Null's ultimate Dream Car Thread - A CV8 Monaro in Austria
Discussion
[quote=Null.Performance]
Oh well, here I am, thinking my CV8 with a bone-stock LS1 delivers a "respectable" a amount of power, and certainly always has me 100% focused when I'm out and about on our 80 / 100 kph restricted Bundes- and Landesstrassen (A-roads /B-roads).
And then, along comes a madlad in a bad to the bone, manual everything RWD Ute with probably twice the hp (uneducated guess),
wheelin' it on the Isle of Man, where there are no speed limits anywhere outside of villages. Dang.
Can't even imagine how much respect that car commands even on a dry, warmed up road. Most people would probably kill themselves within minutes of getting behind the wheel of your car.
You are a completely different kind of MAD, sir. And I like it. Absolute beast of a car, enjoy
The Ute goes well but you do have to be mindful on the go pedal, no traction control either. I have no idea why the Utes never had it fitted as standard and the Monaro's have. It's great living here for so many reasons and the Manx roads are pretty good to drive too, just have to keep it on the black stuff!
Oh well, here I am, thinking my CV8 with a bone-stock LS1 delivers a "respectable" a amount of power, and certainly always has me 100% focused when I'm out and about on our 80 / 100 kph restricted Bundes- and Landesstrassen (A-roads /B-roads).
And then, along comes a madlad in a bad to the bone, manual everything RWD Ute with probably twice the hp (uneducated guess),
wheelin' it on the Isle of Man, where there are no speed limits anywhere outside of villages. Dang.
Can't even imagine how much respect that car commands even on a dry, warmed up road. Most people would probably kill themselves within minutes of getting behind the wheel of your car.
You are a completely different kind of MAD, sir. And I like it. Absolute beast of a car, enjoy
The Ute goes well but you do have to be mindful on the go pedal, no traction control either. I have no idea why the Utes never had it fitted as standard and the Monaro's have. It's great living here for so many reasons and the Manx roads are pretty good to drive too, just have to keep it on the black stuff!
Lincsls1 said:
SturdyHSV said:
Perhaps less a lifestyle and more of a medical condition for me 
Always enjoy reading your posts Null, I would love to drive one of the Holdens to Austria to sample some of those fantastic roads you've shared with us
Nice collection!Always enjoy reading your posts Null, I would love to drive one of the Holdens to Austria to sample some of those fantastic roads you've shared with us
Now which is your favourite?
It's the best to drive, it sounds the best, and the Monaro is what I saw on Top Gear that I set my heart on
It's currently a little down on horsepower though, perhaps 0.01?
Null.Performance said:
Be sure to hit me up when you take on of your Holdens across the channel and to the Alps.
I absolutely will, in 2019 I had a European tour 'planned' during the factory shutdown in August, just the Ute tent and mattress loaded in the back and off I went. Sadly by the time I got down to Le Mans a wheel bearing was making an almighty racket (I thought the diff was failing at the time) so after spending the night in Le Mans I turned back and limped it back home via the various ferry ports, ultimately ended up taking the tunnel home. 1,400km trip to go to the same place it had been for actual Le Mans in June. Still, I saved hundreds in fuel by not doing the roughly 5,00km route I had planned! It's quite a lot quieter in August!
Edited by SturdyHSV on Monday 8th February 09:25
The past couple of months were the toughest of my life, after what had already been the most difficult year of my life.
In short, I quit my soul-sucking 60-hours-a-week job in the creative industry after six years, and left a lot of related s
t and stty people behind me in my "old" life.
With a much better paying, at the same time much less soul-sucking job secured, I started tackling the biggest project in my life yet - my own mental any physical "rebuild".
Today, the weather was finally nice enough to allow me to do the last thing to get me over my depression - I was able to take the Monaro out for a gentle 25 mile after-work drive
after 143 days of winter hibernation! Oh, how much did I miss being behind the wheel of my childhood dream car!
