Long drive in a new car

[BenjiRoss]

With the Zen Estilo the only issues are driver comfort and handling at high speeds.
Don't cross 100 KMPH as any sudden maneuvers at this speed is not well handled. Also braking at higher speeds is not as reliable as the bigger hatches or higher segment cars.
Plan your overtaking so you don't run out of steam!
The driver comfort in the smaller hatches is a little less and if you have passengers in the back seat, they will complain - so take a couple of breaks to stretch out.
Be cautious and know your limits - both these highways are really great, so its tempting to overspeed.
I've seen several estilos and wagonRs on these highways.

[Guna]

You shoud be able to do this trip comfortably. I used to do 10 hour (500 km) trips in my matiz (which was 800 cc, forgotten the bhp!) on an undivided pot-holed Karnataka highway (before the GQ).

[vineethvazhayil]

300 - 350 kilometer trips must be a breeze with the estillo. May not be the most comfortable, but I don't see any reason why you cannot take it for your Bangalore or Trichy trips! Go ahead, enjoy the drive!

[balajird]

Yup, there is no problems traveling by Zen Estilo, i have done atleast 5 - 6 trips using M800 which spans around 1000 Kms. And i know people who do weekend shuttle between Bangalore and Chennai on their 1L and sub 1L engine cars.

So, as others mentioned, if you trust your skills, know your limits and your machine's limit, you can drive safe and enjoy your drive.

[AbhiJ]

Rules for the highway:

1) DONT race. There is no trophy at the end.
2) Always overtake from the right. (unless unevitable)
3) Judge your braking distance from 100 to 0. Keep that in mind as you drive.

[balajird]

I believe there is another thread available on "Safe Highway Driving", i suggest you to go through it to get more inputs on Highway driving.

[discoverwild]

I did a 400 odd km trip, in our 91 model M800 (has done over 3.5 lakh kms) over Ooty, Bandipur, Nagarahole and back to Coimbatore in 24 hours. Only issue I had was a loose battery contact.

If you are sure of your car and your driving skills, there is no cause for worry. Drive safe and belt up.

[shubhodeepdas@g]

Simple rules to make sure that all goes well.

1. Adhere to highway safety, buckle up, overtake right, maintain tyre pressure etc. Would recommend nitrogen filling instead of air (if tubeless).
2. Know your car. All cars are capable of long distances, but the trick is not to stress out the machine while maintaining highway speeds. Try and maintain moderate RPMs and higher gears.
3. Take ample amount of rest at regular intervals, you may not need this but the machine that's pulling you surely does. A fifteen minute stop every 1.5 hours works for most. Do not calculate rest stops in Kilometers.

These distances are easily possible on a Zen Estilo. Drive safe.

[Jebs]

Hi xingamazon,

I just completed 1000km trip in 5 days by my cute Wagon-R Lxi. Man, everything is on our hand only doesn't matter which car you drive. I've seen lot of Wagon-Rs, estilos and more than 10 years old M800s as well during my trip. Honestly says, I've seen around 10-15 Wagon-Rs on Chennai-Pondy route (ECR) on Oct-02 (while i return to chennai). And I really feeling proud on my Wagon-R after this trip, because there was no single breakdown, starting issues and nothing at all. I've recentrly upgraded the tyres to CONTINENTAL 155/70 section. So, I've got a lot of confidence on the ride. I did consistantly 90-100 on the roads. Did some cool cornerings as well. Most importantly My Wagon-R fully loaded with 5 people on board and full set of luggage(went for marriage). I did not feel any lack in performance. I know the limitations of my car, hence i drove it as it's way. My trip route was

Chennai-Pondy-Sirkazhi(halt)-Kumbakonam-Tanjore-Trichy(halt). And back to same route after 3 days halt. I did not post this to our travelog due to no pics. But i strongly telling you that you can take your estilo to anywhere you want. But please keep in mind of it's limitations. Both cars should do well in Highways as well. I've completed nearly 5000Kms in 6 months. Do some precautionary steps and then proceed. Let me know, if you still need any info...

[Gansan]

@xingamazon

Just do it once, it will dispel all your doubts. I am also new to the highway, so did two experimental trips with my new Alto. The first one was Chennai - Pondy, with a 15 minute break every one hour as the car was just 300 KM old. But now the run-in is over and car has completed 2000 KM, so last Sunday I did a Chennai - Vellore (Sripuram) trip as a prelude to my future Chennai - B'lore trip. It was a breeze! This time there were no breaks enroute except for the stop over at Vellore. Did a constant 70 - 85 KMPH all the time, with an occassional burst of 100 - 105 KMPH. Did not feel tired at all and enjoyed the trip hugely. Had I started on Friday, would probably have continued up to Bangalore, it was so nice!

