[Moonraker]

Originally Posted by balajeshi

Hi Gopi ,

Thanks , it took me around 11.5 hours with 45 min break at A2B and 15 min break near Karur. As i and the car were newbie [just 672 Kms when i started my trip] ,i was cruising in the 80-90 Kms range .

I guess it is very mush doable in 10 Hours bracket as the roads are too good till TVL.

Will Update the details of my second trip in December 1st week.

Hi Bala,
I am planning to do the trip from Chennai to TVL on Friday and if my leave does not get approved, then i would make it on Saturday. If its on Saturday then lets meet up near Madurai.

I am also coming to TVL to the same place you are travelling. Gues who i am ?

PS: You can get a clue if you look at my signature.

[aravinthrk]

I was skeptical when I saw another report as I have done this stretch a year back and took me quiet some time, especially the Karur - Namakkal stretch. If one can do Madurai in 5:15 hours, Tirunelveli should be another 2 hours as it is only 150 kms and the traffic in that stretch is also very sparse.

Am looking forward to my scheduled trip to Nagercoil in Feb already..

Nainar

Nainar, believe me you. The road is very good and provided you have a set of maintained wheels (not any hot rod mind you - that's an entirely different proposition), you can make it in the said time.

Doing Bangalore - Madurai in 5hrs 45minutes hours is mind boggling. I guess he has indicated only the driving time and not taken the stoppages in between into account.

Gopi,
Thanks mate for pitching in for me. What I had indicated indeed includes the stoppages. It's the total trip time. Next time I take a trip, I'll try to make a trip sheet or something. As far as experience is concerned, I've not done that many long trips. But what education I have on long driving came when I did some legs in the US. I did both on the Interstate highways(4 lanes a side) and US Highway (2 way a side). Getting the basics right in those roads means you live to see the destination (no exaggeration. People who have driven there will tell you).

Far as skepticism is concerned, anyone need a quick ride to Madurai, be my guest on my next trip


[Rant Rant read only for people who have insurance against death from boredom]

I guess its just how well you feel the car in your hand. I believe one needs to learn to find from the feedback the car provides.

To quote Al Giordino, the side kick of Dirk Pitt in one of Clive Cussler's novels, "every mechanical contraption has a heart of its own. Give it the treatment it needs and you never know what it can do for you".

Also, I think its not more about any skills extraordinaire as it is about becoming one with the car and the highway. You appreciate and live off the highway and the highway gives you what you need. You try to go against it, it has a way of getting back at you (remember driving over puddles and slippery surfaces at red line speeds??? ).

[balajeshi]

@Moonraker : Praveen nice to see you man [never thought you are in the forum, the world is so small] ,Congrats on your Fiesta how is the car hope you are having a blast with it.

[gopikb]

Hi Aravinth, Hats off to you in doing the Bangalore - Madurai in < 6 hours that too with breaks inbetween. This really pumps me on as well and I would like to test the Punto to her limits during my drive next month. I had driven my old Santro Xing to 120km/hr max on a free road. My Punto has just clocked 1400kms and hence I am going easy on her at the moment. I will complete the 2500kms before doing the Bangalore - TVL highway drive and that will give me a chance to really floor the pedal. Based on the confidence given by you, I have already informed my mom that I will be home for lunch in TVL.

[anainar]

Originally Posted by aravinthrk

Nainar, believe me you. The road is very good and provided you have a set of maintained wheels (not any hot rod mind you - that's an entirely different proposition), you can make it in the said time.

Well maintained wheels is a given. 448 kms in @6 hours mean @75km/h average and that is very well within the safe limits of a divided carriageway without any undue risks. I said mind boggling not because of this, but the pace at which road work has progressed in this stretch. One can safely attain 80km/h average in a divided carriageway, in a clear weather without major risks.

Originally Posted by aravinthrk

Getting the basics right in those roads means you live to see the destination (no exaggeration. People who have driven there will tell you).

Also, I think its not more about any skills extraordinaire as it is about becoming one with the car and the highway. You appreciate and live off the highway and the highway gives you what you need. You try to go against it, it has a way of getting back at you (remember driving over puddles and slippery surfaces at red line speeds??? ).

+1... Sticking to the basics is the pre requisite and the miles of high way driving is secondary. Having done quiet a few trips and lived to see the light without any incidents, I vouch for the basics. A few that I follow..

• Never ever overtake when there is no/partial visibility
• Be aware of the limits of the vehicle you drive. What it can do and what it cant. And always have a margin in what it can do.
• Be patient. Highway driving is not a sprint,but marathon driving. Law of averages always catches up and I have always given the guys who over take me in a hurried/dangerous manner a run by catching them at the next toll gate or at the next truck line up and this without me going over the edge.
• Overtaking is maneuver to be completed in the smallest possible time, even if it means downshifting. One may lose a fraction of FE, but the safety outweighs the loss of FE.
• Respect the size.A huge truck needs more space, and dont ever squeeze it for space, for you wont get it.Ask the driver for overtaking and believe me, those truckers listen and give space when they can and normally it is very safe when they say so.