A set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires to replace the old and flat-spotted Pirellis should arrive within the next few days.
I very much look forward to having good tires on the car for the first time! This will hopefully take it to the next level and further increase the driving pleasure
New year, new job, new life, new possibilities, and thankfully still the same "old" car
2021 is going to be a damn good year!
In short, I quit my soul-sucking 60-hours-a-week job in the creative industry after six years, and left a lot of related s
t and stty people behind me in my "old" life.With a much better paying, at the same time much less soul-sucking job secured, I started tackling the biggest project in my life yet - my own mental any physical "rebuild".
Today, the weather was finally nice enough to allow me to do the last thing to get me over my depression - I was able to take the Monaro out for a gentle 25 mile after-work drive
after 143 days of winter hibernation! Oh, how much did I miss being behind the wheel of my childhood dream car!
A set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires to replace the old and flat-spotted Pirellis should arrive within the next few days.
I very much look forward to having good tires on the car for the first time! This will hopefully take it to the next level and further increase the driving pleasure
New year, new job, new life, new possibilities, and thankfully still the same "old" car
2021 is going to be a damn good year!
Null.Performance said:
The past couple of months were the toughest of my life, after what had already been the most difficult year of my life.
In short, I quit my soul-sucking 60-hours-a-week job in the creative industry after six years, and left a lot of related st and stty people behind me in my "old" life.
With a much better paying, at the same time much less soul-sucking job secured, I started tackling the biggest project in my life yet - my own mental any physical "rebuild".
Today, the weather was finally nice enough to allow me to do the last thing to get me over my depression - I was able to take the Monaro out for a gentle 25 mile after-work drive
after 143 days of winter hibernation! Oh, how much did I miss being behind the wheel of my childhood dream car!
A set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires to replace the old and flat-spotted Pirellis should arrive within the next few days.
I very much look forward to having good tires on the car for the first time! This will hopefully take it to the next level and further increase the driving pleasure
New year, new job, new life, new possibilities, and thankfully still the same "old" car
2021 is going to be a damn good year!
I'm glad to hear you've gotten out of the soul-sucking job and things are moving up In short, I quit my soul-sucking 60-hours-a-week job in the creative industry after six years, and left a lot of related s
t and stty people behind me in my "old" life.With a much better paying, at the same time much less soul-sucking job secured, I started tackling the biggest project in my life yet - my own mental any physical "rebuild".
Today, the weather was finally nice enough to allow me to do the last thing to get me over my depression - I was able to take the Monaro out for a gentle 25 mile after-work drive
after 143 days of winter hibernation! Oh, how much did I miss being behind the wheel of my childhood dream car!
A set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires to replace the old and flat-spotted Pirellis should arrive within the next few days.
I very much look forward to having good tires on the car for the first time! This will hopefully take it to the next level and further increase the driving pleasure
New year, new job, new life, new possibilities, and thankfully still the same "old" car
2021 is going to be a damn good year!
My Monaro suffered during my few years with depression, was used less and less until it largely just sat unmoving on the drive for about 18 months at one point, had bits of algae growing on it etc.
Fortunately enough changes started to happen that I got it back on the road, I also got a new dream job at the start of 2019 and was feeling much the same, new year, new job, new life, new possibilites and yep, still the same old car
All the best mate
Null.Performance said:
The past couple of months were the toughest of my life, after what had already been the most difficult year of my life.
In short, I quit my soul-sucking 60-hours-a-week job in the creative industry after six years, and left a lot of related st and stty people behind me in my "old" life.
With a much better paying, at the same time much less soul-sucking job secured, I started tackling the biggest project in my life yet - my own mental any physical "rebuild".
Today, the weather was finally nice enough to allow me to do the last thing to get me over my depression - I was able to take the Monaro out for a gentle 25 mile after-work drive
after 143 days of winter hibernation! Oh, how much did I miss being behind the wheel of my childhood dream car!
A set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires to replace the old and flat-spotted Pirellis should arrive within the next few days.
