WHAT DO YOU RECKON?

AFTER ENJOYING THE LOFTY HIGHS OF A BRISK SUNDAY DRIVE, GLENN TORRENS SUFFERS A SIGNIFICANT LET-DOWN. BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN FAR WORSE...

WELL, THAT WAS lucky! As I mentioned in Our Cars last issue, recently I had the metal section of a valve stem shoot like an air-rifle pellet from one of my 1990 Mazda MX-5’s wheels.

PPFFOOOSSsshhhhh. One dead-flat tyre.

But how was that lucky?

Because about two hours before this happened, I’d been blasting my Mazda through the twisties on a nice winding mountain road. So if this valve stem had failed while the Mazda was leaning on this left front tyre during a fast righthander, I’d probably have binned it. Usually when I’m out in my little Mazda, roof down, on a twisty bit of road on a sunny Sunday morning, I’m driving … umm… enthusiastically.