Keep that transmission running longer

Admittedly, the recently introduced dual clutch transmissions, sometimes dubbed manumatics, do provide the driver with more options but there’s still no escaping the fact that a computer has more say than the driver’s brain even in this application.
At the end of the day though, it’s a fair assumption that a car with an auto transmission is more likely to lead a less stressful life than a manual equivalent.  There are a number of reasons for this, not least of which is the fact that it’s not so easy to induce tyre shredding, axle straining wheel spin.  Secondly, fluffed gear shifts which in a manual can crunch the synchromesh or shred gear teeth, simply don’t happen with an auto.  And most obviously of all, an auto tends to change gear earlier than the driver of a manual would, so strain on the engine is reduced.
But things aren’t quite as simple as that.  In stop start driving, the most destructive habit you will observe without fail is the practice of “riding the clutch”.
Drivers of manual cars are too lazy to hold the vehicle on the handbrake so they slip the clutch instead and create massive, destructive heat which quickly necessitates the fiitting of a new clutch assembly at huge cost.  Next door, the guy in his auto seems to be a lot better off because all cars of this ilk feature a built-in creep factor.  In other words, with Drive engaged and no throttle or brake applied, the car tends to roll forward very slowly, a feature which means the car will avoid rolling backwards on a slight gradient. 
The problem is that this too involves heat-inducing slippage which over time can cook an automatic gearbox.
 So, if you want to prolong the trouble free service of your auto transmission, you are well advised to slip the lever (deliberate pun) into neutral, just as with a manual, if you find yourself in stationery traffic for anything much more than thirty seconds. 
Endurance kings
Talk of durability brought to mind the thrilling Daytona 24 Hour sports car race which took place towards the end of January.  
The first four cars home were separated by a matter of seconds (this is partly a function of the incessant safety car periods so prevalent in US racing) with Porsche-powered prototypes coming home first, third and sixth.  In the GT class, Porsche 911s took every podium place on offer, cementing this manufacturer’s unrelenting grip on world endurance events, witness the fact that 911s are the reigning champions in the Nurburgring, Silverstone and Dubai 24 Hour enduros.  
Such is the grip of the world economic recession that even Porsche with all its racing success, has been forced to close its manufacturing plant in Stuttgart for a couple of weeks.  Sales in the UK are down by more than 30 percent on last year but the Stuttgart firm is far from alone as Toyota has recently announced that losses in 2008 were three times greater than anticipated. The Japanese giant has usurped ailing GM’s throne as the biggest manufacturer on the globe but there’s an element of cold comfort about this as overall output declined by more than a million  units compared with 2007.
Into the unknown
Formula One is in danger of drowning in a sea of regulation changes which come into effect in 2009 but if there’s one good thing about the bureaucracy, it’s the fact that no-one is prepared to predict with any degree of certainty which team will gain the upper hand in the early running. 
The most obvious changes are to front and rear wing designs allied to various other aero tweaks which will make the cars look less like spiny rock fish.  Add to that the re-introduction of slick tyres, the need to run the same motor for three races (helped by a lower rev limit of 18 000) and a severely curtailed testing regime once the season is underway, and you’ve got a recipe for uncertainty.
There’s not too much in early season running to get anyone rushing off to the bookies but if I may be bold enough, I’m going to stick my neck out and predict that BMW will be early pace setters.
The Munich firm, to the chagrin of star driver Robert Kubica, stopped development of last year’s car  some month’s before the end of the 2008 programme, all in favour of working on 2009 rule changes.
On a partly related matter, the BBC (which has acquired F1 TV broadcasting rights from ITV) has axed James Allen as the lead commentator, replacing him with Jonathan Legard who will be backed up by Martin Brundle as well as David Coulthard and former constructor and team entrant Eddie Jordan.
 Whither Volvo?
A few years back, Ford had big plans to dominate the upper end of the global car market and hired ex BMW hotshot, Wolfgang Rietzle, to head up their Premium Auto Group (PAG) which consisted of Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin and Volvo.  It would be hard to find more unlikely bed fellows but in the face of scepticism from seasoned observers, Rietzle confidently spoke of  capitalising on “brand synergies”.  The last time I heard of Herr Rietzle, he was in charge of a large German fork lift manufacturer.
History tells us that those synergies were largely imaginary as Ford got rid of all the players except Volvo for which a buyer is still sought.  It’s hard to think of a more difficult time to shed a car manufacturer and while Swede’s may be keen for Volvo to regain its independence, there is still concern over the viability of the company, down the line. 
Looking familiar
There’s no argument that modern cars are looking more and more similar, whatever the brand.  In the good old days, even young kids could confidently differentiate one brand from another, thanks in the main to features such as grille shapes.
One of the major reasons for the amorphous look today lies in government safety legislation which demands, for example, common bumper heights and pedestrain protection features which have led to steeper bonnet angles and recessed windscreen wiper arms.
To that, you can add Computer Aided Design (CAD) which leads to common solutions in the shape of reduced drag features such as flush glass and faired-in headlights.  All this has led to a resurgence of dominant grille designs which again act as primary identity differentiators.
Annoying traps
Regular readers will know my views on the widespread application of ridiculous 60 km/h limits on many of South Africa’s dual lane roads.   A week ago, I was travelling along such a road and noticed, possibly too late, a panel van illegally parked on the shoulder of the road within the yellow demarcation line.  Sitting in the back, with both doors wide open, was a plain-clothed Plod complete with his radar gun.
A glance at my speedo showed a mind-blowing reading of 72 km/h so I now await the arrival in the post of a demand for ill-gotten rands, unless that is, the guy on my left who had his nose millimetres in front, was a more attractive proposition for the radar gun. 
What especially annoys me about this methodology is that the van is positioned on the shoulder of the road in a position which would attract a fine for a “normal” motorist on the basis of ignoring a yellow restriction line.