[sdp1975]

I've got tubeless tyres on my car. Do I need to carry a spare tube ( eg If I have a ripped wall ) on the long drives , or would that be an overkill ?

Roads I usually travel on are 80% good. I do have a puncture repair kit.

[Ravveendrra]

Originally Posted by sdp1975

I've got tubeless tyres on my car. Do I need to carry a spare tube ( eg If I have a ripped wall ) on the long drives , or would that be an overkill ?

Roads I usually travel on are 80% good. I do have a puncture repair kit.

No harm done. A tube costs less than Rs.500/- and takes negligible space. Can be a real saver if stepney too gets a puncture / damaged. The tube is all the more important if you use a rare size or brand of tyres.

Cheers,

[neeraj_125]

My 2 cents,
1. carry a rope preferably a Toe rope made of Nylon or synthetic. That would not occupy much space..but give you that extra mental satisfaction.
2. If you travel with kids and spouse avoid night driving, carry enough snacks dont just rely on road side hotels as with kids other wise you'd have to stop alot which will kill time.
3. My experience is more breaks you take more tired you get. for a 7 hrs drive take two 15-20 mins breaks
4. Google well your route on various websites to know latest conditions of the roads so you know if there is any change / diversions.
5. If you follow news well , then its fine as you'd know if there is any state Bandh etc. on a particular day.

[bj96]

Good compilation. Just want to add that if you are only driver in the car, carry a spray of pain relief e.g. moov or relispary or iodex balm. Driving at a stretch can lead to sudden cramps in the leg muscles, especially if you are dehydrated (happens with ac on and skipping few drips). Getting stranded on an isolated stretch is scary. Happened to me once- wifey doesn't drive.
-BJ

[shishir_bn]

Man this is the thread i was looking for till now. Best compilation of details which are looked for by all the long drive enthusiasts i feel

[neeraj_125]

One more thing for all people more for who drive in UP and some other lawless states. Do not give lift on the highways, there is really no yard stick to judge a person by looks, be it male or female. Its rude i know and i know it can happen to me too in case i get stuck.
If you travel on toll roads then the authorities have toeing trucks which will help you. some of the highways (jaipur highway for sure) has hotline phones every 2 KM. which means you are not walking more then a KM to reach one.

[sumeethaldankar]

Originally Posted by abbhowmi

While going towards agra there was a stupid Jeep 9which did not have a side-view mirror came in front of my and slowed down. I could not stop in time and hit the car at a speed of 90Km/hr, the jeep was around 70...the impact was low because I jammed my brakes hard...anyways all I knew was the jeep went down the side of the road straight to the field. I received a small jerk but the car was stabled. I was happy and a proud owner of my car as I saw the car was moving smooth with no problem at all. After sometime I heard a taktaktak soun. Stopped, got down and saw headlights dangling, left side fendor bended inside and bonnet shifted. Removed all the debris and started off again.

Hi,
your post made a interesting read.What happened soon afterwards the jeep incident? Did you by any chance drove away without stopping after you had a collision the jeep?

[navan49]

I put up my views in quote with the original thread start. These are all very good points to note down while long journey to known and unknown destinations. In addition alway keep some empty carry bags (Polythene ones) near all the passengers in case of Vomitting or for some use on roadside shopping like fruits etc.

Originally Posted by Technocrat

Hi guys, i have been on quite a few londrives with my family & I Think there are certain Do's & Dont's which I believe are necessary before, while & after a long drive. Here's an excerpt from my experience on such drives which I hope, will give a first timer an idea about how to prepare for a long drive. This article is generic in nature & some points of it may or may not be applicable.

Techno

[kshivaa]

One more Tip: Carry a windshield cleaning liquid (or any glass cleaning liquid) and a clean cloth. Also, If you give the vehicle for washing at any place, do check the ability to clean the windshield using the wiper and windshield cleaning liquid when taking delivery of the car. I recently travelled from Chennai to Trivandrum. Since the car had gathered lot of dirt, gave it for wash at an authorized Maruti service. After getting the car, went on a drive to Tiruvalla from there. Night when returning, there was a light drizzle and I wanted to clean the windshield and used the wiper and cleaning liquid. To my shock, the windshield became totally blurred, with zero visibility. Since I had carried a windshield cleaning liquid, used that and some clean cloth to clean the windshield 2-3 times, after parking the car - only then did the visibility return.

[hvkumar]

Carry anti-fungal powder on long drives to sprinkle inside your shoes and prevent shoe/sock odour (the powder kills the bacteria).

I always keep two umbrellas in the boot of my car as a permanent feature. I always carry original driving licence and vehicle documents. The first-aid kit is also kept as a permanent fixture.

[PYSO]

Originally Posted by drkumarmp

All of the suggestions given in this post are excellent & hope more and more people follow them to make the drive fun & safe, In my humble opinion That I had read in the innove manual with regard to desiel engines after a long continuous drive of speeds exceeding 80km/hr the engine should be left to idel for a couple of minutes & never switched off immediatly as the pumps get oil circulated & radiator helps cool the hot parts, I am sure the above post was for petrol cars in mind, just thought the desiel car owners should be aware of this fact, actually its quite difficult to practice since as soon as we stop the hand turns off the ignition instictively. should just remind ourselves to avoid doing that.

I remember reading in my Ford Fiesta Petrol manual that the engine should be allowed to idle for 30 seconds before switching off. I have noticed that after I idle the car for around 30 seconds the rpm meter shows the idling rpm drop from around 900 to 700, which is when I typically switch off the engine. I do this for any drive of more than half an hour.

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

I always keep two umbrellas in the boot of my car as a permanent feature. I always carry original driving licence and vehicle documents. The first-aid kit is also kept as a permanent fixture.

Do we need to carry original documents? Aren't attested photocopies enough. I carry original DL and copies of everything else.

[sbraj]

Originally Posted by Jaguar

Do we need to carry original documents? Aren't attested photocopies enough. I carry original DL and copies of everything else.

I have seen cops at RTO check posts asking for originals of documents for verification. Another case is if vehicle is unfortunately involved in an accident.

One may not be able to come back to home town to get the original documents and then return to the place to get the car.

[thomman]

It is good to carry a "monkey spanner" - can adjust the jaws for different size of nuts and can also be used as a pipe wrench. And a "pipe tool" as shown in attachment. This is made using "half inch" GI pipes of length 1ft each, 2 "T"s and a coupler. You can make two grips as such. One T, one 1ft pipe and coupler makes one tool. One T and one 1 ft pipe makes the second. They can be used to increase the leverage when using the monkey spanner (just insert the ends of spanner into the pipe - open ends) or when using the spanner while changing the tyres. The usual spanner for wheel nuts - (my experience with WagonR) is a bit short and there is a tendency to slip when you try to stand on it for the last bit tightening . The two parts of the pipe tool cost me about Rs.120/. And there is a use for the coupler on one. You can join them both getting a 2 foot pipe tool. Rest left for each one's imagination
Regards and Thanks
Thomas