Frankly, the limitation is with the driver and not the car. Hell, I have known people do Chennai - Bangalore by 100 cc bikes. But the Zen Estilo has a taller stance than the Zen/Alto, so just watch your speed while cornering. Also, I felt a bit of buffeting when I overtook buses/trucks and was a little surprised.

[Jebs]

Hi Ganesan, That's what i mentioned that Tallboy has it's own limitations(of car). Anyway, did you click any snaps during your trip?

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by shubhodeepdas@g

1. Adhere to highway safety, buckle up, overtake right, maintain tyre pressure etc. Would recommend nitrogen filling instead of air (if tubeless).
2. Know your car. All cars are capable of long distances, but the trick is not to stress out the machine while maintaining highway speeds. Try and maintain moderate RPMs and higher gears.
3. Take ample amount of rest at regular intervals, you may not need this but the machine that's pulling you surely does. A fifteen minute stop every 1.5 hours works for most. Do not calculate rest stops in Kilometers.

Agree completely. I checked with two different MASS guys (one was the works manager) before taking my Alto on a Pondy trip, with just 300 KM on the ODO. I was told to (a) take a 15 minute break every one hour of operation irrespective of KM covered, (b) shift through the gears and vary the engine RPM/vehicle speed on a periodic basis and (c) not to exceed 80 KPH under any circumstance, even though the owner's manual capped it at 100 KPH.

Post first service and with 2000 KM on the odo, I approached the same guys last week for advice prior to my Vellore trip. This time the advice was that I can drive up to 110 KPH, and there was no need to take hourly breaks. They said there was no restriction on continuous operation.

Originally Posted by Jebs

Hi Ganesan, That's what i mentioned that Tallboy has it's own limitations(of car). Anyway, did you click any snaps during your trip?

Hi, yes. No photos were allowed at the temple, so just some highway photos. They are here:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...lto-lxi-6.html (Blue beauty! Carib. Blue Alto LXi)

[josephkarthic]

Hello friends,

Im taking delivery of i10 sportz this saturday, My family has 5 people and 1 kid(2 yrs) and we planned to go to bangalore from chennai the next week..My doubt is whether is it safe to travel such a long distance with full load on a brand new car?? I hope the first service limit is 1500kms but stil confused whther its safe..pls help me..

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by josephkarthic

Hello friends,

Im taking delivery of i10 sportz this saturday, My family has 5 people and 1 kid(2 yrs) and we planned to go to bangalore from chennai the next week..My doubt is whether is it safe to travel such a long distance with full load on a brand new car?? I hope the first service limit is 1500kms but stil confused whther its safe..pls help me..

Well definitely not advisable if you dont get your original RC & regn number.Interstate travel is a big NO without these documents.I am not sure how its done in Chennai,in some other states,it usually takes a month for the originals to arrive.if you have the documents,then go ahead just be careful not to maintain constant speeds,accelerate upto 80 then bring it down to 60 then go bak to 80,it keeps the engine in good shape.Take a small pit stop every 2hours or so for a couple of minutes.

Just drive around in the city for around 100kms before your long drive(a 20-30kms nonstop at a spped of 50-60),this would ensure that the car has no manufacturing defects and if there is you would be able to spot them while still in Chennai rather than get stuck in the highways and plus you would also get a feel of the car esp the clutch pedal and the accelerator pedals.

[anainar]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

Well definitely not advisable if you dont get your original RC & regn number.Interstate travel is a big NO without these documents.

+1. Dont even think about travelling with just the road tax receipt. Originals take a bit of time. Not even xerox copies, but originals is a must. Wait for them to arrive if you intend to travel across state borders.

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

this would ensure that the car has no manufacturing defects and if there is you would be able to spot them while still in Chennai rather than get stuck in the highways and plus you would also get a feel of the car esp the clutch pedal and the accelerator pedals.

Cars are assembled with precision for sure, but there is always a probability of something not done correctly. Drive around for a while, see if you notice any thing abnormal and once the car starts behaving normally, you are all set.

And above all, be in a state of mind to enjoy the drive.

Nainar