Upgraded Toyota Avanza 1.5 stock Dunlop SP10 185/65R15 88S tyres to Goodyear Eagle NCT5 195/60R15 88V

It is time for my Toyota Avanza 1.5G to have new set of tyres, and the stock tyres with spec of 185/65R15 is not so popular, and limited choice. As a result, I decided to change the spec to 195/60R15 which is more popular, has more choice and easier to get.

The stock tyres for Toyota Avanza 1.5G are Dunlop SP10 185/65R15 88S. They are quite durable, and I've used them for 3 years, running over a mileage of over 60,000 kilometers, before I finally replace them.

Stock tyre - Dunlop SP10

I've chosen the wider Goodyear Eagle NCT5 195/60R15 88V as the replacement.

New tyre - Goodyear Eagle NCT5

This Goodyear Eagle NCT5 tyre gives better handling and firmer grip than Dunlop SP10. Since it is 88V, it is designed to be able to run in higher speed as fast as 240km/h too, although I don't think the 1.5 engine of my Avanza can get close to that kind of speed.

Although the original 15" rim can be used, the new tyre is about 1" wider than before, and I was advised by the tyre shop to change to a new set of 15" rim to match with the new tyre's spec. The stock rims are traded in. Then, I was told that this new rim need a centre cone ring to fit better to the chasis and avoid possible vibration. The wheel nut need to be changed as well.

Here is what I've paid, including workmanship for installation:

• 4x new Goodyear Eagle NCT5 195/60R15 88V tyre, manufactured in 17th week of 2010 (about 2 weeks ago): RM840
• 4x 15" Taiwan made ADR sport rim, traded in with stock rim: RM660
• 4x centre cone: RM50
• Wheel nuts: RM50
• 4x steel valve: FOC
• Balancing and alignment: FOC

Hope that I've got a good price for the wheels replacement.

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• Information on the tyre wall 

A simple course in Good Human Relations from 6 words to 1 word

The following are extracted from an article written by Tan Sri Dato' Soong Siew Hoong, a famous businessman in iron and steel industry, who is very active in business associations including FMM, ACCCIM, etc. The origin of this simple course of wisdom is anonymous.

Here is the simple course in Good Human Relations from 6 words to 1 word.

The important words:

I admit I made a mistake

You did a good job

What is your opinion

If you please

Thank you

We

The least important word:

I

The words are simple. Let's look into the deeper meaning of each line.

I Admit I Made A Mistake (6 words)
It takes wisdom to know you are wrong, and courage to admit it publicly and then take steps to correct the mistake. This means practising the concept of LEARNING is a lifelong process and there is always a better way to do things.

You Did A Good Job (5 words)
We should always give praise to someone who did a good job, say it in front of others, with sincerity. In this way, that person will not only feel happy to be recognized for good performance, but will continue to support you.

What Is Your Opinion? (4 words)
There is everything to gain and nothing to lose, to ask for others' opinions. They'll feel as part of the team to be consulted. They may even come out with better idea!

If You Please... (3 words)
Asking for help in a polite way, instead of demanding it, will likely get a positive response.

Thank You (2 words)
It is so easy to say thank you to someone for even a little favour, yet many people don't say it, and just take it for granted. Say thank you to your colleagues, friends, relatives, even to your spouse and children, and they will become your friend and be respected.

We (1 word)
Saying WE means you are partners, you share the praise or success, just as you share the responsibility. There should be no finger pointing and no individual heroes!

In practising Good Human Relations, I is the least important word. It denotes self importance, egoism, and never goes down well with others. Avoid using I, expect when accepting responsibility for a mistake done by you . Use WE more often to promote comradeship and teamwork.

Practising Good Human Relations begins with each of us. Hope that this sharing has enlighten your thought.

Microsoft Office 2010 Web edition will be free for all to use

Since 2009, there are rumours and talks about there will be a web edition for the upcoming Microsoft Office 2010, and it would most probably be provided at no cost to users.

Now this seems to come to reality soon, as Microsoft just officially announced that there will be Office 2010 Web service to be made available to some 400 millions users of their free Windows Live online service.

According to the source, this Office 2010 Web service will also be free to enterprise workers, provided they are licensed for Office's software maintenance program namely Software Assurance.

You might have noticed that over the past few years, the monopolized market of Microsoft Office has been threaten by rivals such as OpenOffice.org, Google Docs, etc.

In order to counter the competition from OpenOffice.org, selling price of the current Microsoft Office 2007 has been dropping with "special discounts", especially on the Home & Students Edition (3 licenses in a box) which now selling at the price of RM1xx only.

Microsoft's move to provide Office 2010 Web for free is seen to counter the competition from the free Google Docs in the cloud.

This kind of competition is definitely good to us consumers, and we hope that the competition will sustain, so that we could get better quality software, better support, at competitive cost of ownership.