john_p_b
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| posted on 6/8/06 at 06:31 PM |
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what are they like on motorways?
weather permitting i'm thinking about taking my indy up to my sisters over the bank holiday weekend. she lives 5 minutes from the yorkshire
moors and i'm finding it hard to resist the roads up there.
thing is it's a 99.7 mile trip door to door each way. which leads me to really 2 questions...
1. will i make it on a tank of fuel? i've got roughly a 6gl tank but never driven the car at a steady pace far enough to work out the MPG!
2. What are they really like to drive distance on a motorway? buisiest road i've driven on is the A6 to leicester which i didn't find that
bad but then it was pretty dead! i know driver comfort isn't going to be at luxury car levels but it's more the artic trucks towering 15ft
above my head that worries me a bit!
any advice or personal experiences please let them be known here!
cheers
john
built a car, built a home, had a family. lost the family, lost the home, still got the car.
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DIY Si
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| posted on 6/8/06 at 06:35 PM |
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Mine's rubbish, but I'm doing 6,500 rpm ish at 70 mph, so a really annoying drone. No idea about fuel as I also don't ever drive st
a steady speed.
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JoelP
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| posted on 6/8/06 at 06:38 PM |
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you'll be fine  It can be a bit scary when you get boxed in by bigger vehicles, but not too bad. I only tend to do 80 odd on motorways, theres
no rush really. Make sure you have a blast down the pickering to whitby road Just watch out for a right hand corner hidden by a crest.
Fuel will be touch and go, i dont have a gauge so i tend to fill it often.
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John Bonnett
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| posted on 6/8/06 at 06:39 PM |
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From your picture it looks like you are running a single downdraught carb so 30mpg should be easily achievable. You might not manage the round trip on
a tank but it should see you nearly home I would have thought.
I think most will agree that these cars are a joy on twisty country roads but are absolutely hideous on a motorway. My car has a straightcut box and
short gearing and it is very tiring and thoroughly unpleasant on a motorway. If you can plot a non motorway route it might take longer but I am sure
the journey will be a pleasure.
John
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john_p_b
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| posted on 6/8/06 at 06:40 PM |
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surely 6500rpm isn't that bad for a BEC? think mine sits at about 3300rpm at 70 but that was on the 3.62 diff and now i'm on a 3.92 so i
guess it'd be a bit higher now.
built a car, built a home, had a family. lost the family, lost the home, still got the car.
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Guinness
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| posted on 6/8/06 at 06:51 PM |
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My longest trip so far was Newcastle to Stoneleigh and back in a day, about 422 miles! (have your ears stopped ringing yet Joel?!)
Overall it wasn't that bad, but some things to consider would be:-
Travel when the roads are quiet, traffic jams are unpleasant when you are breathing in other peoples fumes and the sun / rain * is beating down on
you. (*Delete as applicable).
Assume big wagons and coaches etc haven't seen you, so act accordingly, giving them a wide berth etc.
Break the journey up a bit, have a break to fill up with gas, stretch legs etc.
And don't take the motorway, cut across country into Lincolnshire, then up into Yorkshire across the Humberbridge. The point of this kind of
car is the journey becomes fun, rather than just something to get over and done with as soon as possible.
Have fun in the hills though!
Cheers
Mike
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DIY Si
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| posted on 6/8/06 at 06:53 PM |
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For a bec it's ok, but still a but annoying after 10-15 mins. As said, try and find a scenic route, you'll enjoy it much more that way. I
rarely even go on duel carriageways as they get boring too quickly.
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givemethebighammer
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| posted on 6/8/06 at 07:31 PM |
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My zetec tiger is OK on motorways, I just avoid getting boxed in by lorries and watch the foreign ones as they have a huge blind spot down their right
hand side and won't see a seven because they as so low. Like others say stick to 70-80mph and things won't get too tiring.
