Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2011 22:17:13 GMT -5
Wayne, even allowing for the difference in the size of the gallon, 10mpg is not a good return - that's about 12.5 mpg to me. Normally towing I used to get near enough double that with the petrol engined VW Passat. It will be interesting to see how the diesel Volvo S80 performs in a couple of weeks. I expect your trailer is a little bigger and heavier than mine. Incidentally, I think Peter is a little pessimistic on the price of fuel in Britain : it is more like £1.35 a litre - well it is where we are. I have to Oulton Park to watch motor racing from time to time, although I haven't been for several years. In saloon car races these days all the cars look the same and perform the same on every part of the circuit. Not so in late 1960s. I remember one race in particular where lap after lap a Mini Cooper, a Ford Mustang and a Ford Lotus Cortina slugged it out. The Mustang would power away on the straights, only to be beaten on braking by the Cortina and then the Mini would nip through with its tighter cornering ability. Come the next straight and the Mustang would blast past them again. The Cortina was driven by Jim Clark who was killed soon after in a Formula 2 race in Germany. There are several photos around of him showing how you should corner in a saloon car. There was a Ford Mustang which 'lived' near to us in that era. It had the registration plate TEN10. Dave: I think we're comparing apples and apricots. A Passat ain't gonna pull our trailer. It is fairly small by U.S. standards but weighs in at 4,500 pounds unloaded and 23 feet long. The pickup needed to pull it weighs as much or more. The day may come when we have to size down but in this part of the country a pickup is almost a must for a good share of the population. We don't have the public transportation of commercial delivery services. Had a Cortina GT with a special cam and Weber carb (not a Lotus though). It would out corner a Mustang but you had to drag the door handles to do it. Jimmy Clark (probably the greatest driver who ever lived) could have made Nash Metropolitan act like a racing car. (BTW, a mechanical failure killed Jimmy, not driver error). W.
|
|
|
Post by olroy2044 on Mar 14, 2011 22:48:20 GMT -5
Wow, Michael, those Aussie Mopars sound like fun! I really like the looks of the Chrysler Charger. Thanks for the link! Roy
|
|
PeterW
Lifetime Member
Member has Passed
Posts: 3,804
|
Post by PeterW on Mar 15, 2011 8:05:37 GMT -5
Wayne, Quite a few years ago when I did a lot of road testing I used to test trailer vans for the AA magazine Drive and Trail, now no longer published. Unlike some journalists for whom "road testing" seemed to be a quick run round the block I insisted on having the van for at least a week so we could judge what it was like to actually live in the van for a week. I used to borrow what I thought would be a suitable tow car from a manufacturer. We tested four vans a year, so four paid holidays each year was quite a good set-up . One winter we had a big 22-foot long Swedish van to test. I can't remember what it weighed but it was well fitted out with central heating, shower room and so on. It was a very cold January, the temperature hardly above freezing during the day, so a van made for Swedish winters was appreciated. I thought it would be nice to test an all-Swedish outfit so I got Volvo to lend me a big estate car, I think it was around three litres. It pulled the van with no problems and gave about 16 mpg over the week. I don't know if your pick-up has automatic transmission, but my experience was that this is a killer for towing from the mpg point of view once you get off the main highways where you can put it in lock. On normal UK main roads which include lots of hills, bends and towns, not to mention other traffic, the box seems to yo-yo up and down all the time with plenty of fuel-wasting torque converter slip. PeterW
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2011 9:34:20 GMT -5
Peter:
The Truck is an automatic but has an electronic lockout which sort of locks out overdrive. Mine is a 2008 and has a three-speed transmission. In 2009 Ford came out with a four-speed that improved furl economy and in 2011 introduced a more fuel-efficient engine.
The trailer has about 650 lbs tongue weight and even on my truck requires an equalizing hitch to keep the truck and trailer level. A large SUV might pull it but I don't think there is a sedan (at least a U.S. sedan) that could handle it. There are some 12-18-foot trailers (and tent trailers) designed for the smaller crossover SUVs. Another problem with using a car is many are front-wheel drive--not an ideal towing situation. I suppose some of the all-wheel drive models would be fine for smaller trailers.
There is a move toward more lightweight trailers--there are some the size of our's that only weigh 3,500 lbs. But the premium you pay for the ultralights will buy a lot of gas.
In addition if my truck was two-wheel-drive instead of four-wheel drive it would get better mileage. But in this region virtually no one wants two-wheel drive and it's almost impossible to get rid of one once you have it.
I don't drive my truck a lot unless I have something I need to haul or we're going somewhere with the trailer. If I had to drive it 20 or 30 miles to work every day it would be a whole different story.
