Road Trip

[chief]

G'day,

Thought I would quickly share my experience as I recently drove to Byron Bay from Melbourne for New Years. Taking road trips in the car was one of the reasons I brought the T. A lot of people worry 'bout scatches, bugs etc and don't end up driving their good cars cause of it. Fair enough, but why get a good, quick and large vehicle.

Let me first let you know that the car is standard apart from some options but we took the trip with a full load (5 adults) and baggage. The cornering / handling in the T was still fantastic even with the extra weight, taking the windy roads was still the goods. However, after stocking up on beer for a few days just before reaching Byron the handling became saturated (I am not joking) the car went from still having give to no give ,round corners.

Apart from the space and comfort from having such a large car the acceleration was still brutal. I'm not talking really in first and second gear (slow as sh*t), third and fourth were perfect when you needed it (heaps of pull still) ie overtaking. Setting the car on cruise til you caught another car, then giving the right peddle a squirt to overtake, meant you didn't have to slow down at all (did the trip in the Tarago last year - sooo thankful for the juice this time). I didn't have to worry about dodgy overtakes either, having this much juice really does create a safer car IMO.

Fuel consumption was terrific, getting over 600k's a tank. My K's per 100km which has never been reset dropped from 14.5 to 12.6 by the end of the trip. I had about 9000ks before I left. I was using 98RON where possible but sometimes had to settle with 95RON, until the next major town anyhow.

To my suprise there are no speed limit roads around the Byron Bay area (Broken Heads). I thought NT was the only place in OZ but was wrong. Got up to 180 but had to stop there due to a surface. I'm not really into speeding like that on public roads, but couldnt resist in this case. No traffic perfect conditions etc.

Brought a car bra before I left and it saved the front of the car without a doubt, the amount of butterflys which would have ended up in the intercooler would have been some kind of record. And no I didn't have any run ins with the law. And no one else drove my car did get a parking infringement for not parking rear to curb. What the hell are the 135 degree parks anyways. Its gotta be the worst bloody idea in traffic history! I should have some idea as I have studied transport planning at uni. For one person to park it stops all the traffic. I mean I can see where the idea spawned from (not reversing out into traffic) but in practice it just plain sucks. Dubbo I think was the only NSW town not to have it anyways I'm strayin off topic.

Did try (very late notice) to get a unichip installed before the trip to get better fuel economy and a bit more juice for the extra weight, didn't happen, now I will have to save again, that would've made the trip a tad it more fun.

Anyways, to sum up car was great, good overtaking, no mechanical failures, lots of looks and even better fuel economy. If you've read this far you must be very bored or thinking of taking your T for a roaddy, from my experience get the car bra and enjoy!

p.s. I took a few pics and they are somewhere on the forum dunno how to create a link to them, help would be handy.

Cheers

Rusty

[Cobra]

enjoyable post mate ... I didn't know about those no speed limit roads though .. I too thought they were only in the Territory

I'll go fetch your pics .. if I can find them :lol:

nop ... where did you put them Rusty?

[chief]

Well I bloody hope they were! :( There definitely was a black circle with a stroke through it, and even an additional sign saying drive to the conditions, anyone know anything about it?

[Mondie]

Well I bloody hope they were! :( There definitely was a black circle with a stroke through it, and even an additional sign saying drive to the conditions, anyone know anything about it?

Hmmmm Rusty.

The black circle with a stoke through it just means you are back out on open road and can resume driving at the national speed limit ie.100km/h.

How fast did you say you were going again :lol:

[chief]

oh boy,

I definitely wouldn't have done it if I knew that! Probably go to jail and sh*t! Wouldn't it have just been easier for them to post a 100 sign if that were the case?

BLKXRT I'm gonna delete the photos then bring back with 'new' plates.

[chief]

Can't be stuffed doctoring photo's just deleted a few, If ya can add the link that'd be terrific. I feel both stupid and safer.

[chief]

Here is the link (I hope) let us know if it broke

http://www.fordxr6turbo.com/photogallery/s...aid=89&uuid=780

cheers

Rusty

[ducatijb]

Sounds like you had a blast Rusty,everytime I get out onto the open road I just love using the torque in these cars

180 in a 100,Mr Plod would have loved you but I'm sure he would have got over it

[crisso]

wow - great trip by the sounds of it. Great to hear the T held up in those conditions.

how was Byron for NYE??? Might head up there for the next one.

[Guest Scootre]

Nice pics BTW. Not sure it I'd want the distraction of a passenger taking pics of the speedo while I was doing 150kph +.

Just don't go and publish further pics here with your number plates in full view.

Brought a car bra before I left and it saved the front of the car without a doubt, the amount of butterflys which would have ended up in the intercooler would have been some kind of record.

Does the car bra cover the intercooler area? If so, was that perhaps the reason why the car was starting to feel the pace when loaded up??