I very much look forward to having good tires on the car for the first time! This will hopefully take it to the next level and further increase the driving pleasure
New year, new job, new life, new possibilities, and thankfully still the same "old" car
2021 is going to be a damn good year!
First time I saw this thread.In short, I quit my soul-sucking 60-hours-a-week job in the creative industry after six years, and left a lot of related s
t and stty people behind me in my "old" life.With a much better paying, at the same time much less soul-sucking job secured, I started tackling the biggest project in my life yet - my own mental any physical "rebuild".
Today, the weather was finally nice enough to allow me to do the last thing to get me over my depression - I was able to take the Monaro out for a gentle 25 mile after-work drive
after 143 days of winter hibernation! Oh, how much did I miss being behind the wheel of my childhood dream car!
A set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires to replace the old and flat-spotted Pirellis should arrive within the next few days.
I very much look forward to having good tires on the car for the first time! This will hopefully take it to the next level and further increase the driving pleasure
New year, new job, new life, new possibilities, and thankfully still the same "old" car
2021 is going to be a damn good year!
Cool car... and regards your private life I'm glad you broke free from the chains!
I worked in Australia in car development, with Holden's competition, Ford. I did an awful lot of benchmarking of Holdens and I thought they were great.
A long time ago I worked in Austria too, near Vienna. I drove around Austria a lot. What a country!
A few years ago I moved to Bavaria, servus!
Hope 2021 is great for you.
By the way your english is great!
irocfan said:
Kawasicki said:
A few years ago I moved to Bavaria, servus!
finally another Brit who knows what I mean when I say this - I get funny looks in Germany when they see I'm English but use Bavarian colloquialisms SturdyHSV said:
I'm glad to hear you've gotten out of the soul-sucking job and things are moving up
My Monaro suffered during my few years with depression, was used less and less until it largely just sat unmoving on the drive for about 18 months at one point, had bits of algae growing on it etc.
Fortunately enough changes started to happen that I got it back on the road, I also got a new dream job at the start of 2019 and was feeling much the same, new year, new job, new life, new possibilites and yep, still the same old car
All the best mate
Oh wow, that was tough to read. Thank you so much Sturdy for being so open about it!My Monaro suffered during my few years with depression, was used less and less until it largely just sat unmoving on the drive for about 18 months at one point, had bits of algae growing on it etc.
Fortunately enough changes started to happen that I got it back on the road, I also got a new dream job at the start of 2019 and was feeling much the same, new year, new job, new life, new possibilites and yep, still the same old car
All the best mate
I still feel like mental health issues are largely frowned upon in society, ignored or not taken seriously by most.
The first time I personally noticed something was "wrong" with me was back in August 2020,
when right on the first day of my vacation those severe exhaustion symptoms, both mentally and physically, started.
I just could not get out of bed, even though we had super nice summer weather, was not motivated to do anything, not even go for a drive in the Monaro,
because my whole body and head was literally screaming from explainable pain, I felt like I had invisible "wounds" all over... kind of hard to describe.
Every move was physically hurting and although I felt this incredible mental and physical exhaustion and was suuper tired, I just could not sleep at all...
Of course, being young and dumb, I tried to be "strong", ignore and "fight through it", but 3 months of not being able to sleep more than 2 or 3 hours per night,
combined with a s
tload of overtime work, completely wrecked what was left of my body and mind, and at the end of October 2021, just could not take it any more and had to quit my job...
October, November, December and January were really tough, sometimes I wish I could erase those from my life.
I was in really dark places mentally, and sometimes taking "the easy way out" seemed like a plausible option...
The new and "better" job at the beginning of January certainly helped, but most of all I am just really, really thankful that I had people that where there for me
when I needed them most, they saved my life and helped me get back on track.
So looking back at it, it "only" took me about 8 months to "rebuild" after realizing "hey, something is wrong with me" for the first time.
I cannot even begin to imagine how incredibly tough it must have been for you, battling depression for multiple YEARS...