Wayne
|
|
|
Post by Randy on Mar 15, 2011 12:01:34 GMT -5
Sorry for the late resurrection of this topic, but I wanted to get my facts straight first. MOPAR downunder were represented by Chrysler, not Dodge. American MOPAR fans will probably find some of the names quite disorientating. Chrysler Valiant, backbone of the range, fair enough. But the two most famous 'hot' models, the Chrysler Pacer and the Chrysler Charger seem to grab randomly from MOPAR's names list. Here in NZ, as in Oz, we had a range of vehicle sizes from BMC Minis and Hillman Imps, through to Holdens (GM) Fords and Chryslers which were the equivalent of American compact sedans and wagons. Wile the Aussies now make some thundering V8s, in the 60s and 70s they were better known for light but robust sixes. This from MOPAR Muscle MagazineAs Chrysler was rolling undisguised race cars off their assembly lines since at least the early '60s in the United States, the Corporation's independently managed subsidiary in the southern hemisphere, Chrysler of Australia LTD, was contently pumping out staid and conservative vehicles. Although there was a scattering of Australian machines that whispered a hint of performance in the early '60s, notably the R-series Valiant, musclecars in the American tradition were all but absent on Australian production lines. In that era, Australians lived in a much more conservative and frugal world than their American brothers, and that was evident in their motor vehicles. Economy and practicality were major concerns in the Australian automotive market. As the taste for more muscle did strike Oz, Chrysler responded with the mighty Hemi Six. It might sound odd to Americans fed on a solid diet of V8s, but the light, high performance Hemi 245 drove some very fast cars which could run away from the 8s through the twisty bits. Even the smallest engine, the 215, equipped with a single-barrel carburetor, produced more power than the biggest American slant six — and it weighed less. 6 or not, I think that you'll agree that the VG Pacer is a pretty automobile. This '72 VG Pacer coupe sold recently for AUD31,000. It bears a family resemblance to the Dart. But my childhood dreams centred around the mighty Chrysler Charger. As a kid I drooled over one just like this which used to live around my neighbourhood. The Charger was much shorter than its Dodge namesake and particularly in NZ, with its plethora of small, twisty road circuits, became a useful tin top racer. You can read more about its six cylinder goodness at Octane, where I got the above photo: www.classicandperformancecar.com/features/octane_features/234895/chrysler_valiant_charger.htmlanother good site for MOPAR fans to find out about the Hemi Six is: www.valiant.org/valiant/hemi-six.htmlMichael I had a friend from Austraila, and whenever I would mention a Mopar he would yell...."HEY CHARGER!"
|
|
|
Post by vintageslrs on Mar 15, 2011 14:20:51 GMT -5
That VG pacer is very nice looking......I like it alot!
Beautiful!
Bob
|
|
daveh
Lifetime Member
Posts: 4,696
|
Post by daveh on Mar 15, 2011 15:05:59 GMT -5
Wayne, my caravan is 18' internal size, around 22' overall. Its unladen weight is less than half that of your van. The Passat was a 5-speed manual box, petrol engine. The newer car is a Volvo S80 with 6-speed automatic box, diesel engined.
Peter, it has the geartronic transmission, so the gears can be moved up and down, or held in, a bit more easily than in older automatics.
Michael, What sort of speed limits apply in NZ? I know a couple of people who have fallen foul of the OZ speed limits on what they thought was "open road".
|
|
|
Post by Randy on Mar 15, 2011 15:29:24 GMT -5
Here's our pop up. It's a Bicentnnial Model.
|
|
daveh
Lifetime Member
Posts: 4,696
|
Post by daveh on Mar 16, 2011 7:44:18 GMT -5
Randy, I'm not seeing any pictures. I do remember a photo of you on here from a few months ago. I presume that was the same 'pop-up' you refer to here.
I like the colour orange - and the car under the colour.
|
|
|
Post by Randy on Mar 16, 2011 11:23:54 GMT -5
I checked the photo urls, it must be on your end.
|
|
daveh
Lifetime Member
Posts: 4,696
|
Post by daveh on Mar 16, 2011 14:02:44 GMT -5
They are showing fine now - whatever the blockage was it has cleared.
Did you have the "tent" that folded out from the roof rack on top of the car over there, or were they confined to Europe?
Wayne, I don't think they ever found out why Jim Clark crashed. The "it wasn't driver error line" at the time was a reflection on just how good a driver he was and people could not believe he could make an error. They have blamed a deflating tyre, but I'm sure there was a theory put forward years ago that his accelerator had jammed open. In the end who knows? I have seen Jim Clark make an error - at Oulton Park in the Gold Cup meeting which was a formula one (but non-championship) race - but he came out of the spin unscathed. As with Alberto Ascari we want to believe something else was involved than driver error.
|
|
|
Post by nikkortorokkor on Mar 16, 2011 14:25:17 GMT -5
100 km/h (60 mph) is the open road limit in NZ.