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scutter
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| posted on 6/8/06 at 07:44 PM |
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I did 180 miles today on mainly motorways and dual carriageways, only slight buffeting at 80ish, the old crossflow on 40s did 30 MPG, which was
nice. mind it's only doing 3200RPM at that speed!
As said for more fun going cross country is always better.
ATB Dan.
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dl_peabody
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| posted on 6/8/06 at 07:53 PM |
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If you haven't tested you MPG you might consider topping it off when you get there.
Divide the distance by the amount of fuel and you will have an idea of your MPG...keep in mind that too much fuel on a journey is better than almost
enough.
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john_p_b
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| posted on 6/8/06 at 08:37 PM |
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i'd be topping up when i get there regardless of what it uses i just wanted to be sure it'll actually get there without me having to pay
14 quid a litre at a motorway service station!
i agree about taking a non motorway route being more fun but the 2 hours it takes is long enough for me even when i've had my dads mondeo to
drive up in so making the trip take longer doesn't appeal much really!
guess it's now just down to how the weather is looking for the weekend so i can decide to go for it or not.
built a car, built a home, had a family. lost the family, lost the home, still got the car.
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02GF74
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| posted on 7/8/06 at 06:25 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by john_p_b
surely 6500rpm isn't that bad for a BEC? think mine sits at about 3300rpm at 70 but that was on the 3.62 diff and now i'm on a 3.92 so i
guess it'd be a bit higher now.
no needto guess; it wil be higher by exactly 3.92/3.62 
[Edited on 7/8/06 by 02GF74]
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02GF74
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| posted on 7/8/06 at 06:27 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by dl_peabody
Divide the distance by the amount of fuel and you will have an idea of your MPG...
riiiiiight ..... is that how you work it out?
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bimbleuk
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| posted on 7/8/06 at 08:53 AM |
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I can't add much more to the previous posts but..
I have a CEC and a 4.44:1 diff so I mostly cruise at 5000RPM and still get 30+MPG from it (OMEX ECU + 4AGE 20V).
I find ear plugs can help with the constant drone from the exhaust which is about the only thing which is uncomfortable on mine. I used to have an
issue with resting my foot on the clutch pedal. Since I've raised the whole pedal box I can rest my foot under the pedal and stretch my legs a
little.
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TangoMan
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| posted on 7/8/06 at 09:08 PM |
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I find motorways OK as long as I have the doors on.
I did Calais to LeMans in one go, except for fuel stops and it ws no problem. Today I did Middlesborough back to Doncaster in 1 and 1/2 hours. I find
staying in the fast lanes helps stop being blocked in, you just need to watch out for people pulling out.
Summer's here!!!!
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JoelP
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| posted on 7/8/06 at 09:36 PM |
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which car were you in mate? i was the battered blue one
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ian furness
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| posted on 7/8/06 at 09:36 PM |
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wear earplugs and dont sit on your wallet,you cant move it.
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Guinness
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| posted on 8/8/06 at 05:45 AM |
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Joel
Does this help?
 
Back Home
Cheers
Mike
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JoelP
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| posted on 8/8/06 at 07:46 AM |
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aye, saw that, but theres another picture in the archive called 'my car' thats different!
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Marcus
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| posted on 8/8/06 at 08:18 AM |
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Did the South of France last year in the Locost, all along the French autoroutes. 17 hrs Calais to Cannes! Took it very steady, stopped every 2 hours
for fuel. Had ear defenders (essential for that length with no sidescreens). Felt good when we arrived - could have done the journey again.
Wife a bit miserable though with no music in the car!
Marcus
Because kits are for girls!!
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Simon
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| posted on 9/8/06 at 08:49 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Marcus
Wife a bit miserable though with no music in the car!
Get her a walkman
ATB
Simon
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TangoMan
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| posted on 11/8/06 at 10:10 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by JoelP
aye, saw that, but theres another picture in the archive called 'my car' thats different!
Ahhh!!! That's because I haven't removed the picture of how it used to look.
I heard the future was orange and just wanted to get ahead of the game
Summer's here!!!!
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