Hmm!! Have become a high way driving post rather than Kanyakumari road condition.

Hoping to enjoy my drive to Nagercoil ...

Nainar

[aravinthrk]

@gopikb,
Thanks mate. Please do consider that I did stoppage of 20 mins for 448 Kms. I didn't much more. Also, I did the trip in ideal conditions - clear skies, moderate temperature etc., You might want to check the rains and if it does it might take more than lunch time. All the very best on your Punto.
Just be careful on long curves (there are few in and around salem stretch) where you might have to calculate cornering with lot of margin.

[aravinthrk]

@anainar,
Fully agree on your safety points. Might as well add my few thoughts while at it.

1. Try to keep your mind alert and aware of your surroundings.
2. Try to avoid fiddling with anything while driving (like your audio, video, snack pack etc.,). Higher the speed, Higher needs to be hands (plural), legs(plural), eyes(plural) co-ordination.
3. If at all you get attracted by mirages (rather than just ignoring them), stop immediately. Its a sure sign of your mental tiredness. Take a break, stretch yourself, wake up and carry on. The highway is not gonna run out in any time soon.
4. Always try to see the horizon and scan back to your hood.
5. Calculate distance between yourself and the barrier (cows crossing, buses coming in the opposite direction in your lane, seemingly safe cyclists and pedastrians) and ALWAYS anticipate that they are going to get into your path just when you are about to pass them.

[Moonraker]

Originally Posted by balajeshi

@Moonraker : Praveen nice to see you man [never thought you are in the forum, the world is so small] ,Congrats on your Fiesta how is the car hope you are having a blast with it.

yup ... world is small & round and you never know when you would dash into a person whom you knew.

When i went to Ooty i have driven till Salem and the roads were good till Dharmapuri. few stretches in Dharmapuri to Salem route were under construction this is about 3 months before. Are these roads good now?

[balajeshi]

@Moonraker : Nice to hear from you , do call me if you are starting on Saturday ,we'll be starting around 6:00 AM here .

Yeah the roads are complete between the Dharmapuri Salem Stretch ,almost the whole stretch from Hosur to TVL is complete ,except for some bridges and the one bridge near Kayathar [we have to go inside the town ,which will kill some 10 min for 2 KM stretch.

[Red Liner]

Bing Bong!

Any update on the roads on this stretch? Driving out Monday evening towards Madurai. Also need good hotel options on Thiruparangundram main road for the night.

Any suggestions my dear friends?

[sdp1975]

I did the Bangalore-Madurai stretch about 4 weeks back, and yesterday did the Bangalore-Dindigul stretch.

Roads are excellent, you can easily maintain speeds of 100+.

[csateesh]

Update on road conditions to Madurai

West Bangalore -> Tumkur Road -> NICE Road -> Hosur -> Salem -> Namakkal -> Karur -> Dindugul -> Madurai

Journey time - 7:30 hrs excluding breaks
Breakfast stop - Krishna Inn near Soolagiri
Lunch - Adyar Ananda Bhavan Madurai

Stayed at SIMAP residency - Good place - Close to the temple.

Return - Left early without waiting for the restaurants serving breakfast to open which in hindsight was a good decision

But here are the problems

1. A2B near Vadipatti not operational yet
2. None of the places upto Karur was busy
3. At the Dindigul - Trichy intersection to the right is a good hotel but was very crowded (probably due to lack of options) - Decided to head towards Bangalore
4. Hotel Thiruvalluvar - Just after Aravakurichi - Reasonably crowded - Decided to refuel and was a good decision. If my coffee flask was washed i would ordered atleast 4 coffee. Brilliant coffee . Food was hot and tasty

Hope folks find this useful.

[sridhu]

Any Route updates for now? HOw long would it take to get to Madurai from Bangalore?

[sbala]

Originally Posted by sridhu

Any Route updates for now? HOw long would it take to get to Madurai from Bangalore?

Route is same as what others mentioned here. Its 6 lane till Krishnagiri and 4 lane from Krishnagiri till Samayanallur. Route can change Samayanallur to Madurai depending on where you wanted to go in Madurai.

You should be able to make it by 6.5 hours.

Originally Posted by sridhu

HOw long would it take to get to Madurai from Bangalore?

Exactly one year back, we had left Bangalore Basaveswara Nagar home at 4:25 am and reached Hotel J C Residency, Chinna Chokkikulam, Madurai at 11:10 am with a break of 45 minutes for breakfast at Valluvar Family Restaurant, located between Karur and Dindigul.