don't wanna drive anymore?

[ohmygodwhathaveyoudone]

yesterday i travelled from lincolnshier @ 8o'clock to be at cambaerely by 12 ?
gets just past stevenage and gets stuck in the mother of all traffic jams on the A1m
4hrs later get on the M25 via luton/m3 another major snarl up on the M25.so in the end gets to surrey at 3 o'clock.
collects my new car (saab 95 hot aero,0-60 6 secs,150 mph+)
gets on the M3 @ 4o'clock and sits in a traffic jam,then on the M25 another traffic jam,then ANOTHER one where the M1 joins the M25 thinking should have bought a diesel escort coz i just spent 5 hrs sat in traffic and all i wanted to do was have a little blast
finally gets to the M18 turning for lincolnshire and freezing fog appears so no test pilot
finally gets home 14 hrs after i set off & don't ever wanna see another motorway again.
p.s.
had a quick blast with a boy-racer in his new 1.2 fiat punto that was lowered/loud exhaust etc...he was racing a vectra so got behind him & booted it woooooooooooow 50-70 in 2 secs? its only got 250 bhp but scarey as ****.

 

[mildmanneredjanitor]

Dream......

 

[ohmygodwhathaveyoudone]

 

[kendor]

I used to live in cambaerely

 

[mildmanneredjanitor]

The sad thing is, I can't remember the last time I went out for a drive, just for the sake of driving...

I must be the oldest 36 year old on the planet

Now, where did the dog put my slippers...

 

[pipme]

Good move that OMY !! No Jag no v12 ..
Learned how to close the SAAB bonnet yet ? Is the ig key still behind the gearstick ? Select reverse to remove ?

Yep, you have it !! hired a SAAB 2 litre, late 70's, Bristol to Liverpool and back .. no handbook !! key was in ignition when picked up !! stopped at mo-way services, opened the old cantilevered bonnet for a shufty at the motor ... cannot shut bonnet cannot remove ig key !!
20 mins to work it all out !! Good motor though 100 mph+ for miles and miles on the Mo-way .... good old/bad old days

 

[AdamW]

Mmmm, 250bhp, yum! [drool] [/drool]

You will have got caught in the same traffic as me! Bloomin' gas leak on the A1.

Take it easy on those clapped out Novas, Pugs and Puntos... on second thoughts, please don't!

 

[Diyisfun]

ohmygodwhathaveyoudone

...he was racing a vectra so got behind him & booted it woooooooooooow 50-70 in 2 secs? its only got 250 bhp but scarey as ****.

__________________
I am aware that new cars dont need running in these days but I wouldnt drive MY car like that COMPANY & DEMO'S yes & I did.

 

[AdamW]

You are still meant to run them in a bit, especially with high-revving engines (the higher tuned MGs, VTECs, for example)

If I recall the 160bhp MGs (1.8 litre engine) aren't allowed to be taken into the more aggressive valve timings for the first 1000 miles, so you are limited to 4000rpm.

Not sure if this is because things need to loosen up a bit or maybe it is for the emissions control equipment.

It is amazing how hirecars and demos are that much quicker than privately owned cars! I had a testdrive in a 1.2 litre 16V Punto a few years back that would do over 70mph in second gear!

 

[Diyisfun]

AdamW

It is amazing how hirecars and demos are that much quicker than privately owned cars! I had a testdrive in a 1.2 litre 16V Punto a few years back that would do over 70mph in second gear!

Unfortunatly I used to drive my company car like that (V6 Mondeo), turn traction control off & spin those tyres....what was unfortunate was that I bought the car from the co. but touch wood no probs yet 90000 miles

 

[AdamW]

turn traction control of & spin those tyres....

Here's a test I have occasionally used on traction control. Turn TC on, find somewhere you won't disturb anyone, then pull away by dropping the clutch in first gear at maximum engine revs with the throttle flat on the floor. Cars behave in very different ways when you do this.

I found that the Mk 4 Vauxhall Astra SRi just totally kills engine power, thus maximising "look like a t*t effect" as you get all those revs then pull away really slooooooowly. The Ford Focus traction control really isn't any better.

But the Fiat Stilo seems to be rather clever. The tyres chirped and the engine power was modulated just enough to keep traction. Still accelerated quite well.

 

[Diyisfun]

Its my car now so I wont be trying it

 

[pipme]

...I am aware that new cars dont need running in these days ....

Anything mechanical with bearing surfaces will benefit from a 'running in' period, the final polish is achieved here .. without scuffing !! surfaces 'bedding' together without heat trauma and oil breakdown ... It is nice to have some mechanical sympathy in the shakedown process.
I mean, we are supposed to bed the brakes in after a pad change, doing no more really, than matching the pad face to disc without too much heat shock.

 

[ohmygodwhathaveyoudone]

have had car a week now with no probs.the good thing about it is no drive belt just a timing chain which i have been told will see 250,000 miles
the keys are still between the seats but as its an auto theres no reverse needed to remove.was watching the top 100 cars on men & motors and they had nissan 200zx turbo coupes & their owners said "does 0-60 in 7.9 secs and will nudge 140 mph "
how come a saab ESTATE can crack it in 6.5 secs and do 155 mph?
not even a 328i bmw will touch it
the s-type 4.2 supercharded will do 6.2.
close enough
my dog will end up like one of those garfields on the back window but without the rubber suckers

 

[securespark]

The Octavia Traction Control is like the Astra's.

Floor the throttle, up the clutch and you look like you're going nowhere....

Even in second (or third if it is really wet) you get the TC kicking in, usually when the road is bumpy and uneven.