[IamGetz]

Just completed my maiden run on the Bangalore Pune stretch yesterday with a night halt at Belgavi. Thanks to @paragsachania for excellent inputs on CCD outlets en route.

Since we had packed lunch, was wanting a place to freshen up midway between Bangalore and Belgavi. The CCD at Davengere is midway on this stretch, has a reasonably clean loo and a welcoming cappuccino break midpoint.

Snap attached of my 2006 model Hyundai Getz GLE 1341 cc, petrol, manual taking a breather on its first extended run post-Covid (bonnet up).



All the BHPian inputs on the 30km Dharwad bypass single carriageway (with no lane divider) are very valid. Impatience and the need to overtake despite several warning boards not to are a hazard in an otherwise unbelievable stretch from Bangalore to Belgavi.

Reached Belgavi Fairfield Marriott around 4 pm on Sunday as guided by Fellow BHPians. Got upgraded to a suite despite checking in online earlier, as most rooms were taken by a wedding party. Was told that weekends are usually busy with wedding parties though we were not disturbed by the nighttime sound / light show inside our room. The hotel stay package includes dinner and the next day's morning breakfast. The hotel staff very thoughtfully packs a takeaway for the journey to Pune and that is very appreciated if you are travelling with family/kids.

Attaching a snap from our hill facing view window from the 6th floor showing India pushing on the renewable energy front.



The hills had windmills all along, there were solar panels installed on hotel premises and an EV charging station to complete the loop of renewable energy in Belgavi. FYI - saw a couple of Tata Nexon EVs getting charged.

Way to go India.

Nothing much to add on the MH traffic front as all our earlier BHPian inputs are spot on. The sometimes chaotic 2 wheeler traffic (Kolhapur onwards), road conditions and rumbler strips are indeed a step down from the Karnataka smooth drive experience.

Getz handled the 850km drive like a breeze as I was initially apprehensive about driving a 16 yr old car, post lockdown. A full servicing from Pavan Hyundai (Kanakapura Rd) and a set of 4 new wheels including alignment & balancing by Tyre Professionals (Basavanagudi) was just the boost needed for the trip ahead.

Planned stay for a month in Pune. Around mid-May, I will post an update on the return leg from Pune, to Bangalore with a night halt in Dennisons Hubli.

[s4ch]

I have just done Pune > Belgaum on NH48 and back in the last week (as part of our drive to South Goa and back via Anmod ghat - see the Pune to Goa route thread for a report).

A few new stops I noticed and small updates:

As you pass through Belgaum district there is a Subway, McDonald's and KFC about 1km off the highway (on the left side going from Bangalore to Pune). We didnt stop there but assume they have good toilets:

Subway: https://goo.gl/maps/BFvtqXrXzsK5UDUi8
KFC: https://goo.gl/maps/gnkxnYLc2RTbg9RS7
McDonald's: https://goo.gl/maps/2zafuu39YHqH48fv5

Else about 3kms later is the Fairfield Marriott, but you do have to go on the service road if driving Northbound, then go under the highway and enter the hotel on the other side of the Highway. 5 star toilets and probably the best place to stop on the entire NH48 between Pune and Bangalore. Their coffee shop is nice too.

From the Marriott in Belgaum to home in Pune was about 5 hours with a stop at Kolhapur McDonald's. Left the Marriott at 12.30pm, crossed Kolhapur in no time as it was just after lunch and no traffic. There is a new Burger King about 300m before Kolhapur McDonald's on the service road.

There is a brand new Shell petrol station on the left after Karad (heading northbound). Fantastic, clean toilets and they have a nice little snack shop too. But of course fill up in KA as Diesel is 8rs cheaper!

The Satara>Pune stretch is now 3 lanes all the way, nice and smooth and fast.

All in all a great drive and will be driving from Pune>Bangalore and back sometime next month. Looking forward to this!

[mayukh42]

Back from a Belagavi trip.

On Sunday, was on the Dharwad Bypass when for the first time in life, got stuck in hailstorm! Visibility was not even 2 metres. At the exit toll of the bypass, me and several other cars were hanging on for dear (windshield) life while the wipers were fighting the icicles like a Jedi with Lightsabre. Thankfully, the particles were not that big and no damage was done other than a 15 min delay.

This, after a 20 min delay due to a nasty accident blocking one lane completely, where 2 trucks made contact after an overtaking went wrong. Not sure if there were any casualties.

All in all, the 90/- paid for the 2-lane bypass was completely wasted. So while returning, rebelled against that and took the city. Was out of Dharwad in no time, on to the wide BRTS road where traffic flows smoothly. All flyovers in that route are done. But Murphy's Law caught up at Hosur Cross of Hubbali. What a mess that is, with a completely unnecessary one-way + U-turn instead of a signal. Finally reached Gabbur (Hubbali end of the bypass) 1 hour after Mummigatti (Dharwad end), but that still was 5 mins less than the previous day, so nothing too bad.

Hubbali is seeing a lot of road construction, and there is a new bypass connecting Karwar Road, so once those roads are complete, this below route bypassing the bypass , would be worth if one has 20 mins more to spare and is crossing during non-peak hours (the bypass takes 30 mins anyway).



