 3 Series BMW and experienced some ‘interesting moments’ while driving on the ice and snow last winter. Even the BMW magazine article admitted that during 2009/10 the Ultimate Driving Machine became the Ultimate Sliding Machine. Personally I felt that the Paul Simon song title “Slip Sliding’ Away” described the feeling rather well.

well at temperatures around 20oC and they also wear a lot faster with lower mpg. Since fitting the tyres I have driven through soft snow, compacted snow, slush, torrential rain on the M4 (real Welsh rain) and on quite long stretches of ice. In particular negotiating the roads on our estate with its corners and gradients to gain access to the main road was achieved without drama on numerous occasions during the time when all the above conditions existed. I would not have reached the main road on my summer tyres. These results have far surpassed my expectations. The change in behaviour compared to summer tyres is very impressive. Their sure footedness is most reassuring. They really hug the road and are far less harsh over rough surfaces and unavoidable potholes. The tread does have a chunky configuration and a depth of 9mm which compares to 5mm on my summer tyres after 18,000 miles. I have throughout followed the advanced driving principle of driving to the conditions and making my journeys accordingly. To date I have not encountered any problems and have not detected any change in mpg. In conclusion I am delighted with my decision to make this purchase. It is not a cheap option but I believe is worth every penny for the peace of mind, safety and confidence that it has given. I regard it as preventative maintenance and something that as an

advanced driver I have felt morally obliged to undertake, particularly in view of the nature of the vehicle that I love to drive. Kromer Rogers

Winter tyre

Stopping Distances in metres Temperature Summer Tyres Winter Tyres Speed on Summer Tyres WET when Winter Tyres From 60mph 20.0oC 65.3 67.0 stopped. 5.0oC 70.5 65.7 15mph SNOW From 30mph 43.0 35.0 ICE From 20mph 68.0 57.0

Summer tyre

Driving Under Influence - Irish Style

From Ireland where driving while under the influence is considered a sport, comes this story. (Only the Irish could think of this). Recently a routine police patrol was parked outside a bar in Donegal Town. After last call, the officer noticed a man leaving the bar so apparently intoxicated that he could barely walk. The man stumbled around the parking lot for a few minutes, with the officer quietly observing.

After what seemed an eternity, in which he tried his keys on five different vehicles, the man managed to find his car and fall into it. He sat there for a few minutes as a number of other patrons left the bar and drove off. Finally he started the car, switched the wipers on and off. It was a fine, dry summer night. He flicked the blinkers on and off a couple of times, honked the horn and then switched on the lights. He moved the vehicle forward a few inches, reversed a little, and then remained still for a few more minutes as some more of the other patrons' vehicles left. At last, when his was the only car left in the parking lot, he pulled out and drove slowly down the road.

The police officer, having waited patiently all this time, now started up his patrol car, put on the flashing lights, and promptly pulled the man over and administered a breathalyser test. To his amazement, the breathalyser indicated no evidence that the man had consumed any alcohol at all! Dumbfounded, the officer said, 'I'll have to ask you to accompany me to the police station. This breathalyser equipment must be broken.' 'I doubt it,' said Paddy , truly proud of himself. 'Tonight I'm the designated decoy!

Gatsos Are Back

Oxfordshire’s Gatso speed cameras which were mothballed last July when the Government cancelled the £110 million road safety grant, are to be switched on again on April 1st

Under a new agreement the police will be able to take a proportion of the sum paid by speeders to attend an awareness course in lieu of a fine and points on their licence, thus making the cameras self funding again, risking a return of accusations that they are only there to generate revenue.

“As a method of funding camera operations, it seems reasonable that we do it through education” Said Richard Owen the operations manager of the Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership who had been running the Gatsos until the money ran out.

However efforts are being made to boost course numbers and income. The Thames Valley police covering Oxfordshire Buckingham and Berkshire announced in December that the threshold for speeding offences is being increased to 10 percent plus 9 mph over the speed limit from 10 percent plus 6 mph. Meanwhile the course price has risen from £78 to £95. ………AA Drive Tec the firm that runs the courses wouldn’t disclose the exact police share from the courses, but the estimated £35 that they get from the 50,000 speeders who attend the Thames Valley courses annually would bring in £1.75 million a year.

I have noticed a sharp increase in the police activity on the Bloxham road with speed cameras being waved and cars pulled over by police cars with flashing blue lights.

Another very good reason, perhaps, to keep up your IAM standards. ED.

Congratulations to: Dominic Bes-Jeary passed his test on the 17th December Trained by Mike Clifton & Bill Smith Checked by Kromer Rogers Examined by Mike Townsend Trevor King who passed his Test on the 8th January Trained by Michael Bishop Checked by Kromer Rogers Examined by Mike Townsend . Anne Wynn passed her Test on 29th January Trained by John Britton Checked by Kromer Rogers Examined by Mike Townsend Congratulations to John Britton who was successful in passing his Senior Observers test with Trevor Dickenson, IAM Staff Examiner. In for Test Ian Jordan Welcome to:- Kate Jackson - Observer - John Roberts Answer: In all of the words listed on page 2, if you take the first letter, place it at the end of the word, and then spell the word backwards, it will be the same word

The older you get The better you get

Unless you are a banana

Mandatory Anti Skid Technology Seatbelts, airbags and anti-lock brakes have all become legally required safety features on new cars over the years. The next on the list is Stability Control with Brake Assist. From November 2011 all newly launched cars must have these electronic technologies as standard. Stability Control detects loss of steering control and automatically applies brakes to help push the car in the right direction. Brake Assist senses that the driver is pushing the brake pedal for an emergency stop and increases the pressure of the brake pads on the disc on each wheel, It can’t be too long before you will be choosing the music with which the car wakes you up when you arrive at your destination. Many of us have these things in our cars now – of course if you are a competent driver you will have no idea if they work as your annual service will not tell you and you are not likely to test them out. I’m sure Chris Milner will point out that too many drivers are given a false sense of security causing them to take risks thereby causing problems for themselves and others. Nanny of course will be there to wipe their brow.

