A Guide on Essentials of a Long Drive

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

yeah here it goes,

We disconnected the fuel pump's inlet pipe( it was premier padmini), opened the petrol kcap of the tank & then pumped in some air thru the inlet pipe which cleard the vaccume created & as soon as the fuel flow started we connected it back to the pump it sure wasn't this easy but we managed it.

Alternatively (if you didnt have a pump) you could have just disconnected the fuel pipe under the hood and let it hang low and see if it broke the vaccum, and if not.. then you could suck on that end of the pipe and be ready to move your mouth real quick coz petrol doesnt taste so great:P

Awesome write up man!
cya
R

[Technocrat]

Thx,
Yup we did that in 1st place but it didn't help so we had to use the pump

[RedOne]

Great writeup!

A good pair of supplimentary driving lights is a boon for night driving. It is also useful as daytime running lights, as less people are likely to think you left in on accidentaly or for an emergency.

Gears,
RedOne.

[imjimmy]

Diverging just a little bit from the topic.

Can anyone plz tell me if the tyre pressure shd be overinflated or underinflated ( viz a viz the normal air pressure in the city) when we go for a long drive in the highways in summer. ( greater than 250Km)

Always used to keep my tyres 2-3 pounds Underinflated on highways in the summer coz i thought that the tyres wud heat up and expand.

Recently, however, i was told that it's better to keep them a little over the normal city air pressure.

[tsk1979]

2-3psi overinflated above the manufactures reco. If manufacturor says 30psi, keep cold air pressure at 32psi.

[5u3zEr0]

Bravo! That was informative and exhaustive. Will take a printout for my reference. Quite an effort!

Would just like to add to start your journeys early in the morning as the road are empty in the city so you can save time and reach your destination early. Also your body is fresh.

I have done around 15000kms of highway driving and have always made it a point to start early so that I reach early and its always worked.

[Technocrat]

Thanks man.

Yes even we used to start early for the same reasons as mentioned by you. It really helps if you are travelling long streches :-)

[Steeroid]

Excellent stuff, Techno. Since we drive about a bit when we are in India, I'll make sure I keep a copy of your write up.

I also carry an Emergency repair lamp with an extra long cable that connects to the cigarette lighter point. This is pretty useful if you want to inspect parts of your car at night. Its very light and is usually stored inside the spare wheel well.

Finally, you seem to drive through some pretty adventurous territory, what with guns rods and chilly powder being mentioned more than once. I like the chilly powder idea, and your concerns are valid because you're easily recognized as an outsider. Protection is always required, and I have this lovely steering lock that comes in the shape of a baseball club and is quite heavy - protection from theft and assault !

[Montoya]

Thanx Techno. I will surely find this very very handly on a long drive.

Steeriod there also comes a gear lock just like the sterring one..

[tsk1979]

Great write up. about the map i recommend the Lonely Planet india map. Contains major roads of all states. Also covers major roads of metros. Thick book form so easy to read unlike detailed maps which have to be opened up!

[hrag]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

[color=brown]2) Get a good Map: [/color]There are various maps & map books available, ideally get map book which will have all the states map which can be used for all of your future journeys & a big map of the state to\thru which you will be going\passing. One such good map books is by 'ttk'

TTK maps are very good but I have found that IMS (publisher's name) are slightly more detailed. You get IMS road atlases for each state and these contain district wise road maps. The names of small towns being included in the district maps is where IMS beats TTK.

Do check them out.

hrag

[EVO6]

Hey Techie,
nice job man .. Will surely keep this as a checklist next time i am doing a long haul ... Why dont you submit this to an auto magazine ... Its may get published with your name .. its worth giving a try...

[Insane Devil]

how come no one mentioned some Vit.V( in case ppl are addicted to) and some Condoms.?

i think they r very necessary on a long drive!

[Surprise]

That's a great write up & just forwarded to one of my friend who is about to travel to Kerala in his Ford Ikon 1.3 from Chennai.

To add a few

You have a map, just find out the telephone numbers of few police station , Highway patrol & emergency service on your way to the destination & note it down in the notepad

Keep a note book and pen handy with you. This will be helpful, if you want to note down names and numbers while you are on a conversation over phone

Whatever may be the reason do not park the vehicle at the edge of the roads ( this may happen if you the road is not wide enough to keep the vehicle off the road - especially during the night times)

[rahulv]

just wanted to add these two things

those who wear glasses should carry an extra pair.

and under construction highways are the most dangerous thing. last time saw two accidents on mysore road. Both of them were due to improper (and at times "NO") warning sign-boards. both the times it was due to merging of traffic from both sides into single side.