In another note, the tolls at Karajeevanahally is 100 and Guilalu is 80, so the 120 km stretch of Tumkur Chitradurga Tollway would cost 25/- higher! Usually April hikes are at most Rs. 5 per toll.

[anshuman77]

Hi

Am planning to drive from BLR to Mumbai around 30th April with a pet dog.

Planning for a night halt in Kolhapur or Satara.

Any recommendations for pet friendly hotels Enroute ?

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by anshuman77

Hi

Am planning to drive from BLR to Mumbai around 30th April with a pet dog.

Planning for a night halt in Kolhapur or Satara.

Any recommendations for pet friendly hotels Enroute ?

Bangalore - Mumbai is easily doable in a day, provided your furry friend can take it. Leave at 4-ish in the morning and you'll hit Navi Mumbai by 6-6:30 pm.

[nityamishra14]

Have a very basic question, not sure if it was raised or answered earlier.

I just completed my longest drive of 1200 KMs from Jodhpur (Rajasthan) to Nagpur (Maharashtra) in 18 hours, starting at 4AM and reached by 10 PM in my Ciaz petrol. I was the only driver and took two half an hour meal breaks, bio and fuel breaks.
Although every quarter I do Udaipur - Nagpur , which is 880 KM, but this time it was from Jodhpur.

At the fag end of the journey, i was getting a bit worried about the continuous running of the tyres. So my question is -

A. How long should a car be driven in a day that is safe on the tyres, considering the day temperature was around 40 degrees C.
B. Whether one should follow some breaks for the tyres to cool.

Regarding road conditions, it was a mix of six lane national highways, 4 lane highway and some pathetic underconstruction highway in the satpura hills in MP. Regarding speeds , i try to keep it under 100, no matter how tempting the roads may be.

Thanks in advance.

[Edit: I understand this thread is for Mumbai Bangalore route, pardon for mentioning my query here]

[anshuman77]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

Bangalore - Mumbai is easily doable in a day, provided your furry friend can take it. Leave at 4-ish in the morning and you'll hit Navi Mumbai by 6-6:30 pm.

Ya, However travelling with a senior as well so 4 A.M departure is not possible, also frequent breaks due to the dog…

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by anshuman77

Any recommendations for pet friendly hotels Enroute ?

Not many decent hotels in Satara, so I would suggest staying in Kolhapur. There are quite a few options in the vicinity of Tara Rani chowk (2-3 kms) from the Bangalore- Mumbai highway. Some of them are Hotel K-Square (stayed here, good place for an overnight halt), Maratha Regency, Hotel Radiant, Citrus Hotel, Hotel Pearl, Ramee Panchshil, Hotel K-Tree, Hotel Ayodhya, Sayaji. Sayaji is 4*, while the others are 3*. However, you will need to call and check whether they allow pets or not.

[Yatra Moksha]

Originally Posted by anshuman77

Any recommendations for pet friendly hotels Enroute ?

Hi anshuman77,
I have been a regular traveller on this route with my 4 year old pet dog. We, as a family, do Mumbai - Kerala (via Bangalore) - Mumbai at least 3 times a year.

It's quite impossible to find decent, clean hotels accepting pets, hence we have always relied on Air BnB.
We start from Bangalore at about 5AM and break our journey at Kolhapur. There are some good AirBnB properties at Kolhapur (and Belagum too if you prefer a halfway halt) those accept pets. The ones that we stay in are great family friendly properties and do not have any restrictions of a hotel.

Hope this helps!

[mayukh42]

Originally Posted by nityamishra14

A. How long should a car be driven in a day that is safe on the tyres, considering the day temperature was around 40 degrees C.
B. Whether one should follow some breaks for the tyres to cool.

You can go through this thread (A Guide on Essentials of a Long Drive) for best practices in long drives.

Personally, I take a break after every 2 hours/ 150 kms whichever is earlier. This takes care of resting the tyres, apart from ensuring we change posture and not sit in one position for too long.

Tyres get very hot especially on concrete pavements without an asphalt layer on top in most parts, e.g. Belagavi-Dharwad expressway or the Mumbai-Pune expressway. On such surfaces, it is wise to not go over 80 - lack of asphalt layer renders such surfaces actually "incomplete" and should be treated so.

Asphalt surfaces (with or without concrete pavement below) heat tyres relatively less. But safe driving practice should still require that we take adequate breaks, for our sake as well as the vehicle's.

And we should never fill up tyre pressure on the highway. Fill it up within 5 kms of starting journey for the day, if needed.

MODS: we might want to move this post and the quoted one in the other thread.

[Secretariat]

Did a Bangalore-Mumbai-Bangalore run this week. With the Satara-Pune section sorted out, this is easily the best road situation that has ever been. The entire stretch has excellent roads and much time has been shaved off the journey. Its now a pleasure to drive this sector notwithstanding the Hubli-Dharwad bypass, two wheeler traffic in Maharashtra and the difficult speed restrictions on the Mumbai-Pune expressway.

