[mclaren1885]

Originally Posted by Torqy

And for the windshield cracking thing, if you stick to the other one's bumper it won't happen. Think about it.

When your headlamps for some stupid reason cost as much as your windshield trust me you will think a lot about being that close too .

[furobiker]

Convoy driving can be good at times, that is in the case when you do not drive bumper to bumper. I remember in winters 2006, i started off for Nainital from Delhi around 3am. It was so foggy on Delhi Roads. Suddenly i saw 2 cars (both sumo) driving with lots of luggage on their top. So i started following them. And it was a good experience driving at a safe distance one behind the other. The strain is very less especially in the foggy days. And ofcourse we were taking turns to drive in the front after every 20 minutes or so. cheers:

[srishiva]

Originally Posted by tadukuttan

Convoy driving is a nuisance for the rest of the road users, especially, cars which want to overtake the whole convoy. I want to move down those marriage and what not convoys every time I get into one.

They all drive so close to each other, leaving very little space to slot in when I try to overtake. And to top it, the power of crowds come into play, and a lot of the drivers in the convoy try to prevent cars from overtaking. Emboldened by the size of the group, of course.

And there is a convoy moving up a ghat road, sometimes led by the slowest car in the group, and you want to overtake, god help! It is better to take a break, and start driving again after 20 minutes.

I agree to the nuisance part. But they are being punished for doing so as the thread says ! Isn't it ?

[vikram_d]

I dont know who wanted to drive in a convoy and where they wanted to drive to. But these simple rules to be followed when driving in a convoy. Of course not all of these rules will be applicable to everybody but doesnt hurt to take a look at it.

Convoy Safety

[tsk1979]

ROFL. This is too funny.
Unless you are driving around 2 meters away from a truck, this will not have any difference. If you don't believe me go to a park and buy that 5rs paper windmill.
Stick that to your radiator, and start driving 5 meters behind another vehicle(5 meters is pretty severe tailgating).
You will see that the paper windmill sill still rotate.

[esteem_lover]

Guys, we are not politicians or policemen. Why drive in a convoy ? Just drive at a pace that you are comfortable with. Some like it slow, some like it low, for each his own. Either way, don't think the car will suffocate on a highway.

[sudev]

I think first we need to define convoy. A army snake convoy or a gaggle of cars heading to same location at highway speeds (and hopefully at safe distances).

Since the original thread described the latter I do not think McLarens point is correct but thats is my opinion.

There are pro's and con's of convoy deployment and situation demands a common decision by participants. Last year I was with convoy of Petronas Overland expedition and with 30 vehicles at highway speeds we were almost always spread over the horizon from head to tail. Being in radio comm was a help and we kept always good speed.

On the other hand for a convoy in our extended family vacations also we use leader and sweeper. The cars may be spread out over twenty kms.

[Jaggu]

Convoy (bumper to bumper) in choc o bloc traffic, well it depends on how long you are stuck and how close, but under normal choc o bloc condition nothing is going to go wrong. Your engine cooling system will have to work a lil more thats all, and maybe temp will be up by couple of degrees.

Only prolonged usage in in such conditions (read as many years of peak traffic driving alone), will have more wear and tear on the engine and cooling system. Then again service regularly to reduce the damage.

Now please continue with convoy driving very interesting read.

[mjothi]

Originally Posted by tadukuttan

Convoy driving is a nuisance for the rest of the road users, especially, cars which want to overtake the whole convoy. I want to move down those marriage and what not convoys every time I get into one.

They all drive so close to each other, leaving very little space to slot in when I try to overtake. And to top it, the power of crowds come into play, and a lot of the drivers in the convoy try to prevent cars from overtaking. Emboldened by the size of the group, of course.

And there is a convoy moving up a ghat road, sometimes led by the slowest car in the group, and you want to overtake, god help! It is better to take a break, and start driving again after 20 minutes.

Ok. Lemme put from my own experiance last weekend.

We were 4 cars who came together. We did Hassan to Nelamangala with all 4 in visibility to others. By convoy we did not really mean that each car was so close and disturbing others, No. We did have good gap between us, and there were number of vehicles overtook us. Not all 4 together, but getting between us.

So, its not the convoy that is nuissance, but may be the drivers in the Convoy

[Torqy]

Originally Posted by sudev

...a gaggle of cars heading to same location at highway speeds (and hopefully at safe distances).

Not if you've Lewis and Kimi on the invite list.

[vikram_d]

In my definition a convoy doesn't travel at highway speeds. I define it some thing much slower. But that's just me.

[smsrini]

The purpose of convoy driving is more about safety than speed. When you travel together in a group, its safer to be within visible distance of each other. As long as you can see the car behind you in your RVM, even as a small speck, it is fine. Also the fact about safety in numbers.

This way a car has a breakdown, or a family needs help, there's help nearby ( Yes you have cell phones and whatnot to call for help but still it helps ).

We have different types of meets:

- OTRs
- Speed runs
- Family picnics
- sightseeing
- pure driving fun. This can mean different things to each one. to each his own.

You can letgo and rip when the meet is understood to be a speed run, but when families with kids are around, its more about safety and making sure everyone gets home safe and sound.

I'd goto the extent of agreeing to a common signal ( 2 quick flashes of your headlights followed by your turn indicators ) esp for night driving, to make sure the cars are within reasonable distance of each other.

And somebody look out for the sweeper car at the end of the convoy!

cheers!

Drive safe.

[Steeroid]

I thought McLaren wasnt old enough to be smoking the exotic stuff?

[dadu]

that should end this discussion, NOM.

Originally Posted by Steeroid

I thought McLaren wasnt old enough to be smoking the exotic stuff?

[humyum]

Okay i got one more
Does standing besides a truck during signals cause lung cancer?