We only have a handful of motorways around the major cities, everything else is two lane with occasional passing lanes. The majority of narrow, winding roads still have a 100km/h limit, which many Kiwis treat as a challenge rather than a limit.
Al this reminded me of the cult classic NZ movie "Good Bye Pork Pie". This road caper was made before there was any appreciable movie industry in NZ. The Director drove the cars in some of the hairier stunts, I believe.
The police cruisers are Holden HQ Kingswoods.
The above clip was shot on the streets (and footpaths) of Wellington.
|
|
PeterW
Lifetime Member
Member has Passed
Posts: 3,804
|
Post by PeterW on Mar 16, 2011 16:12:02 GMT -5
Dave,
I agree, I don't think we'll ever know the true reason for Jim Clark's crash. All sorts of things from a burst tyre to steering failure have been suggested. Clark's engine was known to be suffering from occasional misfiring, and if that happened as he was taking the bend it would have been enough to upset the delicate accelerator control he used on corners.
I drove three laps of the Hockenheim circuit in a Mercedes 300SL in 1967, the year before Clark was killed. It was originally built in 1939 as a Mercedes test circuit.
I was not, I hasten to add, in a race nor driving the 300SL at anywhere near its limit (I ain't and never was that good), but IMHO Hockenheim was, before it was rebuilt, one of the most dangerous of the European circuits, long straights where the cars could reach maximum speed followed by deceptive bends through the forest some of which seemed to go on for ever, tightening as they went.
Also, at the time of Clark's crash the trees lining the bends almost reached the edge of the road. In a fast bend the nearness of the trees could be frightening.
After Clark's death, in an attempt to make it safer, artificial chicanes were introduced on the faster straights to try to make entry into the bends slower, and the trees were cut back a good way from the road.
Even so, it was still a "professional's circuit", not one for amateur club racers nor, indeed, for the fainthearted.
I haven't been to Hockenheim for nearly 30 years, but I understand that in the past ten or so years it has been extensively rebuilt and altered with many of the "forest" stretches eliminated.
PeterW
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2011 17:50:03 GMT -5
I know at the time of Clark's death Colin Chapman and Lotus were taking some heat for alleged design or mechanical problems with their cars. If there would have been anyway to avoid the crash Clark would have done it. This is the guy who spun his Lotus three times in the Indy 500 and still finished second or third. In those days spinning a car at Indy AWAYS meant hitting the wall and or being out of the race.
Another great driver you probably have never heard of who died before his time because of mechanical problems was Bill Foster from Victoria B.C. He started in modifieds open wheel racers in the 1960s and moved on up to Indy cars. He finished consistently in the top ten in major races from the time he reached that level. I think he was scheduled to drive F1 but was killed when the throttle stuck on a Plymouth stock car he was testing and he went straight into the wall at the end of the straightaway at Riverside Raceway in California in January 1967.
I saw Foster drive once in a modified race. He didn't have the fastest car but his driving was so smooth he was like a man among boys. That's the difference between great drivers and good drivers. The great ones make it look easy.
In the short time he was in the big leagues Foster and Mario Andretti because very close friends. They say that when Foster was killed it had such an effect on Mario that he never again became close friends with another driver.
Note: Our trailer has a tongue weight of about 600 pounds which would be difficult for most modern sedans to handle. As I said, the industry is building lighter models now using lots of aluminum (it's lighter than fibreglass) but they come at a premium price. When we got our trailer our goal was to find something cheap enough that we wouldn't feel like we had to take it out every weekend to justify what we paid for it.
W.
|
|
|
Post by John Farrell on Mar 17, 2011 1:13:33 GMT -5
100 km/h (60 mph) is the open road limit in NZ. We only have a handful of motorways around the major cities, everything else is two lane with occasional passing lanes. The majority of narrow, winding roads still have a 100km/h limit, which many Kiwis treat as a challenge rather than a limit. Al this reminded me of the cult classic NZ movie "Good Bye Pork Pie". This road caper was made before there was any appreciable movie industry in NZ. The Director drove the cars in some of the hairier stunts, I believe. The police cruisers are Holden HQ Kingswoods. The above clip was shot on the streets (and footpaths) of Wellington. The great thing about the movie was the way they put the whole country in it......so everyone watching had places they recognised. There were incongruities, though. When they leave Dunedin to go south, the sequence was shot in a small seaside town called Brighton, a long way from the main road south.
|
|