On the Davangere-Hubli sector (also seen sporadically between Chitradurga and Davangere) there seems to be a number of installations on the median that look suspiciously like speed cameras. Not sure what they are, but this will be a major pain if they indeed are cameras. If we think the expressway speedsigns are unfair, speedsigns on this sector are insane. 50-80 kmph on a six lane low traffic highway? Searched this forum, certain that this has been discussed before, but couldn't find where it has been. Maybe the regulars could drop a response.

A plea to the master of this route, Parag. His compilation of the eateries and fuel stops pinned to the first message is easily one of the most important posts in this entire forum. It has been invaluable reference to so many of us. It needs an update as some of the eateries are closed and new fuel outlets have opened. Can I request for an update from Parag - he is so readily helpful that I thought I could take the liberty of asking.

[prad]

Originally Posted by nityamishra14

At the fag end of the journey, i was getting a bit worried about the continuous running of the tyres. So my question is -

A. How long should a car be driven in a day that is safe on the tyres, considering the day temperature was around 40 degrees C.
B. Whether one should follow some breaks for the tyres to cool.

Tyres usually reach a steady temperature after you have run some 50Kms or so on the highway. They heat up more if your pressure is low and that can be dangerous. You should definitely check your tyre pressure before the trip - preferably the previous day - when the tyres are cold and the car has not run for 8-12 hours.

The pressure increases when the tyre is run and gets hot - so please do not check the tyre pressure at that time - the higher pressure when the tyre is run is automatically factored in by the manufacturer (of the tyre and of the car) - if you do so, you will underinflate your tyre, and therein lies the danger.

I even overinflate by about 5-10% before a long trip when I know I would be doing a steady 100Kmph on highways - protects the tyre better, gives me better mileage, but the ride definitely becomes a bit harder. I cannot do that when my mother is traveling and every bump on the road hurts her back, which is already bad - so I fill up the recommended pressure for such trips. But never underinflate the tyre, as that will increase the risk of the tyre overheating and bursting (or getting punctured).

The tyre condition is crtitically important - if it is bald or low on tread, or has some damage already, simply do not take them out on such a long distance, and/or at a high speed.

Very high speed becomes a concern - but when you drive at 100Kmph, you are safe. Most modern tyres are rated for a higher speed than what the car is capable of - so long as you did not downgrade the speed rating of the tyre by getting something ultra cheap when you changed it, you should be fine. A quick Google search on "tyre speed rating" will explain it well to you. So if you using a normal tyre with decent tread, you are safe.

Most tyres in India are what are called "all weather tyres" and are generally safe in hot weather. The grip of the tyre would improve the hotter it gets (and the downside is the faster wear on the tread). It is the cold weathers you truly need to worry about. With a summer tyre if temperatures go below freezing, the rubber compound hardens and the its traction/braking ability will deteriorate badly. All weather tyres fare better under such circumstances. Winter tyres are typically not required in India unless you live in areas where the weather is below freezing for extended periods of time and likely to go on icy roads.

Regular tyres in good condition can run for the entire day without showing any strain - because they reach their steady state temperature and then their temperature does not go up further. So do not worry about them so long as they are correctly inflated. Run them continuously for as long as you like, without any worries!

[Chinmayd]

I recently did a Bangalore to Mumbai drive in my Ameo with a couple of 20 mins break and a fuel stop. The car has stock tyres with 38,000 kms under the belt. I maintained steady high speeds throughout the KA section and right upto Pune. I have installed an aftermarket TPMS and keep a watch on the readings especially while doing highway runs in the summers.

The starting pressure in all tyres was 32 psi. In spite of the continuous high speeds and the April heat the max reading was 37 psi. The max temperature reading was 47 degrees C, for a brief period. For most part the tyres were at 35-36 psi and 43-45 degrees C.

Frankly I have not done a lot of research on ideal temperature but did not feel very concerned with these readings. Outside temperature was 38-40 degrees and the tyres being warmer by 5 degrees seemed reasonable. Did not feel any issues with the car's handling or breaking either.

Not saying these readings will apply for everyone but guess it helps to check regularly on the tyre health, always maintain the recommended tyre pressures, not just during long drives and finally having a TPMS gives some peace of mind.

[s4ch]

Heading from Pune to Bangalore tomorrow. Am very familiar with the route, but this time am staying in Devanahalli. What's the best route to get there after entering Bangalore?

[fiat_tarun]

Did a Pune --> Bangalore --> Pune 2 weeks ago and I can echo the comments here, the road is now good throughout and is a pleasure to drive on. Anyone who does not see value in cruise control should drive on this highway now

Of course the usual MH side problems are still there with 2 wheelers riding in the middle of the road and overall higher traffic which suddenly disappears as soon as you enter KA. On my way back from Bangalore till Dharwad my average speed was 88kmph ! I was locked at 125kmph on the cruise control for 10 minutes or more without any interruptions multiple times along the way. This killed my mileage though and where I missed the 6th gear in my Ecosport. I averaged just 15kmpl which increased to 18kmpl after the fill up just before entering MH (the bright side of MH roads ).