Very glad that you have managed to overcome it and broke free from the chains!
Cheers mate, drinking one for you right now.
Time for a little update after the first 120 kms on the new Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires in dry and reasonably warm spring weather (ca. 15 °C).
The comparison is not exactly 100% fair, as the Pirelli P Zeros that came with my car have a DOT code of week 46-2016, so take it with a grain of salt please.
Bottom line is: The Michelins are expensive, but certainly worth every penny.
I can definitely recommend them for the type of driving that I do and they are a big step up from the Pirelli P Zeros.
Most notably, the Monaro now rotates a fair bit easier around the bends and the braking performance is just superb! Very confidence-inspiring!
Feedback and grip level are as you'd expect from a Michelin high performance tire and leave absolutely nothing to be desired.
On a side note, they are a little less noisy and a less "crushy" over road imperfections than the Pirellis, which is always welcome.
Dimensions for both sets of tires are 235/40 R18.
The comparison is not exactly 100% fair, as the Pirelli P Zeros that came with my car have a DOT code of week 46-2016, so take it with a grain of salt please.
Bottom line is: The Michelins are expensive, but certainly worth every penny.
I can definitely recommend them for the type of driving that I do and they are a big step up from the Pirelli P Zeros.
Most notably, the Monaro now rotates a fair bit easier around the bends and the braking performance is just superb! Very confidence-inspiring!
Feedback and grip level are as you'd expect from a Michelin high performance tire and leave absolutely nothing to be desired.
On a side note, they are a little less noisy and a less "crushy" over road imperfections than the Pirellis, which is always welcome.
Dimensions for both sets of tires are 235/40 R18.
Lincsls1 said:
Yeah, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres are very good, got them on my Monaro too.
Unfortunately, I've just had to replace one after getting a sidewall puncture, that's lightened my wallet of £190 FFS!
Wouldn't mind so much, but it had bugger all miles on it (<2000) and was like new.
Aah bUnfortunately, I've just had to replace one after getting a sidewall puncture, that's lightened my wallet of £190 FFS!
Wouldn't mind so much, but it had bugger all miles on it (<2000) and was like new.
ks. Destroyed tires suck big time... Did you have to get the car towed back home, or did you simply discover the car with a deflated tire in the garage the next morning?
Oh I see you went one step further and got the Pilot Sport 4S. Great choice!
I was seriously thinking about the 4S and watched/read some reviews, but personally could not justify the extra cash of about 50 Euros per tire for what seemed like a slightly more track-focused tire with (potentially?) much more rapid wear and only marginally different characteristics on the road.
I noticed it was flat at the weekend, its been a couple of weeks since last outing.
So I just took the wheel to the tyre shop using the trusty daily ride.
Yes the 4S do have a very soft compound and so do wear quickly, totally wasted on me I'm sure. I didn't really consider the price difference, maybe I should have!
So I just took the wheel to the tyre shop using the trusty daily ride.
Yes the 4S do have a very soft compound and so do wear quickly, totally wasted on me I'm sure. I didn't really consider the price difference, maybe I should have!
Null.Performance said:
Oh wow, that was tough to read. Thank you so much Sturdy for being so open about it!
I still feel like mental health issues are largely frowned upon in society, ignored or not taken seriously by most.
Very glad that you have managed to overcome it and broke free from the chains!
Cheers mate, drinking one for you right now.
Much appreciated, it is perhaps less frowned upon now (or at least, publicly it's less taboo) but I think it is not taken seriously simply because it is pretty much impossible to understand unless you've been directly impacted either yourself or via a loved one.I still feel like mental health issues are largely frowned upon in society, ignored or not taken seriously by most.
Very glad that you have managed to overcome it and broke free from the chains!
Cheers mate, drinking one for you right now.