What Does That Switch do?

This article is copied from the Gloucester and District Group & written by Paul Whitehead, a committee member. It is well worth repeating , unfortunately I do not have room for all of it. ED

.... Some of you will have selected your car from the available options, some of which will have been supplied whether you asked for them or not and all of which you have paid for!

And what about the more familiar controls? Do you know where all the buttons and switches are and exactly how and where to use them? I am reminded of a story of an Associate under test who was driving along quite happily when it started to rain heavily. The windscreen wipers were deployed immediately to good effect, but soon after the inside of the windscreen began to mist over and the test route became a drive through fog! Apparently, the Associate had no idea how to operate the demister on their car and had to stop on the side of the road to find the right buttons to press to clear the screen. We were not told the result of the test, but the message is clear.

I also recount a run I had with an Associate in a very grand German-built limousine and he freely admitted that he had owned the car for several months and had absolutely no idea what all the buttons and lights in his ‘cockpit’ were for! Our Chief Observer recalls, “A year or two back, I was stationary at traffic lights behind a car with its rear high intensity lights switched on when there was no fog. I actually got out, tapped on the drivers window and pointed out that the lights were on. He said, how could I be expected to know that? I pointed to the little orange indicator light on the dashboard. Although it was on he had no idea what it meant!”

This was followed by a long list of available features with a comment on each of their purpose and their value the driver. I hope to list these at a later date but meanwhile think on these - what do they do what value do they have to the driver.

ABS; ESP; Cruise Control; Adaptive Cruise Control; Spot Mode; Winter Mode; Adaptive Air Suspension; Traction Control; Electronic Differential Lock; Electronic Handbrake; Speed Limiters/Alarms; Lane Assist and so forth.

Monthly Check Drives These take place at 10 am on the first Sunday of each month. The venue is Halfords (opposite B&Q) Southam Road Banbury. All classes of membership are welcome on Sunday. New Members: At their first meeting they will be allotted an Observer who will give them a full introduction to Banbury Group IAM, accompany them on a free assessment drive, give them a written report and possibly a demo drive, then if acceptable to both parties, enrolment as a member of Banbury Advanced Motorists. Associate members: Are encouraged to attend the Sunday check drives either with their allotted Observer or with another Observer. Qualified IAM drivers and Observers: We all need to keep up our driving skills. All Banbury Group members are invited to come to have a refresher. Please book with Kromer Rogers Book your drive - Although we are willing to take all comers, at very busy times we may not have enough Observers to cope . It will help us if you let us know that you are coming and you will then be sure of getting your drive.

Social meetings These Meetings start at 7.30 pm at Saint Francis

Church, Highlands, OX16 1FA unless otherwise stated

Directions to St. Francis Church—From Oxford drive through the town past Banbury Cross towards the M40. At the Tesco r’bout (after Halfords) take the 1st exit. At the next r’bout follow the rd ahead. Continue to the next r’bout taking the 2nd exit; continue over the speed humps to a mini r’bout & take the 2nd exit up steep hill. At the left hand bend, turn right. Church immediately on right. From Southam take the 3rd exit at the Tesco r’bout then as from Oxford. From Brackley/Daventry/M40 to the Tesco r’bout, follow the rd ahead then as from Oxford. From Warwick At the 2nd r’bout on the edge of town take the 1st exit into Highlands Road; continue until the road takes a sharp right down a steep hill; bear left (effectively straight on). Church immediately on right. All members and their friends are welcome

Dates for your diary.

15th April - Annual General Meeting at St Hugh’s Church Hall, Ruskin Road, Banbury, OX16 9HU. 17th June - Observers meeting Peter Roger (Chief Examiner I.A.M.)

On 20th April there will be a talk by Chris Gilbert on Advanced Driving at Northampton Police Force HQ, Wooton. 5 local groups have been invited, but we are restricted to ONLY 12 attendees per group as the lecture theatre will only seat about 60 people. First in, first served as they say!!!! Requests for atten-dance MUST BE IN WRITING to your group representative VIA EMAIL or snail mail (please include a telephone number if possible). A few reserve places will be held for each group and those people notified of success where possible. Chris Gilbert is a retired Class 1 police sergeant and advanced driving instructor from Hendon Police College, where he taught to Class 1 standard. Apart from teaching the likes of HRH Prince William and HRH Prince Harry, he also holds a grade 6 (the highest grade) ADI certificate and used to be a DSA driving examiner. He was a Police Driving Examiner for the Met. Police, a RoADAR Examiner, and is currently President of North Staffs IAM group and President of South Devon RoADAR group. To listen to him talk about his experiences of advanced driving is wonderful. Group representative:- Chris Milner - contact numbers inside front cover.

Hello! To AM Groups within reach of Donington Park.

Please circulate to Members, Associates, contacts, friends and families.

We have places available on our Skid Car session on: Saturday 12 March 2010 - still at £55 per person.

Basically, we run the day at breakeven and fill all the slots to make the day possible.

For more info or to book, please contact Christine on: 01789 762946 (OK to leave a message and phone number) IT IS BEST to e-mail with your address, phone & mobile number to: [email protected] postal address. Stratford A.M.,C/O 73 Throckmorton Rd., Alcester, Warks, B49 6QJ

Banbury IOM Newsletter January 2011

Documents

Transcript of Banbury IOM Newsletter January 2011