I realised how wrong I had been with my understanding of it upon my previous partner having suffered with it for 15 years (I expect still does now, 20 years on) and being exposed to it almost constantly over our 8 year relationship. I realised that despite being a fairly smart guy, I'd been totally wrong about it, so I don't hold any grudge against others who don't "get it", as believe me my ignorance was blissful and I can totally understand how it makes no sense from an outside perspective.
Since coming out the other side of it I've been happy talking to people about it, there's a Depression thread over in the Lounge sub section on PH, that was helpful both in terms of seeing how similar so many people's stories are but also being somewhere that I could feel like I was doing something good in trying to help or support other people which was a little pick me up during particularly low times.
It's also 'funny' looking back now, during the CBT sessions (you get 6 as part of an NHS treatment) at the start you fill out a form about how you've been feeling over the fortnight prior to the session, including how often you've thought about suicide, whether the world would be better without you in it etc.
I answered those honestly and around the 'every day' end of the scale, although not quite at 'constantly'. This to me seemed perfectly normal and I didn't really think much of it or that it was a problem. It's only now years later I realise I don't think about suicide at all, it's simply not a thought process that pops in to my mind, and that makes it far more obvious how different my mind was back then, in a way that just seemed perfectly logical at the time.
I think after many months of lockdown and forced isolation for many people, anxiety and depression is going to be even more prevalent across the world, we shall have to see how society deals with it over the coming years.
In the mean time, big smokey burnouts all round
Glad you're enjoying the Michelins, I've dabbled a bit with different tyres on the Monaro but always end up back with Michelins. The PS4S still lasts quite well, this is a great website (a PH'er too) for tyre information
https://www.tyrereviews.com/
What a great story of how you realised your dream of getting a Monaro. Your passion for it too is so clear. Well done on landing the better job and giving yourself a better life balance.
Your Monaro looks brilliant, but as you can see, I'm perhaps a little biased
A euro trip to meet up with other Holden is def on my list of things I'd love to do in mine.
I look forward to more updates of your adventures in your Ro.
Edited by rivercar1981 on Thursday 15th April 22:10
Null.Performance said:
Time for a little update after the first 120 kms on the new Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires in dry and reasonably warm spring weather (ca. 15 °C).
The comparison is not exactly 100% fair, as the Pirelli P Zeros that came with my car have a DOT code of week 46-2016, so take it with a grain of salt please.
Bottom line is: The Michelins are expensive, but certainly worth every penny.
I can definitely recommend them for the type of driving that I do and they are a big step up from the Pirelli P Zeros.
Most notably, the Monaro now rotates a fair bit easier around the bends and the braking performance is just superb! Very confidence-inspiring!
Feedback and grip level are as you'd expect from a Michelin high performance tire and leave absolutely nothing to be desired.
On a side note, they are a little less noisy and a less "crushy" over road imperfections than the Pirellis, which is always welcome.
Dimensions for both sets of tires are 235/40 R18.
Agree about the PS4 - I've got them on my VF2 V8 Calais wagon (245/40R19) and 928S4 (German Monaro? 225/45R17 and 255/40R17) and they suit both cars remarkably well, would expect them to be equally good on your Monaro. I've also got them on MrsPB's i30, and had them on her previous Golf 6 GTI and my Liberty GT wagon - so that's FWD, RWD and AWD covered - wouldn't fit anything else now.The comparison is not exactly 100% fair, as the Pirelli P Zeros that came with my car have a DOT code of week 46-2016, so take it with a grain of salt please.
Bottom line is: The Michelins are expensive, but certainly worth every penny.
I can definitely recommend them for the type of driving that I do and they are a big step up from the Pirelli P Zeros.
Most notably, the Monaro now rotates a fair bit easier around the bends and the braking performance is just superb! Very confidence-inspiring!
Feedback and grip level are as you'd expect from a Michelin high performance tire and leave absolutely nothing to be desired.
On a side note, they are a little less noisy and a less "crushy" over road imperfections than the Pirellis, which is always welcome.
Dimensions for both sets of tires are 235/40 R18.
And also good to read about mental health improvements - its definitely not talked of enough and affects more people than we know, in many different ways, at many different times.
rivercar1981 said:
What a great story of how you realised your dream of getting a Monaro. Your passion for it too is so clear. Well done on landing the better job and giving yourself a better life balance.
Your Monaro looks brilliant, but as you can see, I'm perhaps a little biased
A euro trip to meet up with other Holden is def on my list of things I'd love to do in mine.
I look forward to more updates of your adventures in your Ro.
Edited by rivercar1981 on Thursday 15th April 22:10
Thank you for taking your time to read through my whole thread! Oh I would love to meet up with other Holden enthusiast one day, that would be amazing!
May I ask, is that still the original coat of paint on your wheels, or where they perhaps treated to an excellent respray using OEM paint code?
I need to get my wheels refurbished at some point to fix all the curb rash and transportation damage, and I am thinking about maybe going for a slightly brighter and shinier shade of silver.
It is a tough decision as I am also not entirely sure if mine are a bit "faded" after 15 years (probably, there is some paint peeling/flaking going on) or if they still show the original color well.
Anyway, your wheels look very much how I want mine to look like after they are done!
And the paintwork too! Need to get a professional detail done at some point to get my Monaro back to showroom condition again.
SturdyHSV said:
Much appreciated, it is perhaps less frowned upon now (or at least, publicly it's less taboo) but I think it is not taken seriously simply because it is pretty much impossible to understand unless you've been directly impacted either yourself or via a loved one.
I realised how wrong I had been with my understanding of it upon my previous partner having suffered with it for 15 years (I expect still does now, 20 years on) and being exposed to it almost constantly over our 8 year relationship. I realised that despite being a fairly smart guy, I'd been totally wrong about it, so I don't hold any grudge against others who don't "get it", as believe me my ignorance was blissful and I can totally understand how it makes no sense from an outside perspective.
Since coming out the other side of it I've been happy talking to people about it, there's a Depression thread over in the Lounge sub section on PH, that was helpful both in terms of seeing how similar so many people's stories are but also being somewhere that I could feel like I was doing something good in trying to help or support other people which was a little pick me up during particularly low times.
Glad you're enjoying the Michelins, I've dabbled a bit with different tyres on the Monaro but always end up back with Michelins. The PS4S still lasts quite well, this is a great website (a PH'er too) for tyre information
https://www.tyrereviews.com/
Sturdy, you seem like a genuinely good human being! Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge I realised how wrong I had been with my understanding of it upon my previous partner having suffered with it for 15 years (I expect still does now, 20 years on) and being exposed to it almost constantly over our 8 year relationship. I realised that despite being a fairly smart guy, I'd been totally wrong about it, so I don't hold any grudge against others who don't "get it", as believe me my ignorance was blissful and I can totally understand how it makes no sense from an outside perspective.
Since coming out the other side of it I've been happy talking to people about it, there's a Depression thread over in the Lounge sub section on PH, that was helpful both in terms of seeing how similar so many people's stories are but also being somewhere that I could feel like I was doing something good in trying to help or support other people which was a little pick me up during particularly low times.
Glad you're enjoying the Michelins, I've dabbled a bit with different tyres on the Monaro but always end up back with Michelins. The PS4S still lasts quite well, this is a great website (a PH'er too) for tyre information
https://www.tyrereviews.com/
I don't feel any hatred at all towards most people or even close friends who "did not get it" either, as you said they'd have to live though it themselves to really understand the severity of it.
And I certainly do not wish that upon anyone.
However, for those who deliberately abused me and my character traits for their own purposes / advantages for years, I do feel a lot of hate.
But those special kind of evil people are exactly as worthless to me now as I was to them as a human being for years.
I destroyed all the bridges and connections to them, locked all the doors and thew the keys away - Erased them from my life.
I also had to permanently cut ties with a lot of people who "contributed" to my mental and physical degradation over the past couple of years.
Everything just to be able to heal.
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